This is my introduction to a new series where I’ll profile every futbol playing country in the Americas, their soccer history, World Cup history, the players of yesteryear along with the present and their futures.

The fact that soccer is big in the Americas is a no brainer. The reason soccer is as popular as it is is that it’s the only professional sport in most of these countries: The only  sport played in the streets by kids of all ages. And, until very recently, soccer was really the only chance at a professional career the majority of the athletes in most countries had, I believe that’s one of the big reasons why soccer is so big in practically every other country and not here in the states. Growing up here in the USA you have many choices, several of them incredibly well paid at the professional level, and some of the best athletes that could have gone on to soccer careers will choose the more popular sports such as football and basketball. In the Americas, in the absence of football, basketball and baseball, the best athletes will naturally gravitate to soccer by default.

The soccer history of the Americas may not be as glamorous or alluring as the soccer history from Europe, but to me it’s just as important, it has shaped world soccer as we currently know it. With this series not only are we going to profile the big powerhouses such as Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, but we want to introduce you to some of the best lesser known soccer countries, along with some of the greatest players you probably never heard of.

I’ll start by going over some of the Confederations and tournaments you need to know:

CONFEDERATIONS

• CONMEBOL: The South American Futbol Confederation, It was founded after the inaugural Copa America in 1916 by 4 nations, (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay and Brazil). Currently there are 10 members in the Confederation. The original four plus Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, Ecuador and Bolivia.
• CONCACAF: The North America , Central America (UNCAF) and Caribbean (Caribbean Futbol Union) Futbol Confederation, Formed in 1961 in  Mexico, CONCACAF has 40 member associations, including Guyana, Suriname and French Guyana on the South American continent.

NATIONS TOURNAMENTS

• COPA AMERICA: Started in 1916 By host country Argentina to celebrate the country’s 100th birthday. Argentina invited  the national teams from Chile, Brazil and Uruguay (Tournament winner). Since 1993 12 nations participate in the tournament, including all 10 CONMEBOL members plus 2 members of CONCACAF. Current Champion: Uruguay
• GOLD CUP: Started in 1941, current format changed in 1991. the Gold Cup finals has grown into a 12-nation championship, with countries qualifying from the three regions of CONCACAF. USA has won this tournament 4 times (1991, 2002, 2005 & 2007) Current Champion: Mexico

CLUB TOURNAMENTS

• CONCACAF CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: Started in 1962 as the Champion’s Cup , CONCACAF changed it’s current name and format in 2008. 24 teams get invited from Central America, North America and The Caribbean. 2 MLS teams have won this tournament (DC United in 1998 and LA Galaxy in 2000). Current Champion: Monterrey (Mexico)
• COPA LIBERTADORES: Started in 1960 by CONMEBOL, Changed to it’s current format in 2005. 38 teams get invited, 35 of the clubs belong in member nations of CONMEBOL and 3 clubs from Mexico. Current Champion: Santos (Brazil)
• COPA SUDAMERICANA: Started in 2002 by CONMEBOL, it has changed format several times since its start, current format calls for 47 teams, all from CONMEBOL member nations. 6 from Argentina, 8 from Brazil and 4 from the other 8 Nations. Current Champion: Universidad De Chile (Chile)
• RECOPA SUDAMERICA: Started in 1989 by CONMEBOL, It’s a showdown between the two champions of CONMEBOL’s Club tournaments (Copa Libertadores & Copa Sudamericana). Current Champion: Internacional (Brazil)

Next week I’ll continue this series with Argentina, where they’ve been playing futbol for over 100 years. Hope you enjoy!

Este año se hicieron varios cambios, donde la directiva y el cuerpo tecnico cautelozamente y lastimosamente tuvieron la necesidad de no proteger y de no renovar algunos contratos a varios jugadores jovenes. Perdimos talento joven que apenas se estaba formando en nuestras filas como tambien perdimos talento a nivel ya profesional e Internacional, que dejo gran imagen y ayudo al buen nombre de nuestra entidad. Para la directiva son cambios indispensables que se toman para el buen funcionamiento y rendimiento del equipo. Nadie quiere ver a su jugador favorito irse… El que te llena de adrenalina cada vez que gritas su nombre, el favorito de tu esposa o el idolo de uno de tus hijos es inevitable… !pero asi es el futbol!. Con la partida de unos, se abre la puerta para otros y este año tenemos a cuatro nuevas caras Latinas que vienen a demostrar su gran talento, a formar parte de esta gran organizacion y sobre todo a sentir el calor humano de nuestra hinchada, la pasion de nuestra barra brava LOS HIJOS DE BEN y a demostrar porque estan aqui..!! y le damos una gran bienvenida a:

PORFIRIO LOPEZ: Nacio en San Jose de Costa Rica, con una estatura de 5′ 11″ es un defensor que ha tenedido apariciones con su seleccion Nacional. Comenzo su carrera con el Santos de Guapiles de Costa Rica, donde permanecio por casi 3 años y con mas de 40 partidos donde demostro su gran talento como defensor. En el 2009 paso a las filas del Puntarena donde encontro un equipo que le daba la oportunidad de proteger su ala Izquierda, con buen porte fisico y gran destreza, Lopez seguia formandose como profesional, porto con gran orgullo la camiseta del Puntarenas por mas de 30 encuentros y fue autor de un gol. Su fama como buen defensa hizo que en 2010 fuese adquirido por el club de primera division de China el Dalian Haichang, con este gran cambio y en un continente donde el futbol es un deporte que llena estadios, era una imagen nueva que daba buen rendimiento fisico y tecnico, anoto dos goles en un total de diez partidos.

Para comienzos del 2010, Lopez regresa a su pais de origen para jugar con el afamado club el Alalajuense. Jugando como prestamo todavia del Dalian Haichang, Lopez hace su debut como gran defensa en el torneo de clubes en la temporada de invierno y verano donde usa la casaca de su equipo por mas de 20 apariciones y marcando un gol. Es adquirido por la Union para la temporada del 2012, donde Nowak y su experiencia como director tecnico hara uso de su gran habilidad como defensor izquierdo al lado de mi compatriota Carlos Valdes. Es la ficha que el equipo estaba nesecitando para solidificar mas nuestra defensa que este año pasa a mando una vez mas de Dany Califf como capitan de equipo despues de la partida de Faryd Mondragon al futbol Colombiano. Al lado de Valdes, Califf y Williams seria como estrellarse con la gran muralla China y asi poder dar una gran proteccion a nuestro arco, esperemos y todo le funcione a Nowak con este nuevo talento Latino.

JOSUE MARTINEZ: Nacio en San Jose de Costa Rica, es un joven delantero de solo 21 años, con 5′ 9″ de estatura. Comenzo su joven carrera con el afamado club Deportivo Saprisa, participo en la Copa Mundial FIFA U-20 en el 2009. Quedo campeon con su equipo el Saprisa en la temporada del 2009-2010, con su sobresaliente agilidad y rapidez y buen dominio del balon quedo como goleador , con un total de 66 apariciones y 19 goles. A pesar de su corta edad, Martinez a representado a su pais 16 veces y ha marcado 2 goles, tuvimos la oportunidad de verlo jugar en la Concacaf Champions League representando al Saprisa donde al minuto 87 anotara un golazo inatajable al Seattle Sounders defendido por el ya retirado y famoso arquero Kasey Keller.

En Diciembre del 2011 es adquirido por la Union para pasar a ocupar uno de sus pases Internacionales conque el equipo cuenta para cada temporada. Con la retirada de Paunovic del equipo, se habre una brecha para que este gran goleador Latino tenga la oportunidad de demostrar su agilidad y creatividad al frente de nuestras filas, donde Nowak tiene la oportunidad de formar una gran delantera que destruya la defensa de nuestros oponentes. Con la llegada de Martinez es una opcion mas de gol que el equipo esta nesecitando en cada encuentro, esperamos que este gran joven goleador se adapte a nuestro club, y mas que todo que se le de la oportunidad de demostrar el talento que posee y que sea de un buen beneficio para el futuro de esta organizacion.

GABRIEL “EL GAVILAN” GOMEZ: Nacido en Cuidad de Panama, cuenta con 27 años de edad y 6 pies de estatura es un defensa mediocampista. El “Gavilan”, inicio su joven carrera en equipos Panameños como son el San Francisco y el Taurus. Despues paso al futbol Colombiano donde tuvo grandes apariciones en equipos de la primera division como son el Envigado, Deportivo Pasto, Deportivo Pereira y el Independiente Santa Fe. Los equipos Colombianos aprovechaban su gran habilidad, su buen dominio del balon, su excelente estado fisico y buen rendimiento a nivel de los diferentes clubes donde milito. Estando debutando con el Santa Fe en el 2007, fue vendido por unos $ 300.000 Euros al C.F Belenenses de Portugal por un termino de 3 años. Una vez mas, demostro su gran porte de mediocampista su amor al futbol que todos los Latinos llevan a cualquier pais que esten dispuestos a contratarlos. Con 71 apariciones y 3 goles el ” Gavilan”al final de la temporada del 2010, fue transferido al Ermis Aradippou de Cyprus, con 11 partidos disputados marco un gol.

De regreso al futbol Colombiano para la temporada del 2011 jugo con la Equidad, participo 14 veces y anoto un gol. En este mismo año debuto con los Indios de Ciudad Juarez en Mexico con 8 partidos y 3 goles. Gomez, a sudado la camiseta de su Seleccion Nacional como capitan mas de 70 veces y ha anotado un total de 8 goles, siendo asi un jugador de gran prestigio en su pais natal. Peter Nowak una vez mas puso sus ojos en una figura Internacional y fue adquirido por la Union para la temporada del 2012. Un jugador de gran capacidad en el mediocampo, sera uno mas que debutaran al lado de otras figuras Internacionales que de una u otra manera seran clave para que nuestra zona de ataque sea la causante de desiquilibrar las lineas de defensa de nuestros oponentes, y como Latino le deseamos lo mejor en el equipo.

LIONARD PAJOY: De nacionalidad Colombiana, cuenta con 30 años de edad y con una estatura de mas de 6 pies, es un delantero muy rapido y muy agil, con un buen dominio del balon en ambas piernas, lo hacen muy peligroso en el ataque y juego aereo debido a su estatura. Lionard ha hecho gran parte de su carrera en los mejores clubes Colombianos como son Cortulua, Atletico Huila, Boyaca Chico, el Cucuta Deportivo donde participo por 3 años y demostro su gran agilidad para anotar goles, su velocidad y dominio lo dejaron como un gran goleador, haciendolo participe en una semifinal de la Copa Libertadores de America ante el Nacional de Montevideo.

Participo tambien en mi Glorioso Deportivo Cali, Millonarios y por ultimo en Itagui Ditaires. Es aqui donde vuelve a surgir como uno de los mejores delanteros a nivel de clubes Colombianos, quedando una vez mas como goleador de  la temporada del 2011. Lionard, ha demostrado que es un delantero muy peligroso, que aprovecha toda oportunidad dentro de las diesiocho como tambien los tiros libres, un jugador muy agil para recuperar balones lo cual hace que se mueva en la linea de ataque tanto por el centro como por los costados. Con un estilo muy diferente al del ex-jugador Carlos Ruiz, Lionard no solo espera la asistencia de su mediocampo, ni el pase perfecto sino que crea y busca descompensar la defensa del rival. Con la venta de Sebastian Le Toux, la Union se vio en la tarea de buscar un delantero que ayude a nuestro equipo en esta temporada y Peter Nowak junto con Diego Gutierrez, Viajan a Colombia a dialogar personalmente con Pajoy y ponerse al tanto de su gran polemica que le ha traido una sancion y multa por sustancias prohibidas dentro del futbol Internacional. Sea lo que fuese, sustancias ilegales que son adquiridadas a veces por los mismos jugadores, o indirectamente administradas por sus clubes, como han sucedido en eventos a nivel de la Copa de Oro y aun  mas graves  en la disputa de un mundial de futbol.

No voy a juzgar a un jugador por un error propio, o tal vez causado por errores a nivel medico como lo explica la directiva de la Union en este caso, estoy aqui dando mi opinion como lo daria cualquier profesional sobre un atleta que merece un merito por todos sus logros a nivel personal como profesional. Es un ser humano y como tal, todos cometemos errores, como compatriota tiene todo mi apoyo, y estoy seguro que va a demostrar porque fue elegido para ser nuestro goleador, y es un motivo mas para que  todos los Latinos apoyen  al equipo, y que cada año ven, como sus filas se van formando con jugadores de los nuestros que no importa de que pais vengan. Como buenos hinchas queremos ver buen futbol, ver como la influencia de los Latinos militan las lineas de los equipos de la Liga Mayor de Futbol de los Estados Unidos y a su vez, ser paticipe de estos grandes eventos que por muchos años (mas de 30 en mi caso)estabamos esperando. Ahi estare, al lado de familiares que con orgullo le daremos la bienvenida a uno mas de los nuestros y como diriamos todos…! QUE VIVA EL FUTBOL !. Y hasta la proxima.

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With the NASL set to kick-off its second season, we look at the teams competing in the 2012 season and what to look for leading up to and during the season.

Minnesota Stars FC

The team that secured the last playoff spot on the last day of the season ended up winning the 2011 NASL Championship in fantastic fashion. However, while the Stars will be looking to retain their title, it will be a tough season for the team if they don’t have any significant additions to their roster from last season. It’s not that Minnesota wasn’t a good team last year, in fact they could beat any team in the NASL when it’s their day. But, looking at last season, it wasn’t their day on ten occasions last season and that needs to improve this season if they want to avoid the last day drama of 2011 and prove that last season’s championship was not a fluke.

Carolina RailHawks

The RailHawks were the NASL Regular Season Champions in 2011 and will look to make a serious run for the playoff championship to compliment the teams that the organization has been fielding the past couple of years. The major thing to look for with the RailHawks this season is how the new head coach, Colin Clarke, has the team playing and what players he will bring in. The RailHawks benefited greatly from the tandem of Etienne Barbara and Pablo Campos up top, which combined for 32 goals in 2011. With both Barbara and Campos gone it will be interesting to see who will be up top come April and if they can finish as effectively as the Barbara-Campos duo. If the hiring of Colin Clarke doesn’t already say it, the RailHawks organization expects to be battling for a title come October and it would be considered a disappointment if the team is not at least in the semi-finals.

Puerto Rico Islanders

One of the top teams in the second division for the past few years and it’s hard to see the team letting up this season, even with the departure of Colin Clarke, who had been the man in charge since 2007. The Islanders replaced Clarke by promoting assistant Adrian Whitbread to the vacated position. If the team plays like they have been known to do the past few seasons, you can expect to see the Islanders battling for the regular season title as well as the playoff championship in 2012. That being said, the Islanders are the team most affected by International call-ups and conference tournaments if the team can stay healthy and the roster is deep enough this team can almost certainly be expected to be one of the top teams in the NASL for 2012.

Tampa Bay Rowdies

The Rowdies are back! After playing under the name FC Tampa Bay for the past two seasons the ownership brought back the old NASL team brand. The Rowdies are going to be a team to watch out for during 2012. The team has retained some of their key players from last season including NASL 4^th place goal scorer, Mike Ambersly, as well as adding veterans such as former Bristol City Captain, Stuart Campbell. Even though in 2011 they were not fighting for the regular season title, the team was steady and consistent, especially at home. In fact, the Rowdies only home defeats in 2011 regular season came from table leaders, Carolina RailHawks and Puerto Rico Islanders. If the Rowdies can pull out more favorable results on the road, don’t be surprised if you see this team possibly fighting for the first or second spot in the league this season.

Fort Lauderdale Strikers

The results for the Strikers in 2011 were dominated by draws. The Fort Lauderdale team led the league with eleven matches ending in shared points. Even with all the level scores the strikers managed to make it into the playoffs and reach the Final before falling to Minnesota in the two leg series. The Strikers in 2011 were a mid table team that was able to beat every team at least once with the exception of Tampa Bay. However, much like the Rowdies, the Strikers have brought back a strong group of their 2011 team including NASL Best XI defenders Toni Stahl and Lance Laing and also the NASL’s 5^th place goal scorer Brian Shriver. In 2012 look to see if the Strikers can turn some of those draws into wins and if they do… well… has anyone given thought to the two Florida teams being two of the teams to watch out for? If Fort Lauderdale can get their offense firing like they did in the playoffs then they’ll be extremely dangerous moving forward.

FC Edmonton

Edmonton was somewhat of a surprise team last season,, when early in the season they found themselves in second place behind Carolina. Then they slowly began to drop but still managed to secure a playoff spot in their inaugural season. Not bad for the first time out. Moving into the 2012 season, Edmonton has dropped 12 players from the 2011 team and has only officially signed one new player, Montreal Impact defender, Kevin Hatchi. Edmonton did have their eye on Yashir Pinto, a Chilean U-20 international, but after a preliminary fitness exam he returned to Chile for further examination. FC Edmonton still has time to add more players to the roster before the league kick-off in April and will almost certainly do just that if they want to improve on what they accomplished last season. During 2012 Edmonton will have to get better results on the road, as that was their undoing in 2011 when they dropped from second place. Keep an eye on Edmonton leading up to the season as they’ll be adding players and look to see Edmonton can get points on the road this season. If they can’t, then it is a great possibility that Edmonton could miss out on the playoffs in what is shaping up to be a more tightly contested NASL.

Atlanta Silverbacks

How rough would it be to lose 20 games out of 28 and be one of two teams not to make the playoffs? That’s what happened to the Silverbacks in their inaugural season with the NASL. Despite the poor results throughout the season the club retained ten of their players from 2011 and the mentality among the returning players is quite simply, improvement. The Silverbacks have improved their roster by bringing in the Chilean striker, Reinaldo Navia, who should almost certainly be a threat this season for other teams. The Silverbacks have also brought in Hungarian goalkeeper Daniel Illyes and Brazilian defender, Rilla, to help stop the bleeding of goals that occurred in 2011 (league high, 63). Make no mistake the Silverbacks will cause some talk at times this season. However, it will be interesting to see if they can put it all together during the season so that they can successfully put the embarrassment that was 2011 behind them.

San Antonio Scorpions FC

If you’ve kept in touch with the news around the NASL as of late then you know that the Scorpions organization appears to be dedicated to bringing top quality soccer to the San Antonio area. The signings for the scorpions have done nothing but reinforce that image as the management has signed MLS players such as Kevin Harmse, and Ryan Cochrane. The Scorpions also went out and signed Pablo Campos who, as mentioned earlier, was second in the league in scoring in 2011. And if that wasn’t enough San Antonio also signed Mexican midfielder, Javier Saavedra, who has played nearly 300 games for Tigres UNAL. San Antonio is certainly gaining steam heading into the season with their signings and it would be hard to see this team not doing well in the NASL this season. When one looks at this team you get the feeling that there could be some great offense coming out of San Antonio. Time will tell if they can mimic the success, or even surpass, of the 2011 expansion team FC Edmonton.

Unlike 2011, the NASL is shaping up to be more of a level playing field in 2012. There are still teams that are more favored than others but overall don’t expect to see an eleven point difference between second and third, or a thirty-eight point difference between first and eighth. Instead, expect an exciting season that will have many ups and downs for many teams, and there’s almost no telling who can come out on top come then end of the season.

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So who are the Scorpions, and what are they all about down there in San Antonio? First off, as you can see in the article’s feature image, they have the most kick-ass logo known to soccer! Ever since I first saw it, I have been totally geeking out about it and I’m going to get around to buying some of their gear eventually.

I had the opportunity to speak with Director of Marketing Evan Mitz of the Scorpions a few weeks back in order to get a feel of what the team was all about, and what they hoped to accomplish in their inaugural season. The first key point that Evan stressed to me was that Scorpions FC benefits Morgan’s Wonderland, an amusement located across the parking lot from the Scorpions FC that “provides a place where all ages and abilities can come together and play in a fun and safe environment.” There will be special pricing for special needs fans at all of the games.

Another important topic in my talk with Evan was the fan base. Much like the Union, Scorpions FC wants to have a great relationship with its fans! The team is already on Twitter, and even has a Facebook-like feature on their own site! They’re going to encourage their players to get on Twitter as well, saying that interacting with fans is “a two way street.” The team has a motto of “Our Community, Our Team” which is really important to what they are all about. The logo, jerseys, and scarves were all designed by fans!

San Antonio as a city has a strong military background and Evan described it as “truly a military town.” The Scorpions plan to hold promotional events on the nearby bases. There is a definite military culture in San Antonio and Scorpions FC will “respect that on gameday.”

The other point Evan and I touched on is that San Antonio wants to be similar to the Union in that they want to encourage the supporters groups and be very interactive with their fans. When we mentioned Philly I had to ask if a move to the MLS is something that San Antonio could be interested in a few years from now. A move is something that the team will be monitoring in the next few years. With a stadium under construction that will have an option to expand to 18,000 seats, they move could be possible. For now, the team’s goal is to start successfully and educate the local market about the sport of soccer.

Since my conversation with Evan, the Scorpions have made their first group of signings! Among them, they’ve signed Kevin Harmse and Greg Janicki, both of whom have had MLS and some international experience. In a post coming soon (hopefully) we’ll get to talk to them in more detail. Another signing made more recently was Patrick Hannigan who is a native of Philadelphia and attended Temple University. Hopefully I’ll have a conversation with Patrick in the coming weeks about his role with San Antonio.

I hope you’re all as excited about San Antonio Scorpions FC as I am! Make sure to go follow Scorpions FC on Twitter and like them on Facebook. As my traditional sign off goes: keep DOOPing, my friends.

DIEGO GUTIERREZ: Nacido en Colombia, nacionalizado Americano. Contratado por la Union para hacer parte de la directiva que se encarga de la busqueda y orientacion de los nuevos talentos que pasan a formar y alimentar el buen futbol de este nuevo equipo. Con una gran carrera como futbolista en la liga mayor, y buena imagen a nivel mundial de buenas obras beneficas. Este Colombiano-Americano seria el autor principal (creemos nosotros sus compatriotas) para que el equipo en la jornada del 2011, nos sintieramos orgullosos una vez mas, de apoyar a dos de los nuestros que llegarian a formar parte de nuestro equipo como es el famoso arquero Faryd Camilo Mondragon Ali y el defensa Carlos Valdes. Gracias Diego, eres uno mas de los nuestros que esta haciendo historia en esta liga y en este nuevo equipo.

FARYD CAMILO MONDRADON ALI: Nacido en mi ciudad natal de Cali Colombia, es uno de los mejores arquero con los que cuenta mi Pais. “MONDI” como lo conocen los Turcos o “The Dragon” aqui en los Estados Unidos, llego a nuestro equipo procedente de Alemania donde jugaba con el Koln. Un portero de gran renombre a nivel internacional jugo en varios equipos Colombianos, en uno de mis favoritos el Deportivo Cali (1990-1991) participo con nuestra seleccion Colombia en los juegos olimpicos de 1992 y en el mundial de futbol de 1998. Tambien fue titular en grandes equipos de  Argentina y Paraguay, de ahi paso al gran futbol Europeo dando a conocer ese gran porte de guardametas, pertencio a escuadras en paises como Francia y Alemania donde permanecio con el Koln por casi 4 años, pero su gran carrera la ha logrado en Turquia, con el equipo el GALATASARAY  (2001-2007) saliendo como un heroe nacional fue uno de los favoritos para muchos, dejando un gran legado en ese pais que aun aclaman su regreso a las filas de la super liga. Llego a la Union para esta temporada (imaginense como nos sentiamos) para dar a conocer su gran talento, ese don que pocos poseen debajo de los tres palos, el que seria el encargado de llevar la capitania de nuestro equipo, el que nos llevaria de la mano en esta segunda campaña a la final, donde todos los ojos de mas 18.500 hinchas estaban puestos. Tomo las riendas de nuestra defensa alineando las filas al frente de su porteria como solo los grandes lo saben hacer, su gran experiencia internacional se sentia en cada voz de mando que daba a sus filas, no admitia errores y si se hacien, se corregian casi de inmediato pues su presencia es muy respetada por cada uno de nuestros jugadores. Tuvimos una temporada muy especial, nuestro capitan fue respetado por el resto de los equipos de la liga. Faryd inyecto experiencia y tranquilidad a nuestros jugadores, logramos llegar a las semi-finales por primera vez, un logro que fue posible gracias a todos los integrantes de nuestra titular que sintio la presencia de este gran “CABALLERO EN LA CANCHA” y al “DRAGON” de la Union.

CARLOS VALDES: Nacido en Cali, Colombia, y habiendo jugado para otros equipos Colombianos , Carlos fue adquirido en prestamo por la Union proveniente del Indepedendiente Santa Fe. Trayendo consigo una enorme experiencia como defensa central para esta segunda temporada. Carlos “LA PIEDRA DE CHESTER” como lo llamamos los Colombianos, empezo en la titular dejando muy claro en cada partido el porque de su sobre-nombre, un gran porte como defensa y un pie duro con el balon dejaba saber que ahora teniamos una defensa muy bien organizada junto con S. Williams y D. Califf al mando de nuestro capitan (Faryd) que no permitia margen de errores. Sus 6 pies de altura, tambien fue aprovechada por Nowak ya que lo utilizaba para el juego aereo en los tiros de esquina. Con un total de 32 partidos fue autor de un gol y fue mencionado por la liga mayor de futbol como uno de los mejores defensas de esta temporada, gran amigo de Faryd y Roger se combirtieron en los favoritos de los hispanos  y un gran orgullo para nosotros que veiamos esta gran influencia de latinos (Colombianos) ayudando a jugadores jovenes y a un equipo querido por mucho de nosotros.

CARLOS RUIZ: Nacido en Guatemala, fue adquirido por la Union tras su paso por el Aris FC de Grecia, Nowak alimentaba una vez mas las filas de ataque con un Latino de gran experiencia Internacional y de gran recorrido por la Liga Mayor. En el 2002 empezo jugando con los Angeles Galaxy donde fue uno de los jugadores mas valiosos y ganador de un balon de oro, luego paso a FC Dallas y despues a Toronto FC. Goleador por naturaleza Carlos fue recibido por algunos Latinos con gran orgullo, mas no por muchos, pues su edad y la gran cantidad por temporada que la Union estaba dispuesta a pagar era la gran pregunta. Queriamos GOLES, a la vez rendimineto y compañerismo, pero en su corta trayectoria por la Union solo origino un gran conflicto, el rendimiento y su interes por recuperar balones no era el esperado. Carlos se dedicaba a esperar la asistencia de nuestro medio campo, a la jugada perfecta para aprovechar darnos esos tres puntos que nos ponian en cada partido mas cerca a la final, opacando un poco la presencia de Roger. Con la llegada de Freddy Adu y Veljko Paunovic, vimos partir a este gran jugador que causo gran polemica en nuestro equipo, se opacaba una figura Internacional que dejo una vez mas una huella en su paso por la Liga Mayor. De una u otra manera su gran experiencia puso su grano de arena en nuestro equipo que conto con una gran temporada de la mano de otro de los grandes latinos en su corto paso por nuestro club. Carlos luego fue adquirido por el Veracruz de Mexico.

MICHAEL FARFAN: Nacido en San Diego, Ca. De desendencia Mexicana, fue adquirido por la Union en Enero/2011, un joven talentoso defensa medicampista con gran experiencia, grandes participaciones como fue en el Mundial juvenil del 2005, fue escogido tambien para ser participe en el equipo Nacional de la U-17. Marfan como se le dice entre sus hinchas tubo gran paso por varios equipos de Universidades Nacionales como fue en California, Carolina del Norte y la Florida. Una joven estrella donde P. Nowak habia clavado su mirada y no dudo en traerlo para que ayudase a reforzar nuestra defensa en el medio campo y un toque magico de asistencias de gol a nuestros delanteros. Marfan en esta temporada, aparecio en 21 encuentros anotando 2 goles. Un joven talentoso de gran velocidad, buen manejo del balon y de gran seguridad defensiva fue una ficha extraordinaria para el equipo en esta temporada.

GABRIEL FARFAN: Hermano gemelo de M.Farfan y defensa mediocampista como su hermano, participo en el campeonato mundial juvenil de Japon/2000, tambien fue miembro del equipo Nacional U-17. Comenzando su carrera futbolistica en la Universidad de Fullerton en Ca, al lado de su hermano. Garfan tambien fue adquirido por P. Nowak para ser participe en esta temporada y poner ese toque magico de pelota de los gemelos. Junto a su hermano, y de la mano de nuestros tecnicos profesionales el duo Farfan eran fichas claves para Nowak en donde se notaba su gran rendimiento fisico y ocupaban posiciones claves tanto en nuestra defensa como en el medio campo. Con un gran desempeño durante esta temporada, los hermanos ayudaron a nuestra clasificacion a las semifinales demostrando una vez mas que Peter Nowak tiene ojo de Aguila en cuanto al logro de grandes estrellas jovenes se refiere.

Que gran temporada…Con la ayuda de nuestro Capitan ” Faryd Mondragon”, todos los jugadores del equipo y de la gran asistencia tecnica de nuestra directiva y la experiencia Internacional de Peter Nowak pasamos a las semifinales. Para ser un equipo que apenas esta empezando, este logro es un paso gigante en la evolucion a nivel de club, nada se logra sin esfuezo, sin tecnica ni dedicacion y todo esto junto da un magnifico resultado y eso fue lo que vimos este año. No logramos llegar a la final… Pero demostramos que si podemos y  vamos a seguir intentandolo. Espere la proxima semana mi comentario titulado: Las caras nuevas de la Union del 2012.

Marketing

• The power of Video games – FIFA is one of the best selling video games of all time. Soccer fans the world over love it for it’s in depth take on the world’s game. From the transfer market, to scouting 14 year olds, and bringing the glory of earning silverware for your favorite team, FIFA lets gamers live the dream of being in control of hundreds of teams world wide. MLS has to use this tool to its full potential. Vancouver became the first MLS side to have their authentic stadium in the franchise in 2012 (the EA sports design studio is in Vancouver) and MLS should look to capitalize on that. I’m not going to pretend to know what amount of money will make it happen, but MLS should offer to write a check to make sure that the MLS experience on FIFA is the most authentic that it can be. If that means paying for an extra designer or two to make sure that every MLS stadium is authentic with its own true to life supporters groups, that would be great for the league. The true glory is in playing in the UEFA Champions League, but with this added level of authenticity in the MLS gaming experience it will intice not only US soccer fans, but also those around the globe to at least try a season in MLS if they had not previously. The more attention MLS gets, even in the gaming version, the better.
• Academy setup – Every MLS team has their own academy setup and the race to find the best Homegrown Players is on. However, the bigger this setup gets, the better for the game. Having local talent playing for the first team will grow even more interest from the local casual soccer fan. Even if you don’t have a clue about soccer, if you hear about a kid who just graduated from the high school down the street playing for a professional team (of any sport) you’re going to make sure you get to a game during the season to see it for yourself. It takes money to make these Academies what they need to be, but it get the most out of them, they have to be residential so that the trained staff can make the most of the raw talent available to them. It’s easy to see why the US lags behind the major powers in international soccer when you see that their best young talent is on the field for more than an hour a day, every day of the week from a young age, when our players are playing 3 days a week for less than an hour until they hit high school, then its every weeknight, but only for a part of the year. This not only will help the MLS, but will help US Soccer as a whole. Residency programs will also also teams to scout outside their immediate are and bring in kids from across the country. More competition for young talent, will lead to increase (and better) scouting, which will lead to a better crop of young players.
• International Friendlies – While some MLS fans hate to see the break in the season where a team plays 2 or 3 friendlies against European teams going through their preseason, it helps the league grow. As much as we all would like to think of the MLS as a juggernaut capable of matching the efforts of the other US pro sports, the MLS is still a growing league in its teenage years. The Philadelphia Union average a little over 18,000 a game last year. However, for the Real Madrid friendly 57,305 were in attendance. That means there was three times the average Union crowd. It is safe to say there were a healthy number of people there that had never seen the Union play before. It is that idea that will help this league grow. Offer something to the casual soccer fan that will get them out to see the local team for the first time, and try to get them hooked. If only 1,000 people came out to see another game the rest of the season that had never seen a Union game before that friendly, that’s an extra 125 a game the rest of the season and another couple $1000 made a game off fans who would not have gone out to a game otherwise.
• TV deals – The move away from Fox Soccer and to the new NBC Sports is a huge step for the MLS. It takes MLS away from the hardcore soccer fan that will shell out another couple bucks a month for a soccer specific channel and takes it to a network that will make it available to the random person flipping through the channels. This is the attitude that the league must continue to take. Make the game availble so that it can be “stumbled upon.” If we want our league to grow we can’t be the exclusive pub dwellers that soccer fans used to be. We need to be the face painted drunks yelling at the ref along with the face painted preteens waiting for the autograph of the player who made them love the game. It takes all types.

Look for the third and conclusion to the series next week with a look at how to increase the MLS’s stature outside of the US and Canada.

For those of you who aren’t on the twitter, Keon “Predator” Daniel is back. At 4:04 PM on Monday, the Union tweeted that Keon and Danny Mwanga had joined the team in Orlando for the second leg of preseason training. By now, anyone who has read one of my articles should know that I’m Keon Daniel’s biggest fan. But that’s only one reason I got overly excited when I learned that Keon was back. Let’s take a look at why we should care that the Predator has returned to active duty.

Keon provides a lot of things at midfield. First of these things is an ability to play out wide. If you took a look at last year’s midfield, it consisted of three or four central midfielders who were forced to play wide. Because of this, they often gravitated toward the center of the pitch and were too clustered. Daniel naturally plays out on the wing, and it shows. He likes to take the ball up the side and cross, but he’s also able to step back and possess when necessary.

Second thing that’s great about Keon is his experience. As mentioned at the beginning of the post, Keon has international experience with T&T. On a team that is VERY young like the Union are, it is important to have a level of comfort and experience on the ball. You can see when Keon gets the ball he slows the game down and is calm with possession. That quality is something that will prove important to have when the Union find themselves down at some point in the season.

Third quality is height. This is more of an issue of last year, but it still can’t hurt to have a big guy on the squad. The tallest guy out on the pitch last season was probably Mondragon, and he was never much help on set pieces. With the exceptions of Freddy Adu and Roger Torres, we now have a reasonably sized team to field. With this height comes goals. I mentioned Keon’s ability to play out wide and cross, and this is where it is useful to us. With guys like Martinez and Mwanga up top to receive the crosses, the Union could suddenly get good on crosses and set pieces.

The last reason that I’m really excited about Keon coming back is the customized jersey I bought last fall. The U had a sale on customized jerseys so I went and got the one that’s featured at the bottom of this post, because I’m just that crazy.

That’s all I have on the Predator for now. If any of you want to chat (or tell me I’m a total loser for writing this much about one player) hit me up on Twitter. Remember to subscribe to keep up with our very latest and go like us on Facebook. Keep DOOPing, my friends.

LOS LATINOS DEL 2010:

ALEJANDRO MORENO: De nacionalidad Venezolana, fue escogido por la Union en Noviembre del 2009 para jugar en la temporada del 2010. Un delantero de profesion, era nuestro Latino con mejor experiencia para que nos llevara de la mano a nuestro primer campeonato, supuestamente nuestra mejor opcion de GOL que teniamos, pero desafortunadamente lesiones en una rodilla impedia que asi fuese. Campeon 3 veces de la Liga Mayor de Futbol (LA Galaxy (2002), Houston Dynamos (2006) y Columbus Crew (2008). Anotando solo 2 goles en 26 partidos esa temporada, no fue suficiente para que el equipo pasara a las finales.

EDUARDO COUDET: De nacionalidad Argentina, Jugador mediocampista, escogido para mejorar y provocar opciones de gol en nuestro equipo, era una buena ficha para injectar un poco de experiencia profesional a nuestros jugadores jovenes por su gran carrera en grandes clubes Argentinos, Mexicanos y Españoles, solo tuvo 9 apariciones en su poco tiempo por la Union.

JUAN DIEGO GONZALEZ: De nacionalidad Colombiana, fue adquirido por la Union para reforzar nuestra defensa central al final de la temporada del 2010. Conto con 7 apariciones y desafortunadamento, no parece haber sido una ficha clave para Peter Nowak , y nosotros sus compatriotas nos preguntabamos : que pasa con JDG..? (nunca supimos realmente el porque de su ausencia en los partidos). Participo en varios clubes Colombianos y Argentinos, sus primeros partidos con el equipo fueron de gran ayuda en la defensa, ya que la Union en ese tiempo contaba con un arquero de poco rendimiento y experiencia. Apezar de la buena cantidad que se le pagaba por temporada, fue solo utilizado por Peter Nowak para alimentar las lineas de la defensa en los partidos con la reserva del equipo.

MICHAEL OROZCO FISCAL: Nacido en los Estados Unidos de padres Mexicanos, entro al equipo en la temporada del 2010 como prestamo del San Luis de Mexico. Hizo parte de nuestra lineas de defensa como en el mediocampo, un jugador joven con mucha energia y buena velocidad, se penso que iva a tener larga trayectoria en el equipo con un total de 29 partidos jugados marco 2 goles. Michael no fue protegido por la directiva de la Union para la siguiente temporada y regreso al San Luis de Mexico.

ROGER TORRES: Nacido en Barrancabermeja, Colombia, Roger llego a la Union en Marzo del 2010 en prestamo del America de Cali. Todos los Colombianos estabamos hemocionados con este nuevo joven jugador, que empezo demostrando que SI queria que ganaramos, todos sus esfuerzos se le notaban en cada jugada,  cada minuto en el campo de juego demostraba lo orgulloso de llevar puesta la camiseta de la Union. A sus cortos 18 años radiaba confianza, era como que si no jugaba, al equipo le faltara algo, la creatividad de sus pases y el peligro que estos generan, era lo que todos queriamos ver. Este año, y con casi 30 apariciones y uno de sus mas famosos pases, hizo que Sebastian LeToux anotara un GOL magnifico terminando como uno de los mejores de la semana segun la Liga Mayor de Futbol. Los Hijos de Ben (SOB) lo aclamaban en sus cantos cada que pisaba la cancha. Siempre deseabamos que Peter Nowak le diese mas chance de jugar y El lo sabia, cada que gritabamos e implorabamos su nombre a la vez que agitabamos nuestra bandera Colombiana con orgullo. Tengo que decirlo es el jugador favorito de mi esposa , queriamos conocerlo…, queriamos su autografo y mas que todo, queriamos decirle “Lo orgulloso que nos sentiamos de EL”. En mi opinion y se que muchos estan de acuerdo conmigo, “NO” necesitabamos un  mediocampista rapido, ni alto, ni fuerte ni mucho menos de gran fama Internacional para que asistiera a nuestro gran goleador Sebastien Le Toux, y saben porque..? Porque ya teniamos uno, y su nombre es ROGER TORRES.

Al final de esta temporada, fue una gran experiencia para cada uno de los hinchas que asistimos a cada partidos. Ya teniamos estadio nuevo al lado del rio el PPL Park, jugadores jovenes y de gran futuro para nuestro equipo, teniamos talento Internacional y un buen cuerpo tecnico. Peter Nowak demostro que sabia lo que estaba haciendo aunque muchos de nosotros no compartiamos la misma idea de las diferentes formaciones que usaba en cada encuentro…. Pero al fin teniamos un equipo joven, un buen director tecnico y mucho talento para explotar, y lo mejor de todo fue que la pasamos una temporada muy gratificante. A todos los que tengan la oportunidad de leer mi comentario espero y les guste, y por favor si tienen alguna opinion pueden dejarmela saber atravez de mi correo electronico. Esperen para la proxima semana los comentarios sobre la segunda temporada titulada: Los refuerzos Latinos de la Union del 2011.

I know what you are saying to yourself: “Here we go, when Murph thinks it’s never good.” You may be right, in fact I am certain of it. That, however has never stopped me before and it wont stop me know.

Let’s face it, not all sports are created equal. That inequality changes based on many things: gender, geography, ethnicity, etc. If you are reading this its pretty safe to say that at the very least, Futbol = Football in your world. That is not true for everyone. Here in America one game is bigger than the other. Now we can get into the numbers of kids who play each and yada, yada, yada. Suffice it to say that when it comes to TV ratings and more importantly advertising dollars, Football > Futbol.

I use the same name here for a reason. I grew up in a world where boys played football or baseball and sometimes even basketball. Rich kids played hockey or tennis, and that strange kid down the block or the foreign kid at school played Futbol. I played none of the above. My brothers played them and I spent a lot of time at their games. I understand them, I just never cared for them. I don’t dislike them, I just simply wasnt interested. My tastes were different.

As I got older, I found Futbol through other sports, and my Punk Rock based Anglophillia. I finally fell in love with the game and a team because of a specific player. What I immediately began to notice was the way Futbol was viewed by fans of other sports.

I was always bemused by other sports fans calling Futbol gay. Now when the word gay is brandished about these people they don’t really mean homosexual they mean “less than” or “effete”. There are several definitions of effete, but the ones most closely related to the sentiment are: soft or delicate, lacking vigor, or overly refined.

While taking a class on Immigration in college I learned that all stereotypes have some basis in truth or historical context. I suppose those really are no different. I can point to some famous examples where each one of those is true for Futbol. The problem is that they could be true for any sport.

So back to the vitriol between Futbol and Football. I am as baffled by the amount of Futbol fans that hold Football in contempt as vice versa. My social media was jammed with banter from both sides tonight and it occurred to me. “Why do these two sports go at each other almost exclusively?” I mean, if I said on social media that I didn’t care for Tennis I am reasonably sure I wouldn’t get a single reply, let alone ones questioning my masculinity, political affiliation, or sexual orientation. Why? Because tennis fans like tennis and don’t really care if I do or don’t. So again Why the hate?

Competition ?

I think Football fans feel slightly threatened by Futbol, for what reason I am not exactly sure. Perhaps its too refined? Maybe the amount of combined athletic ability and technical skill involved reaches outside their comfort zone? Because the fluidity of the game itself runs counter to sports based on “turns” like baseball and football. Maybe its the fact that the World Cup is the largest sporting event on the planet and that makes them feel challenged by a sport they mostly don’t even understand. I can’t honestly say, because it really never occurred to me to hate another sport. I simply don’t understand what all the fuss is about.

What I can speak about with relative authority is some of the reasons why Futbol fans rankle at Football. For many, Futbol is wrapped into their cultural and social roots. Many of the people I know discovered the game as part of their initiation into alternative social and cultural choices. Like punk rock’s inherent Anglophillia, or a budding fascination with all things European. For other,s its part of their family or ethnic identity. No matter the reason why the sport is tagged to who you are, or at least to who you see yourself as, it very certainly is closely tied to many people’s identity. To have that challenged becomes personal, way too personal for some folks.

In my line of work, if you are going to survive, you have to develop a thick skin. Everything that you are or care about will become fair game for school boy ridicule eventually. It’s a healthy hazing that helps break down barriers and encourages people to identify themselves less as individuals and more as part of the team. Good team dynamics can save lives in my business, so a certain amount of abuse is accepted, because the ultimate outcome is a positive thing.

In the wider world, challenging someone’s identity will usually elicit a visceral reaction. But I think looking a little deeper here, many Futbol fans enjoy being the victim. They revel in the alternative identity that they feel Futbol gives them. Evidence can be found on message boards and social media everywhere. Even the art and tailgate practices of many supporters groups all over the country point to the idea that many of these people view themselves outside the norm. My favorite Tweet today was, and I apologize because I don’t recall who it was and I am sure my quote wont be exactly right, but it went something like this: “Oh great, today is the day my timeline will be filled with how people are too cool to like Football.” I think that sentiment sums it up nicely. Sometimes you have to look in the mirror and take ownership of what is rightfully yours. This may be one of those times. As long as we want to be victimized by being viewed as “less than” and “different from”, we will.

There are plenty of “less than” sports in this country and even the world. I don’t see any evidence that any of them could be arsed to care how fans of other sports view them. I have never witnessed an argument between a NASCAR fan and a Hockey fan about the validity of the others sport of choice. I am pretty sure no one ever arm wrestled over Test Cricket and Hose Racing, it’s absurd.

I believe that this victimization is fading as the game matures in this country, but slowly, as Michael Hitchcock from PMI and the NASLs San Antonio Scorpions pointed out to me recently. “We are only into the first generation of soccer people in this country”. Meaning that now, for the first time we have Americans in positions of authority within the game that have grown up entirely in the sport. There are guys like Alexi and Greg Lalas, and others as well, who have made a living their entire adult lives in this sport, as opposed to transplants from other professional sports. That’s a big deal. It brings a different context to a table filled with people with backgrounds in other sports. It fosters a different perspective, and hopefully will allow the game to grow in a more organic natural way here. Only time will tell but it looks promising for sure.

To put it in perspective what kind of NFL would exist if the people steering the ship were Futbol people? Perhaps a very different one, perhaps not, but one could easily argue it convincingly either way.

No matter what your sporting bent is, the fact that this debate elicits such passionate responses from both sides is nothing but positive. It shows an internalization of the game, the feeling that we own it and guard it jealousy. With care like that how can it do anything other than flourish?

I am not sure exactly where this was supposed to go, or even why I felt strongly enough to write about it but I did, so there.

If you feel differently or even agree, feel free to start a discussion here or call me out on Twitter @TheUnionDues or Facebook