Alphabet soup, MLS style [ThatsOnPoint]
8 Comments Published by Cardillo on March 27, 2008 at 11:12 AM.
Let's see, it's the first weekend of spring and coincidently the final week of March. What's exactly in the hearts and minds of American sports fans?
Major League Baseball opening day, you say?
Or the NCAA basketball tournament.
Pish, posh. This weekend can mean one thing, and one thing alone -- MLS season XIII kicks off.
In other words, are you ready for some soccer?!!!
Okay, apologies for the sarcasm. Every year I try to convince myself more and more that this will be the year I finally pick an MLS side to root for. This will be the year I carve out time from my busy, busy schedule to watch the Wizards and the Crew do battle on Telefutura on Sunday afternoon.
Well, we might be a year away from answering question No. 1. When the Seattle Christian Democrats or was it Social Democrats or Banama Republics? Well, whenever they kick off, maybe, just maybe I'll support them since Drew Carey is involved and has said that the fans will have a voting seat on the club's board of directors.
Until then, it's another season of moaning that the season is once again too long and relatively meaningless until late August, when of course, NFL gets going.
Anyways, as a person who -- despite what it seems -- wants to see MLS succeed, the best we can do is hope the on-field product produces some riveting action and dynamic personalities. At least in that regard the league is taking positive strides, even if it allows well-known talent to bolt for the Austrian second division at an alarming rate. I'll even try to write more about actual players than the pipe dream of vertically integrating with the USL. (Sorry Timbers Nation.)
In the words of Marti Di Bergi, enough of my yakking.
Here is the 2008 ABCs of MLS...
A is for Argentines -- Ever since DC United imported Christian Gomez in 2004, it seems the trend is for teams to bring in players from the land of Evita and steaks the size of boogie boards. Following in the footsteps of Gomez, Carlos Marinelli (Kansas City) and Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus), teams imported former Argentine internationals Claudio Lopez (KC) and Marcelo Gallardo (DC). In total, eight of the league's 14 teams have Argentines on their rosters.
B is for Blanco -- As in Mexican icon Cuauhtémoc Blanco. For all the talk of "TBF" (see below), this was arguably a biggest 'designated player' signing by MLS. He might be pretty thoroughly unlikeable, but the dude brought the goods.
C is for CD CHIVAS USA-- A funny thing happened with Jorge Vergara's grand experiment to import the Chivas 'brand' to SoCal. The club famed in Mexico for fielding only Mexicans has become a bizzaro springboard for young Americans. Keeper Brad Guzan, defender Jon Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan are all parts of the new wave of talent for the Stars and Stripes. In turn, only a pair of Mexicans -- Claudio Saurez and Francisco Mendoza -- suit up in the Goats red and white stripes. It might not exactly appeal to the Latinos that MLS is catering to, but with the addition of former Swiss international Raphaël Wicky, Chivas is maybe the team to beat in the West. And on a side note, if you're a fan in SoCal, support Chivas over the Galaxy. It's the right thing to do.
D is for Dewayne DeRosario -- The would-be Sayid Jurah stand-in certainly hasn't been lost on an island that may or may not float in the South Pacific. The Canadian Rastafarian is about as 'Bout It' a player MLS posses. When he retires the 'Sierra Mist Goal of the Year' ought to be renamed in his honor. D can also stand for Dynamo and Dynasty. The Houston club is the defending two-time champ, but will be put to the test with worsened depth and multiple Cup competitions during the season. Still the class of the league until further notice.
D is also for Duilio Davino, the former Mexican International who moves to FC Dallas after over 300 appearances for Club America. Fun!
E is for Emilio -- As in DC United 20-goal scorer Luciano Emilio. Coming into his first season, the Brasilian tore up the league. Maybe his best aspect is his straight clownish attitude. Too bad his primary language is Portuguese otherwise he could be the media star on par with 'TBF' (see below).
E is also for Edu, as in Maurice Edu. Toronto FC's regaining MLS rookie of the year is bringing it for the USMNT and could play his way into a nice European opportunity. This is another guy to watch before he leaves for greener pastures.
E is also for Expansion. Seattle will have a team in 2009. Philly in 2010.
E is also for Eight, as in eight of the league's 14 team's will make the playoffs.
F is for Fish -- As in Carlos Ruiz, aka, El Pescadito, who is the most hated player in the league. Ricardo Clark was suspended for over 10 games for booting Ruiz in the face. Yeah, the Guatemalan gets goals, but he also goes down quicker than Lindsay Lohan after an all-night coke binge.
G is for Garber -- As in commish Don Garber. To his credit, he's gearing MLS toward fiscal solubility and his steady expansion plan seems to make sense. On the other hand, he's allowed MLS to be model too much after American sports than the worldwide soccer model. At this point, sadly, it's like beating a dead horse.
G is also for Gridiron lines. Nothing spells soccer like playing your playoffs on fields marked for NFL football. On this note, a topic of discussion is the increasing is the use of synthetic pitches across the league.
G is also for Golden Boy, as in Oscar De La Hoya. He bought a piece of the Dynamo, so now the league now has the Golden Boy and Goldenballs. Fishnets are apparently now optional at Robertson Stadium.
H is for Honda SuperClasico -- This, for non-believers, is the corporate name given to the Galaxy/Chivas USA games at the Home Depot Center. It's usually the most lively rivalry in the league, considering the teams share a home. Drew Carey has been known to pass out inflatable goats to mock the Chivas fans. Expect smoke bombs and the like when the teams meet on April 24 on FSC. Call it Clippers/Lakers without as many A-Listers, well except for 'TBF's (see below) converts.
I is for International dates -- For whatever the reason, MLS continues to schedule matches on FIFA dates, i.e., when National Teams play. So, in theory, when Landon Donovan or Brad Guzan is called in for a 2010 World Cup qualifier, the Galaxy or CHIVAS will have to play without them. The reason this is an issue is that the season is so damn long that they could easily juggle the calendar.
J is for Jozy -- As in, Jozy Altidore. Catch the Red Bulls 18-year-old phenom while you still can. The boy's a bit special and will probably be on his way to Europe right around the Olympic tournament. Everyone wants to be able to say they saw him before he blew up, right?
J is also for Altidore's lethal strike partner, Colombia hitman Juan Pablo Angel. No one in the league can stop him, save for the Giants Stadium FieldTurf.
K is for Kljestan -- As in Sasha Kljestan. Despite hair fit for Disney Chanel tween 'comedy', the young Chivas midfielder could move toward the upper echelon of talent in league.
L is for Latinos -- Ah, the holy grail for the suits at MLS HQ. At any 'state of the league' talk, the league execs wax poetic about the growing Latino population in America. The challenge, of course, is how to make these futbol fans turn their passion and loyalty away from their hometown clubs and become MLS fans. On the plus side, with the additional teams, MLS has relaxed its foreign player allotments as teams look to fill up their rosters with Central and South American talent. Bears watching.
L is also for Landycakes, as in Landon Donovan. You can't talk about MLS without mentioning the once and future poster boy for soccer in America.
M is for Minor League Baseball -- Yep, that's right. The Kansas City Wizards will play their home matches at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Let me be the first in line to write the obituary for all the fans disguised as orange seats at Arrowhead Stadium.On the plus side, their new home is allegedly near a strip mall, so at least there's probably a Subway nearby. Not to slaughter the one-time Wiz, but why the league continues to operate in the market and not simply move it to soccer-hungry St. Louis is baffling. Hey, at least on the bright side the club inked former Argentine international Claudio Lopez to replace Eddie Johnson, even if the two-time World Cup player is 33.
M is also for Mullet. No, it didn't die when the Iron Curtain fell. It's alive and well and being rocked hardcore by FC Dallas' Colombian playmaker Juan Carlos Toja. Amen bro.
N is for Nicol -- As in Steve Nicol, the affable Scot in charge of New England Revolution. His charge is to get the Revs over the hump after losing three consecutive MLS Cup finals. Until then, they're the Buffalo Bills of MLS.
O is for Onstad -- As in Pat Onstad. The big Canuck is 40 years old and is coming off a season where he led the league in GAA at 0.82 for Houston.
O is also for Osorio, as in Juan Carlos Osorio. The Colobian becomes the club's 11th manager in 13 years. Unreal. Maybe he's the man to finally make RBNY relevant in New York. Don't exactly hold your breath or anything.
P is for Prime Time Thursdays -- ESPN2 starts its second year of week-night games. The good news is that the unholy troika of Dave O'Brien, Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smythe is gone, replaced by J.P. Dellacamra and John Harkes (I think). The bad news is that probably close to 75 percent of the games will become 120 minute infomercials for "TBF" (see below) and his talentless wifey. At least FSC, will continue it's weekly 3-hour package on Saturday nights, featuring the voice of American soccer -- Max Bretos. Love him or hate him, watching a game with Max is always entertaining, to say the least.
Q is for Quakes -- Ok, it wasn't exactly the Cleveland Browns moving to Baltimore, or the Colts moving to Indianapolis for that matter, but the Earthquakes moving to Houston and morphing into 1836 the Dynamo hit the Bay Area pretty hard. A couple years later, the Earthquakes are back -- with Lew Wolff of the Oakland A's behind the money and 'Moneyball's' Billy Beane perhaps involved to some degree. The team might be okay, if the enigmatic Ronnie O'Brien finds his form.
R is for Ruud Gullitt -- The former Dutch/AC Milan/Chelsea star takes over the coaching box for the Galaxy and has a job that would probably drive most football managers crazy since he has to juggle P.R. with on-field results. It doesn't help that the Galaxy are basically 'TBF' (see below), Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz. People might come to pay to watch the Hollywooders the first time around, but if they stink up the joint... At the very least, he'll lead the league in shirts with plunging necklines. Sadly, the dreads didn't make it across the Atlantic. It's also a safe bet he's the only man in America named Ruud, which is nice.
S is for Socialism/Salary Caps -- Fiscal responsibility is one thing, but keeping the per team salary cap at $2 million makes the league seem pretty Mickey Mouse. The league might be Leon Trotsky's wet dream, but this kind of thinking seems patently un-American. For the sport to truly grow, the purse strings have to be loosened. This will become more of a reality when AEG and the Hunt Group divest themselves of multiple teams.
S is also for 'Soccer Specific Stadia'. The league pushed onwards and upwards to get its clubs their own homes. Real Salt Lake is rumored to open its new park sometime in September. Red Bull Park in New Jersey will likely open right around the time Axel Rose and GnR release 'Chinese Democracy.'
S is also for the Screaming Eagles, the longtime, hardcore fans of DC United who get lovely ol' RFK Stadium all to themselves this year. Is there any correlation in the fact United games looks like fun to attend on and one-field success? Probably not, since Toronto turned into a party atmosphere at BMO Field despite a last place finish. Not to single them out, but each club does have its hardcore fans and they deserve some dap.
T is for That Beckham Fellow-- Onwards, he will be referred to as TBF for better or worse. I'm not Anderson Cooper, so I won't waste anymore of your time on the Sharpee-endorsing, sarong-wearing dandy who just picked up his 100th cap for England. Go grab an US Weekly or something.
T is also for 3-5-2, as in the new preferred formation around the league. In theory this should lead to more attacking and hence, goals. Americans love scoring, right?
U is for Ugggg-ly -- Look, I'm all for MLS ditching the silly names across the front of the jerseys and selling advertising. (Ok, not to Mexican league levels.) But the whoever designed the new Chicago Fire shirts with Best Buy advertising ought to consider a new career. It was as if they were made with a Pro Evo edit mode. Overall eight of the 14 teams will have a primary sponsor adorning the front of their shirts.
U is also for the US Open Cup, which is probably the most ignored competition around. It's been kicking around since 1914, but no one much seems to care. Can't say I fault them.
V is for Vendetta -- If you got something, fill free to add it.
W is for West Ham United -- The club the MLS All-Stars will play sometime in the summer in Toronto, arguably the highlight of July and or August. Super-fun!
X is for Xavier -- The wild-haired Portuguese defender is part of the circus known as the Los Angeles Galaxy. Get this man with Guissepe Franco, stat!
X is also for XANGO, the official shirt sponsor of Real Salt Lake. I'm too lazy to Google what exactly it is.
Y is for young talent -- Stuart Holden, Arturo Alvarez, Dax McCarty, Robbie Rogers, Marvell Wynne, Kenny Cooper, Mehdi Ballouchy, Edu, Altidore, etc. These are the real reason for optimism ahead of the season.
Z is for Zavagnin-- As in Kerry Zavagnin, one of three current players with a 'Z' last name. Hey, it's a reach. If you made it this far and want to quibble, I won't stop you.
Adios.
8 Comments Published by Cardillo on March 27, 2008 at 11:12 AM.
Let's see, it's the first weekend of spring and coincidently the final week of March. What's exactly in the hearts and minds of American sports fans?
Major League Baseball opening day, you say?
Or the NCAA basketball tournament.
Pish, posh. This weekend can mean one thing, and one thing alone -- MLS season XIII kicks off.
In other words, are you ready for some soccer?!!!
Okay, apologies for the sarcasm. Every year I try to convince myself more and more that this will be the year I finally pick an MLS side to root for. This will be the year I carve out time from my busy, busy schedule to watch the Wizards and the Crew do battle on Telefutura on Sunday afternoon.
Well, we might be a year away from answering question No. 1. When the Seattle Christian Democrats or was it Social Democrats or Banama Republics? Well, whenever they kick off, maybe, just maybe I'll support them since Drew Carey is involved and has said that the fans will have a voting seat on the club's board of directors.
Until then, it's another season of moaning that the season is once again too long and relatively meaningless until late August, when of course, NFL gets going.
Anyways, as a person who -- despite what it seems -- wants to see MLS succeed, the best we can do is hope the on-field product produces some riveting action and dynamic personalities. At least in that regard the league is taking positive strides, even if it allows well-known talent to bolt for the Austrian second division at an alarming rate. I'll even try to write more about actual players than the pipe dream of vertically integrating with the USL. (Sorry Timbers Nation.)
In the words of Marti Di Bergi, enough of my yakking.
Here is the 2008 ABCs of MLS...
A is for Argentines -- Ever since DC United imported Christian Gomez in 2004, it seems the trend is for teams to bring in players from the land of Evita and steaks the size of boogie boards. Following in the footsteps of Gomez, Carlos Marinelli (Kansas City) and Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus), teams imported former Argentine internationals Claudio Lopez (KC) and Marcelo Gallardo (DC). In total, eight of the league's 14 teams have Argentines on their rosters.
B is for Blanco -- As in Mexican icon Cuauhtémoc Blanco. For all the talk of "TBF" (see below), this was arguably a biggest 'designated player' signing by MLS. He might be pretty thoroughly unlikeable, but the dude brought the goods.
C is for CD CHIVAS USA-- A funny thing happened with Jorge Vergara's grand experiment to import the Chivas 'brand' to SoCal. The club famed in Mexico for fielding only Mexicans has become a bizzaro springboard for young Americans. Keeper Brad Guzan, defender Jon Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan are all parts of the new wave of talent for the Stars and Stripes. In turn, only a pair of Mexicans -- Claudio Saurez and Francisco Mendoza -- suit up in the Goats red and white stripes. It might not exactly appeal to the Latinos that MLS is catering to, but with the addition of former Swiss international Raphaël Wicky, Chivas is maybe the team to beat in the West. And on a side note, if you're a fan in SoCal, support Chivas over the Galaxy. It's the right thing to do.
D is for Dewayne DeRosario -- The would-be Sayid Jurah stand-in certainly hasn't been lost on an island that may or may not float in the South Pacific. The Canadian Rastafarian is about as 'Bout It' a player MLS posses. When he retires the 'Sierra Mist Goal of the Year' ought to be renamed in his honor. D can also stand for Dynamo and Dynasty. The Houston club is the defending two-time champ, but will be put to the test with worsened depth and multiple Cup competitions during the season. Still the class of the league until further notice.
D is also for Duilio Davino, the former Mexican International who moves to FC Dallas after over 300 appearances for Club America. Fun!
E is for Emilio -- As in DC United 20-goal scorer Luciano Emilio. Coming into his first season, the Brasilian tore up the league. Maybe his best aspect is his straight clownish attitude. Too bad his primary language is Portuguese otherwise he could be the media star on par with 'TBF' (see below).
E is also for Edu, as in Maurice Edu. Toronto FC's regaining MLS rookie of the year is bringing it for the USMNT and could play his way into a nice European opportunity. This is another guy to watch before he leaves for greener pastures.
E is also for Expansion. Seattle will have a team in 2009. Philly in 2010.
E is also for Eight, as in eight of the league's 14 team's will make the playoffs.
F is for Fish -- As in Carlos Ruiz, aka, El Pescadito, who is the most hated player in the league. Ricardo Clark was suspended for over 10 games for booting Ruiz in the face. Yeah, the Guatemalan gets goals, but he also goes down quicker than Lindsay Lohan after an all-night coke binge.
G is for Garber -- As in commish Don Garber. To his credit, he's gearing MLS toward fiscal solubility and his steady expansion plan seems to make sense. On the other hand, he's allowed MLS to be model too much after American sports than the worldwide soccer model. At this point, sadly, it's like beating a dead horse.
G is also for Gridiron lines. Nothing spells soccer like playing your playoffs on fields marked for NFL football. On this note, a topic of discussion is the increasing is the use of synthetic pitches across the league.
G is also for Golden Boy, as in Oscar De La Hoya. He bought a piece of the Dynamo, so now the league now has the Golden Boy and Goldenballs. Fishnets are apparently now optional at Robertson Stadium.
H is for Honda SuperClasico -- This, for non-believers, is the corporate name given to the Galaxy/Chivas USA games at the Home Depot Center. It's usually the most lively rivalry in the league, considering the teams share a home. Drew Carey has been known to pass out inflatable goats to mock the Chivas fans. Expect smoke bombs and the like when the teams meet on April 24 on FSC. Call it Clippers/Lakers without as many A-Listers, well except for 'TBF's (see below) converts.
I is for International dates -- For whatever the reason, MLS continues to schedule matches on FIFA dates, i.e., when National Teams play. So, in theory, when Landon Donovan or Brad Guzan is called in for a 2010 World Cup qualifier, the Galaxy or CHIVAS will have to play without them. The reason this is an issue is that the season is so damn long that they could easily juggle the calendar.
J is for Jozy -- As in, Jozy Altidore. Catch the Red Bulls 18-year-old phenom while you still can. The boy's a bit special and will probably be on his way to Europe right around the Olympic tournament. Everyone wants to be able to say they saw him before he blew up, right?
J is also for Altidore's lethal strike partner, Colombia hitman Juan Pablo Angel. No one in the league can stop him, save for the Giants Stadium FieldTurf.
K is for Kljestan -- As in Sasha Kljestan. Despite hair fit for Disney Chanel tween 'comedy', the young Chivas midfielder could move toward the upper echelon of talent in league.
L is for Latinos -- Ah, the holy grail for the suits at MLS HQ. At any 'state of the league' talk, the league execs wax poetic about the growing Latino population in America. The challenge, of course, is how to make these futbol fans turn their passion and loyalty away from their hometown clubs and become MLS fans. On the plus side, with the additional teams, MLS has relaxed its foreign player allotments as teams look to fill up their rosters with Central and South American talent. Bears watching.
L is also for Landycakes, as in Landon Donovan. You can't talk about MLS without mentioning the once and future poster boy for soccer in America.
M is for Minor League Baseball -- Yep, that's right. The Kansas City Wizards will play their home matches at CommunityAmerica Ballpark. Let me be the first in line to write the obituary for all the fans disguised as orange seats at Arrowhead Stadium.On the plus side, their new home is allegedly near a strip mall, so at least there's probably a Subway nearby. Not to slaughter the one-time Wiz, but why the league continues to operate in the market and not simply move it to soccer-hungry St. Louis is baffling. Hey, at least on the bright side the club inked former Argentine international Claudio Lopez to replace Eddie Johnson, even if the two-time World Cup player is 33.
M is also for Mullet. No, it didn't die when the Iron Curtain fell. It's alive and well and being rocked hardcore by FC Dallas' Colombian playmaker Juan Carlos Toja. Amen bro.
N is for Nicol -- As in Steve Nicol, the affable Scot in charge of New England Revolution. His charge is to get the Revs over the hump after losing three consecutive MLS Cup finals. Until then, they're the Buffalo Bills of MLS.
O is for Onstad -- As in Pat Onstad. The big Canuck is 40 years old and is coming off a season where he led the league in GAA at 0.82 for Houston.
O is also for Osorio, as in Juan Carlos Osorio. The Colobian becomes the club's 11th manager in 13 years. Unreal. Maybe he's the man to finally make RBNY relevant in New York. Don't exactly hold your breath or anything.
P is for Prime Time Thursdays -- ESPN2 starts its second year of week-night games. The good news is that the unholy troika of Dave O'Brien, Eric Wynalda and Tommy Smythe is gone, replaced by J.P. Dellacamra and John Harkes (I think). The bad news is that probably close to 75 percent of the games will become 120 minute infomercials for "TBF" (see below) and his talentless wifey. At least FSC, will continue it's weekly 3-hour package on Saturday nights, featuring the voice of American soccer -- Max Bretos. Love him or hate him, watching a game with Max is always entertaining, to say the least.
Q is for Quakes -- Ok, it wasn't exactly the Cleveland Browns moving to Baltimore, or the Colts moving to Indianapolis for that matter, but the Earthquakes moving to Houston and morphing into 1836 the Dynamo hit the Bay Area pretty hard. A couple years later, the Earthquakes are back -- with Lew Wolff of the Oakland A's behind the money and 'Moneyball's' Billy Beane perhaps involved to some degree. The team might be okay, if the enigmatic Ronnie O'Brien finds his form.
R is for Ruud Gullitt -- The former Dutch/AC Milan/Chelsea star takes over the coaching box for the Galaxy and has a job that would probably drive most football managers crazy since he has to juggle P.R. with on-field results. It doesn't help that the Galaxy are basically 'TBF' (see below), Landon Donovan and Carlos Ruiz. People might come to pay to watch the Hollywooders the first time around, but if they stink up the joint... At the very least, he'll lead the league in shirts with plunging necklines. Sadly, the dreads didn't make it across the Atlantic. It's also a safe bet he's the only man in America named Ruud, which is nice.
S is for Socialism/Salary Caps -- Fiscal responsibility is one thing, but keeping the per team salary cap at $2 million makes the league seem pretty Mickey Mouse. The league might be Leon Trotsky's wet dream, but this kind of thinking seems patently un-American. For the sport to truly grow, the purse strings have to be loosened. This will become more of a reality when AEG and the Hunt Group divest themselves of multiple teams.
S is also for 'Soccer Specific Stadia'. The league pushed onwards and upwards to get its clubs their own homes. Real Salt Lake is rumored to open its new park sometime in September. Red Bull Park in New Jersey will likely open right around the time Axel Rose and GnR release 'Chinese Democracy.'
S is also for the Screaming Eagles, the longtime, hardcore fans of DC United who get lovely ol' RFK Stadium all to themselves this year. Is there any correlation in the fact United games looks like fun to attend on and one-field success? Probably not, since Toronto turned into a party atmosphere at BMO Field despite a last place finish. Not to single them out, but each club does have its hardcore fans and they deserve some dap.
T is for That Beckham Fellow-- Onwards, he will be referred to as TBF for better or worse. I'm not Anderson Cooper, so I won't waste anymore of your time on the Sharpee-endorsing, sarong-wearing dandy who just picked up his 100th cap for England. Go grab an US Weekly or something.
T is also for 3-5-2, as in the new preferred formation around the league. In theory this should lead to more attacking and hence, goals. Americans love scoring, right?
U is for Ugggg-ly -- Look, I'm all for MLS ditching the silly names across the front of the jerseys and selling advertising. (Ok, not to Mexican league levels.) But the whoever designed the new Chicago Fire shirts with Best Buy advertising ought to consider a new career. It was as if they were made with a Pro Evo edit mode. Overall eight of the 14 teams will have a primary sponsor adorning the front of their shirts.
U is also for the US Open Cup, which is probably the most ignored competition around. It's been kicking around since 1914, but no one much seems to care. Can't say I fault them.
V is for Vendetta -- If you got something, fill free to add it.
W is for West Ham United -- The club the MLS All-Stars will play sometime in the summer in Toronto, arguably the highlight of July and or August. Super-fun!
X is for Xavier -- The wild-haired Portuguese defender is part of the circus known as the Los Angeles Galaxy. Get this man with Guissepe Franco, stat!
X is also for XANGO, the official shirt sponsor of Real Salt Lake. I'm too lazy to Google what exactly it is.
Y is for young talent -- Stuart Holden, Arturo Alvarez, Dax McCarty, Robbie Rogers, Marvell Wynne, Kenny Cooper, Mehdi Ballouchy, Edu, Altidore, etc. These are the real reason for optimism ahead of the season.
Z is for Zavagnin-- As in Kerry Zavagnin, one of three current players with a 'Z' last name. Hey, it's a reach. If you made it this far and want to quibble, I won't stop you.
Adios.
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