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October 31, 2005
So long to a wonderful season
As longtime watchers of the beautiful game know, anything can happen in a cup competition and the best team doesn't always win. All that can be said with certainty is that the ball is round and the game lasts for 90 minutes. If only the quality of the Quakes' finishing was as high as that of these photos taken by our friends over at Sharkspage, we might have had a game to attend on Saturday.
Our favorite is one that's not included in the main gallery, but we're partial to photos of Kevin Hartman watching the ball sail by him and into the net. Kind of like this one from 2001:
UPDATE: Our friends at Yellow Card Journalism have also posted photos of Saturday night's game.
Posted by Jay at 10:56 AM | Comments (2)
Toronto plans incite a stadium tempest in Canada
As was expected, Toronto's City Council approved the construction of a new downtown soccer stadium to host both the FIFA U-17 World Championships in 2007 and, if MLS works out a deal with Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, an expansion MLS team. Good news for all concerned, right?
Well, maybe not. Owners of USL teams in Montreal and Vancouver had both planned to build their own stadiums—a $15 million, 15,000-seat stadium in downtown Montreal and a 16,000-seat waterfront facility in Vancouver which we reported on recently. According to the Toronto Globe & Mail, those owners aren't too pleased with the idea of spending a lot of money on stadiums if there's going to be an MLS team in the country.
Posted by Jay at 10:21 AM | Comments (0)
October 27, 2005
US television broadcasters are finally waking up to soccer
We nearly missed an important news item today, tucked away at the end of Michael Hiestand's USA Today column on Sports Television. There, after a review of ESPN's latest studio lineup for NBA games and a note that the 2005 World Series will have the lowest TV ratings in the event's history, are two bits of information that mark milestones for televised soccer in this country:
- ABC, NBC, and Fox are all bidding for the English-language U.S. broadcast rights for the 2010 and 2014 World Cups.
- MLS will be paid its first-ever rights fee in its next English-language TV contract, which is due to start in 2007.
Readers may recall that no one wanted to buy the rights to the 2002 and 2006 World Cups, resulting in the purchase of those rights by SUM, the marketing arm of MLS. Competition for the rights to the 2010 and 2014 broadcasts are a significant sign of the sport's growth in this country.
As for MLS finally selling the broadcast rights to their own games—the league has always purchased the airtime themselves up until now—it could be the light at the end of the tunnel for the league's owners, who would certainly enjoy trading red ink for black on their television budgets.
Hiestand has an interesting comment from MLS Commissioner Don Garber:
Garber also suggests FIFA, in awarding U.S. World Cup rights, might consider requiring the winning bidder to also carry MLS games: "It's our view that FIFA will ensure that any decision they make will support overall growth in soccer interest in this country."
Posted by Jay at 08:05 PM | Comments (1)
October 25, 2005
Nice article on Wade Barrett
The Virginian-Pilot, hometown newspaper of Quakes captain Wade Barrett, ran a nice story on their favorite son over the weekend. Let's hope his hamstring continues healing so he can be completely healthy for Saturday's game.
Posted by Jay at 07:20 AM | Comments (0)
October 23, 2005
Quakes have accomplished a lot in 2005
The 2005 MLS regular season has wrapped up and the playoffs begin today for the Earthquakes. Before the quest for MLS Cup begins, we wanted to take a look at the accomplishments of the club, both on and off the field.
- Let's start with some things that happened near the field—right next to it in the stands, in fact. Attendance was up again this year for the Quakes, to an average of 13,037.
- The Quakes' median attendance was 10,604, up 6 percent from last year.
- For the second straight season, the Quakes set a team record for season ticket sales.
- A quick glance at MLS attendance numbers this year will tell you that the Quakes were eighth in the league in attendance for 2005. What those numbers don't show is that many of the other teams in the league benefitted from doubleheaders with other, more prominent teams like Chelsea, the English Premier League's champions, and Chivas of Guadalajara. If the attendance from doublheaders is removed from the calculations, San Jose's attendance is fourth best in the 12-team league.
- All of these attendance statistics come in the shadow of the team's threatened relocation, which is something that has killed attendance for teams in other markets in both soccer and other sports. There is no way to verify this statistically, but it is our belief here at SSV that Quakes fans are the best!
- Now then, for the on-the-field accomplishments. Let's start with the best record in team history and San Jose's first-ever Supporters' Shield, given to the team with the best record in the MLS regular season (18 wins, four losses, 10 ties).
- San Jose's 64 points is the second best total in MLS history after the 1998 LA Galaxy. (The Galaxy's record came in the league's "Shootout" era, when there were no ties. This year's Quakes are the first team in MLS history to finish with an average of three points for each game at home and one point for each one on the road, an achievement the Brits refer to as finishing "on pace.")
- The Quakes set a record by only losing four times all year. The old MLS record of five losses was set in a 30-game season.
- No MLS team has ever gone undefeated at home—until this year's Earthquakes, that is. Their ongoing record home unbeaten streak, which started in 2004, now stands at 18 games.
- The Quakes only allowed 31 goals against all year, fifth best total in MLS history.
- San Jose went 15-1-5 over the last 21 games of the season.
- San Jose had nine wins on the road, a record for the Earthquakes.
- Despite not having any players among the league's top ten goal scorers, the Quakes led the league in assists with 62. A whopping 14 players scored goals for the team this season. Anyone who appeared in more than 14 games for the team—including forwards, midfielders, and defenders—scored a goal for the Quakes.
- The list of individual achievements starts with coach Dominic Kinnear, whose career winning percentage of .600 is second only in MLS to U.S. National Team coach Bruce Arena. Kinnear is widely expected to win the MLS Coach of the Year award this season.
- Pat Onstad has already been named MLS Goalkeeper of the Year. His 12 shutouts led the league, as did his save percentage of 77.2%. He also broke the San Jose career shutouts mark (27), formerly held by local native Joe Cannon (now of the Colorado Rapids).
- Ronald Cerritos won the 2005 Fair Play award and is a finalist for the Comeback Player of the Year prize.
- Danny Califf is a finalist for Defender of the Year.
- Which brings us to Dwayne DeRosario, whose remarkable season at attacking midfield has been a revelation—even to those of us who have watched him excel at forward the past four seasons. Dwayne is a finalist for the league's MVP award.
- DeRo has 13 assists this year, best in the league, and has scored a career-high nine goals.
- He won the MLS Goal of the Year award in 2004 and his wonder goal from last week's match against the Galaxy is likely to challenge for that award again. The bend on the ball is astounding, the placment of the shot in the upper right corner (AKA the 'postage stamp') amazing. See for yourself:
Posted by Jay at 09:52 AM | Comments (2)
Special event in Santa Clara on Monday night
Our friends in Santa Clara have invited all SSV members to the Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park Dedication, to take place on Monday, October 24 from 6:30 to 7:30 pm. The Santa Clara Youth Soccer Park is located at 5049 Centennial Boulevard at the corner of Tasman and Centennial, just across the street from one of the potential sites for a new stadium for the Quakes.
The Santa Clara University men's and women's teams will be on hand to conduct a free clinic for youth players so a good time will be had by all. Come congratulate the City of Santa Clara on the construction of a fine facility!
For additional information, call the Santa Clara Parks and Recreation Department at (408) 615-2260.
Posted by Jay at 09:42 AM | Comments (0)
October 19, 2005
Another new stadium—this time, Vancouver
Photo courtesy Vancouver Whitecaps
Add Vancouver to the list of cities that's considering a proposal for a soccer stadium. The Vancouver Sun reports that the Vancouver Whitecaps, a team playing in the USL, is proposing a 16,000-seat stadium to be built on the waterfront in downtown Vancouver. The Sun also reports that the project has support among local politicians, including a current council member who is a candidate for mayor.
The Whitecaps have created a web site for the stadium which features a prominent quote from former Earthquakes coach Frank Yallop, who currently coaches Canada's national team. "To grow the sport in Canada we need more soccer specific stadiums, and this venue will be world class. I can't wait for it to be ready!"
Posted by Jay at 05:41 AM | Comments (0)
October 11, 2005
Soccer Night in Canada?
MLS commissioner Don Garber stated today that the league is close to completing a deal which would place an expansion team in Toronto for the 2007 season. Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), the same organization that owns the town's NHL and NBA franchises, has until October 31 to work out a deal with the league.
As we noted here on October 6, the Toronto City Council will meet October 26 to approve the construction of a new soccer stadium which would be used by the MLS side and for the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championships.
(There were several good choices for headlines for this item. We rejected "Major League Soccer, eh?" and instead went with our homage to the CBC's Hockey Night in Canada. Can we get Don Cherry to cover MLS games?)
Posted by Jay at 03:53 PM | Comments (9)
Salt Lake to announce plans for $60 million stadium
Photo courtesy Real Salt Lake
According to an article in today's Deseret News, Real Salt Lake will build its $60 million soccer stadium in Sandy, a Utah suburb about 15 miles south of Salt Lake City. The announcement is expected to come in a news conference to be held on Wednesday. Salt Lake City and Murray were also competing for the project.
The story notes that the state legislature may contribute to the stadium project:
Greg Curtis, speaker of the state House of Representatives and a Republican from Sandy who co-sponsored the bond legislation, thinks the answer for finding $60 million for the stadium could lie in legislation specifically for the stadium area. Curtis and Nick Duerksen, assistant director for Sandy community development, both mentioned that a model could be an enterprise zone in Phoenix that allowed tax benefits for businesses within the zone to jump-start job creation.
Where there's a will there's a way, at least in Utah. Let's hope that's true of the South Bay as well.
Posted by Jay at 07:13 AM | Comments (2)
October 06, 2005
Maple Leaf Sports announces plans to invest in MLS
The Toronto Globe and Mail and Toronto Sun report today that Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE), owners of the Toronto Maple Leafs of the NHL and the Toronto Raptors of the NBA, have agreed to contribute to the construction of a soccer stadium in Toronto and are pursuing an expansion team in MLS.
The stories come on the heels of a meeting yesterday between officials from the Canadian Soccer Association, MLSE, and the city of Toronto which focused on the construction of a 20,000-seat stadium in time for the 2007 FIFA World Youth Championship, which Canada is hosting.
"We are very close to finalizing a deal with Major League Soccer and it is really contingent on a soccer stadium being built. The league is not interested in awarding a franchise without that stadium in place," MLSE president Richard Peddie told The Globe and Mail.
The Sun notes that both Peddie and the City of Toronto support Exhibition Place, an area situated along the shores of Lake Ontario immediately west of downtown Toronto, for the stadium site. Downsview Park, which only recently emerged as a potential location for the stadium, is now apparently out of the running.
Posted by Jay at 03:10 PM | Comments (3)
October 04, 2005
Mercury News soccer blog offers extra coverage of Quakes
We at SSV have been pleased with how well the Mercury News has covered the Quakes this year. Dylan Hernandez does a great job week-in and week-out with his match reports, player profiles, and MLS Power Poll, while Ann Killion has produced some great columns on the team and its value to the community.
The paper is taking their coverage one step further with the recent introduction of the Mercury News Soccer Blog. Dylan has been posting additional game quotes, news updates, and other stories that the printed sports page doesn't apparently have room for — yet! (We know the insatiable appetite that Quakes fans have for news about the team so we have no doubt that once the editors see how much traffic the soccer blog gets, they'll realize that more coverage in print is needed.) We've even added a feature to the SSV blog which will allow you to see the latest Mercury News Soccer Blog headlines on the main page of the SSV blog, over in the right-hand column.
While we're talking blogs, we also want to give a shout out to PJ over at Sharkspage. Can you name the team he's thinking of?
Posted by Jay at 02:05 PM | Comments (1)
October 03, 2005
Study shows economic impact of $2.4 billion for potential Kansas City stadium complex
The Kansas City Star reported Sunday that the nationally-known sports consulting firm Convention, Sports & Leisure will release a study Wednesday which details the potential economic benefits of a new stadium and soccer complex in Johnson County, Kansas.
The project as described in the study would include a 22,000-seat stadium for the Kansas City Wizards, 30 youth soccer fields, and adjacent retail facilities. According to the story, CS&L projects the economic impact as follows:
It's worth noting that the attendance number listed above includes approximately 900,000 amateur adult and youth soccer players. While fans of the Wizards would undoubtedly see the stadium as the centerpiece of the project, the potential benefits extend into the community far more deeply.
Posted by Jay at 08:58 AM | Comments (1)