I HEART DirecTV, EPL on FOX on Sunday

DirecTV Still The Way to Go in Huntsville

A few years ago, I posted a study on which Huntsville area TV package provides the most soccer for the discriminating fan.  Since that post nearly two years ago, the landscape of soccer on TV has changed a little bit; FOX networks showing EPL and Champions League; NBC and NBC Sports (Versus) soon to show MLS matches; and Sentanta is replaced by FOX Soccer Plus.  However, my recommendation remains the same.  DirecTV is the soccer lovers choice here in Huntsville.

Note:  The development of soccer on the Internet is a greatly welcomed addition to soccer viewers choices.  From MLS Matchday Live, ESPN3.com, foxsoccer.tv, and the various reliable (and nefarious) live streams of matches across the globe adds literally hundreds of additional choices to the soccer fan's menu.  I won't attempt to describe these here, but they are still a viable option for someone looking to view matches on the cheap.

So, here's some update info for soccer on TV in Huntsville.

Leagues/Competitions: Networks

American MLS: ABC, ESPN2, FOX Soccer (FSC), FOX Soccer Espanol (FSE), MLS Direct Kick, RSNs, (2012: NBC, NBC Sports)
English EPL: FOX, FSC, FSP. FSE, RSNs,
Italian Serie A: FSC, FSP, FSE
Spanish La Liga: GolTV, DirecTV LaLiga Channels
German Bundesliga: GolTV
Brazilian Pulista Championship: GolTV
Columbian League: GolTV
Australian A League: FSC
Scottish Premier League: FSP
Mexican MFL: FSE, GolTV, Univision, Telemundo
UEFA Champions League: FOX, FSC, FSP, RSN, DirecTV Europa Channels
UEFA Cup: GolTV, DirecTV Europa Channles
Copa Libertadores: FSE
Concacaf Champions Cup: FSC, FSE
World Cup/Friendlies: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNClassic, FSC, FSP, FSE, GolTV, Univision
American USL/NASL: FSC
NCAA Soccer: CBS CS, FSC, ESPN2, ESPNU, RSNs

To catch all of this soccer action here are the packages you need.

DirecTV Premier Package: Includes FOX, ABC (WAAY), ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNews, ESPN Classic.

DirecTV Sports Pack Package: Includes the major Soccer related channels like Fox Soccer Channel, Fox Sports Espanol and GolTV. Also included are the regional sports networks (RSNs) and others channels that show the occasional Soccer match or two (ESPNU, CBS College Sports, etc.)  This package also includes at no extra charge the DirecTV Europa Channels (480-489) and Spanish LaLiga (477-479) channels which show all of the Champions League and Europa League matches including a mix channel to watch them all simultaneously.  If you've not seen this Mix Channel in action, you are missing out.  I often record the games with Americans and watch later.   IT ABSOLUTELY ROCKS!

DirecTV's Europa Mix Channel is Awesome!

*FOX Soccer Plus: This is a channel that DirecTV offers that is not included in the Sports Pack and used to be called Setanta. You must pay an extra $15 a month for the channel.  It broadcasts EPL matches, SPL, Italian Serie A, and English 1st division matches. I personally don’t think it is worth the extra money, and that's probably why Sentanta went out of business.  I suppose if I followed a certain team in one of those competitions, I might reconsider. 

MLS Direct Kick: This is the best deal around. For a once a year fee of $70, you get all of the MLS matches not shown on ABC, ESPN2, FSC, or Telefutura including play-off games. That’s over 200 games a year. This is how I watch my beloved DC United.

So, as you can see, there is plenty of soccer to be seen, if you know where to get it. 



FOX54 To Show ManU-Chelsea on Sunday

Keeping with the soccer on TV theme of this post,  FOX54 will air the Manchester United-Chelsea match at 3:30 p.m. on Sunday.  The local over-the-air FOX affiliate will show the tape delayed match that will originally air on FOX Soccer earlier in the day.  The match-up of EPL giants will go up against prime NFL broadcasts including the Chargers-Patriots game over on WHNT.

It will be interesting to see if any casual gridiron fans will be turned to the dark side by this game.  I feel conflicted about this for a couple of reasons that are well put by Jason Davis at Match Fit USA.    And then again, maybe I'm just afraid that my love of the game will be overtaken by bandwagon jumpers.

This isn't the only broadcast of EPL matches this season.  There will be at least two more broadcasts in the next two months.  As always, I'll let you know when they do.

UAH Season Opener, USA v Costa Rica Viewing Party, TV Updates

UAH Kicks Season Off Thursday

UAH hosts Talladega in their season opener at 2PM on Thursday.  Coach Mike Mitchell is looking forward to playing the NAIA school to guage his teams progress from a disappointing season last year.

American Outlaws host USA vs Costa Rica Viewing Party Friday at the Brickhouse

The local American Outlaws chapter will be hosting a viewing party for the USA v Costa Rica match this Friday at the Brickhouse.  Game time is at 10PM and as always there will be food and drink specials.



Soccer On TV Just Got Sexier

Soccer on TV in the USA has reached a few milestones recently.  MLS has announced a major deal with NBC Sports where 45 MLS and USMNT matches will be shown on NBC and the NBC Sports Network (currently called Versus).  Originally, I was lukewarm about the deal, but in the days since,  NBC has announced a major effort to challenge ESPN's dominance and will feature live sporting events like MLS and NHL.  

Another sign that soccer is coming to the mainstream sports consciousness is FOX's announcement that they will broadcast 4 EPL games this season.

PWT-blog Visits Red Bull Arena

On my recent vacation I had the opportunity to visit the Red Bull Arena for the New York Red Bulls v Toronto FC match.  Although TFC didn't put up much of a fight in a 5:0 loss to NYRB, I had a fantastic night at a great soccer stadium.  And as a DC United fan, it really pained me to write that last sentence.  Anyway here are some of the action from that night.

Driving up to the Stadium

A converted old warehouse turned parking garage

Tailgate in the Warehouse

Kids game outside the stadium

RBA

Inside

View of the action from our seats

RCU Return Home; MLS Welcomes an Old Villain

Rocket City Faces Jacksonville United in Homecoming Match

Rocket City United will finally return home this Saturday after a three game road trip to play their last two games in front of their home fans. After last weekend's disappointing loss to Atlanta, RCU can no longer win the region. Gerry Cleary is adamant, however, that these last two games will not be used to run-out young players.

“We’re not running out, we’re still going to stick to the same team,” he said. “Stay with our philosophy and do something we haven’t done all season which is win at home.”

They will face Jacksonville United on the 9th, a team they beat 3-1 earlier this season. RCU will hope to repeat that result, but it won't be easy with JUFC on a four game win streak.



Toronto Brings in Two DPs
Toronto has bought two designated players in an attempt to revitalize their less-than-stellar season. One of them is German international Torsten Frings, who US fans are sure to remember for his infamous handball in the 2002 World Cup quarterfinal. Frings comes in alongside striker Danny Koevermans in a move that Toronto are hoping can help them push for a playoff spot.

Never hurts to have some quality villains in the league, and US fans have long memories.

CFC at Pittsburgh in US Open Cup, Hassli Golazo!, Alaska Airline Commercial

CFC travel to Pittsburgh Riverhounds in Round 1 of US Open Cup

The NPSL Southeast Region's representative in the US Open Cup, Chattanooga FC will travel to Pittsburgh to take on the USL-Pro (3rd division) Riverhounds on Tuesday night.  We spoke with CFC's coach Brian Crossman about the rigors of the Open Cup match midweek between two NPSL matches against Rocket City United.

CFC Coach Brian Crossman on the US Open Cup Match vs Pittsburg

Golazo-azo-azo-azooooooooo!

Vancouver's Eric Hassli is perhaps more famous for his tendency to attract red cards, but it's that chip on his shoulder that led him to attempt and score with this strike.  Un-real!

Portland Coach Stars in Alaska Airline Commercial

This commercial staring the Portland Timber's Scottish Coach John Spencer tickles me.  Enjoy!

RCU Open Season, NPSL News, and FOX Soccer Night In America

RCU Open Season in Knoxville On Saturday

  Rocket City United hits the road tomorrow to open the 2011 season against one of three new teams in the Southeast Region, the Knoxville Force.  The Force will play their inaugural game in University of Tennessee's Regal Stadium.  Don't expect a beautiful game during this one.  Neither team will be at full strength and each will likely try to grind out a results until their full complement of players arrive in the next few weeks.

Video of RCU Coach Gerry Cleary on the Season Opener vs Knoxville Force

RCU has made seats available on the team bus for fans who would like travel to the game.  This is a unique experience in sports and any fan interested should contact Director of Operations Jan Henner for more details.


BTW, here's a nice league-wide season preview from the Wisconsin Soccer Central website.


NPSL In Talks with Jamaica's Premier League Clubs

NPSL Technical Director Matt Driver will participate in the International Alliance Symposium hosted by the Jamiacain Premeier League Clubs Association.  "The mission is to have the top U-21 players from both of our leagues have access to different markets, different stages to play on," says Driver.  Hmm, I wonder what this is about.  A player sharing scheme?  An international competition between the leagues? 


Chattanooga FC to Host DC United U-23s

Chattanooga FC has announced that they will host the DC United U-23 team at Finley Stadium on July 23rd at 7PM eastern.  DCU's U-23 is coached by the legendary Jaime Moreno and features the DC Metro areas top college prospects.  The teams met last year at RFK stadium in Washington with the DCU defeating the eventual NPSL Finalists 3:0. 


FOX Soccer Night in America

FOX Soccer Channel has rebranded its weekly MLS broadcast into Soccer Night In America, and it will begin with the Portland Timbers v Philadelphia Union match on Friday night at 9PM.  Also, as part of the festivities for those without FSC (Hello, Knology customers!!!) MLS is offering access to the 2011 MLS Matchday Live online streaming service for free for all of this weekend's matches. 

NPSL News, RSL Earns Draw in Mexico, USSF Releases Coaching Curriculum, and Atlantic Cup On ESPN2

NPSL News

The NPSL PR arm is in full effect as the league prepares to kick into full gear.  League Commissioner Dan Trainor has described the league as a "democracy in action" with the team ownership making decisions about the best way to develop players and also financial structures of the clubs.

Speaking of developing players, the Atlanta Silverbacks Reserves sees its team as "an avenue to move guys into the professional ranks."

Meanwhile, the new Knoxville Force have released a series of Facebook videos in which fans were allowed to ask the coaching staff questions like, "What formation will you be playing?"; "What will be the toughest challenge for the Knoxville Force this year?"; and "What style of play will Knoxville have?".


RSL Earns Road Draw in CONCACAF Champions League Final

Real Salt Lake earned an exciting 2:2 draw in Monterrey in Leg 1 of the CONCACAF Champions League Final Wednesday night.  It looked as if RSL would have to settle for a road goal as consolation for its efforts when Javier Morales scored a great goal in the 89th minute to pull even.  Now, RSL goes back home where they haven't lost in years (literally) with two road goals.  Check out the highlights.

US Soccer Releases Coaches Curriculum

The US Soccer Federation has released a 123 page US Soccer Coaching Curriculum to guide the nation's coaches in developing players.  USSF Youth Soccer Technical Director Claudio Reyna introduced the curriculum Tuesday at the US Soccer Player Development Summit.

"The curriculum is designed to improve development of players representing the largest organized player base in the United States. The curriculum concentrates on improving the youngest players by creating more organized, age-appropriate training sessions, developing coaching practices and creating an environment that is fun for the players."

If you are a youth soccer coach, you need to download, read and follows this doc.  (But beware the download is nearly 100MB!)  The PWT-blog will have a guest post on this in the near future.


MLS Game of the Week:  DC United v NYRB

I've rarely posted about my favorite MLS club, DC United, here on the PWT-blog.  Mainly because they have provided much worth writing about since I started the blog two years ago.  They've played some pretty horrible soccer in that time.  However, with the introduction of some exciting new young players like Charlie Davies, things are looking up for the Black and Red.  On Thursday night at 7PM on ESPN2, they'll take on the star studded NY Red Bulls in the latest match in the rivalry that has been dubbed the Atlantic Cup.  Here's a preview of the game.

Another New NPSL Club, USA U-20s Out of World Cup, and Dumb Send-offs

Hollywood United Defects to NPSL from PDL

Hollywood United, the celebrity filled LA based club has moved from the USL's PDL to the NPSL for the 2011 season.  The club often fields celebrities for charity matches like actors Anthony LaPaglia, Dermot Mulroney and Donal Louge (who stars in one of my favorite movies, The Tao of Steve); musicians Ziggy Marley and Steve Jones (Sex Pistols); and ex-soccer stars Alexi Lalas, Eric Wynalda, Vinnie Jones, and Frank LeBoeuf.  However, the club's Hitmen team is a serious contender in the NPSL's West Region. 


US U-20s Crash Out of World Cup Qualifying

Conor Doyle's Classy Finish in Loss

The USA's rising stars were brought back down to earth by losing 2:1 to Guatemala in the CONCACAF World Cup Qualifying tournament.  The loss eliminates the Young Yanks, but sent Guatemala to its first World Cup appearance of any age group.  To be fair to the heavily favored US team, injuries and the prospect of playing the home team in front of a hostile 30,000 fans, tilted the match against them, but the USA's missed early chances came back to haunt them.


Vancouver's Hassli Tossed for Removing Shirt!?

Eric Hassli scores PK and gets tossed

The Whitecaps forward Eric Hassli was tossed from Wednesday night's game after celebrating his PK goal by taking off his jersey to reveal a short sleeved version of the same jersey.   It was Hassli's second caution of the match, and he was shown a red card.   Idiot!  But should he been thrown out from the match?

The FIFA Laws of the Game state a decision from the IAFB:

Players must not reveal undergarments showing slogans or advertising. The basic compulsory equipment must not have any political, religious or personal statements.  A player removing his jersey or shirt to reveal slogans or advertising will be sanctioned by
the competition organiser. The team of a player whose basic compulsory equipment has political, religious or personal slogans or statements will be sanctioned by the competition organiser or by FIFA.

But Hassli "undergarment" was exactly the same as his outer garment!  Does that count?

Fortunately, FIFA released a position paper to further elaborate :

A player who removes his jersey to celebrate a goal must be cautioned for unsporting behavior...  It doesn't matter if the player has anything on underneath nor does it matter exactly what the player may have on underneath (including an exact replicate of the removed jersey).  Bolding added for emphasis.

So, let this be a lesson to any players out there.  Don't take off your shirt!  BTW, if Grant Wahl had been elected FIFA President, these types of cautions would be eliminated. 

UPDATE:  You think that send-off was dumb, check this one out from Santos' Neymar.

Side Volleys

Holy smokes, did you see the Stankovic goal?!  If not, here it is.

That was a great goal, but there was another right footed side volley that was more important yesterday.  Real Salt Lake's Jamison Olave second half side volley form 8 yards put the MLS club into the CONCACAF Champions League Final.  Despite losing the match, RSL came out on top 3:2 in the aggregate score to qualify for the home and away style final with games on April 20th and 27th.

CONCACAF Champions League Semifinal Highlights

This is a big deal for US soccer, since no US club has made it to the final of the CONCACAF championships since the format went to a Champions League.

Welcome Back Charlie

Charlie Davies' first match back from his accident was a storybook affair, and I can't help but get a little misty watching the interview at the end.

Charlie Davies- The Return

MLS First Kick, RSL in Champs League

MLS First Kick

The Major League Soccer season starts Tuesday night when the Seattle Sounders host the LA Galaxy.  Rather than write up a preview of the season, I invite you to find one of the several hundred that pop up on the various sites and blogs this time of year.  And there are some exciting developments in the league this year with two new expansion teams and several new players.  I'm usually not good at predictions, but I'll take a stab in the dark by saying that my beloved DC United will not finished in last place again this year. 

Tomorrow's game should be a pretty good one, and there will be a viewing party to take in the action at Knucklehead's Sports Pub on Rt. 72 in Madison at 8:30PM.  It's been a while since we did a Soccer Bar review.  So, if you go let us know how you like it.
 

If you can't make it out to Knuckleheads, you can watch the game on ESPN.  Last week, the World Wide Leader announced that Adrian Healey would replace JP Dellacamara who is now joining Fox Soccer Channel's lineup as MLS play by play caller.

Speaking of TV, MLS will also offer a free preview of their Direct Kick TV package on Saturday, March 19.  I highly recommend this package where you can watch 221 regular season matches for $79.


Ross is the Place to Shop for Soccer Jerseys

On a somewhat related note, I was in Ross on Rt. 72 yesterday and saw several MLS jerseys in their racks.  I even picked up the light blue Colorado Rapids jersey for about 75% off the list price.  I also picked up a national team jersey Spain and Argentina each for the same ridiculous discount.  And these aren't cheap knock-offs.  These are the real deal Adidas brand jerseys.  So, get on over to "Dress for Less".


RSL Hosts Saprissa in Champs League

LA and Seattle aren't the only MLS teams in action Tuesday night.  Real Salt Lake will host Saprissa of Costa Rica in the semifinals of the first leg of the CONCACAF Chamions League.  This game may actually be more important to US soccer fans than the opening match of the MLS season, since there has been such limited success in international tournaments recently.  Catch all the action on FSC at 9PM.

Photos from Chattanooga

Here are some additional photos from Sunday's MLS friendly in Chattanooga.  Thanks to friends of the PWT-blog John and Will for taking these great shots and running down stats for me.

Tickets and a view from the press box

  

The starting lineups

Will and I staying warm in the press box

A nice view of the 4379 spectators

Pawns on the chessboard

Ryan Cochran sporting the great 'stache

Getting the legs loosened up

Making magic for the PWT-blog

New England Beats Crew In Front Of Large Crowd In Chattanooga

Despite the cold and dreary weather, a large, boisterous crowd came out to Finley Stadium in Chattanooga to see the New England Revolution defeat the Columbus Crew 2:1 on Sunday afternoon. 

New England speedster and first goalscorer Sainey Nyassi (17) waits for a pass.

Despite dominating possession and having the better opportunities in the first half, Columbus found themselves down 1:0 at halftime.  With his speed out on the right flank, midfielder Sainey Nyassi had been the only real danger that the Revs could muster in the opening half, and it was Nyassi who would capitalize to put the Revs ahead as the first forty-five neared the end.  A corner kick was poorly cleared by the Crew and fell to Nyassi who whipped in a shot from just outside the area that found its way through the thick of it and into the back of the net.

Rev Marko Perovic serves in the corner that led to the first goal.

Wholesale halftime changes led to a little less dominance from Columbus in terms of ball possession, but the result was nearly identical in the second half.  The Crew mounted pressure on the New England goal, only to concede a goal from a corner.  This time veteran defender Ryan Cochran rose in the 81st minute to nod a hard shot toward goal, but substitute goaltender Alex Riggs was able to get down and parry it away from the line.  Revs midfielder Zack Schilawski corralled the rebound and roofed an eight yard shot for the 2:0 lead.  

The Crew snatched a late consolation goal as Tom Heinemann rounded Bobby Shuttleworth in goal for New England in the 89th minute.

New England v Columbus in Chattanooga from Ryan Harbaugh on Vimeo.

Crew assistant coach Mike Lapper summed up the match, "We played well, but this league comes down to winning individual battles and set pieces.  If you can't defend set pieces, you're not going to win. We played well in the first half, and we were all over them. But scoring is the only thing that matters."

All Huntsville Fields Closed. So Get Up To Chattanooga To Watch MLS!!!

With yesterday's deluge, all of the soccer fields in Huntsville have been ruled unplayable.  So, what better time to use your new free time for a short roadtrip up to Chattanooga to spend a nice sunny afternoon watching the MLS friendly between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew.
 

With over 2,500 tickets sold already, the Chattahooligans are pumped about the game.  If for some reason you can't make it up there, I'll be there to give you the low down.

More MLS in Chattanooga News and US Open Cup Qualifying

MLS Teams Playing in Chattanooga on Sunday Afternoon

Sunday's friendly between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew is almost upon us.  I'll be heading up the road to cover the game at Findley Stadium at 4PM ET, and you should really consider the short drive to catch the pros up close.  Tickets sales for the game are strong with over 1,000 already sold.  CFC has been busy promoting the game in all forms of media.  Here's a video interview with some of the CFC board members about the game.


NPSL Southeast Region US Open Cup Qualification Format Revealed?

There's been no official word about the qualification process to be used by the league, but during the interview with WDEF, CFC board member Tim Kelly mentioned that a round robin US Open Cup tournament would be held on May 28th. 
This falls in line with the announcement from RCU president Andy Zorovich about the 2011 RCU schedule.  Zorovich said, "Our league this year won slots into the US Open Cup. So, we will be playing in Chattanooga on Memorial Day weekend for the US Open Cup Qualification Round.  It will be just the teams in our conference."

A round robin qualification process would make the Memorial Day weekend action packed.  The process would have the five teams facing each of the other teams once, for a grand total of ten games in the space of three days.  Wow, the spectators will love all the action, but that's a grueling endeavor for the players!  One things for certain, the team with the best depth with have the advantage. 

Alabama State Cup, USA v Paraguay in Nashville, Chattanooga MLS Friendly, CONCACAF Champions League

Alabama State Cup

A website for the Alabama State Cup has been created.  The tournament is April 1-3 in Birmingham and is open to all teams from affiliated leagues in the state.  So, if your team plays in HASL, you can enter.  The tournament qualifies teams to the regional tournament to be held in Tuscolusa in May.   For teams who may not be that serious, you can enter the recreation division and just have a fun weekend at a nice facility.  HASL has promised to reschedule league matches, if your team is registered for that weekend.


Nashville USA Friendly

US crowd at LP Field

The Washington Post is reporting ticket sales for the upcoming friendly at LP field has reached over 12,000 and it will be broadcast by Fox Soccer Channel.   But you guys are already going, right?


Chattanoga MLS Match on Sunday

Don't forget that Chattanooga FC is hosting a preseason match between the New England Revolution and the Columbus Crew on Sunday at 4PM Eastern.  This should be a fun match right in our own back yard (well, it's closer than the 8 hour drive to Columbus) and they've already sold over a thousand tickets.


CONCACAF Champions League Return Leg Tonight

The second leg of the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal between Real Salt Lake and the above mentioned Columbus Crew is tonight at 9PM on FSC.  There won't be a second "Concacaf Ice Bowl" in this match however, as the temperature at game time is expected to be a balmy 35 degrees.

Concussions in Soccer Take Toll

There is a secret in soccer that is rarely discussed. This time, I'm not talking about FIFA corruption.

OK, I'll tell you.  Soccer can be a dangerous sport.  If you play the game long enough, you are going to get your bell rung.

Knocking heads while challenging for a header, taking a driven shot or pass to the noggin, and hitting your head on the ground after a fall happen all the time in competitive soccer.  Sometimes these mishaps lead to concussions or brain injuries.  But it's time to take note.  Recent studies have indicated that multiple concussions may lead to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig's disease.   This is scary stuff. 

Inside Minnesota Soccer has an excellent post that every player and coach should read immediately, before another game.

If you don't feel like clicking on the link, here are the symptoms to watch out for if you suspect a concussion:

• Confusion, foggy/groggy feeling, sluggish
• Dizzy, poor balance
• Sensitivity to noise or light, blurry vision
• Headache, feeling of pressure
• Poor memory: can’t remember what they ate earlier that day, the score of the game, what happened, etc.
• Poor coordination and concentration
• Nausea/vomiting

If any of those symptoms appear, do not let the player continue playing!  They should be checked out by a doctor ASAP.

Fortunately, in the pro game, MLS has taken the dangers associated with concussions seriously from the early years of the league.  They've led the sports entertainment industry by enacted standard testing for concussion symptoms for years. 

Unfortunately, these types of steps haven't prevented players form being effected by the injuries.  The this list of MLS players who have been forced out of games or even forced to retire as a result of concussions reads like an all-star line-up.  Alecko Eskandarian, Josh Gross, Ross Paule, and Taylor Twellman are former USMNT players who have had their careers cut short by concussion related symptoms.

Eskandarian retired due to concussion syndrome.

Eskandarian told the Bergen Record last year, "I'm a soccer player through and through. If I could play, I would. Being an athlete my whole life, shutting it down is the worst type of torture.  At the same time, this is my brain. It's not a hamstring or an ankle. I don't care how tough you are. This about living a good life after soccer, as well. It's really unpredictable. There's no guarantee and you're forced to think about these things."

USMNT player and Columbus Crew star defender Chad Mashall is currently sitting out of preseason training and missed the recent CONCACAF Champions League match and will miss tonight's second leg because he had failed a concussion test after taking a shot to the head in practice.  He is expected to be back in time to play in this weekend's friendly in Chattanooga.

This is also a personal issue for me.  I've been playing the game for almost 35 years.  I'm certain that I've had at least 2 concussions in my playing career and it's likely that I've had more than that.  I once knocked head while challenging for a header and I knew immediately something was wrong.  The all white uniform I was wearing looked florescent yellow to me.  BAD SIGN!  I told my coach to take me out of the game right then.  Unfortunately, I was back playing the next day.  The other time, I was kicked in the head during a scrum in the penalty area.  I played the rest of the match and don't remember a thing about it.  NOT GOOD!

As a result, I keep an eye out on the concussion syndrome developments in the media.  It's not looking good for me there, I must admit.  I don't see any really overt problems, and I've always had the minor memory issues.  Then again, I can only remember two actual concussion events in my career.  So, maybe I'm not destined for ALS.

CONCACAF Champs League, Chattanooga MLS Friendly

CONCACAF Champions League Freezes Goalmouth Shut

I called it.  The first match of the 2011 US soccer calendar landed with a cold thud.  Real Salt Lack-of-feeling-in-my-toes held the Co-numbness-is-spreading-to-my-extremities Crew to a 0:0 draw.  Check out the frigid action.

CONCACAF Icebowl 2011

Chattanooga MLS Friendly Update

 Finley Stadium to host MLS friendly

Chattanooga FC is hosting an MLS friendly on Sunday, March 6th at 4PM between the previously mentioned Columbus Crew and the New England Revolution.  You've already seen the Crew in action above.  Now, word out of the Boston Herald is that the Revolution have suspended their best players, Shalrie Joseph and Kevin Alston.  The players were sent home from a preseason training camp in Florida, and may rejoin the team in Atlanta in time to take part in the game in Chattanooga.  Let's hope so.

And So It Begins

 With tonight's CONCACAF Champions League match between the Columbus Crew and Real Salt Lake, the 2011 US domestic soccer year will begin.  It'll be a 10 month voyage to the MLS Cup, and I'm looking forward to it with relish.  My couch, which will likely suffer a dent in one or more of the cushions from my time in front of the TV, is probably not looking forward to this season. 

Tonight's match feature's the 2009 MLS Supporter's Shield winner in Columbus vs. the 2009 MLS Cup Champion and 2010 Runner-up, Real Salt Lake.  So, in theory this should be a good game.  The reality is that this match will be held in arctic temperatures with two teams in preseason form.  The game-time forecast calls for 27 degrees and light snow.  So, it's likely that this first match of the calendar year will be a frozen dud, but I don't care.  After a few months without it, I can suffer through an ugly match.

More Sabio

Filipino International and Huntsville Native, Jason Sabio

The Huntsville Times has a nice little article about Huntsville native Jason Sabio's action for the Filipino National Team.

MLS Friendly in Chattanooga on March 6th

MLS clubs New England Revolution and Columbus Crew will meet in a preseason friendly on March 6th at 4PM at Finely Stadium in Chattanooga.  Pre-ordered ticket will cost $10, while walk-up tickets will go for $15.   The Sunday afternoon match will feature the two original MLS clubs who will be training just down I-75 at the Kennesaw State Soccer Stadium in the northern Atlanta suburb.

New England is looking to rebound from an unusually weak season in 2010 finishing 13th in the league.  New England is coached by former Liverpool star Steve Nicol who says about the preseason, "I'm looking forward to seeing the guys we've brought in and I'm sure we'll do real well."  Nicol will rely on incredibly skilled and physically imposing midfielder Shalrie Joseph and veteran goalkeeper Matt Ries to lead the new players to a more successful season. 

New England's Shalrie Joseph and Columbus' Robbie Rogers will meet again in Chattanooga

Columbus (who likely have the worst logo in professional sports) had a very successful season last year finishing 5th in the league and reaching the finals of the US Open Cup where they lost to Seattle 2:1.  Columbus should come into the match in better form than New England as they will have just played in the two legged semi-finals of the CONCACAF Champions League against fellow MLS club Real Salt Lake.  The Crew will be lead by USMNT regulars Chad Marshall, Eddie Gaven, and Robbie Rogers.