Major League Soccer

I was going to say, "Do I look like a seafarer to you?" but in fact I'm wearing a navy & white dress with a little life preserver-shaped Women's VFW Auxiliary pin on the lapel.

Emerald City Supporters forum posts confirm the banners were a mistake btw.

"As far as people bitching about the banner... we're in our first season. They've got to learn, the hard way, that shit's going to happen in the supporter section, PERIOD."

Who cares anyway? Those big banners are a serious pain in the ass.

I'm more worried about the lack of discipline the Fire showed. They were chasing the play for more than half the match. Don't even want to think about Thor's red card... his season has been the pits thus far.

http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd118/embarchie/photo-1.jpg

OK what? Is that an RSL shirt? That might explain it.

I didn't watch the all-star game. I have to wonder if the spotlight was big enought that Wilman Conde might finally get his wish and move on to a bigger league and more $.

Superliga final tonight here in the Chi. Fire v. Tigres UANL, gonna be rad. It's on Telefutura and streaming live on the web. If I'm not mistaken NY has Champions League tonight too, eh?

Yep. Not going. Just too much to do, plus costs (tix are, what, $30? bus $10, beer $$$).

/whois alien babby up there?

Holy shit that is $! We have 3 supporter buses from the Loop + 1 from the burbs -- match ticket and beer on the bus for $20. Got to love the midwest.

alien baby boy, the fun folks at espn kept their camera on him at the mls all star game. i had enough time to go WTF and get my camera and take a picture of the tv. weird kid.

http://www.thestranger.com/seattle/american-football/Content?oid=1973424

While I am pleased that SSFC has done so well because what's good for one team is pretty much good for the league as a whole, I do wish a lot of their fans/proponents would stop patting themselves on the back so much. A quick look at the history of MLS shows that when teams are new, they draw well. Keeping that trend going for the duration is not quite so easy. The Fire drew 30-some thousand during their first year or two when they were playing at Soldier Field, but when the novelty wore off a lot of the non-rabid fans left, and haven't really been back. Building a new stadium and bringing in players like Cuauhtemoc has helped a lot, but they haven't been back to those numbers since (and physically can't, as Toyota Park only holds 20k).

It's funny, when you posted that, jergs, I was just coming here to post a somewhat similar link:

http://www.footsmoke.com/2009/07/the-growth-of-european-soccer-in-the-u-s/

Obviously, the market exists for soccer in this country, even beyond fans only in it for the novelty aspect. The problem is putting together something sustainable long-term, that can begin to both produce and attract world class players.

BTW the Superliga final last night was one of the most exciting games I have been to since I started following the Fire, unfortunately it was 1-1 at the end of 90 and went directly to PKs in some bizarro-world bastardization of standard tournament rules. Two Fire players shanked their shots and we lost :(

Cool banner for the occasion, though:

http://i18.photobucket.com/albums/b124/spinelessfreak3/100_0759.jpg

Oh and on the note of developing a fanbase: last night I helped with another display that involved unfurling a bunch of table rolls over the section at the start of the second half. I had a group of 7 or 8 latino kids (9-10 year olds, I'd guess) and their enthusiasm for the team, the game, and just being a part of it all was was absolutely amazing. Those kids are the ones who will grow up and keep the league going in the future.

Also, they had really good aim when throwing streamers at the opposing team's goalie ;)

Dan, I am not enjoying Chicago's down-ish period right now at all (as relates to your woes the other day about the front office, the stadium, etc), I want soccer to be widely considered awesome in this country so I wish all the teams well (except DCU). But in terms of maintaining fanbase over the life of the club, NY/NJ has been stabbed in every major organ over the last decade-plus, and then mocked and dismissed for not having a more colorful or more influential or larger supporters group.

A lot of the lessons the league has learned in time for SSFC to benefit from them, were learned by practicing on clubs that got the shit end of the league's learning curve.

Dallas is last with 9,464.

It really says too much about North Texas that their grand plan for soccer was to move it as far away as possible from young urbanites and Latino population centers.

Yeah, that's a central complaint about a lot of the new stadia being built -- too far from the populations centers. The sad reality is that the ownership groups want things done on the taxpayer's dime, and are willing to go pretty much anywhere to make that happen.

Also I have read that Dallas actually makes a profit, somehow, at their location. There is a whole complex of soccer fields and hotels and shit out there, right?

Let me be the first to say, "get the fuck out, and good riddance".

^^^cosine

Houston (or any other team really) making signings like this guy frightens me. It's the same as Montero in Seattle -- the league is finally getting attractive enough that younger prospects who might fly under Europe's radar are starting to show up and they're going to have a big impact. I guess Pappa is that kind of player here in Chicago, but he's only on loan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luis_%C3%81ngel_Land%C3%ADn

I know a little song
It isn't very long
FUCK DC UNITED
Now it's all gone!

i am sick of freddie ljungberg

I am sick of my team's awful inconsistency.

yesterday
PA Announcer: "If Seattle Sounders FC score 3 goals, everyone in attendance gets a free haircut from Supercuts."
guy near me: "I WANT A HAIRCUT"

I'm in a somewhat strange position this afternoon, hoping that NY can pull off a win at home v. Columbus just so the Fire can stay within a point of first in the standings. Lil' help here plz, Laurel?

thanking u

best part of yesterday's game

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7rsWT5Yimg

Always happy to help a friend. Especially when it means FUCK COLUMBUS.

damn it damn it damn it damn it

http://goal.com/en-us/news/66/united-states/2009/09/02/1477082/exclusive-chicagos-rolfe-to-join-danish-club-aalborg

this ended up being nice

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guOPljB18q4

http://butyoudidntwinthisone.com/

I wasn't able to see it all, but I saw the first SSFC goal. LOL @ Wicks, what a spaz. Seattle looked the better team from what I saw. The Sounders fans on BS are going to be insufferable now.

btw jergs, is your new display name an homage to suspended MLS (and FIFA) referee Jair Marrufo (aka the dude who accepted a free jersey from Blanco)? Perhaps a bit of a stretch but it'd be funny if that was the case. Dude was in line to be one of (the only?) CONCACAF referee at the World Cup, but not any more.

man i wish

but no
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jair_Jurrjens

DC United went to Rome to see the Pope and this is what he said FUCK OFF

Couldn't have happened to a nastier bunch of cunts. :D :D :D

<3ing this right now even though it's stupid

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1zwvsZrzvg

the fat guy is a treat

"U.S.A. Rodriguez"

united states of america rodriguez

if you didn't see it in the first of the series, he is revealed as Umberto Santiago Antonio Rodriguez

Radriguez

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1SG3EVT2bw

some lols, some good info if you don't follow the league and want to know more, plus a sweet Fire goal @ 1:20

(mostly about Beckham tho)

who has two fingers and announced his intentions to stay with the Fire?

this dude

http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/918/week10d.jpg

MLS to Break During Group Play of 2010 FIFA World Cup™
MLS clubs to play each opponent twice in balanced 2010 regular season

NEW YORK (September 16, 2009) – Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber announced today that for the first time in its history, MLS will not play League games during the group phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The group phase includes the first 48 games of the 64-game tournament that begins on June 11, 2010 in South Africa. The last MLS game prior to the World Cup will be played on June 10 and MLS will not schedule any additional League games until after the group phase concludes on June 25. MLS does not plan to schedule games on the days of either World Cup Semifinal nor the World Cup Final.

“The decision to stop League play during the group phase of the 2010 FIFA World Cup is part of MLS’ commitment to deepen its connection with the millions of soccer fans in the United States and Canada,” said MLS Commissioner Don Garber. “The World Cup will be a focal point for all MLS fans and several MLS players will compete with their national teams at the tournament.”

The 2010 MLS Regular Season will again see each team play a 30-game regular season, followed by playoffs among eight qualifying teams. The 2010 season will begin with a single game March 25 and will conclude Oct. 24. The MLS Cup Playoffs will culminate in the championship match, MLS Cup 2010, on Nov. 21.

MLS plans to announce each club’s 2010 home opener in the near future. The complete 2010 MLS schedule will be announced early next year.

Philadelphia Union will play their inaugural season in 2010 as the 16th team in Major League Soccer, joining the Eastern Conference. The two eight-team conferences allow, for the first time in MLS history, clubs to play a balanced schedule – facing each of the other 15 teams twice, once at home, once away. As in previous years, the club with the best record at the end of the regular season will win the Supporters’ Shield, and the MLS Cup playoffs will determine the League’s champion.

good news imo

today:

acquired 600ft of PVC for flagpoles
ate 5 day-marinated sausages for oktoberfest tailgate
waved a gigantic flag for 1.5ish hours
the team had numerous chances to break the tie but couldn't finish, including a whiffed 6-yard sitter at the last second
hung out with visiting TFC people! (they were nice)

dueling flares at Toyota Park, TFC folks in the background

http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2448/3966746068_5c288cff2b_b.jpg

rad

excellent article by o.g. Fire GM/Prez Peter Wilt on the genesis of the team, 12 years ago tomorrow:

http://pitchinvasion.net/blog/2009/10/07/happy-birthday-to-the-chicago-fire/

hamlett out