There's a lot of reasons to be excited about A-League soccer in the upcoming season and a lot of things to take note of as we look around at recent events. The Rhinos finally put shovels to ground, the Kickers look like they should earn a hefty fee for David Testo, and one of my pet causes this year has announced its calendar. I also think it is quite nice to note that Freddy is coming to an A-League stadium to prepare for his first MLS campaign. Thanks, Andrew, I knew you guys could do it.
First, let me talk a little about what is basically some old news to fans at this point. It's more official than ever and PaeTec Park is on its way for the fans in Rochester. Fantastic! I can remember how back in November and December I was thinking about writing a piece about the Rhinos and their travails with MLS and how to describe them in the most delicate manner. Well, that discussion looks like it can hit the back burner for a few more months. Instead, let's rejoice at the building of another soccer "cathedral" in the largely "pagan" backwater of the beautiful game otherwise known as the U.S.
Seriously, though, depending on how quickly stadiums go up in Rochester, Bridgeview, IL and Frisco, TX the A-League could very well boast as many soccer-specific stadiums as MLS. Not too shabby if I do say so myself. The designs look nice for PTP and I certainly plan on somehow making the trip to the greater Rochester area once that stadium is complete. Heck, if Virginia Beach could do some more construction and encircle that field of theirs to get a complete stadium they'd be on quite a pace to keep up with MLS. While we're at it maybe the Timbers can get the baseball Beavers to move out and PGE could become Timbers Stadium and Vancouver could upgrade Swangard in the same kind of manner I'd like to see at the Sportsplex. I can dream, right?
Moving along, in recent matters involving drafts and such it appears the Columbus Crew are after A-League rookie of the year, David Testo. I find it funny that they can "discover" a player I've been running off at the mouth about for approximately a year or so. Besides, even if you consider it division two I still can't quite wrap my head around the idea of an MLS club drafting a guy that reportedly has a three-year contract with the Kickers. I've paid attention to the MLS draft and watched this year's live in its entirety but really, why can't they just say to Richmond they want Testo and offer to buy his contract for something more pricey than a pair of tickets to MLS Cup or something?
Hopefully, as this situation gets resolved, MLS will cough up a nice chunk of change for Richmond's efforts with Testo, young David plays with Columbus, and develops into one of the very good, young American midfielders this year. He'll have his shot in a couple of days in Mexico with the U.S. Olympic squad. If he does really well look for the Kickers to take an even harder stance in their negotiations with MLS and Columbus.
So you're looking for a fun competition that potentially could see an underdog team from around your neighborhood make a run at winning it all this summer? Well, the U.S. Open Cup is exactly what you're looking for. Yeah, I know MLS clubs have won the last few editions of the Open Cup but that's even more reason to watch the earlier rounds. Why? Simple, because much like the NCAA basketball tournament, the wildest upsets and sometimes the very best games all get played during the first two or three rounds.
For the record, the Open Cup swings into action prior to May 23rd with the qualifying rounds for teams from the USASA, PDL, PSL, and A-League. The A-League qualifiers include Richmond taking on Virginia Beach (April 30th and May 1st), Charleston playing Atlanta (May 8th and May 15th), Portland meeting Seattle (May 1st and May 15th), Milwaukee against Minnesota (May 21st and May 22nd), and Syracuse battling it out with Rochester (May 14th and May 22nd). The qualifiers alone should peak some interest among most fans if for no other reason than to dash the hopes of their rival fans in this competition.
Oh, and that Freddy thing? Get your tickets now to see the "phenom" at Blackbaud Stadium as D.C. United takes on the Columbus Crew, Charleston Battery, and Wilmington Hammerheads from March 20th until March 27th. Checking out this nice little four-team preseason tournament might give soccer fans their own little hint of March madness. I couldn't think of a better way to prepare for the start of another domestic soccer season. I hope to see some of you there and until then, that's the view from here.
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