By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Sep 13, 2011) US Soccer Players -- Twice a week, USSoccerplayers.com will ask some of the questions in need of an answer in world soccer. Tony Edwards will give you his thoughts, but what we're looking for is a deeper discussion. Your comments are welcome, as we try to get at what's really in play from the American game to the highest levels of FIFA.
Should we give Coach of the Year to Peter Vermes right now?
There are plenty of names in consideration (Arena, Nowak, Schmidt, Hyndmann), but baring a huge collapse, who is more deserving or has done a better job?
Is Vancouver the most attractive team to watch in MLS?
No, but the Whitecaps play an attractive, ball on the ground style that makes them easy to watch. That they will be on their third head coach before a ball is kicked in anger next season shows that the results haven’t arrived with the style, but Vancouver fans have more to look forward to than most of their recent expansion brethren.
Did Juventus fail to learn from MLS when they built their new stadium?
The only Italian club with two stars on their shirt opened the first club-owned stadium in Serie A last week (with a friendly to Notts County) and then played their first home league game this weekend. The fans are close to the field and the team keeps the revenue, so what could be a problem?
One, the turf already needs to be re-laid, after two games, and, more importantly, like a few MLS stadiums, people are already complaining that it’s “quite a pain to drive too."
Detractors like to point out that stadiums outside of Denver, Dallas, and Colorado limit the access the fan base has, whereas more urban stadiums in Seattle and Portland encourage the culture and atmosphere MLS desperately needs in all its stadia. After complaining for years about the Delle Alpi, could Juve have gotten it wrong with the replacement?
Are MLS clubs showing admirable patience in signing coaches without championships to long-term extensions?
With the Earthquakes extending Frank Yallop's deal and the Crew's re-upping of Warzycha, two more coaches are signed up for years. There are enough examples of coaches such as Kreis, Arena, Hyndmann, and Schmidt being given time and building a team in their image. Peter Nowak may be doing the same in Philadelphia. However, Yallop stumbled with Canada, struggled in Los Angeles, and his revived Earthquakes team has made the playoffs once in four years. Warzycha hasn't shown his teams can compete in the playoffs or the Open Cup yet. Is it patience or that these teams don't want to take the risk of finding a new voice?
What is the ECA club's endgame in proposing stripping member clubs of UCL revenue for not meeting Financial Fair Play requirements?
With the UEFA Champions League group stage beginning, the rhetoric between major European clubs and UEFA/FIFA will be pushed aside. However, the European Club Association’s proposal that clubs which don't meet UEFA's Financial Fair Play requirements should be stripped of European competition revenue seems like an initial salvo more than a serious solution. What's really at stake with UEFA, the European clubs, and Financial Fair Play?
