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Wednesday West Coast Roundup

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                                                             Photo by ISIphotos.com

With the number of West Coast readers growing by the month, SBI will make it a point to start providing more coverage of all things on the West side of the USA map. With that in mind, here is the first installment of the West Coast Roundup, with SBI correspondent Odeen Domingo filling us in on the happenings over on the left coast, providing his own spin on the stories people in the Pacific and Mountain time zone want to read about. Enjoy

SBI’s East Coast bias is officially over.

Ives will still continue to break news on Western Conference MLS teams for us left siders. But I, your humble SBI lieutenant, will try to keep you up with news and notes on teams west of any current MLS club holding a winning record.

Every other day or so, the West Coast Roundup will try, as much as it can, to fill the soccer void for the SBI Mafia faction established in the West.

SBI’s West Coast bias has begun.

WednMastroeni ready for Europe move

MLS veteran and Phoenix native Pablo Mastroeni says enough is enough. He is tired of the buffoonery of the MLS. Tired of not scoring against American scrubs. Tired of letting MLS scrubs score on him.

So the walking yellow card is taking his game to Europe.

This is Mastroeni’s last season in the MLS before he leaves to earn a contract in Europe and come back in 2010.

No really, the U.S. international hopes to trial his way into the Serie A in Italy or La Liga in Spain. In recent U.S. matches, he has shown that he can still be effective at defensive midfielder. Fear is not an option when he challenges balls. And he can move the rock around effective enough to keep possession.

But at 31, is his decision to try his hand in Europe just a tad too late? Is he skilled enough to defend properly in two of the most skilled leagues in the world?

Most likely and probably not.

Why he chose to divulge this information with Colorado just two points out from first place in the West and the season yet to be half over is questionable. But if he is able to play in the MLS All-Star Game, which is just two weeks away, he may be posturing to have Serie A and La Liga scouts take a look at him. 

Club America in MLS?

Club America may be looking to have a sister team in MLS just like its biggest rival Chivas de Guadalajara did with Chivas USA.

This isn’t an actual MLS West story, but it could have an effect on teams in the Western Conference. Notably one – Chivas USA.

It’s only a matter of time until the American Goats move to another city. But if Club America decides to build an MLS team in say, 2010 to get into the league with Philadelphia, or 2011, will this effect Chivas USA’s eventual move?

Club America can put a team in San Diego, which is where many prefer Chivas USA to move, or other cities with the potential of a Chivas USA move like Las Vegas, Phoenix, or Central California. 

Will a Club America de St. Louis work?

One thing is clear, a Club America team in the MLS has few reasons to fail. After three years of learning (and laughing) at what hasn’t worked for Chivas USA, Club America officials should be able to have a sound plan to run a successful MLS club.

It will also create an instant superclasico. Though Chivas USA already has its own with the Galaxy, it should already be in another city (let along another stadium) by the time a Club America MLS team is in business. Thus, giving way to the Chivas USA-Club America superclasico.

This will also allow the Galaxy-Earthquakes rivalry to recapture its fire.

Galaxy ready to bolster defense

The LA Galaxy has just handed rookie of the year candidate Sean Franklin some sorely-needed help in the LA back-line.

The Galaxy has signed Eduardo Dominguez, a 29-year-old Argentine who plays central defender for Huracan.

The Galaxy needed to do something to shore up its defense. And Abel “can’t match the drapes with the carpet” Xavier isn’t cutting it any longer.

I was never high on Xavier even when others were on his jock his first season in the league. The guy doesn’t play on turf, which means he only plays about half the season. And when he plays on grass, he doesn’t play defense.

L.A. might still add another defender, with Carlos Ruiz as trade bait. With the re-awakening of Edson Buddle’s massive potential, the club can trade Ruiz to an offensively-challenged team for a defender. 

What do you think of Mastroeni’s decision? What about Club America’s MLS aspirations? And what the Galaxy needs to do to improve its defense? Do you like West Side Stories?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. @ brett

    Yes. I’ve read that too. Deeply disturbing because it means that we began to spoil this land even earlier than I previously thought.

    Anyway. Sorry I pissed off a couple people with my post. My only point was that there is plenty of blame to go around and that everyone shares in it.

    Nonetheless, it is still my contention that Columbus, as an Italian, would have been a promoter of defensive football. (He said with more than a hint of sarcasm).

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  2. william the terror: new evidence is showing that quite a large number of natives of the americas were in fact europeans who crossed a similar landbridge as the one on the pacific…

    artifacts and tools being found of anceint native americans are VERY similar to the tools used in europe at that time…

    so to say, your post about europeans go further back then columbus as well.. of course this is theory, not quite fact yet…

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  3. I think that before leaving LA, Chivas USA would be better advised to re-brand, as something not so Mexican club specific (maybe Los Angeles United? something more along those lines).

    I think there is plenty of room in LA (if not HDC) for two teams and it would be silly to just up & leave such a huge market without at least trying to make a go of it as a team that seems targeted at a larger portion of the populace.

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  4. Nico,

    I don’t have much of a soccer-playing background. But I have covered soccer on and off (currently on) for six years and have also been a professional sportswriter in that same span.

    I have covered a few MLS matches and a couple of USMNT matches and practices.

    Soccer is a love and a passion and I hope to bring more coverage and more insight (and my own twist) to SBI blog readers on western MLS teams.

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  5. Glad to see West Coast is getting attention. Curious if you can provide us with your background with sports journalism or soccer. I am wondering if I am reading a fan’s blog, or a journalist/insider. Thanks!

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  6. A fun article would be an all east team vs an all west team. Or speculation as to what the line ups would be. I coulda written and tried to sell this myself but i guess ill leave it up to Ives.

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  7. p.s. sorry for the misspellings. i was typing fast because, after spending most of my workday on this site, i now must leave to perform actual “work.” sigh.

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  8. @danj

    Well, my office is right next door to a family-owned Mexican restaurant, where the family and I are actually pretty close friends. So, although I follow the European leagues primarily, I also see a lot of Mexicn soocer, with a predominantly Central American crowd. I do agree their are different perceptions, but it is on both sides of the coin. you don’t know how many times I have been told “you’re a Gringo, what do you know about the game?”

    Pedantic?? Ouch! Also, guilty as charged.

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  9. @ William the Terror – Don’t be pedantic, this isn’t an etymology or political science blog. Throw an -Americans after Hispanic and you get the gist. It’s not Aaron’s fault hispanic has become synonymous with Latin American. You do recognize that many people perceive Europe and Latin America, as well as their residents, differently, right?

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