--- On Tue, 7/1/08, USSoccerPlayers Newsletter <newsletter@...> wrote:

From: USSoccerPlayers Newsletter <newsletter@...>
Subject: USSoccerPlayers Newsletter: July 1st, 2008
To: "smsysupd" <smsysupd@...>
Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2008, 12:11 PM



TV

No new soccer today.  Tonight's US Open Cup Third Round games are listed
here http://ussoccerplayers.typepad.com/ussoccerplayers/2008/06/last-call-mls-o.\
html#more.

Discussion: Third Round

With the US Open Cup heading into the later stages, J Hutcherson and Tony
Edwards talkabout what they expect from Tuesday's games.
 
J Hutcherson: Hey Tony,  The Major League Soccer stage of the US Open Cup is
tomorrow night, with MLS looking for the sweep against the USL representatives.
 
First off, would it have been such a problem to set it up so a lower division
club wouldn't have to face an MLS team in the Third Round? 

Tony Edwards: Let's look at the glass as half full, as in, at least the West
Coast teams are playing each other (Chivas and Seattle). It could have easily
been, "hey, lets send Crystal Palace to Los Angeles."
 
But yes, why the earlier rounds aren't based on geography is one of the enduring
mysteries of the Open Cup.
 
Before we get too far into any discussion of the USOC, it's fair to say that one
of the greatest games I've seen in person was the Quakes v Galaxy at the
University of San Francisco a few years back in an Open Cup game. It had lead
changes, passion, bad calls, and went to penalty kicks. Sure, Yallop pulled
Donovan after only a half, but players like Wade Barrett and Cobi Jones were
incredible.
This was the first game in Northern California after Cobi's unfortunate
commerical, with Mike Petke, about the then new Puma MLS ball was aired. And
Jones took a game's worth of good natured abuse from the Casbah. At one point he
went for a 50-50 ball and was shoved out of bounds, literally into the bleachers
where we were sitting (no sideboards, no fencing between players and fans at
USF). He bounded up and ran back onto the field, but not before winking at us
like we were all in it together.
 
So you can't put a price on that kind of interaction. And even if its mostly
reserve squads, it's not a bad thing to be able to see these players from so
close.
JH: The first championship I ever saw in person was an Open Cup final.  The
first game I ever covered as a pro was another Open Cup final.  I really wish
somebody in a position to actually affect the tournament could see the
potential.
 
That said, if I'm sating down a SuperLiga and Champions League schedule, I would
probably prioritize accordingly.  That's not setup to benefit the Open Cup,
probably why we get these odd predictions like this could be RBNY's year.  Uh,
ok.
It's interesting that neither DC nor Baltimore could get their game in their
home stadium.  Moving these games to by definition neutral sites that just so
happen to be closer to one of the participating teams does no favors.
 
Using DC/Baltimore as an example, it's rush hour traffic to get to Germantown or
Annapolis tomorrow night, and both are a haul. 
 
TE: That's a fair point. The game I saw was attended by a thousand, at most, on
a cool foggy weeknight deep in San Francisco. By definition, not a lot of the
south bay fan base is going to make that trip, and especially not on a
weeknight.  More

http://ussoccerplayers.typepad.com/ussoccerplayers/2008/06/discussion-thir.html
 
Wolff Returns

Josh Wolff is once again a member of the Kansas City Wizards, joining the club
after finishing the 2007-08 European season with TSV 1860 Munich in the
2.Bundesliga.

 
“I am very excited to be back in Kansas City,” Wolff said. “My family and I
obviously have great ties here and it was a difficult decision to leave the
first time, but it was something that we had to do. In coming back to the United
States and MLS, Kansas City was first and foremost in our minds. It is a new
organization, new management and new staff and all I have heard are great
things. KC is a tremendous city and the fans have always been wonderful.”
 
Wolff left Kansas City after the 2006 season after spending four years with the
club.  He scored 27 goals in 80 appearances.  At 31 and with a new four-year
deal, Wolff could see out his career in Kansas City. 
 
“Josh (Wolff) is a player that we attempted to sign when Peter Vermes and I
first took over,” Wizards coach Curt Onalfo said. “He's a guy we've always
wanted. He's a National Team player and an extremely good attacking player. We
look forward to getting him incorporated into the team as quickly as possible. I
coached him on the US National Team and look forward to coaching him for the
Kansas City Wizards.”
 
The Wonderful World of Soccer Media: USA
RFK's team worth watching -- from The Washington Times' Dick Heller: Soccer
instead of baseball, on a day when the heat and humidity of late June was
terrible for the former and just right for the latter?
 
Rhinos First Up for United in Open Cup -- from The Washington Post's Steven
Goff: Goodbye Los Angeles Galaxy, hello Rochester Rhinos.
 
Red Bulls can't take a vacation this month -- from The Newark Star-Ledger's
Frank Giase: And the way things are going, two weeks is a long time.
 
For Palace, win tonight would be quite a coup -- from The Baltimore Sun's Milton
Kent: The Baltimore team is stocked with players with extensive foreign
experience.
 
Wizards facing a brutal stretch of games -- from The Kansas City Star's Bob
Luder: The Wizards might be staying on the road even longer.
 
Game has the feel of home -- from The Richmond Times-Dispatch's John Packett:
Cristman said he felt fortunate to be able to contribute as much as he did a
year ago.
 
RailHawks look to repeat history -- from The Raleigh News and Observer's Edward
G. Robinson III: "It's like the Durham Bulls playing the New York Yankees in a
game that actually matters," he said.
 
Knight puts out fires on and off the field -- from Soccernet's Justin Rodriguez:
When Knight isn't stopping runs or clearing dangerous balls out of the box, he
serves as one of Richmond's bravest.
 
Insider info key vs. MLS -- from The Charleston Post and Courier's Andrew
Miller: "We kind of know what to expect, but all that experience won't mean a
thing if we don't come out to play and match the effort that they're going to
bring."
 
Galaxy just like MLS: Consistent in its inconsistency -- from The LA Daily News'
Nick Green: It's as if, in one fell swoop, the Galaxy embody all that is good
and awful about MLS.
 
TFC not taking Whitecaps lightly -- from The Toronto Star's Morgan Campbell: "I
know what my priority is, and the priority is (Vancouver), then the next (league
game) against Chicago," he said.








 



 







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