Cups and Sportsmanship

A Personal Red Card — Or Is That a White Flag?

American professional athletes should take note of this -- a Norwegian soccer player has suspended himself for the rest of the season. Did you get that? Suspended himself!

Jahn Nitter, a striker for Norwegian third division Aamot, has taken himself out for the season after fighting with defender Rune Larsen of Hadeland in a match on September 11. Larsen, on sick leave for two weeks, suffered a concussion and required three stitches.

Nitter, quoted as saying, "I do not condone what I did," will not be further discplined by his club. In the player's defense, his club has pointed out that Nitter is well known as a clean player and that he had just one yellow card thus far this season.

I daresay we won't see any American football players or chair throwing baseball pitchers doing the same. And what a shame that is.


Who's Thirsty? There's Plenty O' Cups Goin' Round

Hearts -- UEFA Cup against SC Braga of Portugal. Won first leg 3-1 on September 16, before 18,769 at Murrayfield. Those of you who know me better might find this interesting. Jambos midfielder Paul Hartley scored a spectacular goal in the 62nd minute.

Hearts also in Scottish CIS Insurance Cup at Tynecastle on September 22 against Kilmarnock. Paul Hartley again got on the scoreboard in cup play in minute 15.

Addicks -- An uncomfortable match in the Carling Cup at Grimsby Town on September 21. Charlton fortunate to get a Danny Murphy free kick goal in the 8th. Grimsby attacked often and had several good opportunities in the first half with Charlton's Dean Kiely coming up with some great saves. Addicks also lucky to get help from the crossbar.

Second half subs Euell and Kishishev calmed Addicks down. After Lisbie cam on, Euell found him with a good pass. Lisbie showed his pace before finding Jeffers in front for a fantastic finish. Charlton pretty much knocks it around after that with only a shot over the crossbar by Euell coming close.

Charlton eventually showed class but disappointed overall in this struggle to beat a team three rungs down the ladder from the Premiership. And yet, for the Addicks, a win in any cup competition is a win.

Wizards -- U.S. Open Cup Final, KC 1 - 0 Chicago Fire. Wow, what an overtime victory at home in Arrowhead. And of all the ways for KC to win -- on a set piece. The Wizards hadn't come close on any set pieces all night. And more confusing was the apparent game plan to attack the taller Fire by air. So, instead, Alex Zotinca ducks out of the way of Igor Simutenkov's free kick winner. Suddenly, the Wizards hold the Open Cup.


Down to the Wire in MLS

And looking over the schedule, I see some very interesting divisional match ups. But you know what? I don't see the standings changing from what they are right now. Everyone will get a win or two and a tie or two and some losses. But the placements will be exactly as they are now on September 24.


I Agree to Disagree with Sean Wheelock, Again

Every time I read one of Mr. Wheelock's articles, there seems to be much with which I can agree. Maybe it's because we both come from the Kansas City area. His perspective seems right and comfortable. But, you know, I always find something with which to disagree.

In his latest article, "A little tweaking could do great things for the U.S. Open Cup," [http://msn.foxsports.com/story/3032962] I agree when Wheelock states:

"…continue the trend of staging matches held in MLS cities at small, secondary venues. Clubs in the league should be forbidden to play cup matches in their regular stadiums, even if they can sell a few more tickets. An atmosphere should be created with an intimate, frenzied, standing-room-only crowd that is just yards off of the touchline."

Sean is dead on here. Even if every team in MLS had its own stadium -- which means MLS teams would experience a more intimate atmosphere than they do now -- these games should be like backyard celebrations. The close, neighborly confines of a high school or university field harkens to the history of the Open Cup when the champions were amateur squads. Still today, when this competition begins every year, there are amateur teams participating. Matches like the one at Blue Valley Activities Center between the Wizards and the Earthquakes is not nostalgic, its electric.

Where I disagree with Mr. Wheelock is when he states:

"…make the National Soccer Hall of Fame the permanent host for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Final, and hold the match as part of the annual induction festivities."

On first blush, this sounds like a great idea -- a great way to promote the tournament and the Hall of Fame. But it is only promoting the Open Cup final, not the entire tournament.

MLS, USL, the Hall of Fame, and the USSF all need to work together to do a better job of educating and promoting this very important competition. Why, it's decades older than the Heisman Trophy and a contemporary of the Rose Bowl game. There should be coverage of matches from the first round to the end. No, not every game, but a few choice games here an there. Give some of the amateur teams a little of the limelight. And get those PDL and PSL teams on screen too.

The Hall of Fame and the USSF should put on a touring educational show that shows the great history of the tournament. This road show should go not only to MLS towns, but A-League, PSL, PDL, etc. Take it to every State in the Union.

Truly promote one of the oldest soccer tournaments of its kind. And then, keep the games on the home fields.

Though the Cup final this year at Arrowhead was missing some of the buzz of the matches at Blue Valley, I wouldn't have been able to witness history if the game were played in New York. Sorry, some of us hometown fans are lucky to spare the money to buy tickets to see regular season home matches. In fact, I wouldn't have been at this glorious final at all if not for "winning" free tickets from MLS Wrap's Hometown Tix contest.

Sean, for the same reasons you assert that Open Cup games should be played away from the MLS stadia, you should also push for the final to be played at someone's smaller home-away-from home field. The game is for the players and the fans to share. Far fewer of each team's fans would be present for a final in Oneonta. And teams would not have been able to share and dedicate their victory to their fans like the Wizards did this last Wednesday night.

A Week Off

I could say I was gone on international duty. Truth is, I got busy with my real life at home and at work. But enough about me.


Would You Dump Your Date[s]?

Or dance with the gal that brung ya?

Should MLS suspend play during World Cup Qualifying dates? Or should they play on with some teams' stars absent from club play to perform their international duties?

Personally, I have gone back and forth on this one.

The MLS should suspend play.
Everyone else is doing it -- EPL, SPL, La Liga, Bundesliga, Serie A, etc. etc. Why make club teams with the best international players suffer possible defeats simply because of international competition? It's not fair to take away opportunities for you first squad players to play for both club and country and succeed at both.

The MLS should not suspend play.
So, who cares if everyone else is doing it? Would you jump off a cliff if…well, oops. Didn't mean to sound like Mom, but you get the point. The MLS season is already very long. Why extend it further by taking unnecessary time off?

With play continuing -- and during the home stretch for playoff positions -- each MLS team actually has to be one. Here's the opportunity for which non-starters have been waiting. Here's an opportunity for the coach to show that his team is not only good but deep. The regular bench players better stay motivated and ready. The developmental players better be actually developing and be not only fit but a fit for any upcoming situation.

As you can tell…
I am really leaning toward not suspending play. Now is the time for the great teams to dig deep and show themselves. The playoff race tightens. The tension is heightened. What a great way to see the season finish.


Okay, Sometimes a Nil-NIl Draw Really Is Boring

Game off. Yawn.

Charlton Athletic 0-0 Southampton. Even the Valley faithful were groaning at halftime and booing at the end.

No scoring, obviously. But also no passing, no defending, no possessing, no playmaking. But there was goalkeeping -- though Dean Kiely of the Addicks seemed to have more work to do.

And speaking of Kiely. The Deano comes up with some great saves to keep a point for his side and it costs him £50. Kiely has pledged to donate £50 to the Demelza House children's hospice every time he keeps a clean sheet during the 2004/05 campaign. Nothing like paying for a job well done!


Anyone who dislikes Manchester United…

…must be having a lot of fun these days. I keep hearing chuckles when I have mentioned this particular mid-table side.


Should KC Have Kept Jay Alberts?

The Wizards drafted the Yale midfielder in the fourth round. But after camp and preseason, he was given his release. He signed with the Minnesota of the A-League and became Thunder Rookie-of-the-Year.

According to Thunder head coach Buzz Lagos, "Jay turned out to be a pleasant surprise and great player for us this year. On the flank his speed and flair added a great deal to our attack and his defensive skills improved every game.”

In 28 regular season and two playoff games, Alberts garnered only three assists but created many more chances for his team.

From my perspective, he seems a somewhat smaller version of Chris Klein at 5'8" and 150 lbs. And couldn't the Wizards use Klein's stand-in now? KC has a full roster, so someone would have to go. My choice? Cut Vuk or Walsh and leave the other one unprotected for the expansion draft.

Opticians, Groundskeepers, Mary Poppins, and the Curse

Marketing Irony

It has come to my attention that irony, nay humor, has not been completely lost in the world of sports.

With the seriousness of doping and judging mistakes still clouding the sky, it is a breath of fresh air to find that Scottish referees have been sponsored by none other than a firm of opticians.


How Do They Do It?

The New England Patriots played a home preseason game on August 13. So, the field at Gillette Stadium had to be marked for their game. Yet, when the New England Revolution played a home match on August 21 against the Kansas City Wizards, you could barely see the football markings. And I do mean barely.

How does the grounds crew at the Razor do it? And why can't crews at other NFL/MLS stadiums do the same?

Once the KC Chiefs start playing, the Wizards and their fans are stuck with all those ugly American football lines. Oh, yeah, that's probably because Carl Peterson hates the Wizards.


Just a Spoon Full of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down

The Illness
Tough weekend. Charlton got roasted at Manchester City, 0-4. Another Bolton fiasco. No defense. Curbs, go buy a good defender or two to clog up the middle. And play Euell at striker for goodness sake, He is not a midfielder. Put Murphy in the middle and put more of a winger outside.

And Hearts lost at Motherwell 0-2. Both goals on PKs for questionable calls in the box.

The Sugar is the Medicine
The sun shown bright on Sunday as my daughter's 4 v 4 team raced up and down the field. Even though I'm the coach, I don't keep track of the score. It's not really important. The girls are having fund and learning to play better. But we did win going away. Must have been 10-1.

Later that day, my son played in his first premier game. He didn't get the start but came on as a defender and played quite well. He is protecting the ball better than ever and surprised me with a couple of good turns and smart passes. In the second half he played midfield. If not for the referees whistle, he would have had a chance on goal. His teammate was fouled and got the PK, but missed. My son's Elite team also won going away, 6-0.


The Chicago Curse

What a woeful loss by KC in Chicago, 3-1. The Wizards were lucky to get the one goal -- and off one of their few chances the entire match. Will KC ever win in Chicago?

Everyone is saying Chicago has a curse. Well, in MLS, KC fans are saying Chicago itself is a curse. KC is 0-9 when playing in the Chicagoland area.

The Wizards only defeat the Fire in KC or when it counts -- MLS Cup 2000 for example. So, KC should win the Open Cup since the game will be played at Arrowhead and it does count.

So, I guess the Fire can own us all they want during regular season games. I would rather see KC hoisting the hardware.