By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Jan 10, 2012) US Soccer Players -- Tuesday's Five, and Tony considers a big name in CONCACAF coming to MLS, Chicago's latest signing, and coaches who were fired after they won MLS Cup.
Which has been the quietest 'big name' signing by an MLS club this offseason?
How about Dallas signing Panamanian forward Blas Perez. For all the Perez potentially brings as a target forward and physical presence, he's 31 and just now making the adjustment to MLS. While he should be able to handle the physical play, is this a sign Dallas is trying to win this year because Perez is not a signing for the long-term?
So, the Fire signed a midfielder who is going to help their creative play, right?
No, but... Chicago signed 27-year old Colombian midfielder, Rafael Robayo, from CD Los Millionaros in Colombia. Chicago Coach Frank Klopas described the player as “sizable,” and with an “excellent work rate” and “good defensive energy.” We'll forgive the MLS 'coach-speak,' and assume he's an answer as a holding midfielder. Robayo brings with him a track record of success and achievement, on the club level, but is he the guy to help turn those 16 draws last season into wins? Continuing to make a prophet out of Juan Pablo Angel, New England has also signed two Colombian players.
Four MLS coaches have been fired by the team they won an MLS Cup with (Rongen, Schmid, Sampson, and Gary Smith), going into the season, what is the likelihood of a fifth name being added to that list?
Not very likely. The candidates are Frank Yallop, Dominic Kinnear, and Bruce Arena (Schmid and Nowak won Cups with other teams). Arena just won MLS Cup and Kinnear just signed a new contract with the Dynamo. Yallop signed a multi-year deal last summer, and the Earthquakes are likely to be focused on getting their new stadium built unless the bottom really falls out of the team early.
How did MLS respond to concerns about attendance, FIFA dates, and some playoff tickets being a tough sell against baseball, international soccer, gridiron, college gridiron, hockey, basketball, etc?
By extending the total length of the season, of course. Points to the League for reducing the number of games on FIFA dates, but if Kansas City, Philadelphia, or the Red Bulls, say, host MLS Cup on December 1st, we might see MLS debuting the orange version of the 'Prime' ball. Easy jokes aside, we all understand there is no perfect solution and that MLS is looking to use weekend dates and give its broadcast partners slots that maximize the number of possible viewers. But you're asking players to train starting in January and potentially play until December. You've got at least five months (March-May, September-October) where teams are trying to sell and compete against other non-summer sports, kids being in school, youth soccer, etc.
Say all you want about MLS not going after the youth soccer/family market, but when established teams are struggling to sell out 18,000-seat stadia, there's no market you can afford to pass over.
Which Mexican club, in the Primera, has three Americans playing for it, advertises US tryouts, is relatively close to the Mexico-US border, and yet even its US website doesn't have an 'English Language' button?
Tijuana. With Edgar Castillo, Joe Corona, and Greg Garza all seeing playing time this past weekend in the draw against Morelia, Tijuana's a team to follow in the Clausura. Add I the threat of relegation, and this is the kind of story that should grab attention. Then again, if you're looking to draw from the Southern California/Arizona areas, it probably doesn't cost too much extra to have a decent English-language website and maybe make it possible to buy a shirt or a cap.
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