I had planned to present you all with a nifty piece on the upcoming tournaments in Puerto Rico and Charleston this time out. After all, it seemed like such a nice topic to mull over during Spring Break for many but, as long time readers of my column know - things change and deadlines move. At any rate, this week I wanted to tackle a few things that made their way into my email and some other things that maybe should have.
First up, we had a little dissent on the exclusion of Portland from the lists of games we're looking forward to in the last column.
"How can you not put Portland vs. Seattle as one of the best matches of the year?? There is a reason why FSC always show at least one game a year featuring these teams. Not only is it the biggest rivalry in the USL-1, but arguably the biggest in American Soccer. I do not in any way mean to be rude, but not putting a Seattle/Portland match-up is an insult to the league." - Robert, OR
So why'd we leave the Timbers out? I think a lot of it is that most of us know that Seattle, the 2005 champs, and Vancouver, the 2006 champs, will not only be playing for bragging rights but also prime position as one of the top seeds. On top of that, Portland looks to be a mixed bag coming into the season and some have questioned the commitment of ownership there. I think we all believe that the Timbers-Sounders-Whitecaps matches will be intense and fun to watch but at some point you have to spread the love around. So let's start another season of my favorite game: East Coast Bias!
Next question!
"Why, year after year, do you guys show such an East Coast bias?" - Chopped Down Tree Tommy, the Woods, OR
Well, Tommy, it's because I have to fight with Dan B. and Alison A. to even get a chance to cover what I want to, soccer in the Eastern time zone! In all seriousness, though, I think if the View were always so biased, eventually Alison (from Portland) and Dan (in Minnesota) would give me a good tonking and tell me to more fairly cover what goes on out there. After all, the whole site has been, for a long time, a two person set up with me occasionally popping off with something I hope some of you would enjoy from time to time.
"Where'd you disappear to for the last season and a half? And, can you please go back there? You're making the rest of us soccer journalists look bad." - Bradley J., MIS.web
Sometimes you just have to go spend a few years in the wilderness, with the bears and apes or whatever else crosses your path in an effort to kill or maim your passion for futbol. It's not like I was even remotely considering career advancement or anything, pfft. But, Brad my man, it's always nice when this kind of thing pays your bills and while I'd love for that to happen to me, it probably won't so the column stays a very satisfying hobby. Really, it's not like any writers are getting rich or even gainfully employed writing about soccer are they? Oh wait… so how about that raise, Dan?
"Who's going to win it all this year in the USL?" - Dan L., Miami
D., nice try! I'm not coughing this one up until I get my season preview posted and catch a flight to Vegas. I know how much you might enjoy gambling on the long odds of soccer so I also won't enable you. In the meantime, maybe you can find someone to ask at the Washington Post or something? I hear they have plenty of people that can talk all day about sports. Speaking of the Post…
"Seriously, could you knock off the whole wanna-be soccer writing thing? And what's with taking shots at the Post? They have some great writers on staff… or so I've heard. I've also heard a rumor you grew up reading it!" - S.G., Washington, DC
S.G., I did indeed grow up reading that paper but it really is neither here nor there. To answer your question, it's a hobby and as long as people seem to allow it I'll keep doing it. Notice I didn't say like it, because you can seldom get all sports fans, particularly soccer fans, to agree on any one thing for too long. Some will like it, some will hate it and in the meantime I will be doing my best to both entertain and inform.
On that note, I promise you guys I will be back in short order to discuss the Carolina Challenge Cup and the Puerto Rico USL-MLS Challenge. In the meantime, keep an eye on the news page at uslfans.com because it looks like the acquisitions are coming fast and furious as opening day looms.
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