USSF Gives USL and NASL 7 Days to Compromise

In a shocking move, US Soccer has refused to sanction both the NASL and the USL for the 2010 season. According to the USSF, neither league was able to prove it would have the required eight teams in order to field a proper league. The USSF has given both the USL and the NASL seven days to work things out and develop a way for both leagues to exist.

To find out more, check out Soccer Hype as we will be providing up-to-date coverage of this story as it unfolds over the next few weeks.

Highlight Video From Croatiaaaa

So, last May I received a Facebook message from an organization that was holding tryouts for a team that would travel to Europe and showcase American soccer players to professional teams. The team is based out of Southern California and offered young players a great experience for 2009 - a trip to Croatia to play against some top professional teams. There is also something unique about this particular organization, in that they documented the whole trip on film and hope to make it into a show one day entitled, One Shot One Dream. Apparently it might already be in the works for Gol TV, who knows? Perhaps I'll go on their next trip.

Personally I had a great time on the trip. I was able to visit some parts of Europe, make new friends (check out Kyle Kaveny's blog) and memories, and of course play soccer. We stayed in Pula, in the northern part of Croatia and played five games against 1st, 2nd, and 3rd division Croatian teams. This the their site: http://www.isoccerstar.com/index.php

On the site you can check out the videos and see what the trip was like. We stayed for 15 days in Pula and played five games. I'm posting this because they just finished the highlight videos for all the players. Here's a link to my highlight video

I would encourage any aspiring player to travel and experience what soccer is like in other countries. Traveling to Croatia was really eye opening for me, in the soccer sense and the social sense. I got to see a country and a culture very different from the United States. I had never traveled overseas before either so having to get my passport for the trip was a good idea too!

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Christmas Presents for the Soccer Player in Your Family?

Well I don't know about you but I had a wonderful Christmas with my family this year. We packed it all in for three days and I was fortunate enough to get some training done throughout. On Christmas Eve my Mom's side of the family got together and it was the usual presents and turkey dinner, with a little CatchPhrase on the side (a nice day off). On Christmas day we celebrated in the morning with immediate family then traveled up north to visit my grandfather for a couple hours (after a run and footwork). To top it all off my Dad's side came over on the 26th for a while and my brother and I played in an indoor tournament in Sports City Cotati.

All in all it was a very enjoyable family time, and lots of fun soccer. In the tournament on Saturday there were five 30min games, starting at 3pm with the last one ending around 11:45pm. My brother Luke was unable to make the first two because he chose to spend time with my father's side of the family, whom he rarely sees due to living in Southern California. However we pulled through without him early on, and he gave us a hearty boost of energy for the last three games helping us win in the final. A fantastic end to the Christmas celebrations!

However, that's not all. Throughout the past four days I unwrapped some great gifts that I'm happy to share. Who wouldn't enjoy two new Nike Premier Team balls, Sir Bobby Charlton's, Alex Ferguson's, AND Steven Gerrard's autobiographies!?? They are sitting on my desk right now and I can't wait to dive into them (thanks Mom and Dad!)



I hope everyone had a blessed Christmas and happy holidays. Stay tuned, it's time for tryouts!

Cheers,

Jeff

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Great Day to Train in the North Bay Rain!

Now I know what you're thinking: there goes another crazy guy catching pneumonia in the rain. Yesterday I couldn't help but be outside for 90+ mins. But really folks, it's ok jeez, I wore a long sleeve shirt! Haha. Who can't help but love the rain?! I mean, with all the global warming and pollution, etc. - it sure is great to spend some time in the cleansing rain playing the beautiful game (even though my opponent was a wall at a local middle school). Some of my favorite runs have been in the rain. Or even better: You start running, work up a sweat, and after a mile or so it just starts to pour on you. That's the best! Then again, with a ball, in the grass (and mud), it's always more fun :)

Cheers,

Jeff



Then it's off to the top of the dryer to get dry!

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Working through fear

Well, as every day comes and goes I feel stronger in the beginning, and completely exhausted at the end, and I wouldn't have it any other way. However, there are times when I have doubts and fears, as is natural for every human being.

A little over a year ago, the college season was just getting underway. I had just been officially assigned the captaincy, and we were traveling to Northwestern for the Lakeside classic, our first game of the preseason. When we arrived at Midway Airport, our team walked down to the baggage claim while our coaches and trainer headed off to get the rental cars. We sat around for 15 minutes waiting for our bags, and when the bags came out I thought that as the captain I should have known what the next step was: stay near the baggage claim? head out to the curb? catch the bus to the rental car area? Having never been to Midway before, I called our assistant coach and he simply said to head outside and wait for them there. But when I announced this to the team, trying to sound knowing and in charge, some of my teammates reacted differently than I expected. It was as if I had become annoying, pushy, big-headed (and I'm sure I came off that way).

I was simply trying to do the job I had been assigned. Needless to say, I was utterly confused and disheartened. So when we got outside, I separated myself from everyone, pulled out a notepad, and all the doubts and fears came out: "You're not ready for this...you can't handle this...you don't have their respect...you don't have what it takes...just give up." Just give up. I filled up a whole page with self-deprecating comments.

Then a funny thing happened. After relieving myself of such vitriol, I felt better, and I turned the page. I wrote: "I can do this." Then another, "I have what it takes," and another "I am respected." And it continued: "I am strong. I am fast. I can lead. I know how to do this. I am a force to be reckoned with." By the time the vans pulled up there were two pages of confidence in front of me.

Since that day I have realized something profound about myself: That I have a tendency to be afraid of greatness, and that I am in control of that fear. There are two quotes I would like to share, one from Marianne Williamson, and one from Nelson Mandela's favorite poem, Invictus (recently the name of a movie, it's awesome go see it):

"Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate, our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure."

-Marianne Williamson


"It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul."

-William Ernest Henley


So, as I continue on my journey, and throughout my whole life, I know I will encounter fears. But I will always remember that I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul, and that paying attention to random fears is a waste of time.

Cheers,

Jeff

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Every Player Needs An Advocate

What does it take to be a professional soccer player? What does it take to be a professional athlete? And continuing from my previous post, why does every eight year old kid dream about competing on a grand stage, like the Home Depot Center or better yet, the Nou Camp, Old Trafford or San Siro? I watch movies like Goal and Invincible, and like anyone else inspired by sports movies, I feel a deep longing within to compete, to strive against the odds, regardless of the outcome. I connect with the main character in movies like Rudy and Cinderella Man on a much deeper level than any other story. Perhaps it's simply the audiovisual impact that movies have on us, but I don't get emotional when I watch the Titanic or Seven Pounds - they're great movies but they don't hit me quite like Hoosiers.

When I was 13 or 14 and I played club soccer for Santa Rosa United in Sonoma County, CA, and during that time my team went through a transition and our beloved coach Ron Blue left to be director of coaching for a club in New Mexico. Our new coach, Paul Richardson, was an Englishman, and was very particular about how the team should play. Under Ron, I played every game. However, under Paul, I played very little. When I asked Paul via email why I wasn't playing and what I needed to improve upon to get on the pitch, he gave me quite a laundry list of what I lacked as a player. The list included first touch, speed of play, transition, everything..... Basically, I understood that he was saying "you're not good, get better or you won't play".. and it was true. Nevertheless it was heartbreaking for me, and at that point I began to realize that I couldn't get by on natural talent alone anymore.

I don't know if Paul ever kept track of what I've done after club soccer. To finish the story, after that email (which I printed out and saved), I started working substantially more on my own. Within a year I had earned back a starting position, and went on to play just about every game the rest of my club career (and on the side earned league MVP my senior year in high school). Then I went on to play for a Top 25 Division 1 team at USF, struggling again at first but then becoming Captain my senior year (that's another story).

So getting back to my question at the beginning, what does it take, essentially, to succeed? First, I believe, it starts with a dream, "aspiration" as Santiago Munez said in Goal. Then, it takes preparation and training. And finally, ends with realization of that dream.

Well, I haven't realized my dream of playing professional soccer yet. But, Paul, if you're reading this, I had a very successful college career, and just signed with Tony Alejandre at SAA Proservices to represent me as a player. Every player needs an advocate. Thanks for the laundry list...

Jeff


P.S. The movie Goal is fictional. Needless to say, I wish it was real, but I'm still inspired by the story.

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Real Salt Lake Looks to Future in MLS: Interview with Garth Lagerwey

Real Salt Lake pulled off one of the biggest upsets in professional sports, coming from the number eight-seed in Major League Soccer’s post-season, to win the 2009 MLS Cup. En route to its first MLS Championship, RSL had to beat the defending champion Columbus Crew and the surging Chicago Fire on consecutive road trips.

Finally, RSL took on and defeated a star-studded LA Galaxy team, headlined by David Beckham and Landon Donovan. This was no easy task, squeeking into the playoffs, and then facing three tough teams with internationally known “designated players”. However, upstart RSL, a team with no designated players, was up to the task and came out MLS champions.

Recently, I had the opportunity to sit down with Real's General Manager, Garth Lagerwey, a former MLS Goalkeeper, and one of the architects of building the surprisingly successful RSL team. Garth had a lot to say about how RSL operates as an organization, and about what their off-season Christmas list looks like. You can find the full interview at www.soccerhype.com.

Aspiring Professional Soccer Player For Hire

Hello All,

As the newest member to the Soccer Hype team I would like to introduce myself. My name is Jeff Russell, and I will be updating this blog on my journey toward a professional soccer career.

First off, a little background: I grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area playing in Marin and Sonoma Counties. I played for the University of San Francisco from 2004-2008. I believe every 8 year old kid dreams of playing professional sports when they come of age, and I am no exception. The unique thing about aspiring to play professional soccer in the United States is that it is not yet an extremely popular sport (like American Football, Baseball, or Basketball), and every bit of respect and recognition has to be earned. While David Beckham and Landon Donovan have been doing their part to bring soccer to the forefront in America, there is still much work to be done.

I would like to be a part of this coming of age for soccer in the United States. At 23 years old I have decided it's now or never - there is no better time to pursue my dream. So I am giving myself until March 2011 to make it, that's 14 months. I will train, mind and body. I will study, reading, watching, and listening. And I will persevere.

I invite anyone reading this to join me, follow my progress as I update this blog with bits and pieces of my journey, and find out what it takes to make it as a professional athlete.

Sincerely,

Jeff

Feel free to contact me at jrussell@soccerhype.com

The Draw is set!

USA will open the 2010 World Cup versus England. The other two teams in the group are Algeria and Slovenia. All things considered this is a good draw for the U.S. and they should be favored, along with England, to move on to the knock-out rounds.

Philadelphia Union Expansion Draft

I don't think there is any pundit/blogger/reporter/physic out there that can lay claim to saying that the Union's expansion picks were as expected. While not necessarily curious picks (there is certainly some attacking presence in Le Toux and Moreno, defense in Thomas and hope in an up-and-comer in Zimmerman) overall, the Union went young and inexpensive.

While contracts can be negotiated up or down, as it stands, the total salaries of the players is approximately $700,000. Assuming the Salary Cap goes up, even marginally, and given the allocation money the Union will receive as an expansion team, these picks set the table for a DP selection and trades/moves for several top tier players (i.e. players making $300,000+).

Considering Novak's history and success in MLS, expects those moves to be solid ones. Philly fans might not be wowed by today's draft but, they should be excited about what's likely to come.

Real Salt Lake Wins MLS Cup - And Deserved the Win!

Real Salt Lake won the 2009 MLS Cup the way they won all of their games in post-season play - they gutted it out and never gave up. The players that Jason Kreis brought together and utilized to form the RSL team took on Kreis's personality during the course of the season, and that was the plan all along. Kreis is a hardworking, pragmatic coach, and he has one rule when it comes to who plays on the pitch: Play the individual who is perfoming the best and wants to win.

Another reason RSL won the MLS CUP - RSL is a "true TEAM". Simply, RSL is made up of 20+ players that all contribute. The team is not built around one or two star players who make salaries larger than the bulk of the team; rather, RSL has parity among its players as far as pay and expectations. That is why when Javier Morales was forced out of the game with an injury, and Will Johnson had to leave due to illness at the half, Kreis could bring in Ned Grabavoy and Clint Mathis and be confident they could get the job done.

Every year you build a new team, that is just the way that MLS and most professional leagues work. This year RSL had something special and the team was very much a reflection of Jason Kreis. That said, there is a reason the team got where it did and toughed it out to the final PK. Congratulations RSL... enjoy the moment and rest up for next season. Everyone in MLS now understands just how tough you are.

A Handball for the Ages

Can you believe it! Once again, officiating, not soccer, is the focus of a highly anticipated World Cup Playoff. Today, France managed an undeserved 1-1 draw in order to seal its place in the 2010 World Cup. However, should the goal have counted?

Malouda's free-kick to the back post was obviously controlled by the left-hand of Henry, who then placed the ball on a tee for Gallas to finish. The dismay of Ireland's defense and goal keeper Shay Given did little to convince the referee of his horrific blunder.

In a game that saw Ireland dominate most of the proceedings, Henry's hand was able to save the day for France. I think FIFA needs to have a word or two with the officiating crew after this horrid incident.

My condolences to the Irish, who fought honorably and deserved a win and a place in South Africa.

Landon or Shalrie

This Thursday the MLS MVP will be announced. It's Landon versus Shalrie. This is one of those situations where you can argue for days but, when it's all said and done you're splitting hairs.

Take either player out of their respective teams and the teams would not have had the same success. I think the edge goes to the Shalrie only because he was working with less around him, especially once Ralston went down.

Either way they are both deserving although, given Landon's full trophy case, it would be nice to see this one go to Shalrie.

LA v RSL for the Cup

It's a clash of West vs East(?).

Well, at least on paper. It's a great "worst to first" story for both teams. LA being the wort team in the West last year and coming back to take the Western Conference crown.

For RSL, the phrase is a little more recent as they were the last team to sneak into the playoffs and now find themselves battling for the title. I think we're in for a great game this weekend.

Houston in thanks to Ching

The Houston Dynamo have made their annual appearance to the Western Conference finals after defeating a very game Seattle Sounders team 1-0 in Houston.

Old veteran Brian Ching came through for the men in Orange, who will now face the winner of tonight's Super Clasico in Los Angeles.

Hats off to Sigi Schmid and his team for an incredibly successful first season both on and off the field.

Fire Move on to Eastern Conference Championship

Chicago came out last night with guns blazing. For ninety minutes they kept their foot on the accelerator and never backed off.

"El Cuah" was in rare form, picking on Jay Heaps all night long - On the first goal, he showed strength and guile in holding off the veteran defender before softly dishing off the ball, initiating the sequence of quick passes that culminated in Thorrington's goal. Then, late in the game, he showed his composure and skill, sidestepping Heaps before nestling the ball in the upper v and securing the Fire's place in the next round.

Credit the Fire backline for bending and not breaking, albeit some credit also has to go to the post for it's save on Jankauskas' header. Credit the Fire's strong offensive supporting cast for pushing for the win all game long (with bonus kudos to Nyarko for his part on the second goal - out hustling and out muscling Osei in the corner, rounding Reis and then the nutmeg pass to Blanco).

For the Revolution, all things considered, it's amazing they made it this far with so many injuries to key players and they shouldn't hang their heads. Despite a relatively quite game, Sharlie is still deserving of the MVP trophy

Champions League Action

Whose ready for the world's best clubs to go head-to-head today and tomorrow? I certainly am.

In my opinion, both the CONCACAF and the UEFA Champions Leagues are, perhaps, the most exciting leagues in the world. There's nothing better than watching clubs from England, Spain, Italy, Mexico and the U.S. square off against one another in these two wonderful competitions.

Here's my advice for all those soccer fans out there... call in sick, get situated on the couch or bar stool of your choice and get ready for two days filled with the best footballers the world has to offer!

Real Salt Lake Gives Columbus Crew a Fright on Halloween – Takes Game One of the Eastern Conference Semifinals

Robbie Findley, MLS’s Player of the Week during the last week of the regular season slipped a late goal past the diving Columbus Keeper from a beautiful Yura Movsisyan pass, and delivers the victory to Real Salt Lake in the first leg of the Eastern Conference semis. The score came late in the game, and it became apparent early on that Columbus would have been happy to get out of Rio Tinto with a nil-nil draw, but RSL was just as determined to get a win at home. I was lucky enough to be sitting on the front row of the game, just past the Columbus Crew Bench.

I was puzzled by Columbus’s strategy from before the game even started when I saw their star, Guillermo Barros Schelotto, not working that hard in warm ups and actually never taking his sweats off. I figured, as did the RSL coaching staff, that he would come in at the half or at least by the 60th minute, but other than running back and forth in front of me and dodging occasional tossed colored paper-rolls (I had nothing to do with that, by the way), Schelotto saw no action. The same was true for The Crew’s Alejandro Moreno, who rode the pine, as well. Turns out that this was all “strategy” by The Crew’s coach. He thought he’d have the two slightly built stars sit out in favor of larger, more physical forwards Emilio Renteria and Steven Lenhart. It seems the Crew was still remembering the 4-1 spanking they received during the regular season by RSL in Rio Tinto and thought that maybe the bigger guys would fare better. Maybe they did, because it sure looked like the game was heading for a scoreless draw until Movsisyan came in and became a nuisance along the Crew’s back line.

Movisisyan did not come into the game until late in the second half, but as soon as he was on the field you could see the disruption he caused in Columbus’s game plan. The Crew actually figured a draw was good, and then they could go home and win. Sure, that could work… maybe, but what if RSL actually takes the game and has momentum going into Columbus on Thursday night?

I’ve never thought that sitting back and trying to tie was a good idea. Better to just go all out and shoot for a win and see what happens. Maybe Columbus actually thought they were going to handle RSL better with the bigger team, but RSL’s fast, small midfielders and forwards seemed pretty tough. Now RSL has the momentum and all they need is a draw in Columbus to move on. The thing is, Jason Kreis won’t go into Columbus with a “strategy” to get a draw. He will take RSL into Columbus with a plan to win the game. That is always the way to go. Always.

U.S Soccer Tragedy

You have to feel for Charlie Davies. The kid was finally entering into the starting lineup for the Men's U.S. National team and he is struck down by a freak car accident less than a year prior to the 2010 World Cup. Granted, he shouldn't really be out-and-about after 3:00AM, but the punishment certainly does not fit the crime. I truly hope Davies has a full and speedy recover. I'd hate to see his career ruined, especially by an accident that occurred off the pitch.

New Blog

This is the start to a fun new aspect of our site. Our staff will be looking to keep you up to speed with cool soccer-related videos, thoughts, insights, whatever!

Thanks for following us and helping us grow...and always feel free to share your thoughts, advice, criticisms and suggestions.