Diego Maradona to Inter Milan

From the land of the strange comes this article where Inter Milan are reportedly going to hire Diego Maradona as a consultant and scout in South America. What exactly is he supposed to do - go around South America watching matches and making player recommendations to Inter? It makes no sense and seems like it just is a grab at publicity. Inter already have numerous Argentinian and South American players on their roster, what type of scouting is Maradona going to provide that isn't already being done? Strange story indeed.

Manchester City 6 - 0 Portsmouth

Here are the highlights of Manchester City's 6-0 demolition of Portsmouth. Come and watch the Robinho shuffle! I'm also including a link to an article from the London Times that describes how Robinho and Shawn Wright-Phillips are feeling liberated playing for Manchester City. They are without doubt the most compelling club in soccer right now as everyone waits to see who they will sign during the winter break and even over the next couple of years with the influx of money into the club. Its still very much the early days in this new chapter in Manchester City's history, but eventually the time will come when the questions are asked about winning championships, but for now everyone seems to be happy just simply pondering the possibilities and enjoying the goals.

Man City v Portsmouth
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Tony Cascarino article on use of Video Replay from the London Times

Here's an interesting article that Tony Cascarino has written on the use of video replay in soccer. Tony makes some interesting points, but I disagree with the basic idea. Video replay can help to get certain calls right, and makes more sense in American sports where there are a lot of built in breaks in the game. Soccer however, is not designed for video replay because the sports is played continuously without any breaks. Introducing breaks into the game would throw off the whole flow of the match.

Video replay also isn't always the solution that everyone things it will be. How many American football fans can speak about how a referee's call that they think should be reversed isn't because of a lack of conclusive evidence, whatever that means. There are a number of instances where calls are reversed and the correct call is made, but at the same time there are a number of times when the system doesn't work as intended. Another problem is that soccer is played in all different countries throughout the world so what happens when the technology in one country doesn't match the technology in another country and the video replay can't be used at the same level or quality. Its a good idea by Tony, but I just don't think its practical.

Soccer at Yankee Stadium New York Times article

Here's a great article from the New York Times on the history of soccer games that were played at Yankee Stadium during the years, including a classic one between Santos and Benfica in 1968, which features 2 of the all-time greats in Pele and Eusebio. I did some digging and found some footage of a game between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspurs from 1952.

Ajax 2 - 2 Feyenoord highlights

Here are the highlights from another exciting chapter in one of the great club rivalries in Europe as old rivals Ajax and Feyenoord tackle each other once again in a match the ends in a 2/2 draw at the De Kuip stadium.

Glasgow Celtic 3 - 1 Kilmarnock

Here are the highlights from Celtic's 3-1 victory over Kilmarnock. It was a typically rough Scottish game with 3 penalty kicks and a couple of nice goals from Shaun Maloney and Georgios Samaras.

killmanock celtics
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Celtic after Hernan Crespo

Here's an interesting story from Goal.com where Glasgow Celtic are rumored to be pursuing veteran Argentinian international forward Hernan Crespo during the winter transfer window. This would be a very exciting move for the Celtic fans and also the Scottish Premier League as Crespo has been an international star for many years, played for many big clubs, and could provide a real lift for the team in their matches whether they are in the Champions League or UEFA Cup come January.

Crespo has fallen down the pecking order at Inter Milan as he never was a favorite of Inter manager Jose Mourinho when both were at Chelsea. Crespo is now desparate to get first team action in order to get a place in the Argentinian national team for the 2010 World Cup. This is a move that would make sense, especially with Celtic being in Europe as it would give Crespo a much bigger stage to shine on then playing with a smaller club in Italy or Spain. It remains to be seen if this will actually happen though.

Ronaldo to MLS, New York Times article

To answer Jack Bell's question in this article from the New York Times, YES YES YES!!! Absolutely MLS should sign Ronaldo, he is still a huge star, is still only 31 years old, and when healthy is still one of best forwards in the world and most exciting players to watch. Granted, there are a lot of unanswered questions that Jack Bell raises in the article, but MLS must take this gamble if he is even willing to consider coming to the league. It is a huge gamble, but if it pays off it would be the biggest success the league has had to date. He would draw more fans and revenue to the league then David Beckham without any doubt. It would be the closest thing to the New York Cosmos signing Pele, and if properly utilized could continue to propel the league forward.

Forbes magazine study on MLS clubs

According to a recent study conducted by Forbes magazine, many of the MLS clubs are doing well financially and basically the article describes a very promising future for the financial status of MLS. This study describes how the league is not yet profitable, but that signs exist which indicate that MLS will continue to grow. Some of these indicators include the sponsorship deals that some of the clubs have agreed to, and the current value of the more financially successful franchises, which include the Los Angeles Galaxy, Toronto F.C., and F.C. Dallas. They also describe the increase in the amount that the expansion franchises will go for when they are sold by the league, as compared to a few years ago.

Hence, the great desire by MLS to create expansion franchises in markets that want to purchase them. As I've written already, I am opposed to the idea of the over-expansion of MLS. I think its a terrible idea that could potentially ruin the league. MLS needs to ensure that ALL of its franchises are financially viable, and determine if the ones that exist in markets that aren't capable of supporting the teams can be relocated. It makes no sense to have teams that aren't making it financially and aren't going to, while at the same time continuing to add franchises. This simply is a road to financial ruin for the league.

Since I'm discussing financial issues, lets look at the bottom line, MLS doesn't have the existing talent to support a larger league. It barely has the existing talent to support the current league of 13 teams. In order to really make it in the American sports market MLS needs to provide a quality product on the field and currently that is a very debatable topic. The majority of top American players do not play in MLS, and the quantity and quality of the foreign players are also debatable. MLS needs to decide what the overall plan is for each franchise going forward before adding to its existing roster of teams. Are the Columbus Crew or Kansas City Wizards ever going to get a David Beckham or Juan Pablo Angel on their team? If not then why? Why are there teams in these markets and what is the overall plan? Is it to have the franchises in the bigger markets carrying the league in terms of attracting fans and then if the teams in smaller markets can cobble together a decent team, great?

I just don't think thats the recipe for success with MLS as the American sports market won't support franchises that don't have the same competitive advantage as every other team. It may work in other more established sports, but not for a league that is still very new and hasn't established truly deep roots in each of its markets. There are also too many unanswered questions going forward and while the Forbes report is encouraging it still doesn't support expanding the league beyond what it currently is.

Werder Bremen 5 - 2 Bayern Munich highlights

Here are the highlights from the goalfest in Munich in what was definitely the game of the day. Make sure to check out the goal from Germany's 19 year old sensation Mesut Özil. It was one of the best I've seen for awhile and this guy looks like he's going to be a top class player.