Good afternoon folks. Since I know there are plenty of SBI readers on the West Coast who often find themselves looking for some news to fill their afternoons, I am going to make it a part of the post rotation to have more late afternoon posts for West Coast readers.
Here are some tidbits to consider as your Monday winds down.
Several stars out for Wednesday Friendlies
If you were hoping to catch a glimpse of the world’s best players in Wednesday’s heavy slate of international friendlies, good luck with that. Cristiano Ronaldo won’t play for Portugal, AC Milan star Kaka won’t play for Brazil, injured Barcelona sensation Lionel Messi is nowhere near ready to play for Argentina, which will also be without Juan Riquelme and Carlos Tevez, Inter Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic won’t play for Sweden against Brazil, and France will be without the trio of Thierry Henry, Patrick Viera and Karim Benzema.
It’s enough to leave you depressed.
So who WILL be playing on Wednesday? Cesc Fabregas should play for Spain against Italy, Wayne Rooney should play for England, Gigi Buffon should play for Italy and Michael Bradley should play for the United States (Just wanted to see if you were still awake).
What will Seattle MLS team’s name be?
The quest to choose the name for the new MLS franchise in Seattle continues and while the club came up with three options for fans to vote on, the reaction to the choices is not that enthusiastic.
Seattle Alliance, Seattle Republic and Seattle FC are the choices fans will have when they vote on the team name on the team’s website, which will accept votes from March 27 to March 31.
I think Seattle fans are right to feel as if they are being rail-roaded into picking Seattle FC. It’s either that or have their team sound like an insurance company or clothing store. The ownership might as well have made the three choices Seattle FC, Portland Timbers or Washington Mutuals.
Seattle fans could just do what some fans of Red Bull Salzburg have done, choosing to continue calling their club by its old name (SV Salzburg) and wearing its old colors as a sign of support for the old name.
Remember ‘Jimmy’ Hoffer?
If you watched the Under-20 World Cup, chances are you may remember Austrian striker Erwin "Jimmy" Hoffer, the forward with the terrible haircut who helped the Austrians knock off the U.S. team in the World Cup quarterfinals.
He had himself a pretty good weekend, netting a hat-trick in Rapid Vienna’s 7-0 thrashing of Red Bull Salzburg. Not only did the result hand Salzburg its first loss at Bullen Arena all season, it helped Vienna retake first place from Salzburg.
No word on whether he got rid of the haircut.
I’m so glad that MLS is forward looking and trying to create a new histroy with thier expansion teams. That’s why I’m excited about the San Jose Clash reentering the league.
hey guys help me out here so when the new MLS seattle team starts playing next year, what happends to the the USL team?
“Am I the only one that knows that we refer to the sport as “Soccer” in this country?”
“I’m sick of the “FC’s” out there.”
Yes. I can’t STAND the use of “FC” in this country. I’ve commented on it on SBI a number of times.
Why is it that we have to copy everything we do from England? I like the English game as much as the next American fan, but that doesn’t mean I need to copy everything they do, right down to the name of the clubs. Frankly, I expect that the people who like the name “Seattle FC” will be wanting the name of the Philly team to be “Philadelphia Hotspur”.
It’s time to have our own traditions, not copy other people’s traditions that don’t fit here.
” I like the sound of Seattle SC (SSC).”
Do you regularly talk with a lisp?
“Everyone reporting that the name was going to be Emerald City Seattle FC/Greens looks pretty stupid now.”
Because nothing ever changes right? You want inside information but refuse to believe it can change. You’re the one who looks stupid.
“I am refusing to attend the China/Mexico match, because why would I want to do anything that may remotely support our main rival. Based on the Hispanic population around here I am sure they will get a good sized crowd for the game.”
Hey, this comes off as being a dumbass. By going to the match you are supporting Seattle MLS who sponsored it and SUM/MLS (Who stand to make the most money from it).
IF you hate mexico so much, where your red sams army stuff and stand in the China section. (they wont object, they also wear red).
Wow the creative juices are really flowing in Seattle.
But let’s face it, most MLS team names are pretty awful and have always been that way. My favorite team is named after the company that owns it for pete’s sake.
Some of the stories going around is that the name Sounders may be kept with the group that is talking about maintaining the team in the USL. There is talk of the “Sounders” playing in Kistap county on the other side of the Puget Sound even after the MLS team begins.
For those suggesting Emerald City FC, there has been an Emerald City Select youth program around here for years, so I am not sure of the logistics or trademarks involved.
Being from Seattle and a supporter of the Sounders, Storm, and FC Seattle I could careless what the team is called as long as we have a team.
On a side note I am refusing to attend the China/Mexico match, because why would I want to do anything that may remotely support our main rival. Based on the Hispanic population around here I am sure they will get a good sized crowd for the game.
garbage options for Seattle. Thanks for pointing out the article about the bad names. As a Seattle resident and fan, I refuse to vote for any of these names. I will support the team, but this is ridiculous. They will always be the Sounders.
The fun part about the Seattle name is non-fans can vote as well! he he he…
Isn’t SUM in charge of who Mexico plays and where? I thought thats why they usually play in the U.S.
I don’t know why people hated Emerald City FC…that’s the nickname of the city, and if the team chooses green for its main color (which it probably will), that would have worked out well. There’s a Buffalo-based team in the NPSL (4th tier) called Queen City FC, and I think this is one of the best names for an American club that I’ve heard.
I think naming new clubs is a lose/lose situation. Not everyone will be happy. Someone is always going to make fun of it. It either sounds silly if it’s an “Americanized” nickname or contrived if they try to go the traditional soccer route.
That said, I think naming every team ‘City’ FC is boring. Hopefully Philly gets creative with something like “Independence” or 1776.
how about just Emerald City ??
I think Seattle FC is the best choice. Let a nickname develop itself, the way FC Dallas became the hoops. Everyone here in Dallas loves the hoops as a name because we weren’t force fed a dumb nickname, but instead got to develop our own.
Go FCD!
we have already used FC here in seattle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seattle_Storm_(soccer)
might as well use it again.
GO SEATTLE FC!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Eh, I was hoping they’d go with something like “Emerald City FC”. But I guess Seattle FC is better than the Seattle Sasquatchs or whatever.
If they call the team Seattle FC, those in the know could just refer to them as the Sounders.
lawl he mentioned mike bradley amongst kaka & co.
o lawd.
Mendoza’s goal must be to trial with every team in North America.. whats next Philly and then finally kicking a ball in front of the arch waiting for St Louis to join the league?
SA Seattle (Sport Association Seattle ) would have been good. I’ll vote for Seattle FC probably.
I remember Hoffar, the difference between the US getting to the semi’s…Jimmy Hoffar the Austrian Talisman. Interesting that he is developing nicely I suppose.
I really wonder if the people who get all crazy over FC, Football, etc are kinda old? Its common to hear football and soccer used inter-changebly now.
Watch this video:
http://mlsunderground.blogspot.com/2008/03/philly-weeklys-sob-film.html
I think SC would be fine, as would AC (athletic club for the less initiated). Hell, AC Seattle would at least look unique compared to some of the other team names.
Seattle FC is so boring, they should be the Sounders.
RK–
I know it is about money…but is it that they can’t get money in Mexico? I mean…I know there is a large majority of Mexicans in America, but what about the Mexicans in Mexico that want to watch their team play…I don’t know…from a marketing standpoint, it seems to me that you would want to target your home target market and not one of your major rival is all.
Geez, why do teams keep picking names in the singular? Alliance? Republic? They’re just as stupid as Avalanche or Magic. Pick a team name in the multiple, please. The Seattle Space Needles? Or some marine animal/mammal that’s close to the city/region?
That said, Seattle FC is ok… perhaps SC (Soccer Club) Seattle would be better. I’m not a huge fan of either since it would be nice if they had a nickname. Though an “unofficial” nickname works just fine in my opinion.
Matt- I dont mind football or fc, Because in 1913 The US Football Association was started which became the US soccer football association and then finally the us soccer association just to placate 350lb grown men that dress in spandex and take breaks after 5 seconds of continuous play.
“The most successful team in the history of the USOC is, wait for it….
Bethlehem Steel F.C.
Posted by: CACuzcatlan ”
For what it’s worth, CACuzcatlan, Bethlehem Steel is only TIED as the most successful team in the history of the Open Cup, along with Maccabi Los Angeles, who also won five titles.
Matt: Put the spectacles and cane away, it is not nice to shake it at the kids gramps.
We also call it football. We’re smart enough to knoww there can be more than one kind of football. Give it a rest.
The last soccer league that went under was uber-american, The NASL had no FC’s or appeals to immigrants. It did have special rules for the casual american sports fan. The same ones MLS abandoned as real soccer fans left the stadiums in droves. Only now are they gaining them back and above 15K average attendance.
Looks like this “foreign” thing is working out…
In short : American names + Foreign players (mostly) = dead
Foreign names + American players (mostly) = MLS.
Getover it.
Speck, what do you mean by “nothing”? Every team has a name. Seattle FC/SC is as close to “nothing” as you can get. Unless they truley have no name and show up on the schedule as “Seattle team” or something like that.
Tim, money.
The fourth option should be “Nothing”. Hopefully some future expansion team will have the guts to let the name naturally evolve over time.
Matt, that’s actually a good point. I like the sound of Seattle SC (SSC).
Everyone reporting that the name was going to be Emerald City Seattle FC/Greens looks pretty stupid now.
So…I just went to the Seattle website…didn’t vote because, hey why should I? I did notice the advertisement for the Mexico v. China game…why is it that Mexico has played the majority of their recent friendlies in the USA? Can’t get fan support for a team that constantly gets beat up by the US?
Matt,
We’ve had a long tradition of naming teams “FC” in the United States. Take a look at the names of teams that won the US Open Cup. The most successful team in the history of the USOC is, wait for it….
Bethlehem Steel F.C.
Of course, back then, the F.C. stood for Field Club, not Football Club.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bethlehem_Steel_F.C.
On second thought, I think everyone should vote for Alliance just so you CAN unofficially call them the Ants. That is a pretty sweet nickname, although I doubt they thought of it that way.
hahaha I’m not sure Mendoza is good enough to play USL 🙂
Wasn’t Republic one of the nicknames rejected for Houston?
Alliance would be the worst nicknames in all of sports. How many good team nicknames are 3 syllables? 3 syllables break all the rhythm of the good fan cheers. Even the Tennessee Volunteers gets shortened to Vols by fans when cheering. What do you shorten Alliance too? “Lets go Als”, “Lets go ‘Ance” (actually that wouldn’t be bad, but everyone would call them the Ants).
For what it’s worth, I’m a Sounders fan in Seattle, and I think Seattle FC is just fine. More important to me will be that I never, ever, ever see football lines on the turf.
Some other big news – Seattle Alliance/FC/Republic just signed its first player. 2007 USL-1 MVP Sebastian Le Toux revealed in an interview he’s signed a five year deal with the club (2008 with the USL Sounders and the next four years with Seattle’s MLS side), and will be returning to his native France to get a 5-year work visa this spring.
Also of note, former Club America and Mexican NT striker Jesus Mendoza is apparently on a trial with the Sounders. He played 45 minutes and had an assist in the Sounders preseason opener last Saturday.
Quick question:
Am I the only one that knows that we refer to the sport as “Soccer” in this country?
I’m sick of the “FC’s” out there. I can’t believe that anyone believes that naming OUR teams with foreign names will make Americans (& Canadians, you FC Toronto fans) want to watch the sport. This is the dummest thing I’ve heard since “Real” Salt Lake.
Sucking up to the immegrant population and pretending that any minute this sport will be as big as it is elseware if we make it more “foreign” will kill the sport, not help it.
Looks like Emerald City FC is dead. Seattle FC sounds fine but it is pointless to hold the vote. It’s obvious the owners want Seattle FC and they are forcing the fans to vote for the name. Slap in the face if you ask me. But I’m not in Seattle so I don’t care too much. Cool kits though.
Seattle really blew this one. I think the F in FC stands for something else, not football…
I am not from Seattle but I am definitely in favor of naming teams after their cities. So Seattle FC sounds perfect to me.
i think sounders is the way to go, however I don’t selecting Seattle FC is going to kill the Sounders name. I can see one of two things happening – either fans get real turned off by MLS in Seattle or they rally around the Sounders name and make it the unofficial official nickname. its not like the European teams have official nicknames – most acquired their nicknames through the fans. we’ll be fine – i can see the sounders colors continuing to be worn throughout the stadium regardless of the new identity…
Something tells me the Seattle ownership group is going to start rethinking its professed devotion to lots of fan involvement in running the club. Not that the fans aren’t entitled to be upset about the potential names– but then again, I think almost all of the MLS names suck, it’s just that we’re used to some of them. Maybe that’s true of sports franchise names in general. But the LA Galaxy? Real Salt Lake? Houston Dynamo? Stupid names, all of ’em.
Seattle FC is just fine.
Now, the important thing is replacing the stupid f__ing FIELDTURF by show time. I really wish players would start refusing to play on the stupid crap- can’t the Player’s Union make a stand on this?
MICHAEL BRADLEY IS THE ONLY STAR THAT MATTERS
Ives, I love your comments on Seattle! There is no way that those were chosen through fan suggestions and fan focus groups. Seattle Republic? Like, Seattle’s its own country now? FC is the only choice.
Jimmy Hoffer will always be an idiot, even if he no longer has the terrible haircut.
Wow, so any old shmuck will be able to vote on the team name? That’s terrible. What they really should do is have in-person voting at their stadium. That way only Seattle fans that care enough can vote.
By the way, I missed the whole “suggest a name” campaign, so for what it’s worth, my suggestion is “Totem FC”. They could have some pretty cool graphics to go with that’n.
I actually like Seattle FC. If they couldnt get the sounders then Seattle FC sounds decent.
I like Seattle FC. I think it means that the club doesn’t have a nickname and that a nickname can come naturally instead of having MLS marketing come up with some sort of warrior like human or vicious animal moniker.
Feel free to nickname them the Sounders or whatever.
At least it’s looking like they won’t be named after a gem stone. Still, this club needs help before they take over the rights of most ridiculous MLS club name.
Ives – I posted a collection of the internet scuttlebutt on my website. Apparently, Sounders was out because no one had the forethought to trademark the name – anyone could have produced “Sounders” merchandise.
http://hotdogandfriends.com/?p=472
Thanks and keep up the good work!