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| Friday, September 14, 2001 24:16 EST |
Miami in a state of con-Fusion
By Jeff Bradley
[ESPN The Magazine]
The league office has sent out a number of cryptic messages this year regarding the future of the Miami Fusion, saying things like, "expect a major announcement soon..." and, "a major shakedown is going to occur..." None of it's been clear at all. But after a conversation with a high-ranking league official last week, I'm ready to go out on a limb and say the Fusion have one year left to prove professional soccer belongs in South Florida. If they don't deliver, they're gone, probably to a place like Rochester.
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First XI
(The Boot Room's
2000 All-MLS Team)
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11. G, Tony Meola, Kansas City
10. D, Robin Fraser, Los Angeles
9. D, Peter Vermes, Kansas City
8. D, Carlos Bocanegra, Chicago
7. M, Carlos Valderrama, Tampa Bay
6. M, Peter Nowak, Chicago
5. M, Simon Elliott, Los Angeles
4. M, Steve Ralston, Tampa Bay
3. F, Clint Mathis, MetroStars
2. F, Wolde Harris, New England
1. F, Mamadou Diallo, Tampa Bay
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"We've done so much market research down there it's ridiculous," the exec said, "and the one thing that is clear is that there are too many obstacles in the way. From the oppressive heat in the summer, to the ethnic makeup of the community to the general state of Miami-area sports fans. I don't think it's the Fusion's fault, I simply think it's the market."
In fact, if it weren't for the fact that Ken Horowitz put $8 million into turning Lockhart Stadium into the second-best stadium in MLS, the Fusion would probably be gone in 2001. Instead, expect the league to announce what it is terming a "re-branding."
What does that mean? Well, they'll lose the "Miami" tag and go by either "South Florida Fusion" or "Fort Lauderdale Fusion." The league will probably send some new sales and marketing talent down there. And then?
"I suspect we'll see the same type of attendance," the league official said. "And at that point, it will be clear to everyone that some type of a change is needed."
As for this columnist's take, I'd hate to see MLS lose Lockhart, the one stadium where a sub-10,000 attendance actually doesn't look embarrassing on television, but the soccer fans in South Florida have not shown much interest in the club and seem to throw out the same, tired excuses, namely, "they didn't reach out to the youth soccer community," and "they don't do enough marketing and advertising." Let's be brutally honest here. The soccer community doesn't live in caves. They know the team is there. And an ad in the Sun-Sentinel or another billboard on Commercial Blvd. isn't going to change a thing.
So, if this is what it's going to take to get Rochester into MLS, I say, "Get on with it."
What about Hugo?
So there it was, on one of the soccer discussion boards, a thread entitled something like, "Dallas wants Hugo Sanchez to coach, according to GM Andy Swift." And there was even a link to a story from the Mexican wire service Notimex.
Now, I can decipher a little Spanish, but not enough to make complete sense of the story, so I gave Swift a call to find out what was up. Did he actually say that?
"No," said Swift. "It's just that whenever you're asked a question about Hugo around here, you have to be careful what you say, because it can be turned into anything."
For the record, here's what happened:
Swift was asked by a Mexican journalist if he'd ever consider hiring Sanchez to coach the Burn. The GM answered, "Obviously, Hugo is very popular here, but from what I understand his aspirations are to coach at a level where, financially, Major League Soccer would never be able to compete."
The journalist then asked what a coach in MLS makes and Swift answered, "On the absolute, high end, a coach in MLS can earn about $250,000."
So, cutting to the chase, the story read something like this: "According to Andy Swift, if Hugo Sanchez would accept $250,000, he can coach the Dallas Burn."
So much for trying to give the politically correct answer.
Everyone else is doing it, why not us?
It's that time of year. The voting for the MLS awards is about to come down, so, just to keep up with all the competition, here's the Boot Room's 2000 Award Winners.
Fair Play Award
The favorites: Steve Ralston, Mark Chung, Brian McBride. Why? Well, Ralston and Chung have both won it before, so why not again? And McBride gets his butt kicked by defenders every game and always bounces up and keeps playing hard. And doesn't Columbus always win the Team Fair Play award? Must be a tradition.
The darkhorse: Jaime Moreno. League leader in fouls suffered with 81, has not been issued a single yellow card this season.
Won't come close, but should: Simon Elliott. One of the most underrated players in MLS, does a lot of midfield dirty work, but doesn't commit many fouls. Has only been shown one yellow card this season.
The winner is? Moreno. Just read what is says above. That's impressive.
Rookie of the Year
The favorites: Nick Garcia, Carlos Bocanegra. Both have been superb. One will get consolation for not getting chosen to play in the Olympics.
The darkhorse: Bobby Convey. You gotta love it when Marco Etcheverry lets this kid step up and nail a free kick. That says something.
Won't come close, but should: Sasha Victorine. Already looks like a seasoned professional, playing in a number of positions.
The winner is? Bocanegra. Remember early in the year when everyone wondered how the Fire would survive without Francis Okaroh? That talk quieted the second Bocanegra stepped onto the field. A future national team defender without a doubt.
Coach of the Year
The favorites: Octavio Zambrano, Bob Gansler. Worst to first coaches completely overhauled their sides with astonishing results.
The darkhorse: Bob Bradley. That's what I've been reading anyway. Seriously, though, the Fire have lost just once since July 4, while playing all the best teams in the league with a slew of injuries and national team call-ups.
Won't come close, but should: Fernando Clavijo. Clavijo had visions of a team that knocked it around and attacked with fluidity. When he finally appraised his talent, he realized the Revs had to do whatever it takes, and he got his team to scratch and claw its way into the playoffs.
The winner is? Co-winners, Zambrano and Gansler. Just too close to call. Metros got more help from the league (namely, Clint Mathis), but they also score more goals than K.C. and are likely to compete in the U.S. Open Cup final. Kansas City deserves credit for making the most of its allocations trades and draft picks. Give it to them both.
Defender of the Year
The favorites: Robin Fraser, Peter Vermes. Veteran performers for stingy teams. There was no Lubos Kubik-caliber attacking defender this year, so the trophy's going to a true stopper.
The darkhorses: Nick Garcia, Carlos Bocanegra. They have a rookie of the year award, so these guys will have to wait on DOY.
Won't come close, but should: Matt McKeon. Sure, he's a midfielder, but he's out there to defend and pester and he does it really well for the league's toughest defensive team.
The winner is? Vermes. Consider it a sort of Lifetime Achievement Award for the MLS Iron Man.
Keeper of the Year
The favorites: Only one. Tony Meola.
The darkhorse: Are none.
Won't come close, but should: Scott Garlick deserves a mention.
The winner is? Otto Orf. Just wondered if you kept reading this one.
Goal of the Year
The favorites: Marcelo Balboa's bicycle kick. Wes Hart's bicycle kick. Miklos Molnar's bicycle kick. What can you say? Everyone loves a good bike.
The darkhorse: Hristo Stoitchkov's 35-yard bomb against D.C. For power and placement, it doesn't get any better than this.
Won't come close, but should: Ariel Graziani vs. Kansas City. Fighting off Brandon Prideaux like a running back who cannot be kept out of the endzone.
The winner is? Balboa's bike. Add in the fact that Marcelo had a concussion and barely remembered the play and you've got a winner.
Most Valuable Player
The favorites: Mamadou Diallo, Tony Meola and Clint Mathis. The three biggest stories in MLS, the scoring sensation and the men who led their clubs from worst to first.
The darkhorse: Carlos Valderrama. Proving this year that if you give him a striker and a busy midfield and he can play until he's 50.
Won't come close, but should: Peter Nowak. Has no numbers to back up his case, but has held the Fire together in a year where they've had to play big chunks of the season without the likes of Lubos Kubik, Hristo Stoitchkov and Chris Armas.
The winner is? Diallo. Hate him all you want for his foul on Mike Ammann, but you can't argue with goals. With him, Tampa's one of the best teams in the league. Without him, the Mutiny are simply one of the worst defensive teams in the league.
Pub talk
It got edited out of my ExtraTime piece last week, so here's a little more information on the league's proposal to the USSF that MLS cut back from four to three senior international players next season.
MLS would like to expand the league-wide pool of Junior International Players (guys like Roland Aguilera and William Sunsing) from 12 to 24, so that's why they're proposing a cutback on Seniors. Of course, if players like Mauricio Cienfuegos, Marco Etcheverry and Peter Nowak get their Green Cards, they won't count as senior international players, anyway. So, really, there's no cutting back at all here.
The sale of United Park (D.C. United's training facility) to a church group puts a cap on a nightmare season for the three-time MLS Cup champions. Knowing Kevin Payne's priorities, however, I expect D.C. to have a top-notch facility sooner rather than later.
Remember all those missed penalties earlier in the season? Well, just looked it up, and the last 20 PKs have all been converted for goals.
They're expecting a sellout in Columbus for the Crew-Fire game on Saturday and that crowd will include more than 200 Fire supporters making the seven-hour journey.
And, just so the Metro fans don't get on me, the Empire Supporters Club is planning to have a large presence in Foxboro for their season finale.
And, how can you not give a mention to Sam's Army for the job they did at RFK Stadium last weekend? Best atmosphere for a soccer game I've ever seen in the United States, and that includes the World Cup games I attended at Giants Stadium in '94.
No one works harder for MLS and soccer in general than these lunatics.
Briefly, on the national team. No, they did not play well at all against Guatemala. In fact, I thought they played poorly. But, once Eddie Lewis gets sent off, the mere fact that the U.S. got three points makes this a fantastic result.
Hold on a second. I'm waiting for David Regis to make a decision with the ball.
I'm still waiting.
One last thing about the U.S. national team ... at this rate, they will not only qualify for the World Cup, but they should arrive in Japan/South Korea on par with the best soccer countries in the world ... when it comes to complaining about referees, that is.
All right, on Saturday morning I officially become a Soccer Dad as my four-year old son Tyler makes his debut in the Manasquan, N.J. Soccer program. On Friday, Tyler and I will go shopping for shin guards, which are required by the league, and on the way to the Soccer store, I will certainly warn him about some of the worst studs-up tackles I've seen through the years at the U-5 level. He needs to know just how ugly it can get.
Jeff Bradley covers soccer ... among other things ... for ESPN The Magazine. Boot Room hits the web every Thursday evening.
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