By Tony Edwards - San Jose, CA (Feb 2, 2012) US Soccer Players -- Tony looks at changes at Leeds United, Major League Soccer's market penetration, and a visit to Hoffenheim in today's edition of Five Questions.
So Robbie Rogers, are you enjoying playing under Simon Grayson?
Welcome to Leeds, eh? Grayson was fired yesterday after a 4-1 loss to Jonathan Spector's Birmingham City, replaced by Leeds Youth Team manager Neil Redfearn, at least on a caretaker basis. Leeds is 10th in the Championship, with 42 points after 28 games. Spector played the full 90 minutes.
What's going on with Fabian Johnson and Danny Williams's TSG Hoffenheim 1899 and why is the mood apparently so downcast there?
For a team in the upper half of the table, Uli Hesse's article paints a very sober picture of a team whose main benefactor is looking to, if not balance the books, at least recoup some of his investment. Hoffenheim has won only one of its last six games, including disappointing draws to Hertha Berlin and bottom-dweller Freiburg. Johnson has made 13 starts for the team and has scored a goal.
Did Wilmer Cabrera land on his feet?
Did nobody tell Cabrera that it's cold in Colorado in January? Cabrera joined Oscar Pareja's staff with the Rapids. Even with a star on its jersey and players like Pablo Mastroeni and Carlos Valderrama, the Rapids have rarely made an impression. The hiring of Pareja and Cabrera seemingly signals a willingness to get away from the workmanlike style of Gary Smith.
What percentage of the United States population, measured by census and market area, has an MLS team to call their own?
Thirty-five percent. MLS trails the NBA, Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NHL in percentage covered. Interestingly, baseball is the only major sport with a team in each of the top 19 markets, according to the article on mlssoccer.com. However, the NFL has the easy move, to Los Angeles, and their percentage skyrockets.
Positively, with the fewest US-based teams of the five mentioned leagues, MLS covers a lot of ground. The questions remain: What about the South? Does having more teams help television ratings or is it the quality of the product?
What Does It Take To Get An Unfriendly Visit From The Owner?
If you're a Premier League club, apparently losing 3-0 to Liverpool will do it. Wolverhampton chairman Steve Morgan decided to express his frustrations in person, meeting with the team following the game. Ok, maybe it had more to do with their 12th loss in a row, but when fans audibly turn on the team something needs to be done. One wonders if the next words we'll be hearing from Morgan is the dreaded vote of confidence for manager Mick McCarthy, who said of a decent showing in the first-half: "I'm not going to wax lyrical about that when we've got slapped 3-0."
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