photo by Philippe Agnifili

Paris and Madrid. Two capitals with two football clubs who have something in common. Both are big spenders, or at least starting to become a big spender. Qatar Investment Authority became the majority owner of Paris Saint Germain last year and made PSG the richest club in France (and one of the richest in the world). Since then, PSG has been doing what Madrid has been doing since 2009. They've been trying to sign everyone on the planet.

Starting in 2009 Real Madrid began their second Galáctico era, led by President Florentino Pérez. The first major signing was Ricardo Kaka, who was acquired from AC Milan for a fee of €68 million, which was a record at the time. That record was broken three weeks later when Madrid acquired Cristian Ronaldo from Man United for €96 million. Karim Benzema was signed a week later from Lyon for about €41 million. To wrap up summer 2009 Madrid signed Raúl Albiol from for Valencia €15 million, and Xabi Alonso from Liverpool for €36 million. Real Madrid's spending spree did not stop there they would go on to hire José Mourinho as their manager and sign Ángel di María (€25m), Sami Khedira (€15m), Sergio Canales (€4.5m), Pedro León (€10m), Ricardo Carvalho (€7.9m), and Mesut Özil (€15m).

PSG has now started their own Galáctico era. Well, more like Galactique era. The club's first major signing was Javier Pastore, who they acquired from Palermo for €42 million. PSG also signed Kevin Gameiro (€11m), Jérémy Ménez (€8m), and Blaise Matuidi (€7.5m). This year PSG is bringing out the big guns, or rather big bags of money. PSG has been involved in rumors regarding the signing of Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez, Ricardo Kaká, David Beckham, Florent Malouda, and Alexandre Pato. Lets not forget the rumored hiring of former Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti.

By the end of January there may be a new powerhouse in the world of football. One player i'd really like to see in a PSG kit: Neymar. Make it happen, PSG.

One of the problems with Soccer in America is the fact that there is no promotion and relegation, making it impossible for local teams to have a chance at top tier soccer. Some of the major arguments against Pro/Rel is that it just isn't American. Well, I think I may have solved all of the problems and I did it in an American way. What is more American than a thirty-team league? The NBA, NHL, and NFL all have 30+ team leagues. A league of that size would also mean that more people in more areas will have a chance to enjoy top tier soccer in the United States. Here is my idea: Thirty teams divided into two Conferences (Eastern and Western) and Six Divisions. The division leaders plus the next five best teams in each conference make the playoffs for a total of eight from each conference. The two conference champions then meet in the MLS Cup Final.

Royal Irish Rifles in a communications trench on the First Day on The Somme, 1 July 1916.

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Coral Gables, FL

War and Football. Part One: Here

The world was a different place before the First World War. The world was beautiful. War was beautiful. There was progress, and Faith. But all this was changing. Modris Ekstein uses the ballet "The Rites of Spring" to show this change in his book with the same title. The ballet debuted in Paris and was different from what people were used to. The Rites of Spring did not have beautiful music and perfectly choreographed dances. It instead used complex rhythmic dances that almost never went along with the music to tell the story of a girl who was to be sacrificed to the God of Spring. It was primitive compared to other ballets, but this is what choreographer Vaslav Nijinsky and composer Igor Stravinsky wanted. They wanted to shock people by creating something that went beyond the accepted standards. This was the Avant-garde movement, but it went beyond art and literature.

The Rites of Spring used its primitive style to make the point that there is something beyond what society had accepted. Nijinsky and Stravinsky believed that things would be more authentic and meaningful if they were more primitive. The sacrifice of the girl broke the beliefs of morality. Morality placed limits on humanity, and morality was a western creation. The western world, some believed, had placed limits on human potential. This is how Germany felt prior to WWI. They wanted to break through the boundaries placed by England and France. They did not want to play the "game" anymore.

This view that morality placed limits on people was also the belief of a German philosopher, Friedrich Nietzsche. Nietzsche believed that everyone made their own moral code. He called this "might makes Right", or the Will to Power. Will was something I mentioned in part one, it was what Vince Lombardi used to separate winners and losers. In the real world, to the Germans at least, it signified that they were above the western powers of England and France. Nietzsche admired “greatness”, talent, skill, and resourcefulness. He argued that in order to succeed you must be creative, assertive, bold, strong-willed, competitive, and determined. These were the characteristics of his Ubermensch. These were the characteristics of Germany.

There's a breathless hush in the Close to-night
Ten to make and the match to win
A bumping pitch and a blinding light,
An hour to play, and the last man in.
And it's not for the sake of a ribboned coat.
Or the selfish hope of a season's fame,
But his captain's hand on his shoulder smote:
"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"


The sand of the desert is sodden red -
Red with the wreck of a square that broke;
The Gatling's jammed and the colonel dead,
And the regiment blind with dust and smoke.
The river of death has brimmed its banks,
And England's far, and Honour a name,
But the voice of a schoolboy rallies the ranks -
"Play up! Play up! And play the game!"



This is Sir Henry Newbolt’s famous 1898 poem “Vitai Lampada”. The poem connects the sport mentality of the playing field, and the battlefield. On July 28th, 1914 the game made the transition from one field to the other. This was the beginning of a war that would change the world, physically, and emotionally.

The game of football entered its modern state in the 19th century, but the world wouldn't enter its modern state until the 20th century. For football it was the creation of rules, or laws. For the world, the birth of the modern age was World War I. This "War to End All Wars" was also a war to end the "Old World". The German Empire had grown tired of the "Old World" and its beliefs and values. They were tired of the sense of duty to the team. They wanted a new world, with new freedoms. A world of the individual, and not the "team".

Germany were supporters of the avant-garde movement. The Germans were not just innovative when it came to art and culture, their innovation followed them onto the battlefield, just like the "game" followed the British. The Germans were the first to use submarines and planes in warfare. They were also the first to use chemical weapons and flamethrowers. Why did the Germans use all these different methods of warfare? Well, they had to. They were fighting a two front war. France and Great Britain in the West, and Russia in the East. Their original plan was the Schlieffen Plan, created by Alfred von Schlieffen. This strategic plan was designed to win a possible two front war and involved moving troops from the north through Belgium and invade France. Once France was defeated and secured, the army would rotate back to the Eastern Front and attack Russia as they finished mobilizing their army.

While Germany is fighting a war to change the world, Britain is fighting a war to preserve the world. To the British, Germany's use of unconventional methods of warfare were seen as "unsporting". Germany was nothing more than an "insensitive, regimented brute" that "was incapable of playing the game". The reason why Germany was seen this way was because of their innovative methods of war. Using planes, chemical weapons, and flamethrowers were not playing by the rules.

British and German troops meeting in No-Mans's Land during the unofficial truce.

Playing by the rules was important to the British. The Christmas Truce of 1914 was an example of them "playing by the rules". Giving the Germans the opportunity to enjoy Christmas was "playing fair". The truce is important for another reason, it also shows how different the world was before and at the start of World War I. To the British the Germans were an opponent, not an enemy. They were just the other team they were playing against in the game that was WWI. There was no real hatred for the other side, and this made it possible for something special to happen. This allowed for a Christmas day football match in no man's land. This would only be possible in a world that had not seen the horrors of the First World War. A world that had not begun to split between the Left and Right of the political spectrum. A world were you were either "with us or against us".

The war went on and the death toll began to rise. Over time soldiers would forget what it was that they were fighting for. They lost their connection with reality. The world they lived and fought in was nothing like anyone had seen before. War had made the land barren, it made the earth look like another planet. Nothing but death surrounded them all day, every day. Even through all this, the game continued to united the British and keep their morale up. In 1916, during the Battle of the Somme, Captain W.P. Nevill lead his men across no man's land by dribbling a football. Just like Sir Henry Newbolt’s poem, Nevill wanted his men to "Play up! Play up! And play the game!".

Part Three Coming Soon.

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Pembroke Pines, FL

"'Play the game!' That's what life is all about. Decency, fortitude, grit, civilization, Christianity, commerce, all blend into one - the game!" - Modris Eksteins

It is not unusual for sport to be a source of inspiration in life. It may be just a game, but in these games we see some similarities to our every day lives. A game is made up of rules, and within these rules a player or team works towards a goal. However, in order to achieve this goal that player or team will have to overcome challenges. In life we also have rules, or laws, and within these rules we work towards a goal while overcoming challenges. Vince Lombardi once said: "The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather in a lack of will." In sports you have to have will. You have to have the determination to overcome obstacles so you can, hopefully, win the game. This also applies to life. We all have the power to control what we can and will do. Only through hard work will a person, family, player, or team, be successful.

Teamwork is also important in both life and sport. In life you will have to work as team with your co-workers. Being a “team player” will benefit every member of the team because his or her duties will be fulfilled. Not being a team player will most likely cause problems. A sports team is no different. Each member of the team has a role, and the success of the team depends on each and every player. A player needs to be able to fulfill their duties. If a player fails, chances are the team will fail.

So what does this have to do with War? Besides the common comparison of the playing field and the battlefield, where each team goes to war, War and Football have a relationship. This relationship can be traced back to the 14th century. From 1324 to 1667 football was banned in England for two main reasons. The first reason was its unruly nature. Early football is the father of Soccer, Rugby, Australian Rule’s Football, and American Football. Early football was known as "mob football", where one would do anything to win the ball. By anything I mean kicking below the waist, punching, etc. As you could imagine, this was not something a King wouldn’t want going on in the streets. So it was banned. The second reasoning behind the banning of football was because it distracted the people from practicing archery. Archery was important in warfare, so it was obvious that the King wanted everyone to be trained and ready.

These two views of sport changed in the 19th century. Thomas Arnold, educator, historian, and head of Rugby School, believed that games were an important part of education. He believed that sport would give "young men the body of a Greek and the soul of a Christian Knight". In 1864 The Clarendon Commission insisted that:

"the cricket and football pitches are not merely places of amusement; they help to form some of the most valuable social qualities and manly virtues, and they hold, like the classroom and boarding house, a distinct and important place in public school education"

In the 19th century football was beginning to resemble the modern game. Football was no longer seen as savage or a distraction for the British people. Football, and sport in general, was now the tool used to promote civilized society. The importance of the game soon began to develop; it was a source of encouragement, determination, and team spirit. Through this game children would learn about the sense of duty, duty not only to the team, but also to their role in the "game." Disguised in this simple game was a secret. Yes, the game was key to helping build a child into an "individual" and to "integrate him into the group", but it was not done just to play the game. It was done for something bigger. That new sense of duty to the team, and to an individual’s role as a player was really a sense of duty to your country, and your role as a citizen. The game was preparing men for war.

In the second half of the 19th century football was no longer just a game, it was a passion for the British people. This is where Will comes back into play. Passion and Will go hand in hand. Passion can actually be used to define Will. Football, and sport, will become a passion for both sides of the battlefield in World War I. For the British it was the passion for the "game", for duty to King and Country. For the Germans it was the passion against the "game", to break away from the old world, and create a new future for Europe. This was a future where the individual was not bound to the “team” and their ‘duties”, but instead was his own master. In 1899, after the English Football Final, Times said the game was a "great value 'in the battles of life'." The country, and the world, would soon fight in the battles that would shape the first half of the 20th century.

Part Two. Here

photo by Stephen Yeargin

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Pembroke Pines, FL

The USMNT fell to Belgium today 1-0. At the end of this game, and others, US supporters tend to repeat one phrase: "the result doesn't matter". Not only do the results not matter, they do not matter until World Cup Qualifying, the FIFA World Cup, or any other major tournament. My opinion is that this is a false statement. I believe that what fans mean to say is that the game does not matter, which is true. Today's friendly against Belgium, as well as other friendlies, don't matter in the sense that there is nothing to gain or lose. Winning today’s game did not mean that the U.S. won a trophy, or qualified for the World Cup. Losing didn't mean that we failed to achieve one of those. The game itself may not matter or mean anything, but the result matters.

The fundamental goal of a game is to win. That game can be monopoly, FIFA 11, a pick-up soccer game, or a Premier League game. The goal of every game is always to win. Wins, Draws, and Loses are measurements. They measure whether you did enough or didn't do enough to win. It can be argued that the result of today's game did not matter because it is a trial and error process in order to get ready for World Cup Qualifying. In this process there will be failures, which will ultimately lead to success. But how can you decide whether a game was a failure or success without looking at the results? In my opinion, you can't.

Let's pretend we are watching a U.S. friendly. In this friendly we are playing the Netherlands, the #1 team in the world. This game doesn't mean anything because we are not gaining anything by winning or losing anything by losing. In this game Jurgen Klinsmann decided to start a new midfielder, his name is Joe Curtis. This is Joe's first international game, and Coach Klinsmann wants to see what he can do. Joe goes on to score three and assist one leading the United States to a 4-0 victory over the Netherlands. U.S. supporters would probably react to this result feeling that it was a big step forward. As a result of the game Joe's future looks bright, and he is seen as a player that can help the team win when it "counts". Now let's pretend Joe didn't score three goals, and instead had two turnovers that resulted in goals. The result of this game was a 2-0 Netherlands victory. U.S. supporters would probably react to his performance by saying that he was not national team material, and could not contribute to the team. Looking at the two extremes, winning and losing, as a result of Joe's performance the result of the game was important in judging whether or not Joe should be a regular on the team. The game itself did not matter, but the result did.

Looking at the team as a whole, the result is also important. The United States may play an almost perfect game. Distributed the ball well, had plenty of scoring chances, but in the end they were unable to score. This continues for two or three games, and still no goals. The team may be playing well but at the end of the game the team with the most goals wins. The results of these games shows that the current tactics are not working and changes need to be made in order to score. If you are unable to score in friendlies, you most likely are not going to be able to score when the game "matters". Problems that you face in friendlies are going to be the same problems faced in non-friendlies.

A game cannot be evaluated solely based on performance and not the result. Win or lose there will always be positives and negatives, but without a result it is almost impossible to really judge if a team is successful or not. If you were to watch a game without a score, different people will have different opinions. One may see all the negatives and call it a failure. Another may see the positives and call it a success. The result is the deciding factor, because there will always be positives and negatives. The result shows whether or not that team was able to overcome the negatives or challenges. The ability to overcome challenges shows that the team is ready. If a team continues to fail to overcome challenges then more changes need to be made. Only with the result can this be judged.

I find it hard to believe that the final score of friendlies do not matter. As we get closer and closer to World Cup qualifying and the U.S. is still performing below expectation I think those who feel that way will have a different opinion. Life is all about results. A game is no different. The game may not mean anything to you because there is nothing to gain or lose, but the result of each and every game matters.

photo by Jonathan Assink

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Pembroke Pines, FL

College is arguably the best years of your life. It is the last “carefree” years before you put on grown up pants and start doing grown up things. For most it is their first taste of independent living. The first step into, what we believe is, the real world. When those four years are up, however, the majority will learn how hard life really is. No more mommy and daddy holding your hand. Yes there are a few who are lucky enough to have grown up in mansions and have parents who are successful executives, but the average person will have to work hard to achieve their lifetime goal. This lifetime goal is sometimes called a “dream”. These dreams usually begin forming in a person’s childhood. A person’s dream is/was most likely influenced by their parents. As a result that dream most likely is or is similar to what one or both parents do for a living. However, some may dream of being or doing something totally different. Maybe they want to be the exact opposite of their parents, or maybe they want to be like their childhood hero. That hero may be an astronaut, a police officer, a pilot, and NFL quarterback. Those jobs might be a little boring, so some kids instead dream of being superheroes, like Batman and Spiderman. Who wouldn’t want to drive the Batmobile, or swing from building to building? As kids become teenagers, and teenagers become adults those dreams start to change. People begin to realize that it won’t be possible to become Batman. They will see how difficult it is to become an astronaut. Those dreams are abandoned. Luckily, there a few that work hard and never give up on that childhood dream and achieve it.

Outside of the United States, Soccer/Football is king. Children all over the globe dream of becoming the next Messi, or Cristiano Ronaldo and imitate them in the streets and at local parks. They dream of the fame, glory, and of course money. Not everyone will be able to be the next superstar, but they may be able to become a professional player. The road to becoming a professional footballer is not an easy one. Some will find the ugly truth of the path to the beautiful game, but those are not the stories that are told over and over again. The stories that are told are those of success. These are the stories that people want to hear because it gives them hope. Hope that they will live their dream. Hope that they will be able to live a better life than they currently are.

The 2005 film Goal! is about such a story. It may not be a true story, but it is a great example of those success stories told all over the world. The film follows Santiago Munez, a young man who entered the United States illegally from Mexico with his father. He works with his father in landscaping as well as a busboy at a local restaurant. Santiago’s dream, like many around the world, is to become a footballer. This is a hard dream to pursue due to his family’s economic status, and as a result he begins to accept the fact that his dream may never become a reality. Luckily for Santiago, a former Newcastle United player and scout, Glen Roy, notices his skill and offers him a chance to try out for Newcastle. Santiago rushes home to collect the money he has saved to fly to England. When he arrives at his house he realizes that his father had used that money to purchase a new truck for their business. Again, luckily for Santiago his grandmother sold some of her jewelry in order to pay for his ticket to London. Glen Roy greets Santiago and invites him to stay at his house while he is on trial with Newcastle. Santiago’s trial, however, is a disaster. Once again, luck saves Santiago. Glen is able to convince the manager that Santiago’s poor performance was due to jetlag and Santiago is given a second chance. Santi eventually makes the reserve team, and then is called up to be a substitute for the first team. Thanks to injuries in the lineup, Santi makes his first appearance in a Premier League game against Fulham, wins a penalty, and helps his team come out with a victory. Later in the season Santiago scores a free kick goal that earned Newcastle a place in the Champions League.

Goal! is a great story, mostly because it has a happy ending. Santiago fulfilled his dream. This story is true for many. A real life example of Santiago is Javier “Chicharito” Hernandez, a Mexican kid who was signed by Manchester United. In one season he went from unknown to indispensible. These are the stories that make the headlines. These are the stories that mislead people into believing that the road to becoming a footballer is an easy one. This is far from the truth. In the real world not everyone is as nice and helpful as Glen Roy was to Sanitago. Yes, the real world is filled with people who will offer trials with big teams to young players, but the majority of those people will abandon that player if he turns out to be not worth his time and money. The ugly truth is that money does talk, and everyone does listen. People do what it takes to get money. That most likely involves doing the opposite of what is morally correct.

Africa is the victim of the majority of these “soccer trafficking” acts. Kids in Africa grow up in poverty. Families in Africa hope and pray that they will be lucky enough to have children who can help provide for their family. Families see superstars like Didier Drogba, and Michael Essien who also grew up living in small shacks who are now football superstars. They and other players who were fortunate enough to make it to the top were able to move their families into new two-story houses on the other side of town. Families hoping that they too could be as fortunate as Drogba and Essien begin pushing their children to train in order to become the next superstar. Families feel that chances are good because more and more Africans are making it to the top. In 1989 there were four African players in the English Premier League. All of them were white. In 2009 there were 60 African players, nearly all black. This is where agents from Europe come in and “sell hope” to the families. These agents convince families that their son will be a superstar, and that they will be able to move out of the slums. They guarantee this, and all they ask in return is an upfront payment to cover travel and expenses for the trial with a team. In order to make this payment families make huge sacrifices, just like Santiago’s grandmother did. In Africa, however, this meant selling the family car, which could have been used for business purposes to bring in more income for the family.

Once the payment is made the families believe that they had just taken the first step to living a better life. The ugly truth is that the trial that was promised for their son does not always happen, and even if it does, they don’t always make the team. When this happens the agent just abandons the player. It is estimated that 20,000 soccer players are stranded across Europe. This is very different from the story in Goal! were Santiago also didn’t make the team the first time around, but Glen Roy (his agent) was able to arrange another trial. In the real world agents don’t always care because if you aren’t going to make them money you are not valuable. This leaves the families in Africa living worse than they were before, and missing a child. And yet families keep trying. If families know that they may give up their life savings and lose a child but are still willing to try it tells you something. The risk does not outweigh the benefits; losing a child is worth the chance to live a better life. It isn’t just agents who are involved. Local coaches can purchase the rights to a player once they turn 15. Coaches then sell the rights to agents, and in return get a percentage if that player signs a contract with a team. Players can also be sold to other local youth teams. Soccer/Football has become a business, a “total business”.

FIFA has made some efforts to stop soccer trafficking. Earlier this month FIFA blocked over 100 requests to transfer young players across national borders. FIFA official Mark Goddard said Thursday that more than 10 percent have been rejected since tougher transfer monitoring began last October. FIFA hopes that by making it harder to transfer youngsters it will change the behavior of agents and clubs who are involved in trafficking. "We don't necessarily think all minors are going through the system, but we're working on ways to make sure that becomes a very bad decision," Goddard said. FIFA received reports from South America that suggested that trading minors had become so difficult that clubs were beginning to wait until they turned 18. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end, but clubs will conitnue to find a new way to gain an advantage on competition.

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Sources: "Soccer's Lost Boys" by Vanguard, GOAL!, NBCSports.msnbc.com

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Miami

The 2011 Homeless World Cup has kicked off in Paris. 64 national teams composed of 500 Men and Women will compete in the 9th edition of the tournament, which was first held in Graz, Austria in 2003. The Homeless World Cup give men and women, who live without shelter and a sense of security, the chance to represent their nations. This is a dream shared by millions around the world. “The Paris 2011 Homeless World Cup is an opportunity for homeless people to move from being invisible to stand proud on a global stage". Since the first tournament in 2003, 70% of players have changed their lives. They have gone on to rebuild relationships with family and friends and have overcome addictions. This year's tournament will take place in Paris, France. The first match of the tournament took place yesterday, as France took on Portugal near the Eiffel Tower.

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So who qualifies to play in the Homeless World Cup? The mandatory criteria is as follows:

• Male or female and at least 16 years old (must have turned 16 before 01.08.2011)
• Have not taken part in previous Homeless World Cup tournaments

Players must meet at least one of the following criteria

• Have been homeless at some point after 01.08.2010, in accordance with the national definition of homelessness
• Make their main living income as street paper vendor
• Asylum seekers currently without positive asylum status or who were previously asylum seekers but obtained residency status after 01.08.2010
• Currently in drug or alcohol rehabilitation and also have been homeless at some point in the past two years (post 01.08.2009)

Teams can be all male, all female or mixed consisting of 8 players in total. All teams are required to bring a full team of 8 players to the tournament.

• The 4 players on the court:
• 3 outfield players
• 1 goalkeeper
• plus 4 substitute players ('flying' or 'rolling' substitutions apply)

Each player is expected to play a reasonable amount each game. Teams that do not give players equal opportunity to play will be warned. If that team continues they will penalized by the Sports Committee.

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The Men's Homeless World Cup

The Men's tournament will see 48 countries compete for not one but six trophies. The tournament begins with eight groups, just like the FIFA World Cup. Each group is made up of six team who play 5 games each. Matches are comprised of two 7 minute halves in a 4v4 format. Three points are awarded for a Win, zero for a loss, two for a penalty win, and one point for a penalty loss.

After the first round the groups are reorganized into a second group stage based on the standings from the first group stage. The top 3 teams in each of the preliminary groups now advance to Section 1 of the second group stage. The rest of the teams are placed in Section 2. Teams will play another five games in the second group stage.

Preliminary Round Standings

Second Round

Once the second group stage is complete teams are placed in new groups for the final stage of the tournament. This stage is the Trophy Stage and each group will play for one of the six trophies. Both sections now take the standard format of Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals. The trophies are as follows:

Section 1

• The Homeless World Cup (1st - 8th position)
• Dignitary Cup (9th - 16th position)
• City Cup (17th - 24th position)

Section 2

• Host Cup (25th - 32nd position)
• Community Cup (33rd - 40th positon)
• INSP Networking Trophy (41st - 48th position)

Each of the eight teams in every group will play three games in the Trophy Stage. The first round is the Quarter Finals. The Winners in the Quarter Finals advance to the "Winners Semi Finals", and the Losers advance to the "Losers Semi Finals". The two teams that win in the "Winners Semi Finals" advance to the Trophy Final. The Winners of the "Losers Semi Finals" advance and play for 3rd place. The rest of the teams will advance and play in the 5th/6th place game, and the 7th/8th place game.

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The Women's Homeless World Cup

This year's Women's Homeless World Cup will be the largest in history with 16 teams. The 16 teams are split up into two groups of 8. Each team will play 7 games in a 4v4 format. Just like the Men's tournament, matches will be comprised of two 7 minute halves in a 4v4 format. Points will also be the same: Three points are awarded for a Win, zero for a loss, two for a penalty win, and one point for a penalty loss. Teams will play for two trophies, The Women's Homeless World Cup, and the Women's Homeless World Cup Plate.

After the first round is complete the teams are placed in two sections. The top 4 teams in each groups will compete for the Women's Homeless World Cup. The remaining eight teams will compete for the Women's World Cup Plate. The tournament now takes the standard format of Quarter Finals, Semi Finals, and Finals.

Again, just like the Men's tournament, each team will play three games. The first round is the Quarter Finals. Once again, the Winners in the Quarter Finals advance to the "Winners Semi Finals", and the Losers advance to the "Losers Semi Finals". The two teams that win in the "Winners Semi Finals" advance to the Trophy Final. The Winners of the "Losers Semi Finals" advance and play for 3rd place. The rest of the teams will advance and play in the 5th/6th place game, and the 7th/8th place game.

The tournament will run from August 21st to the 28th.

photo by Zweifüssler

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Miami, FL

Argentina's Football Association was planning to reorganize its league system which would increase the number of teams in the Primera Division from 20 to 38 for the 2012/13 season. AFA president Julio Humberto Grondona is the brain behind the proposal, and 15 of the 20 top-flight teams had voted to make the change. The new league would include clubs from Argentina's second-tier league, Nacional B Division, as well as the 2011/12 champions of third-tier leagues Torneo A Argentino and Primera B Metropolitana.

This reorganization means that River Plate will return to the top flight of Argentine football after their being relegated for the first time in their history last year to the second division. River Plate finished last season in 4th place with a record of 8-7-4, however, relegation from Argentine Primera División is not like that of the English Premier League, where the worst teams are relegated every season.

In Argentina, relegation is currently based on an averaging system. At the end of every season the two teams with the worst average record over the past three years are relegated, and the two with the best record over the past three years are promoted. The teams placed 17th and 18th in the average table play in a promotion/relegation playoff against the 4th and 3rd placed Primera B Nacional teams. River Plate did finish in 4th this season, but finished in 14th place last season, and finished 20th (last place) two years ago. That placed them at the bottom of the three year average, and in a playoff to star in the Primera División.

The new Primera División will be split into two zones of 19 teams. Rivals Boca Juniors and River Plate will play in separate zones, but like MLB' inter-league play there will be inter-zone matches. These matches will feature the Boca-River matches. The top five teams in each group will play in the Torneo Campeonato, which will crown the league's champion. The remaining 28 teams will play to avoid relegation.

The proposed league received heavy criticism from the media, claiming that this league was simply an attempt to promote River Plate to the Primera División as soon as possible. As a result the Argentine Football Association decided "to suspend consideration of the proposal" earlier this week.

AFA president Julio Grondona added: "The tournament won't change. The idea is suspended. I won't call to any assembly in October, November or December. I have no interest in any change. It will be the clubs who should take now any further step for making any change to the tournament - changes that they had been claiming for a long time."(1) The AFA also made statements putting the blame on the media for misleading the public into opposing the proposed league.

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sources: (1) espn.com

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Charlotte, NC

"The World's Sport, In the World's City". The Cosmos Copa was founded in 2009 with the support of the New York Cosmos and features 30 amateur national teams from the New York City area. Essentially, the teams are comprised of community "All-Stars" that represent their country and culture in what is described as the World Cup of NYC. The tournament is open to anyone 18 and over. Because the teams involved are national teams every player must be 1st or 2nd generation descendants to the heritage of the team they are playing for. Each player must also provide adequate evidence. A "NYC" team is permanent on a yearly basis. In order to be one of these "NYC" teams, a team must have qualified for a past Cosmos Copa. Just like real National teams, if a player has dual citizenship he may choose between which team he would like to play for.

The Cosmos Copa has grown in popularity since 2009. The reason for its popularity is its World Cup style set up. New Yorkers loved the idea of cheering on their country and culture. What makes the Copa even more special is the fact that the players come from their communities. Put those two together and you get a growth from 16 teams in 2009, to 22 in 2010, to 30 teams in 2011. This year over 2,000 players tried out for a place on a Cosmos Copa Team. Over 650 of those players were chosen.

Last weekend was Qualifying Weekend for the 2011 Cosmos Copa. The top eight qualifying teams would join the 2010 Cosmos Copa Elite Eight, which received automatic bids. Those Elite Eight are: NYC Poland (2010 Champions), NYC Jamaica, NYC Ireland, NYC Haiti, NYC Greece, NYC Mexico, NYC England, and NYC Ecuador. The first day of qualifying is known as "One Shot Saturday". Twenty teams will have one shot, single elimination, to advance to the second day of qualifying. Match-ups were randomly chosen at the official Tournament Draw in April, with two teams, NYC Trinidad & Tobago and NYC Italy, receiving an automatic bye to the second day of qualifying, known as Playoff Sunday. After day one the following teams advanced to Playoff Sunday: NYC USA, Croatia, Kosovo, Ivory Coast, El Salvador, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Senegal, Portugal, France, and Colombia.

photo via Cosmos Copa Facebook

Playoff Sunday groups:

Group 1	Group 2	Group 3	Group 4
Trinidad & Tobago	Ivory Coast	Senegal	Italy
Kosovo	Croatia	France	Colombia
USA	St. Vincent and the Grenadines	El Salvador	Portugal

After two days of qualifying the eight teams that earned a Cosmos Copa birth were: NYC Trinidad & Tobago, Kosovo, Croatia, Ivory Coast, Senegal, El Salvador, NYC Colombia, and NYC Italy.

The 2011 Cosmos Copa tournament draw will take place on June 23rd. The group stage of the tournament is set to begin on July 9th at 8am.

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Sources: NYCosmos.com, Cosmos Copa Guideline, CosmosCopa.com, Cosmos Copa Facebook Pictures

[photo via LasVegasSun.com]

Texas entrepreneur Chris Milam has proposed a plan to build a 17,000 seat Basketball arena, a 9,000 seat Baseball stadium, and a 36,000 seat Soccer stadium near the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas. Milam is in the process of purchasing the Las Vegas 51's, Toronto's Triple-A affiliate, for a reported $20 million and is now pushing to bring the NBA and MLS to Sin City. This is just the first phase of Milam’s plan to eventually build three state-of-the-art facilities on the west side of I-15. The project has been dubbed the "Las Vegas National Sports Center" and is estimated to cost about $1.95 billion to complete.

Last week MLS Commissioner Don Garber contacted Nevada lawmakers in regards to funding a future MLS stadium. "(Garber) called, made no promises, but said they were interested and liked the project," Nevada Speaker of the Assembly John Oceguera told The Las Vegas Sun. A franchise in Las Vegas would make it the 12th MLS team West of the Mississippi river. With no teams in the South Eastern United States, does MLS really need another West Coast team? Don Garber has show the South East some love recently, talks continue regarding a possible expansion team in Orlando, Florida. My opinion? If MLS is considering Florida, the smart choice is to bring their talents to South Beach. Anyways, Las Vegas expansion, good move for MLS or should they pursue expansion in the South East?

Teófilo "Nene" Cubillas, George Best and Maurice Whittle

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Ft. Lauderdale, FL

The big story in the American soccer world these days is the re-emergence of the New York Cosmos. The Cosmos were arguably the greatest soccer club America has ever seen. Pelé, Giorgio Chinaglia, Carlos Alberto, and Franz Beckenbauer were some of the stars that made up the Cosmic line-up. Lets be honest, the Cosmos were a dream team and the city of New York had Cosmo fever in the late 70s. The team drew an American record crowd for a soccer game of 77,691 during a play-off game in 1977. The team they played that day has something in common with the Cosmos; besides the fact that they played against each other in the 1980 NASL Soccer Bowl, that team is also re-emerging. That team was/is the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.

The Cosmos may have had Pelé, but from 1978 to 1979 the Strikers had Manchester United legend George Best; yes I said George Best. Pelé named George Best as one of the 125 best living footballers in his 2004 FIFA 100 List. The Strikers had two more players included in Pelé's FIFA 100 list: Teófilo "Nene" Cubillas and Gerd Müller. Cubillas was the second highest goal scorer in the 1978 World Cup, leading Peru to the second round. Teófilo brought South American flair to South Florida, and helped revolutionize the Strikers attack. Gerd Müller held the all-time goal-scoring record in the FIFA World Cup with a 14-goal total. This record stood for 32 years until Ronaldo broke it in the 2006 World Cup. Müller scored 365 goals in 427 games for Bayern Munich, which just happens to be more than Teófilo Cubillas scored in his whole career.

Those three were great, but there is one more player left to mention. The legendary Ray Hudson. Hudson began his career with Newcastle United and joined the Strikers in 1977. Hudson, nicknamed "Rocky", has a special place in the hearts of South Florida soccer fans. Out of the "Big Four" Hudson was the only one that followed the team when they relocated to Minnesota in 1984, and then back to Fort Lauderdale in 1988. Rocky wore the Red and Yellow more than any other player in Strikers history. In 2001 he was named the Head Coach of the Miami Fusion, the only MLS team that has ever called South Florida home. The Fusion actually played their home games at Lockhart Stadium, home of the Strikers. It is pretty obvious why Ray is so special. Today Hudson is a commentator for GOL TV, which is based out of - you guessed it - South Florida. Miami to be exact.

Fast forward 29 years from the glory days of the Strikers and you find yourself at the beginning of a new story. This story begins with a team whose colors were not Red and Yellow, but Blue and ugh, Blue. The team is Miami FC and from 2006 - 2009 they called Tropical Park Stadium in Miami-Dade County home. However, The team eventually realized that in South Florida all roads lead to Lockhart Stadium and in 2010 they relocated and began playing all of their home games at the former home of the Strikers. Now we have a team that claims to be from Miami, playing 45 minutes away from Miami. A bit odd. Miami FC was struggling to become accepted in the soccer community. I'll be honest, even I wasn't interested in Miami FC. Then it all changed.

Last August the New York Cosmos announced that the legendary club would be making a push to become the second MLS franchise in New York. Personally, this was very exciting. After the excitement of the World Cup in South Africa to now see that the New York Cosmos were making a comeback helped make the future of soccer in the United States look very bright. The league is getting better, the players are getting better, and now some of the rich history of US soccer would be coming back with the re-birth of the Cosmos. Two months later Traffic Sports, the management company that owns the team, stated that they were going to incorporate the Strikers ethos in 2011. This could not have come at a better time. Now South Florida's team is on their way back, and they would be playing in the "re-emerging" North American Soccer League.

On February 17th, 2011 it was revealed that Miami FC would be renamed the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. It was official, the Strikers were back and unlike the Cosmos the Strikers actually have a team. Some big moves were made in the weeks leading up to the opening game of the season. The first being an exhibition game against the New York Red Bulls of MLS. Around 2,000 showed up for the free exhibition. It will probably be the only time that someone will have the chance to watch Thierry Henry, who played 90 minutes, for free! It was at this game that the Strikers won my heart. I became a "Striker Liker". Not that I wasn't before, but there was no emotional connection that made them MY team. The other moves the Strikers made were the signings of midfielder Eduardo Coudet and defender Cristian Arrieta. Both played for the Philadelphia Union of MLS last season. These two signings, at least for me, showed that Traffic Sports meant business and wanted to make the Strikers a title contender this season. This threw wood in the fire that was the excitement for the new season.

Last night the New Strikers played their "innagural" game against FC Edmonton in front of a record crowd of 6,402. It was exactly 34 years since the Strikers' innagural game in 1977. The atmosphere at the game was amazing. It is pretty safe to say that it impressed everyone.

"The guys have been waiting seven weeks to get this game under our belt. Having the Strikers name back and the legacy we have to live up, adds excitement. At the same time our players are looking to a new mark for the Strikers name, and start a new beginning for the new Fort Lauderdale Strikers,” said Strikers Head Coach Daryl Shore.

The team fed off the energy from the crowd in the first half. Eduardo Coudet had two nice chances on goal, but the Edmonton goalkeeper played the game of his life."Sir Martyn" Lancaster put the Strikers up 1-0 in the 47th when he scored on a set piece by Eduardo Coudet. That was the nicest part of the second half for the Strikers, who played very sloppy for the rest of the game. In the 53rd minute FC Edmonton responded with a Shaun Saiko "goalaso" from outside the box. The second Edmonton goal was the result of a weird series of events. The linesman failed to call a foul, then Toni Stahl tripped leaving Daniel Antoniuk the open lane towards goal. The Strikers started to string passes together towards the end, but were unable to score an equalizer.

The first page in the new chapter of Strikers history may have have not been a victory, but it was definitely a positive one. The Strikers host the Minnesota Stars this Friday, April 15th at 8:30pm. If the turnout is as good as the first game it would be huge for the growth of soccer in South Florida. Hopefully the fan base will continue to grow. Of course, winning games helps and the Strikers have a whole season to make it happen. Vamos Strikers!

• by Joe Curtis, writing from Miami

It has now been 4 days since the United States lost the 2022 World Cup bid to Qatar and people now begin to assume the 2026 World Cup is pretty much ours. I have a hard time believing we have this in a bag so I asked myself what other country could pull off an upset and host the 2026 World Cup.

From the 1994 film "D2: The Mighty Ducks"

Coach Bombay: I thought Iceland was covered with ice.
María: No, it's very green!
Coach Bombay: I thought GREENLAND was green!
María: Greenland is covered with ice, and Iceland is very nice!

One of the biggest complaints regarding Qatar hosting the 2022 World Cup is the Heat, this wont be a problem in Greenland. If FIFA wants to promote the game what is better than having the first permafrost World Cup? The answer is nothing. Nothing is better, and the reason why is igloos. Just picture the World Cup Final taking place in a massive igloo, would that not be a memorable World Cup? Ill answer that question for you, yes. Igloos were originally built by Inuits, and with 88% of Greenland's population being Inuit this would perfect. I mean FIFA does want to "open this game to everybody and open it to all cultures."


There is however one major problem, Greenland is not part of FIFA. In fact Greenland's national football team is not a member of UEFA or CONCACAF because they cannot sustain a grass pitch on the permafrost. Thanks to FIFA's approval of Field-turf and FIFA president Sepp Blatter approving a field-turf field in Qaqortoq, Greenland there is hope that one day FIFA will approve Greenland's membership. The wheels are turning, now the only thing left is getting the Polar Teddy Bears (yes, that is the name of their national team) ready for a World Cup. The Polar Teddys participated in the 2006 FIFI Wild Cup and faced some of the meanest teams on the planet: Northern Cyprus and Zanzibar. They may have lost both games but those two countries will never forget the day they wrestled with the mighty Polar Teddy Bears.

Will Greenland ever host a World Cup? I wouldnt doubt that everyone including those living in Greenland would say no, but hey I thought Qatar had no shot at hosting the 2022 and look what happened.