This is hopefully going to be a weekly column and I think it will provide at least a minuscule amount of entertainment during the off-season. It's a long trudge through the winter but with any luck some of these articles will keep the footie fires stoked until the next season winds up. Seeing as how I've already covered the playoffs I'd like to take on a different topic for my first "official" column. There's a team out there who will be awfully cold out there this winter and they'll have nowhere to go, playoffs or otherwise. Project 40 and the strange but true tales of their nomadic adventures this season should've made someone think about this but unfortunately no one's taken up their cause. So I will, your intrepid soccer nut will take it upon myself to find these poor kids from P-40 a home.
We can't deny a certain lack of enthusiasm over this "project" since these boys haven't produced the most sparkling product on the field. It certainly can't be held against them, though, when they spend multiple hours on buses and planes without any prospect of going "home". Their coach, Alfonso Mondelo, can hardly be found at fault either considering on many occasions this season he has been forced to play with only one or two players on the bench. Another often-difficult incongruency occurs when they face their A-League rivals. This squad has no foreign players on their roster yet must fend off challenges from players who have played in some of the toughest leagues in the world. True to their circumstances this is a team that people shouldn't judge on results. When they win it's a sign of overcoming long odds and when they lose it's an ample opportunity to look once again at all of the difficulties they must endure through a long and treacherous season. In the end it brings up questions about the development of these players and whether or not the USSF's experiment will or can work.
The USSF desperately wants this to work as a part of their "Project 2010" to make the U.S. competitive on the world soccer scene by the 2010 World Cup. It would seem imperative, though, that like the U-17 program these kids be given a home base of operations. Without this it makes it very difficult to maintain any cohesion in a squad that catches sleep, meals, and practice on the fly not to mention the fact that Mondelo hardly knows in advance who will be playing for him in the next match. Just ask Garth Lagerway! This definitely makes me think that a recall limit should be placed on the squad. MLS teams should treat this much like International teams recalling players. They should let Mondelo or the USSF know what player they will need at least 3 days ahead of time. Further, P-40 should also maintain at least 14 players on their active roster at all times. These things seem only fair to the players and coaches of this squad. It is in the spirit of finding these boys a home, though; that I now humbly submit four cities that I think could provide a hospitable surrounding for these players to develop.
1) St. Louis: Why St. Louis? Well for one thing they have a tradition in this city for soccer. Going back some 40 and 50 years ago up to the present day they have provided some of the best American soccer talent in the country. The academies and youth teams there used to produce players who played with such quickness and ability to pass that they were nearly unbeatable. On another front, it seems the St. Louis area has been tapped as a possible market for MLS expansion yet has been largely ignored in talks concerning bringing more teams into the league. St. Louis is also near enough to Chicago that if the USSF people decide that they want to have a look at their boys it'll be a short trip. The Midwest location should appeal to the A-League, as it will give them a more legit reason to be aligned in the Central Division. St. Louis deserves professional soccer and P-40 deserves a home so I think this would be a good fit.
2) Boca Raton: The case for Boca can be made on the sheer fact that the U-17 residency program is based there. Some of the players will already be acquainted with the area and let's be honest, if you play for Milwaukee or Minnesota wouldn't you love a trip to Boca Raton preferably with a couple of off days around the game? The facilities are there and Florida's always been a good producer of young talent.
3) Portland, OR: The case for Portland exists more on the basis of that community's soccer fans. They have provided U.S. soccer with some of the finest crowds ever and should have been rewarded with a professional team a long time ago. They are another MLS "wait-and-see" project that the league wants to build a soccer specific stadium yet, according to the politicians, the voters want a MLB stadium. Some of this country's best fans are in the Pacific Northwest and this would provide an excellent chance to see a real rivalry between Seattle, Vancouver, and Portland. It also provides an excellent opportunity for Clive Charles to get a look at the P-40 kids. On these merits I think Portland deserves a look.
[Editors Note: This article was completed prior to Bill learning that Portland had landed an A-League franchise for 2001.]
4) Colorado Springs, CO: Okay, so there's already a professional soccer presence throughout Denver and its outlying areas but why can't P-40 call this place home? It's an Olympic-training town. The altitude could pay off big time if these players turn into the real deal and have to face Mexico at the Azteca in World Cup Qualifying. Plus it's an area with little to no distractions in the immediate area during summer yet it has enough going on to keep most young men occupied. Like Boca Raton the facilities are already there and the revenue produced by people at the games there could help alleviate the strain on the purse strings of both the USSF and USOC. Definitely an outsider among outsiders but the place could definitely deserve a look.
These are my candidates and I'm sure there are plenty more out there that could have a case built for them but the essential point here is that these kids deserve a place to call home when they have days off or when they're tired or when it comes to a tough match and they need a home-field advantage. Either way big things could happen with P-40 if things work out the right way. Making these kids travel schedules that would make most airline stewards blush and play matches when they're drafting kids from the local high schools is not the right way to go about it. Over the ensuing winter let us give thanks in November that our club has a home field and during Christmas maybe, just maybe, the League could play Santa and find a home for these wayward boys.
World Cup Qualifying
First of all, a big congratulations to the U.S. national team who won a huge match against Guatemala in Washington Sunday. Their 1-0 victory was deserved in a team that showed a lot of heart under the kind of pressure they must have been feeling knowing their World Cup dreams were basically on the line in this one. The win put the U.S. in the driver's seat for their group's second spot in the next round of qualifiers. With a win against Costa Rica in Columbus on October 11th they will clinch their spot in the six-team group qualifiers.
Another national squad that has already qualified for the next round is Jamaica. They clinched their spot by winning over St. Vincent & the Grenadines 2-0. One of the surprise performers for the "Reggae Boyz" this summer has been none other than Rochester's own Onandi Lowe. Originally billed as a sweeper for the Jamaicans he has been moved up front by their coach and has provided an offensive spark up front knocking in a couple of goals for them.
I'm sure there are plenty more A-League players involved in World Cup Qualifiers and if anyone knows of any I'd love to hear from you so I can keep track of them as they help their countries in the quest for the World Cup. Sources that I've heard from state that Dean Sewell of the Charleston Battery may make a return to the Jamaican national team in the near future but this is unconfirmed as far as I know. Please let us know so we can let everyone know just how good our internationals in the A-League are.
Yours Truly gets Battered
Just wanted to let the Charleston fans out there know that I don't doubt the powers of Cloutier, Suarez, Ivo, Dusty Hudock, and company. I'm just going on a hunch with that prediction. It was great to hear such enthusiasm and I certainly hope the Regiment will be in full swing on Saturday. I've always loved Blackbaud as it is one of the finest stadiums in the U.S. to watch soccer in. Once again, good luck to everyone's clubs this weekend and thanks for reading.
