MLS and USL partner to conduct 25 live Video Assistant Referee experiments

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/03/20/mls-and-usl-partner-conduct-25-live-video-assistant-referee-experiments

MLS and USL partner to conduct 25 live Video Assistant Referee experiments

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/772458

2017 USL Preview: Harrisburg City Islanders

Two-time USL Cup finalists seek to reclaim former glories

(Follow link for full article.)

http://fox2now.com/2017/03/21/supporters-to-announce-community-benefits-agreement-for-mls-stadium/

Supporters to announce community benefits agreement for MLS stadium

Posted 5:43 am, March 21, 2017, by Staff Writer, Updated at 05:42AM, March 21, 2017

ST. LOUIS, MO (KTVI)-Supporters of a new Major League Soccer stadium in downtown St. Louis are sweetening the deal. St. Louis voters will decide April 4th on whether or not to approve about $60 million for the new stadium near Union Station.

Supporters say it would almost insure St. Louis would get an MLS franchise. City leaders and backers of the MLS franchise bid are set to announce today a community benefits agreement, a guaranteed part of the stadium deal.

The announcement is at the Herbert Hoover Boys and Girls Club in north St. Louis and features representatives of the Urban League, the St. Patrick Center, and the Demetrious Johnson Charitable Foundation.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.india.com/news/agencies/schweinsteiger-to-join-mls-club-chicago-fire-confirm-man-united-1947141/

Schweinsteiger to join MLS club Chicago Fire, confirm Man United

Manchester, March 21 (IANS) Manchester United on Tuesday announced that out-of-favour veteran German midfielder Bastian Schweinsteiger will join Major League Soccer (MLS) club Chicago Fire.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/st-louis-mls-owners-city-announce-charitable-partnerships/article_978ab81b-a873-5911-9076-1b0515737402.html

St. Louis MLS owners, city announce charitable partnerships

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/world-cup-winner-bayern-and-man-united-player-schweinsteiger-signs-with-mls/

World Cup winner, Bayern and Man. United player Schweinsteiger signs with MLS

Basti is on his way west to play in MLS for the Chicago Fire

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/players-who-have-swapped-the-premier-league-for-major-league-soccer-35551495.html

Players who have swapped the Premier League for Major League Soccer

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/news/2017/03/21/city-strikes-community-benefits-deal-with-mls.html

City strikes ‘community benefits’ deal with MLS ownership group

Officials with SC STL, the group aspiring to own a local Major League Soccer team, have agreed to invest $5 million over the next 20 years to help grow interest in youth soccer, to seek to hire underserved city youth when building a proposed $140 million stadium just west of Union Station and to install security cameras around the facility if the group is awarded one of two MLS franchise teams later this year.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2017/3/21/are-new-york-cosmos-ready-go-big-time

Are the New York Cosmos ready to go big time?

Team Owner Says Brooklyn’s Big Enough for an MLS Franchise

By Scott Enman

Brooklyn Daily Eagle

A third Major League Soccer (MLS) franchise could be coming to New York City if New York Cosmos owner Rocco B. Commisso has his way.

On Tuesday, the Cosmos hosted a media day at 1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge where Commisso, along with Head Coach Giovanni Savarese, fielded questions from reporters.

Commisso articulated his desire to leave his mark on the Cosmos by having the team one day join MLS. He also criticized the current format of American professional soccer, saying the country should adopt a promotion/relegation system, similar to what is used in European leagues.

“The guy that bought New York City FC, interestingly enough, he also bought Manchester City,” said Commisso. “The guy that bought the Red Bulls, he also has a team in Germany. He’s accepting and he’s done very well by the way. [RB Leipzig] moved from the third to the second to the first division. It worked out very well.

“Why couldn’t it work out the same way here? In my opinion, that’s probably the number one reason why American soccer has failed professionally in this country. This is an administered game, an Americanized type of game and American rules as opposed to international rules of how soccer should be played. It’s an international game.”

The Cosmos currently compete in the North American Soccer League (NASL), a second-tier professional soccer league.

The United States Soccer Federation classifies professional soccer competitions into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III.

Division I consists of Major League Soccer, home to the New York Red Bulls, who play in Harrison, N.J., and New York City FC, who play at Yankee Stadium.

Division II contains NASL and the United Soccer League.

There are no sanctioned Division III leagues currently.

“All the teams that made investments in Europe including the most recent ones — the Chinese, the Indonesians, the Americans in England and so on — they all understood how the game was played,” said Commisso. “Nobody guaranteed them that as a result of making a multi-hundreds of million-dollar investment … that they may not get relegated tomorrow.

“Typically, when you go into business like I do, you accept competition as being part of the game and you have to compete. Here, competition is administered by some god up there that says it is what it is and that’s the way it’s going to be … Look, I’m not ready to delve into this because I’m sure that in less than 24 hours all of the shotguns will be after me.”

Commisso referenced the new expansion MLS side Minnesota United and how the team was only allowed to enter the MLS due to their wealth. He alluded to the fact that because the team lost its first two games 5-1 and 6-1 respectively, that they aren’t quite competitive enough for the league. 

Last season, Minnesota United finished 5th in the NASL combined playoffs standings with a total of 41 points, compared to the Cosmos' league-leading 65 points.

Under a promotion/relegation system, the Cosmos would have been promoted to MLS for winning the league, while Minnesota United would have stayed in NASL.

However, because Minnesota United was able to secure a $150 million soccer-specific stadium and pay a hefty expansion fee, it was allowed to join MLS.

For the Cosmos to make the jump to the MLS under the league’s current rules, they would need a soccer specific stadium that is much larger than their current home at Coney Island’s MCU Park, the longtime home to the Brooklyn Cyclones.

Rumors have circulated about a stadium being built in Flushing, Queens near Citi Field where the New York Mets play.

In addition to fielding questions from the press, the Cosmos 2017 squad was introduced, the team showcased their new kits and team representatives articulated the team’s expectations for the upcoming spring and fall seasons.

The Cosmos have won eight NASL championships, including last season, and three times in the last four years.

The Cosmos are one of the most storied franchises in sports history, having been led by Edson Arantes do Nascimento, better known as Pelé, who is undeniably regarded as the greatest athlete to ever play the Beautiful Game.

Other notable players include Italian striker Giorgio Chinaglia and West German defender Franz Beckenbauer.

The team kicks off its home opener on April 1 at 7 p.m. against Miami FC.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/why-you-should-have-mixed-feelings-about-bastian-schweinsteiger-signing-in-mls-190522590.html

Why you should have mixed feelings about Bastian Schweinsteiger coming to MLS

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017/03/21/kick-schweinsteiger-chicago-cassar-out-rsl-usl-test-var

Kick Off: Schweinsteiger to Chicago | Cassar out at RSL | USL to test VAR

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.socceramerica.com/article/72732/mls-games-compare-well-with-epl-but-referees-in-bo.html

MLS games compare well with EPL but referees in both leagues reluctant to call PKs

(Follow link for full article.)

http://fox2now.com/2017/03/21/mls-commissioner-says-st-louis-is-getting-a-team-if-stadium-vote-passes/

St. Louis soccer ownership group unveils ‘Community Benefits Agreement’

(Follow link for full article.)

http://kbia.org/post/mls-investment-group-promises-millions-dollars-youth-jobs-programs-st-louis#stream/0

MLS investment group promises millions of dollars for youth, jobs programs in St. Louis

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/metro/mayor-s-chief-of-staff-hired-by-st-louis-mls/article_18046f0a-433d-5571-a999-12a65ebaf7ec.html

Mayor's chief of staff hired by St. Louis MLS campaign

(Follow link for full article.)

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2699160-bastian-schweinsteiger-confirms-chicago-fire-transfer-from-manchester-united

Bastian Schweinsteiger Confirms Chicago Fire Transfer from Manchester United

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.ksdk.com/sports/soccer/mls-investors-announce-unprecedented-community-investments/424415967

MLS investors announce "unprecedented" community investments

The ownership group trying to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis is agreeing to charitable community investments the city says are unprecedented.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.soccernation.com/soccernation-sitdown-so-cal-premier-president-matt-morse-part-2/

SoccerNation Sitdown: So Cal Premier President Matt Morse (Part 2)

Nate Abaurrea

Mar 21, 2017 8:10am

In the latest edition of the SoccerNation Sitdown, our own Nate Abaurrea is joined by Matt Morse, the President of So Cal Premier and the Director of Coaching at AC Brea in Orange County.

Part 2 of the conversation starts off with an interesting look into the booming growth of professional soccer in the United States. Morse and Abaurrea talk about the current structural organization, or lack thereof, in American Soccer, examining the meaning of terms like professional, amateur, and semi-pro, tying it all back to the core philosophies of Morse and So Cal Premier. Morse and Abaurrea also take a brief look at Chula Vista FC, the San Diego area side that plays in So Cal Premier’s U-23 division.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://kplr11.com/2017/03/21/st-louis-soccer-ownership-group-unveils-community-benefits-agreement/

St. Louis soccer ownership group unveils ‘Community Benefits Agreement’

(Follow link for full article.)

http://idahobusinessreview.com/2017/03/21/boise-hawks-owners-bank-on-pro-soccer-downtown-stadium/

Boise Hawks owners bank on pro soccer, downtown stadium

(Follow link for full article.)

https://i.kinja-img.com/gawker-media/image/upload/s--XkCBaTRF--/c_scale,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800/gemscmydv9u9tzzbmpzl.jpg   



Sparta Stadium  

(Follow link for full article.)

https://forgottenchicago.com/forum/read.php?5,7876

Sparta Stadium

I've been doing a little research on a Chicago soccer team, Sparta A.B.A. The team was formed by Czech immigrants and they were very popular during the late 1920s and early 1930s.

They played at Sparta Stadium which was located at 21st St. and Kostner Ave. The last mention of Sparta Stadium in the Chicago Tribune archives is from November 30, 1953. Sparta Stadium does not appear in Tribue articles after that date.

There is a vacant lot at 21st Street and Kostner Avenue on a Google Maps photo from 2009.

If anyone has any information regarding the demise of Sparta Stadium, I would be very interested in learning how it met its end.

Thanks in advance!

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/nfr-this-is-sparta-a-piece-of-chicago-soccer-history.1923782/

NFR: This is Sparta! A Piece of Chicago Soccer History

(Follow link for full article.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago_Sparta

Chicago Sparta

The Sparta Athletic and Benevolent Association Football Club, better known as Chicago Sparta, is one of the longest continually established soccer clubs in the United States. Founded in 1917, it was one of the dominant teams from Chicago, Illinois from the mid-1920s to the late 1940s.

(Follow link for full article.)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lamar_Hunt_U.S._Open_Cup

Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup

(Follow link for full article.)

http://deadspin.com/bastian-schweinsteiger-becomes-latest-old-guy-to-head-f-1793468406

Bastian Schweinsteiger Becomes Latest Old Guy To Head For MLS

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/soccer/2017/03/21/arizona-mls-franchise-expansion-hopes/99472490/

Paola Boivin

Published 7:11 p.m. MT March 21, 2017

Is Arizona MLS franchise closer to reality?

Phoenix Rising FC is going all out to help the Valley secure a Major League Soccer franchise.

It was dust and sagebrush and nothingness and then, as if a nod to its tenant, a 6,000-seat soccer stadium suddenly rose from the crook of the Valley’s busiest freeways.

If the pop-up business symbolizes the zeitgeist of our times, the owners of Phoenix Rising FC know how to grab our attention. On Saturday, the facility, built in fewer than two months at the intersection of the 101 and 202 freeways, will showcase the team’s most public plea yet for the awarding of a Major League Soccer franchise.

It’s not that far-fetched.

When the United Soccer League team opens its season against Toronto FC II this weekend, the moment will be watched by MLS, which aims to add four teams in the coming years. It received a dozen expansion bids seven weeks ago, with the Phoenix group a late entrant with some unexpected muscle.

Two of the winning bids will be announced by the end of the year. The Valley is competing with Charlotte, Cincinnati, Detroit, Indianapolis, Nashville, Raleigh/Durham, Sacramento, St. Louis, San Antonio, San Diego and Tampa.

“I don't know how we're not at the top of the list of those 12 cities,” lead owner Berke Bakay said.

He is part of an eclectic ownership group that includes former Diamondbacks pitcher Brandon McCarthy; DJ Diplo; musician Pete Wentz of Fall Out Boy; Tim Reister, the owner of a large marketing company; businessman Dave Stearns; and orthopedic surgeon Christopher Yeung.

Bakay became president and CEO of restaurant chain Kona Grill following a successful career in private equity. His passion for soccer has its roots in his childhood in Istanbul, but even after he moved to the United States at 18 he always had soccer on his mind.

He believes the area has room for another professional franchise in a community that already houses NFL, NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball franchises, not to mention WNBA and Indoor Football League teams and a Power Five conference university.

“Back home, I knew the States were synonymous with basketball, baseball, ice hockey, but obviously since David Beckham came over there’s been buzz,” said Peter Ramage, a defender from Northern England who joined the team, then known as Arizona United, midway through last season. “It can be popular here.”

Bakay believes there is an untapped demographic. Forty-one percent of Phoenix’s residents are Hispanic, according to the most recent U.S. census, compared to 17 percent of the U.S. population.

Large soccer events have traditionally done well here, with CONCACAF’s Gold Cup in 2015 a sellout at University of Phoenix Stadium, drawing 62,910 fans to watch Trinidad and Tobago vs. Cuba and Mexico vs. Guatemala. A Copa America event last year between Mexico and Uruguay attracted about 60,000.

The group also believes that with the heart of Arizona State’s campus just a few miles away, it has a built-in audience. ASU and GCU students will get to attend one free game this season.

“We have the highest population of the 12 cities,” Bakay said. “We have the highest Hispanic population. And look at the crowd here for soccer, spring training, the Phoenix Open, NASCAR, NCAA games. There’s proven fan engagement if the product is high quality.”

MLS expanded to 22 teams this season by adding Atlanta and Minnesota. Those teams recently met in Minneapolis and 35,403 fans sat through 19 degrees and snow to watch them play.

The Los Angeles Football Club will join the league in 2018 and an expansion team in Miami is expected to come on board shortly.

Credit Valley advertising executive Kyle Eng with getting the big-stage soccer momentum rolling when he purchased Arizona United in 2014 after learning the USL was going to remove the franchise from the Valley. The club built some excitement but the organization was hampered by a lack of a facility.

Home games were played at the Peoria Sports Complex, but not until a month into the season because the Seattle Mariners and San Diego Padres held spring training there. That meant the team’s first five games were on the road when the weather in the Valley was still comfortable. Attendance averaged just 1,470.

In August, the club was sold to Bakay’s group and renamed Phoenix Rising.

If Phoenix is selected as an expansion franchise, a climate-controlled venue with a training complex will be built at the same site, on the Salt River Pima Maricopa Indian Reservation. Bakay said no public money will be required for the stadium, which will be funded by the Native American community, the investor group and some third parties.

“When I went to the site, it was like, ‘This is what we’ve needed for a long, long time,’ " said midfielder Blair Gavin, a Scottsdale Horizon High School and Sereno Soccer Club product whose stops included Chivas USA and the Seattle Sounders before joining this organization last year.

The new ownership group also knew it needed a little star power and added Omar Bravo, a popular and accomplished player from Mexico.

“The minute we brought in Omar Bravo, I had no less than 80 text messages,” Bakay said.

Defender J.J. Greer, who signed with the team in November after three seasons with USL teams in Charlotte and Colorado Springs, called the talent level “world class.”

“I’ve been in this league for a while but this is definitely the most talented team on paper I’ve played with,” he said.

Manager Frank Yallop acknowledged that “obviously, the big picture is bringing MLS to Phoenix. But first things first, we have to have a good product on the weekend and move forward through the season, and let the fans really enjoy it.

“MLS will come once that gets established. I think it’s important to have good attendance and have a fun team to watch that the community can get excited about.”

Yallop has seen firsthand the way this country can embrace soccer. He was the coach of the Los Angeles Galaxy when it signed Beckham, the English star, in 2007. Gate revenue peaked with 11,000 new season-ticket\ holders and sold-out luxury suites.

Attendance was 25,138 in 2016, about 93 percent of capacity at the StubHub Center. MLS had its biggest attendance last year since competition began in 1996, averaging 21,692 fans.

Will fans pay attention in the Valley?

It will be one of the things Major League Soccer examines closely.

An ad appeared on Craigslist Tuesday offering to pay fans $35, the cost of a ticket, to attend Saturday's opener. “Payments will be distributed at the end of halftime in the supporters section,” it said.

The team issued a statement saying "the posting is a hoax. We are very concerned that area soccer fans not fall victim to this fraudulent activity."

MLS president and deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said in a teleconference with reporters recently that "we're going to be pretty rigorous in trying to analyze each market and whether we think the fundamentals are there for success, including whether we think the fan support will be there.”

Bakay, too, stressed the important of attendance. He is optimistic about the strong youth participation in the area, the partnerships his group has formed and the popularity of the sport locally.

The Arizona Youth Soccer Association reported membership of 44,000 in the 2015-16 season. Several well-respected club programs exist in the area, and a new National Premier Soccer League team, FC Arizona, plays its home games at Mesa Community College.

MLS preseason training sites are located in Case Grande and Tucson.

“You go to tournaments on the weekend and thousands of kids are playing,” Gavin said. “I think bringing this team to where it’s going will have kids be able to look at the highest level and really start picturing themselves in it.”

“Hopefully,” Ramage said, “we can try and create the new Landon Donovan: American soccer stars from Phoenix, Arizona.”

People have stopped Ramage when he wears a shirt with the Phoenix Rising logo.

“They hear a foreign accent, they ask what you do and they say, ‘Oh yeah, Phoenix Rising, they’re off the 202.’

“People are starting to take notice of the club.”

That’s the plan.

Will it be enough?

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.themalaymailonline.com/sports/article/schweinsteiger-fitness-will-be-tested-in-mls-says-ex-fire-star

Schweinsteiger fitness will be tested in MLS, says ex-Fire star

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/football/bastian-schweinsteiger-fitness-will-be-tested-in-mls-ex-chicago-fire-star/story-299UGtzpmfHCvdkVGl4NvM.html

Bastian Schweinsteiger’s fitness will be tested in MLS: ex-Chicago Fire star

Bastian Schweinsteiger, a World Cup winner who spent 14 years at Bayern Munich, signed for Chicago this week after an unhappy stint at Manchester United where he was frozen out by manager Jose Mourinho

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.sacbee.com/sports/mls/article140013563.html

A major-league pain: Republic FC friendly against Earthquakes canceled due to weather

Mother Nature 2, Sacramento MLS friendlies 0.

That’s the score this year as Republic FC had another match canceled due to an unplayable home field after heavy rain took a toll on the natural grass at Papa Murphy’s Park before Sacramento was to host Major League Soccer’s San Jose Earthquakes on Wednesday. Republic FC also had a Feb. 10 home friendly against the New York Red Bulls canceled because of rain.

The decision to cancel Wednesday’s game was made Tuesday afternoon, and Republic FC tweeted pictures of large areas of the pitch underwater.

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.tampabay.com/things-to-do/food/dining/restaurant-review-the-reading-room-in-st-petersburg-gets-many-things-right/2317135

Restaurant review: The Reading Room in St. Petersburg gets many things right, from food to decor

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/772124  

2017 USL Preview: Portland Timbers 2

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.thehindu.com/sport/football/schweinsteiger-signs-for-chicago-fire/article17554562.ece

Schweinsteiger signs for Chicago Fire 

(Follow link for full article.)

http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3087448/sir-alex-ferguson-says-major-league-soccer-is-definitely-improving
 
Sir Alex Ferguson says Major League Soccer is 'definitely improving'

(Follow link for full article.)

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2017/mar/22/bastian-schweinsteiger-chicago-fire-bad-fit

Schweinsteiger signing does little to dispel view of MLS as retirement home

The Fire’s splashy $4.5m move for the former German international seems to share many parallels with ill-fated veteran signings of the past

(Follow link for full article.)

http://prorelforusa.blogspot.com/2017/03/nasl-commisioner-confirms-that-co-d1-is.html

NASL Commisioner confirms that Co-D1 is possible