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    Guest

    Caps sign three

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    There will likely be more to come, but the Caps officially signed their first three NASL "call-ups" today.
    Included in the mix was home-grown player Philippe Davies, a 19-year-old defender/midfielder from Quebec (which should make Impact fans happy that Montreal is finally getting serious about an academy).
    Also inked was defender/midfielder Wes Knight, 24, and keeper Jay Nolly, 28.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Of note, all are domestic players under the new MLS rules. That's likely by design as the 'Caps will want to know how many international spots they have before committing to any international players. On It's Called Football this week Bob Lenarduzzi was clear that the 'Caps valued international slots and were actively looking to acquire them.
    All three contracts are also on the lower end of the pay scale. They were likely less complicated than the contracts that will almost certainly be offered to Terry Dunfield and Davide Chiumiento, which is probably why today's signings were less splashy than what might have been expected.
    Guest

    Sober Second Thoughts: Draft Shmaft

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    In the hours that have passed since TFC and Vancouver swapped Nathan Sturgis for TFC’s first round draft pick there has been a lot of debate about the relative merits of giving up a draft pick for a player. In Canada, where many MLS fans are also NHL fans, the debate is clouded by the perception of value in NHL draft picks. It’s widely felt that giving up a first round draft pick in the NHL is, well, something only the Leafs do.
    As I wrote yesterday, the MLS SuperDraft is a bit different. You are selecting from a player pool that will have useful players in it – it may even have a couple future stars – but the depth of the field isn’t even close to what you would find in hockey.
    Think of a MLS draft pick as an asset. You need to convert that asset into something useful. Roughly speaking that would be:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]

    A top 3 pick = star
    A 4-10 pick = starter
    11-30 pick = depth player
    30+ pick = lotto ticket

    That's what you need to get from your picks to remain competitive. However, it doesn't matter how you use the picks to convert the asset into that.
    TFC gave away an 8th pick. That should equal a starter. Sturgis seems like he'll be a starter. So, TFC got good value for its asset. Vancouver might draft Clint Dempsey 2.0. with the pick, but that's irrelevant to the discussion of whether the move is good for Toronto.
    A Hockey analogy: Growing up I had an odd thing for the Washington Capitals (still do, it's just easier now). In the late ‘80s they lacked a certain something and needed to go out and get a sandpaper type of pest player that could help in the playoffs. So, they traded for Dale Hunter. The Caps never broke through to the highest level with Hunter, but they did manage to go further than they had before. Hunter is still considered one of the all-time best Caps.
    To get Hunter they traded a first round draft pick to Quebec. Quebec used that pick to select Joe Sakic -- he of 1,641 points in 21 NHL seasons.
    There isn't a Caps fan in the world that would turn back the clock and not make that trade. Why? Because the Caps really, really needed Dale Hunter. Also, it's unlikely that the Caps would have taken Sakic anyway. It's a fool's game to look at what player was drafted when evaluating trades involving draft picks.
    TFC needs Sturgis. He can (and likely will) play a position that they were God-awful at last year. He's, unlike many former TFC busts, good value. And, he’s just 23 – you know, younger than O’Brian White.
    The trade might end up really working out for Vancouver, but, again, evaluating who "wins" this trade isn't an either or situation. It's a bit cliché, but both teams really might benefit.
    When you are Toronto and you have fans revolting over four losing seasons it's understandable that they have opted for the surer thing. Although there is a chance that the Caps could draft a superstar, or that Sturgis could get hit by a bus tomorrow, the odds of either are pretty long. Actually, I would argue that the odds are currently against Vancouver getting a player better than Sturgis. The Whitecaps have to trust their judgement, but they are still ultimately taking a gamble (if they don't trade the pick, which I'm not convinced they won't).
    Also, the odds are very long that the player Vancouver picks will be better than Sturgis next year. In Toronto, right now, that kinda matters.
    It's not that SuperDraft picks are useless -- they aren't -- it's that they aren't as useful as some are suggesting (in Vancouver) or fearing (in Toronto).
    Guest

    Housekeeping

    By Guest, in It's Called Football,

    Today, we're not doing a live show but we will be doing a couple of in house interviews.
    The interview with NASL CEO Aaron Davidson, who will be talking about Canadian NASL expansion, the CSA moratorium and Vancouver and Montreal keeping a team in NASL will be up later today.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Looking ahead to December
    For the next three weeks we will air a live show on the following dates (Dec. 1, Dec. 6, Dec. 13). We will then be off-air completely until Jan. 6. If anything major breaks in that time, we will obviously get a show up that evening. But we've done a 100 plus shows this year, so we're looking to take advantage of some down time during a period when it is traditionally slow for news.
    We're also going to use this time to revamp and try changing a few things with our show. More Interview Onlys, guests hosts, improving our audio, Duane drunk less/more, additional audience participation etc.. If you have any suggestions, please let us know. We grew really quickly this year, so your help can ensure we sustain that.
    That's all I've got.
    See you Monday.
    Cheers
    Guest

    More MLS Caps to come tomorrow

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    The Vancouver Whitecaps have called a press conference for tomorrow at 9:30 a.m. PST (12:30 p.m. EST) to make "a number of player personnel announcements."
    It is likely that it will be the players that they are bringing up from NASL.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    On his Twitter account, the Vancouver Province's Marc Weber suggested that the most likely players are internationals Davide Chiumiento (midfielder) and Mouloud Akloul (defender). Domestically Terry Dunfield (Canadian - midfielder), Wes Knight (American - defender/midfielder) and Jay Nolly (American - keeper) are also listed as likely.
    Weber also suggested that internationals Nizar Khalfan (striker/midfielder), Willis Forko (fullback), Conelius Stewart (forward) and Gershon Koffie (midfielder) are possible, along with domestics Philippe Davies (Canadian - defender/midfield) and Greg Janicki (American - defender) and Blake Wagner (defender/winger).
    You'll note a trend -- a lot of defenders. It was clear from the expansion draft that Vancouver was OK with its back-line. There are also as many as six internationals, which would explain the need for extra international spots.
    If you are in Vancouver you can go to the press conference and also check out the new team store, which did not pay me for this message.
    Guest

    Did Mourinho outfox himself?

    By Guest, in Euro File,

    On Tuesday, I wrote a column discussing Real Madrid's circumventing of established disciplinary rules to ensure that two key players would be around in the next phase of the Champions League.
    Xabi Alonso and Sergio Ramos got themselves intentionally expelled from their team's CL match at Ajax, ostensibly to avoid having their yellow card accumulation carry over into the playoff round. They did so at the tail end of a comprehensive 4-0 victory, seemingly at the behest of manager Jose Mourinho.
    It seemed like a smart move at the time, regardless of the spirit of the actions. As it turns out, it may not have been so smart after all.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    UEFA is investigating the incidents, alleging that Mourinho and company committed unsporting conduct. The cases will be heard next week, and, if UEFA is in the mood to flex its muscles, could end up in a longer suspension for the players, plus a time-out for the gaffer.
    I'm betting UEFA does just that, forcing the players to sit for at least two CL matches, plus maybe pay a small fine. Mourinho will likely receive a much larger fine, and maybe even a larger suspension. UEFA doesn't take too kindly to managers thumbing their noses so blatantly at their authority, so I expect them to eagerly make an example out of "The Special One."
    What do you guys think? Given this turn of events, were the actions of the coach and players as smart as originally thought? Do you agree that they should be punished?
    Guest
    Canada will bid for the 2015 Women's World Cup.
    What's long been understood was made official today when the CSA announced that it was preparing a bid book to submit to FIFA before the deadline of Feb. 11, 2011. So far it looks like the only competition to Canada might be Chile. Countries have until tomorrow to indicate their intentions.
    Since Germany was awarded the 2011 World Cup Canada has been considered a favourite to land the event. The success of the 2002 u19 girls event and the 2007 u20 men's championship are being held up as an example of the strength of the bid. Chilie hosted the 2009 u20 women's tournament.
    Canada is also bidding to host the 2014 u20 women's event as a preparation for the World Cup.
    Potential downfalls to Canada are that a 2015 World Cup in North America would represent the third held here -- albeit one (2003) in an emergency situation after China had to pull out of hosting because of the SARS virus.
    Chilie is favoured by those that want to take the women's game to parts of the world where it is still developing. It's understood that Canada likely represents a safe choice. The country would very likely embrace the tournament, both in media coverage and attendance at the games.
    Stadiums could be a minor concern for FIFA as the country lacks eight stadiums with grass. We will have to wait to see the bid book, but it's likely that the bid will include plans to put grass in BC Place, Commonwealth Stadium, Olympic Stadium as well as the new stadiums in Ottawa and, if it's large enough, Hamilton. BMO Field would almost certainly be used. Moncton is also a possibility as it would provide a regional representation for the east coast and it has a grass surface.
    It's Canada's to lose. We will watch this as it develops.
    Guest
    The first trade between two Canadian MLS teams is in the books. Vancouver sent Nathan Sturgis, who they picked up yesterday in the expansion draft from Seattle, to TFC for the Reds first round pick in the college draft. Toronto's pick is eighth overall.
    It's a case of knowing what you are getting, rather than rolling the dice for Toronto. He's likely penciled in as a starting fullback for Toronto next year, although he can play a bit in the middle. After yesterday's moves, Toronto found itself without a natural fullback - only Nick Garcia, who is out of contract, could reasonably play there.
    Vancouver obviously values the pick more - either as trade bait, or to keep for themselves. The Whitecaps now hold two of the top eight picks in the draft.
    Initial reaction in Vancouver was excitement. Used to hockey -- and the NHL's near obsession on draft picks -- there seemed to be a feeling that an eight overall pick was more useful than Sturgis. Time will tell, of course, but here is a breakdown of who has gone eighth overall in MLS drafts.
    2000 - Travis Mulraine (15 games played, 0 goals)
    2001 - Santino Quaranta (150, 8)
    2002 - Kyle Martino (141, 13)
    2003 - Guillermo Gonzalez (12, 0)
    2004 - Clint Dempsey (71, 25)
    2005 - Troy Roberts (61, 2)
    2006 - Patrick Ianni (77, 2)
    2007 - Jerson Monteiro (5, 1)
    2008 - Josh Lambo (0, 0)
    2009 - Matt Besler (40, 0)
    2010 - Dilly Duka (3, 0)
    So a mixed bag. Dempsey is, clearly, a home run. Jerson Monteiro, less so. That only one player drafted in that slot in the last four years plays regularly is a bit telling as to the evolution of how teams in MLS build though.
    Guest
    With disgraced vote-peddling Oceania Football Conference (OFC) chief Reynald Temarii prohibited from voting next week, Australia's World Cup bid looked a little dead in the water, boosting the chances of the U.S. getting the nod to host in 2022. But Oceania, the plucky little federation that they are, isn't giving up: The OFC is set to "ask" Temarii to "step down" (read: "demand" that he "get out of the damn way"), in the hopes that FIFA will give a squeaky-clean new OFC president – likely acting president David Chung – a restored right to vote.
    And it's pretty clear that that vote isn't going USA's way.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    According to the BBC, FIFA has said that Oceania won't be getting anything back while Temarii is still appealing his one-year suspension. So the OFC will likely, again, tell Temarii to shut up and go away so Chung can be allowed to "Yea" for Australia in Zurich next week.
    It's bad news for those of us pulling for the American bid, especially with bookies William Hill yesterday tipping Australia's bid as second behind Qatar, with Oz having a 3-1 shot at hosting and the U.S. lagging at 7-2. (Qatar, for the record, was called a 4-9 favourite.)
    There's also the small matter of David Beckham, who arrived in Oz yesterday for a tour with the LA Galaxy. The conspiracy theorist in me is whispering that, given Oceania's last-ditch scrambles, David Beckham could now have a secondary purpose in the Southern Hemisphere: Would-be Oceania president Chung is reputed to be a strong supporter of England's 2018 bid. It's not hard to imagine that, should FIFA let Chung vote on the OCF's behalf, he may wrangle with Beckham for some English support for Oz 2022.
    Beckham hasn't said much publicly about the 2022 bids – he is, after all, a key player in another hopsting bid, and is in Australia with his American club side. But that hasn't stopped some of the more excitable English media outlets. A quote like "both countries [the U.S. and Australia] could host a huge competition like the World Cup" seems pretty neutral, but apparently it's not. Becks' mere acknowledgment that both Australia the U.S. as countries are each physically capable of hosting a large sporting event even earned a headline like this:

    [h=1]Aussie Rules! David Beckham believes Australia could easily host 2022 World Cup[/h]
    Accurate and balanced, yes? Thanks Daily Mail.
    Luckily the bad momentum down under may have been canceled out by a pro-American push from pop-culture trashbin Just Jared, who reported:
    [h=1]Landon Donovan: Shirtless in Australia[/h]
    That's bound to help, right?


    Guest
    As anyone who’s ever been there knows, BMO Field was built on the cheap. Essentially, a bunch of bleachers, anchored by some minimal brick and concrete, filled with red plastic seats.
    And it’s actually quite a lovely little park. But there are two areas where the builders really punked out and went severely cheap – the elevator and the press box.
    The elevator is slow and lumbering, and doesn’t come by very often. There aren’t a lot of other ways to reach the upper reaches, so those of us working the games mostly just put up with it. But the press box ….
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Because of its squared-off shape and lattice-work of window bars, most working soccer scribes watch Toronto FC from the only obstructed seats in the park. My regular assigned seat for MLS matches actually has no view of the north end of the field.
    But! Where there is a nagging problem, oft is found an elegant solution. At BMO, that takes the form of a pair of open terraces – north and south – running along the top of the west grandstand. Here, you get it all. Spectacular views of the city and the lake, a not-too-high, ultra-clear scan of the entire playing field, and perfect placement to fully appreciate how loud and thrilling Toronto’s modest gem of a soccer park can be.
    Faced with a significant overflow of interested ink-stained wretches flowing into town for the MLS Cup final, the league grabbed both these terraces and converted them into temporary press boxes, promising to hold off the late-evening November chill with something called “infra-red heating.”
    And so it was that quite a few soccer-blog luminaries, including the entire “Soccer By Ives” team, found themselves shivering the match away, with no reliable way to connect to the internet.
    As a guy who doesn’t usually bring a computer to the game, and keeps his winter hat and gloves stashed in the car until late May for just such an emergency, it was just another nifty night at the footy yard. For the hatless, gloveless working press who expected to be protected and productive throughout – well, it turned into a long and tricky night.
    At halftime, reporters were crashed out in all the hallways, trying to warm up and write. The place looked for all the world like a shut-down airport on one of the busiest travel days of the year.
    And, of course, the game went into extra time.
    Some in-game observations:
    - Despite what you’ve been hearing from BigSoccer, there was no fan protest. Toronto FC fans did not walk out in anger over having the MLS Cup final included in their 2011 season ticket packages.
    - Despite what you’ve been hearing from BigSoccer, the fans did not abandon the match at halftime. The park was still nicely crowded when the fans launched their traditional 24th-minute song for TFC legend Danny Dichio – in the 24th minute of extra time!
    - Referee Baldomero Toledo – roundly booed by the fans, as was ex-TFC striker Jeff Cunningham – had a horrendous night. At the end of the second half, he added only two minutes despite a host of late delays, and then blew the whistle before Colorado could take a corner kick. At the end of extra time, the fourth official indicated no extra minutes, which must have been a typo because Toledo let the match go on and on and on, forcing Rapids into a long and harrowing series of knife-edge goal-line stands.
    Overall, though, given the lateness of the night – and the year! – it was a decent, functional little soccer match, gamely taken in by about 15,000 folks in a chilly, unlikely, but ultimately enjoyable setting.
    The highlight for me was standing in the beer garden after the match, looking up at the jubilant Colorado fans as their triumphant players wandered over to share the joy of the moment. Bearded, exhausted, sweat-drenched goalie Matt Pickens – forced into a fully-extended, cup-saving late dive by both Dallas and Toledo – was transparently thankful as he applauded the small, singing section of travelling support.
    I’m left with a surprisingly comfortable feeling of how cute and compact Major League Soccer really is.
    This was far from the Ritz, this championship weekend, but that’s more than merely fine with me. The Big Game came to Toronto as thanks for this city’s raucous soccer culture. Yes, it was good business, as well, to toss the final north with both Vancouver and Montreal poised to join the party.
    A chat with the commissioner, a ride up the CN Tower, a biting taste of the Great Lakes in November – I’ll honestly take all of that over the hype-soaked monstrosities so many of the other top-flight sports leagues have become.
    Soccer north of Mexico is what it is: functional, not always pretty, but capable of producing soaring emotional moments for those who care to take the ride.
    MLS Cup oh-ten had all of that – and was nice enough not to try to painfully pretend to be anything more.
    Onward!
    Guest

    Show me the cap space

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    O'Brian White: $182,000.00
    Maxim Usanov: $102,250.00
    Martin Saric: $90,000.00
    Gabe Gala: 40,000.00
    Ravis Hscanovics: $120,250.00
    Mista: $167,000.00
    That's $701,500. Add to that Ali Gerba's cap hit ($177,433.50), which the team ate last year, at least half of Carl Robinson's number ($157,500 - although I think it was higher) and a big part or all of Nick Garcia's (let's be liberal and say they bring him back for $70,000 - that knocks $128,750 off the books). Suddenly Toronto is looking like it took about $1,165,183.50 off of its wage bill today.
    The other way to think about it is that they have about $1,504,816.50 to spend on players. Plus allocation, of which they will receive some additional as part of what's charmingly referred to by MLS fans as the You Suck allocation (non playoff teams).
    This is a lot of money -- especially in MLS terms. You might want to give a bump to guys like Nana Attakora and Dan Gargan, but that will barely register. Basically, there are no excuses. The cap is no longer an issue. The bad contracts are gone. Mo Johnston was fired a couple months ago. His legacy was erased today.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    What's interesting is that clubs like New York and LA have a lot tied up on the cap right now. When you're talking about competing for European transfers Toronto might be up against some less sexy opposition than it would have been a year or so ago. Columbus is shedding payroll as well and the two expansion sides have lots to spend. However, for the most part Toronto is sitting in a good place.
    In the past, TFC has struggled a great deal in attracting transfers. The ones they have brought over have been overpriced and often arrive too close to the season. With the amount of money shed today there is no excuse for TFC not to aggressively go after players and to make sure they are with the club come training camp. Those that argue that the club should wait to a full-time GM is named should re-think. The guys there now were smart enough to fix Mo's mistakes today. A Reds fan has no choice but to trust that they will be smart enough to start the re-build now.
    New York did it in a year. L.A. did it in a year the year previous. It can be done.
    It's up to the club now to prove that Toronto can follow suit.
    Guest
    Today, we're joined by the Vancouver Whitecaps president Bob Lenarduzzi to speak about the 'Caps selections in the expansion draft, what their strategy was, all their draft day dealings and of course, the anger over their ticket pricing.
    We'll also get into who Toronto FC protected, lost and waived today - as well as who else could be on their way out the door, plus the rule changes being explored by MLS and the talk about the latest news coming out of NASL.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    <embed src="http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/FlowPlayerLight.swf?config={embedded:true,videoFile:%27http://itscalledfootball.podhoster.com/download/2540/20996/nov25.2010final.mp3%27,initialScale:%27scale%27,controlBarBackgroundColor:%270x778899%27,autoBuffering:false,loop:false,autoPlay:false}" width="400" height="25" scale="fit" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed>
    NOTE:
    We had originally scheduled a member of the Football Supporters Federation but that has fallen through. We hope to have him in on Friday when we'll also be joined by the NASL CEO Aaron Davidson.
    Guest
    Earlier this year -- for reasons irrelevant to this article -- I briefly considered moving to Qatar. During that time, I did quite a bit of research on the place and found that, for the most part, it's full of two things: stultifying heat, and unfathomable quantities of cash.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    I didn't, during my sniffing, find anything resembling a footballing culture. Or soccer history. Or a climate even suited to playing the game. Or a population greater than two million. Or a surface area above 11,500 square kilometres. (For comparison's sake, Qatar is about a fifth the size of Nova Scotia, and only about twice as big as P.E.I.)
    Hell, the most notable bit of Qatari footballing lore may have happened last week at the 2010 Asian Games, when one of their players became Net-famous for one of the most glaring sitter-scuffs of all time:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQLylizGmDs
    So it's galling to realize that the tiny Gulf nation is the prohibitive favourite to host World Cup 2022, after receiving high-profile endorsements from the likes of Zinedine Zidane.
    Sure, the ol' French head-butter may still have some name value, but is his thumbs-up really enough to make the members of FIFA's executive committee ignore the "high overall operational risk rating" given to Qatar by FIFA itself?
    Plus -- speaking of the stultifying heat -- a report released by FIFA today suggests that the conditions could pose a health hazard, despite the Qataris' grandiose claims about air-conditioned stadia (none of which have yet been built, of course).
    With all of these factors working against it, you'd wonder why Qatar is in the discussion at all, never mind the country to beat. Well, remember those "unfathomable quantities of cash" I mentioned? Yeah, FIFA folk tend to like their cash. A lot. In large quantities. And the oil barons out in Doha will surely spare no expense in helping attract the sport's showcase event to their tiny nation.
    Plus, there's the legacy aspect of it for FIFA. Sepp Blatter takes great pride in having brought the World Cup to Africa for the first time, and has said in the past that he'd like to see the big tournament staged in the Middle East at some point. We saw it with the desire of the International Olympic Committee (particularly, former president Juan Antonio Samaranch) to stage the Games in China despite all concerns about pollution, human rights abuses, et cetera... global sporting autocrats can very easily shrug off criticism when there's cash to be made and/or legacies to be built.
    But I don't care about Blatter's legacy, nor do I care about whether the Middle East gets a World Cup at some point (granted, Qatar's proposed stadia do look ridiculously awesome).
    The United States' bid, in almost every way conceivable, is superior to Qatar's bid. Transportation and infrastructure, there. Soccer facilities, there. Advertising and television revenue, there. Ticket buyers, there.
    So we've got eight days to go to truly see the face of FIFA. We'll be bringing you some updates as we count down to decision day next Thursday, December 2. That's when we find out whether the bigwigs at FIFA have the brains to go with the sure thing -- our southern neighbours -- or if decide that the thrill of legacy-building (and the clarion call of petrodollars) clouds their judgment long enough that select Qatar.
    Or, hell, maybe they'll split the difference and go to Australia. We'll soon find out. Stay tuned.
    Guest

    Expansion draft live results

    By Guest, in 24th Minute,

    Live text updates of the expansion draft below the jump:
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    1st - Portland -- Dax McCarty
    Dallas removes: Daniel Hernandez
    2nd - Vancouver -- Sanna Nyassi
    Seattle removes: Patrick Ianni
    3rd - Portland -- Eric Brunner
    Columbus removes: Kevin Burns
    4th - Vancouver -- Atiba Harris
    Dallas done
    5th - Portland -- Adam Moffat
    Columbus done
    6th - Vancouver -- Nathan Sturgis
    Seattle done
    7th - Portland -- Anthony Wallace
    Colorado removes: Wells Thompson
    8th - Vancouver - Shea Salinas
    Philly removes: Chris Seitz
    9th - Portland - David Horst
    SLC removes: Collen Warner
    10th - Vancouver - Alan Gordon
    Chivas removes: Mariano Trujillo
    11th - Portland - Robbie Findley
    SLC done
    12th - Vancouver - O'Brian White
    Toronto removes: Julian de Guzman
    13th - Portland - Peter Lowry
    Chicago removes: Dason Robinson
    14th - Vancouver - Alejandro Moreno
    Philly done
    15th - Portland - Jonathan Bornstein
    Chivas done
    16th - Vancouver - Joe Cannon
    San Jose removes: Tim Ward
    17th - Portland - Jordan Graye
    DC United removes: Kurt Morsink
    18th - Vancouver - Jonathon Leathers
    KC removes: Eric Kronberg
    19th - Portland - Arturo Alvarez
    San Jose done
    20th - Vancouver - John Thorrington
    Chicago done
    Guest
    There has been a lot of chatter about Don Garber's remarks during the MLS Cup weekend regarding the possibility of a fall-winter season in MLS.
    Garber told the assembled riff-raff at the supporter's summit that he gets pressured by FIFA all the time about aligning with the world calendar (which ignores/under values that MLS isn't the only league that isn't aligned). He even told a funny anecdote about Sepp Blatter walking into the Oval Office and immediately asking the president why MLS isn't recognizing the international schedule.
    [PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
    Obama actually answered from a somewhat informed position, which is possibly the most shocking thing of all about the story. (Insert your own W joke here).
    As you may be aware the USA is currently a week or so away from learning whether it gets to play host to a big tournament FIFA runs. So, you can understand Garber's need to be discreet. However, I would suggest that MLS fans hold off on buying the parka just yet.
    I had the opportunity to share a room with the commish (along with a selected group of about 20 others) for a mostly off-record meeting. So that I one day get to share a room with him again, I'm not about to break the confidence of what was said in that room. However, I think it’s safe to say this.
    MLS is not moving to a fall-winter schedule anytime soon.
    As for how the rest of that conversation went...well, as stated it’s off record. Of interest (and safe to pass on) is that the competitive format of the league is likely to be tweaked next year, but not drastically. The league is reluctant to make a major change with another change needed in 2012 with Montreal coming in. Any drastic change is not likely to at least then.
    Oh and they are getting rid of the cap and opening the league up to free for all spending like we saw in NASL. That’s not actually true.
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