NCAA Men’s Soccer Tournament Explained

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The Men’s Soccer Committee of the NCAA has just released the official bracket for 2014. Notre Dame was predictably awarded the number one seed after last year’s championship.
With soccer growing in popularity after this year’s World Cup, the hopes are that this year’s NCAA tournament will have record audiences. There’s still a barrier to entry for the average sports fan, having to learn the ins and outs of a new tournament. Here’s what you need to know…
There are 24 conferences in NCAA men’s soccer. Each conference’s champion is automatically qualified.
The top 16 teams receive first-round byes.
2014’s first round begins November 20th (this Thursday!), and the final (the ‘Men’s College Cup’) will be December 12th and 14th in Cary, North Carolina.
The Atlantic Coast Conference has the most teams in the tournament, with Notre Dame, Syracuse, Louisville, Virginia, North Carolina, and Wake Forest all making the cut. The Big Ten Conference has six teams, including Michigan State, Maryland, Indiana, Penn State, Northwestern, and Ohio State.
There are no new-comers in the tournament this year. Saint Louis is making it’s 48th appearance – that’s right, this isn’t a new tournament, folks!
Games are played at universities all over the country. Securing a spot in the top four means a team gets to enjoy all home games until the quarterfinals.
For some, this tournament is a very big deal, but it still lacks the press coverage and editorial coverage enjoyed by larger tournaments. Since there’s not a lot of material online to give you a great idea of what teams to bet on, your best bet will be to watch the games.
The top 16 teams are…
Notre Dame
UCLA
Michigan State
Maryland
Indiana
Stanford
Clemson
Georgetown
Syracuse
Charlotte
Providence
Creighton
Louisville
Washington
California
Virginia
Tournaments are always more fun when you fill out a bracket with some predictions before it starts. The NCAA supplies a great interactive bracket that can be printed. [http://www.ncaa.com/interactive-bracket/soccer-men/d1]

 

Chuck Blazer US Soccer Executive and FBI Informant

FIFA World Cup - Coke

FIFA World Cup – Coke

Chuck Blazer was by all accounts a reliable professional in the soccer industry. From 1996 until 2013 Blazer served on the FIFA Executive Committee, he was an executive in CONCACAF (The North American, Central America, Caribbean Soccer Federation), and even served as an executive for US Soccer.

FIFA is an organization that is widely recognized as the world’s most corrupt governing body in sports. It is also the most recognized and wealthy. Allegations of bribery and vote-rigging abound. Most noteworthy was an investigation into the voting that made Qatar the location for the 2022 World Cup. That vote has since been revoked and a new location has not been decided upon.

Chuck Blazer was completely immersed in this shadowy FIFA organization, and a huge part of the problem. While earning millions of dollars, Blazer was not paying income taxes, which is a recipe to get caught. His offshore bank accounts funded his getaways to secret islands, private jets, and even apartments just for his cats! He also had expensive food tastes which led him to 450 pounds.

Upon discovering this blatant offense, the FBI and IRS both investigated him further and found he misallocated funds for CONCACAF.

Blazer, who is now very ill with colon cancer, was approached by the FBI and the IRS to be an informant against other high ranking officials in FIFA and other related soccer organizations around the world. He has recorded meetings with Russian, Hungarian, Australian, and American officials and could lead or have lead to further indictments including charges of money laundering and fraud.

 

 

 

 

The war on artificial turf

Tweet From Basketball Star Kobe Bryant

Tweet From Basketball Star Kobe Bryant

Basketball superstar Kobe Bryant tweeted a gruesome picture, but it had nothing to do with any injury that he sustained. This was a picture of US Women’s National Team member Sydney Leroux’s legs after playing a game on artificial turf in Salt Lake City. This has been a huge concern for women’s soccer players because the field surface for the 2015 Women’s World Cup with be played on an artificial surface when the world cup is held in Canada. Kobe Bryant is one of the few non-soccer player celebrities that are supporting the worldwide campaign to have the world cup playing surface changed to a grass field for 2015.

As of today, all 6 stadiums that will be used to host the 2015 Women’s World Cup will be using the artificial turf field surfaces. There is a coalition of over 50 star women’s soccer players from across the globe, including USA superstars Abby Wambach and Alex Morgan, who have decided that they are going to retain legal counsel on the grounds of gender discrimination. Their argument is that not once has the men’s World Cup has never been played on any surface but natural grass and that it is unfair that they would have to play on the artificial surface. One of the demands that this group has is that the Canadian Soccer Association, CSA, lay temporary grass fields over the artificial turf surface.

But the CSA is not going down without a fight, as president Victor Montagliani called the charges of discrimination “nothing but misinformation and typical hyperbole.” He is also claiming that CSA’s $4 million annual budget for women’s soccer programs is almost double of their male counterparts. This isn’t the first time that the CSA has been in hot water with their women’s team, they almost went on strike before the 2011 World Cup because “ad-hoc compensation.” There has also been another Canadian Soccer Association official that has been on record saying that the Canadian Men’s team would never play a World Cup qualifier on field turf because “our coaching staff and players prefer grass.”

But what about the voices of the women’s players, who also stated, that they also prefer to play on a grass surface. It was found in a recent FIFA report which surveyed 190 female players during the 2013 Algarve Cup, that 77 percent agreed or strongly agreed that “all matches at a major tournament should be played on natural turf.” Yet it seems as though the women’s voices and concerns about the playing surfaces are falling on deaf ears.

Chelsea’s famed Frank Lampard wants to put New York Soccer on the map

Frank Lampard Joins NYCFC

Frank Lampard Joins NYCFC

It’s the challenge, above all else.

Frank Lampard says that’s the reason he crossed the pond to unpredictable circumstances, joining an expansion team with only four players.

“Some say it was a risk,” says New York City FC’s newest signing in an interview with the New York Daily News.

At 36 years old, Lampard is in a unique position of comfort. This isn’t a reference to his enviable finances or television star girlfriend, Christine Bleakley, but rather the legacy secured in the highest levels of club soccer. It’s an easy argument, armed with ample evidence, that Lampard is the greatest player in Chelsea’s 109-year history, a hero at Stamford Bridge nicknamed “Super Frank” and the franchise’s all-time leading scorer. There isn’t a title Chelsea didn’t claim during Lampard’s 13-year stint, and much of the success was initiated by the midfielder’s leadership and relentless effectiveness.

Not blessed with speed, Lampard relied on grit, cunning and technical skill to make his mark in the English Premier League. He may not be in as many underwear ads as David Beckham, but he enjoyed a career that was equal, if not better than, his fellow Englishman’s.

“I’m very pleased with my legacy at Chelsea,” Lampard says.

There are reasons beyond soccer for European stars to cross the ocean, including sponsorships, introductions to American markets and different MLS owners. It all benefited Beckham during his very profitable stint in L.A.

But Lampard understandably doesn’t volunteer much into these considerations during interviews. He also won’t delve into the specifics of the recruiting and negotiating process, which was handled by NYCFC’s parent club, Manchester City, owned by the deputy prime minister of the United Arab Emirates. In the end, these details are not Lampard’s job to fret over, nor are they beneficial to the cause of bringing a title to New York.

“In terms of what you can expect of me as a player, I give everything, I help teammates get better,” Lampard says. “I was fortunate at Chelsea to have a great rapport with the fans there because they knew that I give everything. So I hope the New York City fans see that in me, realize that we want to bring a team here that we can be very proud of. If we can do that, then I’ll go away a happy man.”

It wasn’t too long ago that NYCFC believed Lampard was unattainable. Coach Jason Kreis helped compile a list in January of about 10 potential targets for Designated Player slots, reserved for those who can sign contracts exceeding an otherwise hard salary cap. MLS allows for three DPs per team, and NYCFC — which begins its inaugural season next year at Yankee Stadium — used its first on Spanish striker David Villa.

Lampard didn’t make the initial list.

“We were looking for the right type of players to announce as our first signings. We were sort of combing the world, so to speak, and thinking about who those players might be,” says Kreis. “I think obviously we knew about Frank’s situation. Our initial thinking was that certainly he was going to stay at Chelsea. So he was never kind of on our short list.

Lampard became a fan of the U.S. more than 10 years ago, and has been taking yearly vacations in New York, L.A. and Las Vegas. MLS was already on his radar as a post-Chelsea destination. He nearly signed with the L.A. Galaxy last year before Chelsea coach Jose Mourinho persuaded him to return for a final season.

The Galaxy made another bid at Lampard this year, but he instead chose NYCFC on a two-year deal. It provides him a more desirable timetable: rather than joining the club midseason — as Beckham did with the Galaxy and Thierry Henry with the Red Bulls — Lampard gets to go through an MLS training camp and start fresh. Of course, the season doesn’t start until March, so Lampard says he’s in the process of deciding the best way to stay fit — whether it’s on loan with another club or through offseason training.

The announcement of the signing, Lampard says, was delayed until after the World Cup, where he captained England to a disappointing first-round knockout.

“I knew my future was up in the air and I had to get something set up, but (during the World Cup) certainly wasn’t the time for me to come out and announce something,” Lampard says.

Lampard gets it — his answers, his attitude, his smile. He understands what Beckham understood seven years ago, when an English superstar and marketing phenomenon made his risky leap and significantly raised the profile of MLS.

Lampard is not just a soccer player in New York City.He’s an ambassador, the face of an expansion team with big ambitions and a big home stadium. His first day on the job Thursday was a crash course in that lesson, a whirlwind media tour around the city filled with repetitive questions and photo shoots.

“Thirteen years at the same club,” says Lampard, polite and accommodating at every stop without revealing much beyond the surface. “This is a big move for me. I wanted to make the right decision. I’d like to think I’ve done that.

“(The press conference) was a bit surreal, to be honest,” he adds.

Lampard, who has two daughters from a previous relationship, is far from the dumb jock.

Lampard reportedly scored over 150 in the 2009 exam, placing him in the category of genius.

In the very early stages of his career, Lampard was involved in two scandals — one in which he and two other players were filmed having sex with women (the tape was leaked), and another when he and teammates allegedly taunted Americans in a drunken stupor just a day after the 9/11 attacks.

The latter resurfaced as a topic when Lampard signed in New York, and he denied taking part in any taunting.

With his brilliant mind — which can be often seen on the field — the next natural transition is to coaching.

It’s a challenge for another day. Right now he’s focused on the one as New York’s future midfielder.

#USMNT goalkeeper Tim Howard the New Secretary of Defense?

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World Cup fever has officially ended here in the the states, as the US Men’s National Soccer team was defeated yesterday afternoon by a score of 2-1 during their elimination match with Belgium. The #USMNT goalkeeper turned in what will most likely go down as the greatest goal keeping effort in World Cup history when he recorded a record high 16 saves during the US match in Brazil. The performance has taken the internet by storm. But before we get into that lets go over Tim Howard’s tale of how he arrived at his 15 minutes of internet fame. Timothy Matthew Howard was born on March 6, 1979. Howard started his long journey to the top when he first started playing for the now defunct North Jersey Imperials, of the United Soccer League, at the age of 18. For the next five years Howard was the goalkeeper for the MetroStars of the MLS and because of this he started to gain attraction from one of the most storied football clubs in the world, the famed Manchester United. He enjoyed get success while in Manchester and even won the FA Cup in 2003 and the League Cup in ’05 and ’06. But the honeymoon in Manchester was over as Howard was put on loan to Everton after ManU signed goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar. Howard first started to represent his country in 2002 when he first made the men’s national team and was an unused substitute for the 2006 World Cup in Germany. But then it all changed for Howard, and the National team, in 2010. Howard earned the starting position on the field and helped lead the US back to the Round of 16 and again in 2014, saving his greatest performance for what could be his last World Cup game. This years group truly inspired the entire nation. And with inspiration comes crazy memes based off of Howard’s legendary performance. American soccer fans took to twitter with the trending topic of #ThingsTimHowardCanSave. One super fan decided to change the position of US Secretary of Defense to Tim Howard. Not a bad promotion after his 16 save performance, and it’s nice to see such American pride before the Fourth of July on Friday. #ibelievethatwewillwin

Adnan Januzaj – Ralph Cotran’s Blog

This is an image of Adnan  Januzaj on Ralph Cotran's Hobbies and Interests website.

Adnan Januzaj

Welcome to Ralph Cotran’s Hobbies and Interests blog. One of Ralph Cotran’s favorite pastimes is Soccer. Soccer is a sport that is appreciated all across the world. Adnan Januzaj from Manchester United will be 19 this year. He is well known and respected player for Manchester United. He garnered 75% of the votes on a multilingual website related to selecting valuable players. He received money to be awarded to charity of his choice. Januzaj selected the organization, UNICEF. Other players chose to donate to UNICEF as well. Adnan has continued to be successful on and off the field. Manchester United fans chant his name when he appears and Adnan appreciates their singing. For more of a biographical look at Adnan, he was born in 1995 during the month of February. His birth places was Brussels. Like Ralph, Adnan Janujaz traveled many places around the world at a young age. He joined the Anderlecht club team when he was only ten years old. In 2011, Adnan started with Manchester United. He was only 16 years old. His number was 44 and stayed so during the ups and downs of his career thus far. One of his downs was that he encountered a bad injury that brought his 2011/2012 season to an end. Januzaj’s position on field is winger and he has had 27 appearances. Patrick Schaal believes Adnan Januzaj’s nomination for Player of the Month is deserved. Adnan thanks his fans and all of those who have supported him along the way. Like Adnan, Ralph has always appreciated soccer and used to play avidly. He used to talk the sport with his peers growing up. Ralf is still a very big fan and supporter of the sport. More details on Ralph Cotran’s experience with soccer can be found reading his Hobbies and Interests biography on the homepage of this site.