Soccer

Fresh faces making good first impressions

Chris McGlynn MLS, Soccer , , ,

Nearing the quarter way mark in the MLS season, there have been several surprises. The Vancouver Whitecaps are brimming with hope after a fast start to the season. The Montreal Impact made a run to the CONCAFCA Champions League final but have yet to win a game in their first four MLS ties. The Red Bulls were supposed to take a major step back with the losses they sustained this fall but they look the far superior of the two New York teams. Plenty of these surprises can be attributed to some fresh faces in the MLS so here are you best newcomers to the league thus far.

Sebastian Giovinco
Midfielder, Toronto FC
Most of the preseason hype surrounding Toronto was surrounding the addition of American-international Jozy Alitdore. While Altidore has been stellar thus far in the young MLS season, Giovinco has been even better. Through seven games, Giovinco has slotted home four goals, including a couple of spectacular free kicks. The Italian midfielder also tallied three assists in those same seven appearances. Giovinco is one of only four players in MLS averaging at least a goal or an assist per game so far this season. He has been the glue to the Toronto offense, taking a large number of the team’s scoring chances. Now if only the defense could fall in line, this Canadian side could be a menace in the East.

Octavio Rivero
Striker, Vancouver Whitecaps
Through ten games, Rivero has hit the back of the net in half of them. Like Giovinco, he has been the offensive talisman for his team. Vancouver managed only 11 goals and Rivero has scored almost half of them. Without him, this team is likely, in the bottom half of the Western Conference. Instead, they sit tied for first. Rivero also has an assist this season but with his position in the Vancouver lineup, helpers are much harder to come by. Rivero needs to do a little better on converting more of his chances (as does Giovinco) but as long as he is scoring consistently, fans and teammates will be happy with his play.

David Bingham
Goalie, San Jose Earthquakes
I know this is cheating a little because Bingham has played before in the MLS but this is his first shot at being the full time starter. Besides, he only made four career starts in three years before this and actually spent time on loan with the USL club San Antonio Scorpions. This year though, Bingham has started all nine matches for the Earthquakes, posting two shutouts. His 29 saves thus far are tied for most in MLS. He does allow 1.11 goals per contest but he has faced the second most shots this season and has the seventh highest save percentage of any goalie with at least five starts. Bingham still needs to improve but his play this season have kept the Earthquakes in a playoff spot so far.

Ricardo Kaká
Midfielder, Orlando City SC
Heralded as the best player to ever join MLS when he left Milan this summer. The attacking midfielder might have lost a step but he has the best skill set of anyone in the league. In the eight appearances Kaká has made this season in an Orlando kit, he has scored three goals and one assist. He hasn’t made the impact that was fully expected of him but he has still been the most talented offensive player on Orlando. He is the only Orlando player to score multiple goals this season. I expect Kaká will get stronger as the season rolls on and the team builds more chemistry.

The curious case of Jordan Morris

Chris McGlynn MLS, Soccer, USMNT
Photo from ussoccer.com
Photo from ussoccer.com

In this day and age, college athletes cannot wait to make it to the next level. Hundreds, if not thousands, of them make the jump every year to join professional leagues and get their true career underway. College basketball faces the perennial “rent-a-players,” in the words of Bo Ryan. College football rarely sees player make it all the way to their senior year; at least not the top-rated prospects. It is nice to hear a story now and then about a player who is putting his academics first and wanting to stay in school. Then you have Jordan Morris, who’s story is probably a little bit different than most. In a sport like soccer, notorious for signing players at the age of sixteen and beginning their professional careers right away, Morris is straying from the beaten path. He is playing international football and spurning professional contract offers, determined to do things on his terms.

A few short years ago, Morris began playing for Eastside FC to start his youth soccer career. From 2009 to 2012, Morris was a mainstay on the Seattle based club team, garnering some major attention nationwide. Eastside is a premier soccer club, one of the highest levels of youth soccer available. The program helps develop promising soccer players as young as nine years old, and helps them take the next step whether it be college or the pros. Eastside has generated hundreds of college players across the country and Morris was actually one of six player to join the Seattle Sounders FC Academy when he left in 2013.

In early February of 2012, Morris committed to Stanford, intent on joining the men’s soccer team. He spent most of 2012, into 2013, playing for the Sounders academy team before officially enrolling in school. Morris made a splash his freshman season for the Cardinal, scoring six goals and tallying seven assists in 21 appearances. Stanford made the NCAA tournament for the first time in four years, but eventually fell in the round of 16 to PAC-12 rival Washington. 2014 saw Morris’ numbers drop across the board but he also appeared in six fewer contests.

The reason he missed more contests was due to his appearances on the US men’s U-20 and U-23 national team. Morris made a decent impact despite the small sample size, particularly with the U-23 squad. In only four appearances, Morris tallied three goals. It became clear that Morris was an international caliber player, or that he could develop into one if he was given enough caps and found himself in the right system. The next logical step came when he appeared for the senior squad for the first time against Ireland in August of 2014. Morris took the next step when the United States faced off with Mexico just 11 days ago and he scored the opening goal of the match, the first of his international career.

Clearly, Morris has quite the resume and is obviously on the radar of MLS clubs, but this is where things get interesting. He has international caps, familiarity with the system and potential to make a good amount of money for a US soccer player, but Morris wants to stay in school. So far, Seattle has offered him a contract on a number of occasions now, most recently just this past week. Reportedly, the offer was one of the most lucrative homegrown contracts in MLS history. Morris once again turned it down though, maintaining that he wants to return to Stanford for his junior season. After the season is over, Morris has hinted that he might consider joining the Sounders ahead of the 2016 MLS season. He has also said that he will just see where his soccer takes him. That could just as easily mean that Morris stays for his senior season, or even goes to play in a different league.

It is refreshing, in a way, to see a 20-year old kid turn down the fame and fortune of professional sports to continue playing the sport for just the simple enjoyment. Morris has had a lot of success at Stanford and definitely has some unfinished business to attend to at school. The Cardinal entered the NCAA College Cup ranked sixth overall and were upset by in-state opponent UC-Irvine in their first game. That has to leave a bitter taste in Morris’ mouth. I can understand why the kid wants to go back and take another stab at National Championship. Stanford is only graduating four players, only three of which were starters. Morris will come to the MLS (or another pro league) when he is good and ready. For now, he is going to keep having fun and enjoying his youth. Sometimes, money and recognition don’t win out. The love of the game does.

Even as we approach the Sweet 16, many college athletes can be left bitter

Chris McGlynn Baseball, Basketball, Football, Hockey, NCAAF, NCAAM, Soccer, Social Issues ,

The NCAA tournament is in full swing at the moment as the Sweet 16 will take place at the end of this week. However, it seems the NCAA is never safe from scrutiny. President Obama cast his lot into the conversation regarding the corrupt and questionable practices of college athletics’ governing body. He made a couple of different points but the one that rung out the strongest to me was his criticism of players losing scholarships due to injury. The NCAA allows programs to revoke scholarships from players who are injured or who are cut from their respective teams.

What the NCAA continually does to college athletes is something like this. And yes I am looking at you Mark Emmert:

Let’s say that you want to learn how to cook better, so you decide to take some cooking lessons. Upon signing up for the lessons, you discover that the first four months of classes are free. This is a great deal for you, probably all of the classes you might need, and looking at the price, you probably would not be able to afford the classes otherwise. So, you begin taking classes at this local cooking shop and begin learning all sorts of new skills from a chef acting as your teacher. A week or so in, you begin to make your own dishes. The chef continually tells you that you should be researching recipes and practicing on your own time, but you have a full-time job that is meant to take your priority so this is a difficult task.

About a month into your classes, you hurt yourself during one of the sessions. You cut yourself fairly deep on your hand with a knife after you slip up chopping vegetables. An honest mistake but now you cannot go to the cooking classes for the next month due to the stitches in your hand. You take time and heal properly, just as your doctor and teacher tell you, and then return to the class.

Upon your return, someone who works higher up in the corporation that runs the cooking class approaches you. He tells you that because you missed the past month of classes, you are no longer eligible for the discount and you will need to start paying to take the cooking classes now. You complain that you were injured in one of the classes and that the injury was outside of your control. The man insists that there is no other way for you to continue attending the cooking school and you must find a way to pay.

In that story, you are fundamentally wronged and loose out an opportunity to do something you really enjoy because the school turned its back on you. Everyone recognizes that what happened is morally wrong. Yet, this happens to college athletes over and over again. And the scary thing is that there is very little that the NCAA requires colleges to provide regarding healthcare. In fact, most of the healthcare services are optional for schools to provide. So not only are they at risk of losing their scholarships due to the injury, they are not guaranteed to have any medical costs covered. Schools will occasionally cover the fees of surgeries for students but they are not required to and that they are not is what is concerning.

There are many things fundamentally wrong with the NCAA. The amount of money they make while maintaining they are a non-profit is one. The fact that they are exploiting young, college students is another. But pulling away a kid’s hopes and dreams due to an injury sustained while playing for a university under the NCAA is awful. This issue falls on both the school’s and the NCAA’s shoulders to fix, as they are both equally to blame. Schools are not required to honor scholarships; that does not meant they cannot honor them. And the NCAA, does not require schools to honor scholarships, which is sickening. People can talk all they want about how college athletes should be paid (I’m not saying they should or should not) and how the NCAA is exploiting students. Above all else, the NCAA needs to begin protecting the kids who suffer serious injuries playing collegiate athletics. That has got to be the top priority. If you want to maintain that these kids are student-athletes, with the student part coming first, then do not take away their chance to be a student because they got hurt being an athlete.

MLS playoff hopefuls after the first fortnight of the season

Chris McGlynn MLS, Soccer , , , , , , , , , , ,

I will admit it. I was completely wrong about the start to the MLS season. I truly believed that MLS and its players would be unable to find a level ground for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement. Turns out, the two sides were able to come up with a new agreement, which meant that the season would start on schedule. Good thing they did too because the last two weeks have been truly exciting. The parity in the MLS is incredible as well, with only one team having won each of its first games. With two weeks down, it’s time to take a look at who the playoff teams at the end of this year will be.

Eastern Conference:

Number 6: New York Red Bulls
The Red Bulls were a goal away from pushing into the MLS Final. However, without Tierry Henry, it is unlikely New York will be as high up in the standings. With two different Designated Player positions yet to be filled, the Red Bulls will be candidates to land a game changing player to make a big push for the playoffs. It worked for New England last year with Jermaine Jones.

Number 5: New York City FC
Another New York team clocks in at five. NYCFC actually sits atop the Eastern Conference at the moment, but that likely won’t last. David Villa proved last week that he can be a force and Ned Grabavoy looked strong in the midfield. Bringing in Frank Lampard midway through the season will provide a nice boost NYC will need to stay afloat for the postseason hunt.

Number 4: New England Revolution
The defending Eastern Conference champions look a bit rattled right now. Through two games, they have failed to register a point, outscored five goals to nil. However, the losses came against Seattle and NYC, both of whom will be in the postseason. New England needs to make some changes, but with time to right the ship, they should be fine.

Number 3: Orlando City SC
Sitting just behind New York City currently is the other fresh face to the MLS. With four point in their first two matches and a group of talented, promising players, Orlando has the assets needed to finish in the top three in the East. Ricardo Kaká is their leader and when he plays well, this is a tough club to beat. Defense will carry this club as far as they go.

Number 2: DC United
DC will once again find themselves near the top of the East. Bill Hamid is tough to beat in between the posts and more often than not, DC can find the offense needed to get a win. United allowed the fewest goals last tied with LA. Once again, DC will find a way to win low scoring games on their way to a top playoff seed.

Number 1: Columbus Crew
With Wil Trapp, Federico Higuain and Ethan Findlay running the show in Ohio, the Crew will be a tough outfit to beat. Those three have Columbus in a good spot already to begin the season sitting third after just two matches. If the Crew’s defensive performance steps up even marginally this year compared to last, this team will finish atop the Eastern Conference.

Western Conference:

Number 6: Houston Dynamo
Landing Cubo Torres in the offseason was a great move for the Dynamo. For a team that struggled to score and really got beat badly on a regular basis, getting a top goal scorer was a top priority. Their victory over Columbus shows that this team is ready to turn the corner and become a threat in the postseason.

Number 5: Sporting KC
Despite sitting last right now in the West, I think Kansas City will find a way into the postseason. It will be close but with Matt Besler, Benny Feilhaber, Graham Zusi and Dom Dwyer running the show, this team has enough talent to reach the playoffs. Predicated on defense, this will be a tough team to out over the course of the season. Their loss this year came at Dallas, which is more than acceptable given how good Dallas is.

Number 4: Real Salt Lake
Salt Lake returns to the playoffs in 2015. Here is yet another team that wins with its defense, allowing the third fewest goals in MLS just a season ago. Kyle Beckerman anchor this group and with Nick Rimando in between the posts, this team is tough to score on. If the collection of strikers for RSL can muster up some more goals this year, they could finish even higher.

Number 3: FC Dallas
Currently sitting as the king of the hill in the West and this no fluke. The two wins come against San Jose and Sporting KC, which gives them some credibility. Dallas won’t remain on top come seasons end with the two powers who control the West playing as well as they do but they will be a title contender come the fall.

Number 2: Los Angeles Galaxy
This is where LA finished its 2014 campaign and then went on to win the MLS Cup. I think they won’t mind a repeat. With Landon Donovan gone and Steven Gerrard not set to join the club until almost July, look for the Galaxy to slip a little bit from their 2014 form. This team though still outscored opponents by 32 goals last season. I don’t think they will be that dominate this year but they will make another playoff appearance as a top seed.

Number 1: Seattle Sounders FC
Once again, Seattle will finish on top in the West. After winning the Supporters Shield last year and qualifying for the playoffs every year in its existence, Seattle desperately wants a title. Making the postseason is no longer enough. The Sounders will certainly get their once again, but it remains to be seen if they can actually make the jump into the MLS Final, something this squad has still yet to do.

MLS expansion battle

Chris McGlynn MLS, Soccer ,

The LA Galaxy kicked off the MLS season on Friday night with a 2-0 drubbing of the Chicago Fire. The defending champs picked up right where they left off but the excitement will really peak tonight when Orlando SC hosts NYCFC. These two are both playing in their first ever MLS game and the hype surrounding each of them is incredible. Despite them being new to the league, they should both be in contention for the playoffs and even the MLS Cup. Through the expansion draft, Orlando and NYCFC have a solid amount of young talent mixed with some wily veterans. Each team has their own superstar. Here are the keys to this expansion showdown.

First and foremost, this is going to be an electric atmosphere. Orlando sold out tickets for this game with an estimated 60,000 fans expected to be in attendance. Most MLS stadiums are lucky to draw half that many people. It will definitely be an advantage for Orlando to have the home field advantage. For a team as young as NYCFC is, that will be a difficult challenge to overcome.

Then there are the two superstars playing in this match. For Orlando, the former Brazilian international will be running the show. On the New York side, former Spanish superstar David Villa will be the talisman. The two each had a long, illustrious careers at the domestic level in Europe. They even faced off a handful of times when Kaka donned a Real Madrid shirt and Villa suited up for FC Barcelona. Each will leave his mark on this game one way or another. They are easily the best players for their respective clubs, and that will show.

This game will likely be a little sloppy at first as it is the first meaningful game of the year. I expect the first thirty minutes to be full of mistakes and missed opportunity as each team attempts to shake of the rust and deal with nerves. After that, look for the pace to slow down a little as both clubs find a bit of a rhythm and play for possession. It will be evident that none of these guys have played with each other for more than a few months but each team has some top talent. The ball will often run through Mix Diskerud and Ned Grabavoy for NYC. Kaka and Okungo will do the majority of the heavy lifting for Orlando. The defense for both sides is a little uncertain so look for some goals in this one.

Throw out whatever you saw during the previous preseasons matchup between these squads. It has no bearing on this game and the emotion alone will ensure that. This one will be hotly contested and sure to produce a few goals. However, Orlando will claim the title of better expansion team in round one with an eventual 2-1 victory. Tune in to ESPN2 to catch MLS history being made.