Top Stories

Mid-day Ticker: Ochocinco to play in reserves, Bayern hire new coach and more

Ochochinco (getty) 

By JOHN BOSCHINI

Chad Ochocinco’s soccer career is going to last just a little bit longer.

Sporting Kansas City confirmed today that the Cincinnati Bengal’s receiver will take part in a reserve match against the Kansas City Brass on Monday, extending his trial into next week.

Ochocinco, who said he prefers soccer to football, hasn’t played competitively since his 10th grade.  The six-time Pro Bowler accepted a trial with the club as the NFL struggles through a lockout.

Here are some more stories to get you through Friday.

HEYNCKES TO BE NEXT BAYERN MANAGER

Bayer Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes is set to become the manager of Bayern Munich following the upcoming departure of Louis van Gaal, according to German media.

The 65-year-old manager will take over the Bundesliga side on July 1. Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge confirmed that Heynckes has agreed to a two-year contract.

This is will be Heynckes third time coaching Bayern Munich. He coached from 1987-1991 before returning for a five-game stint at the end of the 2009 season after the ill-fated tenure of Jurgen Klinsmann.

MLS ANNOUNCES “WORLD FOOTBALL CHALLENGE”

MLS and CAA Sports have announced the return of the “World Football Challenge” to be played this summer. The inaugural event in 2009 featured Inter Milan, AC Milan, Chelsea and Club America in a round-robin tournament. This year’s event will run from July 14-Aug. 6 and will feature MLS teams along with European sides. Neither company has released details in regards to the participating teams or venues.

GALLAS IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH TOTTENHAM

Tottenham has offered a contract extension to French defender William Gallas following a successful first season at White Heart Lane. The 33-year-old joined Tottenham from rival Arsenal at the beginning of the season on a one-year contract. There has been no word as to how much the new contract will be worth or the number of years.

————-

What do you think of today's stories? Stoked to see Ochocinco play a game? Will Heynckes be successful at Bayern? Will you go to the "World Football Challenge" if it comes to your town?

Share your thoughts below

Comments

  1. True, but those are the “types” who might have been. If their powers had been used for good instead of evil.

    Reply
  2. the point is that there is 0% probability that 85 will play in MLS because he does not have any technical skills. If you think that he has a chance, you are a fool

    Reply
  3. Have we not learned anything from watching Barca and Spain?

    How do their “athletes” stack up against Revis and Lebron and Ochocinco?

    Reply
  4. “Hockey and soccer are similar in that they have goals and goalies. That’s really about it. The skills don’t translate. Speed on the ice isn’t even correlated to being fast on dry ground. The foot skills involved are guite different and mostly it’s about hand-eye coordination. As far as comparisons go, hockey is much more like lacrosse than it is soccer.”

    I certainly wouldn’t say that you could drop a great C on the pitch and have him be your playmaker (or vice versa). But–repeated sprint endurance, free-flowing positional awareness, lots of pass, move, move off the action–hockey really has a lot in common with soccer.

    Also, fitness-for-pro sports books I’ve seen drew the same dynamical fitness parallels for soccer and hockey. Down to doing the same conditioning spreads.

    Reply
  5. 85 can not be taken seriosly and KC is giving him another publicity venue. This is a joint publicity stunt for a team that is trying to rebrand itself and a man who is starving for attention. Soccer is getting big enough in this country that we do not need this type of side show to hype our game. Argentina is in town for Gods sake!

    Reply
  6. have any of you guys seen steve nash? why does no one ever talk about him as someone who could go from the nba to soccer, his skills are sick, look it up on youtube

    Reply
  7. Why doesn’t anyone bring up Michael Vick when they talk about athletes who could have been great at soccer? The dude is an absolute freak when it comes to athletic ability.

    Reply
  8. Clap, clap, clap.

    Why are people up in arms about Ocho’s tryouts? It’s not disgraceful or shameful what he’s doing. It’s not a mockery if he isn’t given special treatment – which he hasn’t. If he sucks, he won’t make the team. In the meantime Sporting KC and the MLS get some GREAT exposure.

    Hey, worst case – Ocho sucks, but a bunch of new people watch him play with other MLS players. The “new” fans see how bad Ocho sucks, but realize how good the other players are… maybe even become a fan of a certain other player or style.

    Worst case you get new fans to the team & sport. Best case he is a surprisingly good finisher and is exciting to watch.

    It’s win-win, don’t know why some get so upset

    Reply
  9. You guys have got it all wrong. Yes we would be better if more elite athletes played soccer from the start but the effect is exaggerated. First at least part of the reason certain players ended up playing bball or football is because that is where they showed the most aptitude at a young age, meaning they were best at that sport. Secondly just because your good at football or basketball, the two sports people like to take examples from, does not mean you would be a good soccer player. My guess is the best player in the world, messi, would never be able to go pro in bball or football. Yes there is such thing as general athletic abililty but the athletic ability and more importantly body build for basketball, soccer, and football is not 1 to 1, in fact it is far from it. Lebron would likely never have made a great soccer player, he is too tall. How many 6 ft 8 in soccer players are their. Like 5 and they are all skiny as hell. Lebron likely would not have made a great goalie. You cant be to tall or you cant get down to the ground quick enough. Maybe some of the bball and football players would make our international team and I understand the desire to speculate but dont ever assume they would because most dont have atypical soccer bodies.

    Reply
  10. Hey Beach we took you guys out in 02 South Miami HIGH! and I like the 85 thing. I played football since I was born! and was a starter in High school I dont have the god given talent 85 has like many of the haters on here.

    Reply
  11. So, I think this is the first non-ocho comment, but here goes:

    I’ve been saying for a few years now that I wish MLS would abandon their all star game in favor of a brief break during which MLS teams all play a foreign team or two. I think that would be more beneficial to the league because there would be more revenue, it would encourage following local teams, and MLS would have a chance to be better represented by beating big clubs. Just look at last year KC vs ManU and the All-Stars vs ManU.

    Reply
  12. Haha!

    “Getting Ochocinco on SportsCenter pimping the team and league is amazing. Period.”
    Hilarious. But that is exactly what he is doing. For the first time Ocho isn’t pimping his own brand. He is pimping MLS and SKC for free. And you are right about his attitude.

    To all the naysayers out there, opinions from people like Jack are the only ones that matter. Opinions from the SKC fans, and season ticket holders. If they are happy, then this whole thing is already a success.

    Reply
  13. Ocho said he was already rich, it isn’t about the money. He said he would play for free or be happy to earn the league minimum of 42K for a player of his age.

    So KC has media gold for free. An intriguing athlete that is very coachable and learns very fast according Peter Vermes. One that will play for free just to fulfill a childhood dream. Why wouldnt you want that on your reserve team?

    Reply
  14. That sir is the definition of a hipster. And I can’t stand this damn hipster movement going on. I live in Austin, TX the Southern Hipster Capital of America.

    Reply
  15. As a Kansas Citian and SKC season ticket holder, I think this is great. He’s been nothing but gracious and complimentary of Kansas City, the team, the sport, and the athletes. He’s said numerous times that he’s not skilled enough to compete at the MLS level, calling MLS players elite athletes along the way.

    Getting Ochocinco on SportsCenter pimping the team and league is amazing. Period.

    Reply
  16. We could win the world cup just with the high school football talent that blow out their knees. If there was no NFL, and all that talent (not including O-linemen) was playing soccer/baseball/basketball, we would never lose an international competition.

    Reply
  17. I watch cycling.

    So F-U.

    Kidding. The more people we get wanting/playing soccer in USA, the cheaper it gets to watch on TV. 🙂

    Hell, me might even get it shoved down our gullets like the NFL.

    I even thing that the NFL lockout is going to be a HUGE BOON for MLS…”Given up on football? How about some FUTBOL?”

    Reply
  18. I completely agree. If more children play soccer as opposed to other sports, some of the natural athletes talented at many sports that may have ended up playing basketball, baseball, football may wind up playing soccer instead, giving us a larger base of professional players. I think it’s a pretty simple concept.

    Reply
  19. I dunno, I liked soccer better when it was underground. Now? Waaay too mainstream. You have no idea how tough it is having to fight for MLS tickets nowadays. And the crowds! Life was far better when there were only 3 people watching games in stadiums.

    That’s why I’ve switched over to spectating curling. You guys have no idea what you’re missing. Or better yet, it might be better for the rest of us if you don’t bother to find out what you’re missing.

    Reply
  20. +100

    There are many TYPES of athletes in this world geared towards different sports. I am sure than Landon or Messi are physically tooled to be great soccer players, and Ochocinco is to be a great football player, or LeBron to be a great basketball player. Just because you are a great athlete in one sport doesn’t make you a good one in another.

    Reply

Leave a Comment