Pine-Scented Pitch

Revere's Ride: Dump Moreno

2012-02-10T16:47:00.005-05:00

In the nine days since Revolution President Brian Bilello sent out a cryptic tweet claiming the Revs "have signed a #9," there's been confirmation the player was Colombian journeyman Jose "Pepe" Moreno, reports that Moreno has changed his mind and would instead prefer to remain in Colombia, and reminders that Moreno has signed all the necessary paperwork to become property of the Revolution.

All of which is to say New England Soccer Today's Brian O'Connell is spot-on with his call for the Revs to say thanks, but no thanks to Moreno:

At this juncture, the best course of action is to simply pull the plug on Pepe. It’s fairly obvious he’d rather stay in Colombia. So let him. Forget the potential public fallout for letting him walk. Better to leave him be than to force him into a situation he may never be ready for.

- John C.L. Morgan

Freeport Mulls New Zoning, Schedules Public Hearing

2012-02-08T16:08:00.005-05:00

PPH:

For the first time, the Town Council will hold a public hearing on whether it should even consider a zoning change.On Tuesday, the council scheduled a Feb. 28 hearing on Seacoast United Maine's request to create a completely new "recreation district" so it could build a controversial indoor-outdoor soccer complex in a rural residential zone. The council set the hearing after getting the green light from the town's attorneys, who advised that considering the soccer club's request wouldn't violate the town's charter or comprehensive plan.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Criticism of Seacoast Project Reflects Broader Development Tensions in Freeport (January 16, 2012)

Revere's Ride: Basement Dwellers

2012-02-03T15:38:00.013-05:00

Even though the Revolution won't kick off their 2012 season for another month or so, they are already considered to be the worst team in the MLS:

John Lozano--not Benny Feilhaber, Shalrie Joseph or anyone else--is actually the key player in New England this year. The offense and possession game was better than good down the stretch, but defensively, they couldn’t stop a sneeze. Lozano needs to come through for them to improve.

Speaking of Lozano, he and his fellow defenders are evidently pre-occupied with communication right now.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Wahl: Revs are the Least Ambitious Team in MLS (December 15, 2011)

Vid of the Week: Bob Bradley on Egyptian Soccer Riot

2012-02-03T06:35:00.000-05:00

The reaction of former U.S. national team coach--and current Egyptian national team coach--Bob Bradley reacting to this week's soccer riot in Egypt.

- John C.L. Morgan

Revere's Ride: The Colombian Connection

2012-02-02T05:25:00.008-05:00

MLSsoccer.com:

John Lozano and Fernando Cárdenas are so new to the United States, they reported straight to the remote oasis of green pitches in south-central Arizona from their native Colombia. No stopover in their new home in New England, even though the club returns to the Northeast on Tuesday. No chance to find a temporary home or shop for warm clothes or meet office staff. None of that. The Colombian duo went straight to the Revolution’s preseason training camp way out west and, just a few days after arriving, found themselves in the Revs’ first training match of the preseason last Saturday.

There is also fresh news that the Revs have signed 30-year-old Colombian striker Jose "Pepe" Moreno.

- John C.L. Morgan

Revere's Ride: Headlines

2012-02-01T05:56:00.005-05:00

Here's news on the Revs since their first pre-season friendly that may not be news fit to post on its own, but is interesting in the aggregate:

Contributing members to the 2011 edition of the Revolution, Monsef Zerka and Rajko Lekic, will not be returning for the 2012 campaign. (February 1 and January 30)

Sainey Nyassi has gained permament resident status from the U.S. government, so the Revs now have five of its possible eight slots for international players open. (January 31)

Rookie Kelyn Rowe's solid debut attracted some positive press, including attention for his adjustment to a new position and predictions of a successful rookie season for the former UCLA midfielder. (January 30 and January 29)

Midfielder Stephen McCarthy may find himself playing center back this year. (January 30)

Midfielder Benny Feilhaber's January experience with the U.S. national team results in more questions than answers. (January 30).

The Revolution have announced two schedule changes for the upcoming 2012 season. (January 30)

News article leads to hopeful speculation that a new stadium deal may be in the works. (January 28).

- John C.L. Morgan

Revere's Ride: Revs Open Pre-Season with a Win

2012-01-28T22:04:00.008-05:00

According to the team's staff writer Jeff Lemieux's Twitter feed, the Revs opened their 2012 pre-season with a 2-1 win over FC Tucson, a semi-pro team based in Arizona.

Sainey Nyassi scored on a cross from rookie Kelyn Rowe in the 38th minute, and Kenny Mansally converted a penalty kick in the 89th minute.

- John C.L. Morgan

U.S. Women Qualify for London Olympics

2012-01-28T20:03:00.001-05:00

U.S. Soccer:

Tobin Heath, Carli Lloyd and Alex Morgan each scored a goal as the U.S. Women’s National Team defeated Costa Rica 3-0 in the first semifinal of the CONCACAF Women’s Olympic Qualifying tournament to earn a berth to the 2012 London Olympics.

- John C.L. Morgan

Vid of the Week: 2012 MLS SuperDraft

2012-01-27T05:37:00.002-05:00

The New England Revolution were one of three teams (the Montreal Impact and Sporting Kansas City were the others) who shone in the spotlight in this behind-the-scenes look at the 2012 MLS SuperDraft. Parts 2, 3, and 4 are also available on MLSSoccer.com.

Related: Don't Get Too Attached: A Partisan's Look at the MLS SuperDraft (January 12, 2012)

- John C.L. Morgan

Road to Rio: Mediocre Yanks Edge Panama

2012-01-26T05:54:00.007-05:00

The U.S. men's national team narrowly defeated Panama, 1-0, last night in Panama City.

Below are the ratings for the players, who squeaked out a win despite putting together a collection underwhelming individual performances. Below are the player ratings for the starting eleven players:

United States v. Panama

Player Ratings

(1=atrocious, 3=poor, 5=average, 7=good, 10=excellent)

(1) Nick Rimando: 7

Aside from a scary moment in the 15th minute when Rimando very nearly coughed up possession of the ball with a bad first touch in the box, the Real Salt Lake keeper commanded his box well, distributed the ball well, and made a couple big saves. Even though his play wasn't always pretty, Rimando took a shut-out into halftime, before he was presumably being subbed out because of a leg injury.

(2) A.J. DeLaGarza: 5

DeLaGarza wasn't as active in the U.S. attack against Panama as he had been a couple nights earlier against Venezuela. He therefore didn't have as many opportunities to demonstrate the timidness and the indecisiveness that was so annoying in that earlier game. Put simply, DeLaGarza was part of a back line that was pretty leaky, but not consequentially so.

(3) Zach Loyd: 4

Loyd's performance as a subsitute in the game against Venezuela was marked by sharpness and confidence on the ball. Last night, well, not so much. Loyd was often too loose in his marking (which accounts for his desperate yellow card in the 14th minute) and--with the exception of the excellent cross that led to the United States' goal in the 9th minute--his distribution was poor. In fact, it is only his assist on the goal that saves him from a poor rating; unfortunately, it didn't save him from an ignoble substitution in the 42nd minute.

(4) Michael Parkhurst: 5

If Saturday night's game against Venezuela was tailor-made for Parkhurst to emphasize his strengths, then last night's game was an unfortunate opportunity for him to display his weaknesses. The former Revolution defender had relatively few touches due to the pressure Panama's attackers consistently applied, so he was not able to circulate the ball as effectively as he's capable. And his lack of physicality in the face of consistent pressure contributed to a vulnerable back line that was saved more than once by stellar goalkeeping.

(5) Geoff Cameron: 4

As co-quarterback (with Parkhurst) of the backline, Cameron is also responsible for the porous defense that was lucky to escape with a clean sheet. Moreover, even if Cameron's red card in the 52nd minute seemed a little harsh, he was fortunate to not have a foul called on him in the penalty box right before halftime, when he nearly booted an opposing player in the head with a dangerous kick.

(6) Ricardo Clark: 5

Clark had an average game in that he avoided that costly mistake that puts his defending teammates in an awkward position of recovery. However, he just doesn't have much of a possessive presence in the midfield, and he's not the type of holding midfielder that excels at connecting players and changing the points of attack.

(7) Chris Wondolowski: 5

Wondolowski was robbed of a sure goal in the 30th minute, when he followed up on a Jermaine Jones rocket. Only the extraordinary efforts of Panama's goalkeeper, Luis Mejia, prevented his header from tickling the net. Unfortunately, that was the only time Wondolowski was involved in any sequence of consequence before he was replaced by Jeff Parke in the 55th minute. The substitution was part of tactical adjustment to Cameron's red card a couple minutes prior, but it's not like a lot of offensive firepower had to be removed from the field.

(8) Jermaine Jones: 6

If the U.S. attack had an engine, then I suppose it would've been Jones. As previously noted, the captain had a scorching shot in the 30th minute that tested Mejia and very nearly led to a goal for Wondolowski. And his through ball that sprung Brek Shea in the 79th minute should've led to another very good scoring chance for the Yanks. On the flip side, Jones is prone to commit bad turnovers and his consistent barking and chippy play make him vulnerable to team-harming cards.

(9) Teal Bunbury: 3

This obviously was a poor game played by Teal Bunbury. His stone-footed first touch killed numerous counter-attacks and attacks. And the Sporting Kansas City attacker's dreadful turnover after a corner kick by Panama in the 43th minute led to a scary moment in which Rimando had to sprawl to his side to cut down a cross from outside the 6-yard box. It was, unfortunately, the best scoring opportunity Bunbury was involved in until he was replaced by C.J. Sapong in the 76th minute.

(10) Graham Zusi: 5

Zusi scored his first international goal in the 9th minute on a scoring chance that would've been more remarkable had it been a miss. Other than that, Zusi's play was unremarkable until he was replaced by Brad Evans.

(11) Brek Shea: 3

Fortunately for Shea, Teal Bunbury's presence on the field ensured the former wasn't the worst American player on the field. The FC Dallas midfielder appeared sluggish throughout the game as though his legs just couldn't keep up with his mind. And though he had a nice one-two combination with Loyd in the 19th minute, Shea's possessions of the ball too often resulted in a turnover. The absolute worst play for Shea, though, was when his muffed first touch on a great through ball turned what should have a breakaway into a thwarted golden chance for the U.S.

- John C.L. Morgan

Road to Rio: U.S. Sneaks by Venezuela in Friendly

2012-01-22T05:28:00.022-05:00

(Editor's Note: The U.S. men's national soccer team kicks off its 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign in June, so this is the first installment of a new feature of the blog that will cover the Yanks as they seek to qualify for their seventh consecutive World Cup. The approach to each game will vary, but below I've graded the three players who played last night who are either current players for the Revolution or who are Revs alums.)

Venezuela v. United States

Player Ratings

(1=atrocious, 3=poor, 5=average, 7=good, 10=excellent)

Michael Parkhurst (2005-2008): 7

This game was tailor-made for Parkhurst to make a pretty good impression in his first national team appearance under Juergen Klinsmann. Venezuela's impotent attack didn't often put Parkhurst in a position to become overmatched physically, and The Burgundy's low pressure defense allowed the center back to do what he does best: Circulate the ball, maintain possession, and change the points of attack effectively.

To be fair to the F.C. Nordsjælland defender, though, Parkhurst acquitted himself well in the handful of aerial battles he had, and his game awareness enabled him to pretty much always be in the right spot at the right time. He seemed to work well with fellow center-back Geoff Cameron and the other defenders to hold a consistent line and account for their marks. Parkhurst was one of five players for the U.S. who played all 90 minutes.

Jeff Larentowicz (2005-2009): 6

Larentiwicz did what every coach wants his No. 6 to do: Give the attacking midfielder defensive cover, break up the other team's attack in the midfield, keep the ball moving, and maintain possession. By my count, Larentowicz completed 94% of his passes (31 of 33) in the sixty minutes he played (he was replaced by the eventual goal-scorer Ricardo Clark), though his cautious offensive play in the first half appeared to force Jermaine Jones to drop deep into the midfield and sometimes into the defensive third of the field to collect the ball and try to jumpstart the attack.

A poor game for a defensive midfielder occurs when he makes a glaring defensive mistake, a good game for a defensive midfielder is when he sprinkles a solid defensive performance with a few sparkling attacking plays, and an average performance for a defensive midfielder means he largely goes unnoticed. Hence Larentowicz's above-average--but not good--rating.

Benny Feilhaber (2011-present): 5

Cliche alert: Feilhaber was uneven. For every clever play (his slip pass to Brek Shea in the 20th minute, for instance), there are a couple ham-footed plays (the attempted backheel to Shea off a turnover in the 7th minute or the attempted chip to Jermaine Jones in the 27th minute). And for every decisive play (the one-touch pass in the defensive third of the field that sprung Heath Pearce for an unsuccessful counter-attack in the 25th minute) there's the moment he just...takes...too...damn...long (his third-minute shot off a turnover).

Overall, Feilhaber wasn't sharp enough to be the best playmaker for the U.S. and not physically stout enough to occasionally complement Teal Bunbury as the team's second striker. He was subbed after about sixty minutes.

(Update: Brian O'Connell of New England Soccer Today has a good piece on how Michael Parkhurst was joined at center back by a former youth club teammate from Rhode Island, Geoff Cameron.)

- John C.L. Morgan

Revere's Ride: Revs Touch Down in Arizona

2012-01-22T04:55:00.004-05:00

According to Revolution players' Twitter accounts, the Revs have arrived in Arizona, where they will remain through Febuary 1.

This is the first of two pre-season trips the Revolution will make to the Grand Canyon State; they will be back in Arizona from February 20- March 5 to train and to compete against the L.A. Galaxy, the New York Red Bulls, and Real Salt Lake in the second annual FC Tucson Desert Cup.

- John C.L. Morgan

Dempsey Nets Another Hat Trick for Fulham

2012-01-21T14:46:00.003-05:00

Video: Clint Dempsey is sensational

Revs alum Clint Dempsey scored his second hat trick of the month in Fulham's 5-2 win over Newcastle today. Dempsey, who scored twenty-five goals in his three seasons with the Revolution ('04-'06), has now scored fifty-two goals in the five years he's worn a Fulham uniform.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Clint Dempsey Sets American Scoring Record in EPL (December 6, 2011)

Revere's Ride: Revs Hire Nick Downing as New Conditioning Coach

2012-01-20T15:21:00.009-05:00

MLSSoccer.com:

Work remains the operative word for a Revolution side aiming to improve its fitness heading into 2012. Two telling statistics from last season display the need to bolster that particular department: The Revs finished 14th in goals conceded (23) and tied for last place in goals scored (12) during the final 30 minutes of matches in 2011. [Former Revs player Nick] Downing will lean on the experience he gained as a professional player and rely on the knowledge gathered during his work at Pure Performance Training in Needham, Mass., to address those concerns and prepare the Revs for the season-opener at San Jose on March 10.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Revere's Ride: Revs Look to Begin Pre-Season Training (January 16, 2012)

Subsidiary of Boston-Based New Balance Gets Liverpool Uniform Deal

2012-01-20T15:13:00.008-05:00

Associated Press:

Warrior Sports, an athletic apparel company based in Warren, Michigan, said Thursday it signed a six-year agreement to design the Liverpool kit. Liverpool is owned by a group that owns the Boston Red Sox while Warrior sports is owned by Boston-based shoe company New Balance. "We are here to shake up the world of football and our partnership with one of the most successful club teams of all time is just the start," Warrior Sports general manager Richard Wright said in a statement.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Report: Liverpool FC to Play AS Roma at Fenway Park (January 16, 2012)

Vid of the Week: 8-2

2012-01-20T05:28:00.005-05:00

Video: The Red Devils bring the fire!

Arsenal looks to avenge August's 8-2 loss to Manchester United this Sunday at 11a. The game, which will part of the FOX network's "Epic Sunday," will be the first Barclays Premier League game shown live on a U.S. network.

The Westbrook Soccer League has organized a Viewing Party for those in southern Maine who are interested in watching the game with fellow fans.

- John C.L. Morgan

Westbrook Soccer League to Host Poker Fundraiser

2012-01-19T05:15:00.002-05:00

The Westbrook Soccer League is hosting a state-sanctioned poker tournament this Saturday at the Stockhouse Restaurant and Sports Pub.

The tournament begins at 4p, but you can register as early as 2p. There will be a 100-player cap, and the buy-in to participate is $60. Seventy-five percent of the net proceeds go to the eventual winner.

- John C.L. Morgan

Full disclosure: I serve on the Westbrook Soccer League Board of Directors.

Report: Liverpool FC to Play AS Roma at Fenway Park

2012-01-16T19:03:00.005-05:00

Boston Globe:

Organizers are planning a Liverpool FC-AS Roma exhibition soccer game at Fenway Park this summer, according to multiple sources involved with the negotiations. The match would be part of US tours for both teams, the first since controlling interest in the clubs was purchased by Boston-based investors. Liverpool, founded in 1891, was purchased in 2010 by Fenway Sports Group, headed by Red Sox owner John Henry (NBA star LeBron James is also an investor). AS Roma, founded in 1927, was taken over last year by a group which includes Red Sox minority owner Thomas DiBenedetto and Celtics owner James Pallotta.

- John C.L. Morgan

Criticism of Seacoast Project Reflects Broader Development Tensions in Freeport

2012-01-16T07:52:00.007-05:00

PPH:

Growing controversy over the town's pending land deal with the soccer club has resurrected old complaints among Freeport citizens who believe town government favors development and commercial interests over residents' concerns.The Seacoast proposal has fanned talk about done deals and who really knows what's best for the town. The dispute has put town officials and Seacoast representatives on the defensive and pushed the Town Council to consider ways to increase government transparency and improve communication.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Freeport Officials Meet with Critics of Seacoast Complex (January 11, 2012)

Revere's Ride: Revs to Begin Pre-Season Training

2012-01-16T06:49:00.011-05:00

(Editor's Note: Below is the first installment of Revere's Ride, a new feature in which I mix together original content with material published elsewhere to bring you, dear reader, a unique and one-stop spot for the goings-on of the New England Revolution between now and the final minutes of the team's 2012 campaign. After reading Revs beat writer Kyle McCarthy's brief preview of the Revs' opening of pre-season camp, I recommend you check out the excellent Web site of a certain Maine native whose work inspired the nomenclature of this segment.)

Boston Herald:

Even as new Revolution coach Jay Heaps scrambled around to improve his squad and oversee structural changes the last two months, he always kept the first day of training camp in mind. The target date finally has arrived. Heaps and his staff will welcome most of their players to Gillette Stadium today for the start of camp. "I’ve been looking forward to (today) getting here," Heaps said at last Thursday’s MLS SuperDraft in Kansas City, Mo.

- John C.L. Morgan

Top 100 Moments in Soccer History

2012-01-13T05:53:00.004-05:00

Miguel Delaney over at the Football Pantheon has documented the Top 100 moments in soccer history, most of which are enhanced with YouTube footage.

Must-see (Internet) T.V.

- John C.L. Morgan

Vid of the Week: Leo Messi, Circa 2011

2012-01-13T05:41:00.004-05:00

Earlier this week, Messi won an unprecedented third consecutive Ballon d'Or--or Golden Ball--awarded annually to the best player in the world.

- John C.L. Morgan

Don't Get Too Attached: A Partisan's Look at the MLS SuperDraft

2012-01-12T06:00:00.009-05:00

The 2012 MLS SuperDraft will kick off at 12p today, but fans' enthusiasm for their teams' new draft picks should be tempered by some historical context that shows it is unlikely that the players they're cheering for this afternoon in a Kansas City convention center will be the same guys they'll be cheering for 3-5 years from now in their home stadiums.

Below is a graphic that represents the draftee retainment of each of the twelve MLS teams that participated in all three of the MLS SuperDrafts between 2007 and 2009. The number attached to each of the teams represents the percentage of the players drafted by each respective team who remain on their active roster 3-5 years after orginally being drafted by that team.

(Editor's Note: Click on image to enlarge.)

Finally, another note on why fans should not grow too attached to the players their teams will be drafting: Just 25% of the players drafted during the 2009 edition of the SuperDraft are still on the rosters of the teams that initially drafted them, only 16% of the draft picks from the 2008 SuperDraft are still with their original team, and only 12% of draftees from the 2007 SuperDraft remain on the active rosters of the team that drafted them.

- John C.L. Morgan

Freeport Officials Meet with Critics of Seacoast Complex

2012-01-11T17:15:00.004-05:00

PPH:

Town councilors were unaware--and some were unconcerned--that a proposed indoor-outdoor soccer complex would require a major zoning change when they decided last year to provide town-owned land for the now-controversial project. That's the clearest bit of information that came out of a Town Council workshop Tuesday night with the Save Our Neighborhoods Coalition. The council called the workshop to address the coalition's concerns about Seacoast United Maine's proposal to build a $4 million soccer complex on town-owned land near Hedgehog Mountain.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Opposition Group to Submit Petition Against Seacoast Complex (December 20, 2011)

2012 WSL Viewing Party Series: Schedule

2012-01-08T07:23:00.008-05:00

The Westbrook Soccer League is partnering with Shack's Top Dogs to provide soccer fans in southern Maine a great spot to gather throughout 2012 to watch high-level soccer games on a jumbo screen.

Below is the tentative schedule for the Viewing Party Series through July 2012. You can RSVP for the January 22 game here.

Sunday, January 22 (11a)
Arsenal v. Manchester United

Sunday, February 5 (11a)
Chelsea v. Manchester United

Saturday, March 17 (TBD)
Chelsea v. Manchester City

Saturday, April 21 (TBD)
Barcelona v. Real Madrid

Saturday, May 19 (TBD)
UEFA Champions League Final

Sunday, June 10 (TBD)
Italy v. Spain (UEFA Euro 2012, 1st round)

Sunday, July 1 (TBD)
UEFA Euro 2012

Viewing Parties for August 2012- December 2012 will be posted at a later date.

- John C.L. Morgan

Vid of the Week: Tim Howard

2012-01-06T15:59:00.004-05:00

Video: GOTD: Howard scores amazing Goal

Interestingly, of the four EPL goalkeepers who have scored goals in the run of play, two of them--Tim Howard on Wednesday and Brad Friedel in 2004--are American.

- John C.L. Morgan

MLS Unveils 2012 Schedule

2012-01-05T16:15:00.007-05:00

Major League Soccer has released its master 2012 schedule, which has conveniently been broken down by the New England Revolution here.

The Revs open the season in San Jose on Saturday, March 10 and will host their home opener two weeks later against the Portland Timbers.

- John C.L. Morgan

A Sneak Peek at 2012

2012-01-01T06:00:00.000-05:00

Steven Goff of the Washington Post has compiled a handy calendar of the notable dates for soccer in the U.S. and elsewhere throughout 2012.

- John C.L. Morgan

Goodbye, 2011; Hello, 2012

2012-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Vid of the Week: 2011 Revs' Goals

2011-12-30T22:23:00.000-05:00

The last-place New England Revolution didn't give us fans too much to cheer for this past year, but here were the 30 or so times we were able to let out a yelp or two.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Wahl: Revs Are the Least Ambitious Team in MLS (December 15, 2011)

Vid of the Week: Soccer and the Christmas Truce

2011-12-23T09:32:00.004-05:00

A student-produced short film made in the early 2000s, "The Truce" re-creates the Christmas Day Truce of 1914.

German and British soldiers took a one-day reprieve from the early butchery of WWI and exchanged gifts and played soccer in an act that the historian Paul Fussell has called "the last twitch of the 19th century."

- John C.L. Morgan

Klinsmann Calls Up Revs' Feilhaber

2011-12-22T20:54:00.003-05:00

New England Revolution:

New England Revolution midfielder Benny Feilhaber is among the 20 players called in by U.S. Men’s National Team head coach Jürgen Klinsmann for the team’s annual January training camp, which will begin on Tuesday, Jan. 3, in Phoenix, Ariz. Also included in the three-week camp itinerary is a pair of international friendlies against Venezuela in Glendale, Ariz., on Saturday, Jan. 21, and Panama in Panama City, Panama, on Wednesday, Jan. 25.

- John C.L. Morgan

The Geography of Talent: Historical All-New England and All-American Selections in Maine

2011-12-20T14:30:00.020-05:00

Two geographic plots of the state's All-New England (top) and All-America (bottom) selections since 1989, thanks to the indispensable Maine Soccer Coaches Web site. Below are the public high school leaders for these categories:

Top 5 Combined All-American Selections

Falmouth (7)

Waterville (7)

Brunswick (6)

Cape Elizabeth (6)

Mt. Ararat (4)

Top 3 Boys' All-American Selections

Falmouth (7)

Cape Elizabeth (6)

Brunswick (5)

Top 3 Girls' All-American Selections

Waterville (6)

Greely (3)

Mt. Ararat (3)

Top 8 Combined All-New England Selections
Brunswick (14)
Bangor (12)
Cape Elizabeth (12)
Greely (12)
Mt. Ararat (12)
Falmouth (10)
Waterville (10)
Yarmouth (7)

Top 5 Boys' All-New England Selections
Brunswick (14)
Cape Elizabeth (10)
Falmouth (9)
Bangor (8)
Yarmouth (7)

Top 3 Girls' All-New England Selections
Greely (10)
Waterville (9)
Mt. Ararat (8)

- John C.L. Morgan

The Top 100 Moments in Soccer

2011-12-20T14:20:00.001-05:00

Miguel Delaney over at the Football Pantheon is in the middle of documenting the Top 100 moments in soccer history, most of which are enhanced with YouTube footage.

Must-see (Internet) T.V.

- John C.L. Morgan

The Geography of Talent: Historical Maine Public High School Champions

2011-12-20T14:10:00.006-05:00

By utilizing the wonderful trove of information available on the Maine Soccer Coaches Web site, I've plotted the annual state champions in each of the classes. The boys' champions--first crowned in 1970--are in the blue, and the girls' champions--first crowned in 1980--are in the pink.

For the curious among us, here are the Top 10 programs:

Top 10 Combined Championships
Falmouth (20)
Richmond (17)
Cape Elizabeth (13)
Gorham (11)
Greely (10)
Scarborough (10)
Yarmouth (10)
Georges Valley (9)
Mt. Ararat (9)
York (9)

Top 10 Boys State Championships (1970-2011)
Falmouth (10)
Richmond (9)
Cape Elizabeth (8)
Georges Valley (8)
Yarmouth (8)
Gorham (7)
Greely (7)
Scarborough (7)
Brunswick (6)
Van Buren (4)
York (4)

Top 10 Girls State Championships (1980-2011)
Falmouth (10)
Richmond (8)
Mt. Ararat (7)
Waterville (6)
Cape Elizabeth (5)
York (5)
Gorham (4)
Schenck (4)
Greely (3)
Scarborough (3)
Van Buren (3)

- John C.L. Morgan

Opposition Group to Submit Petition Against Seacoast Complex

2011-12-20T08:01:00.004-05:00

PPH:

A group of Freeport residents is expected to deliver a petition to the Town Council tonight asking officials to abide by a ban on commercial development of public open space and residential land west of the village center. The ban, part of the town charter, is the latest hurdle for the Seacoast United Maine soccer club in its effort to develop an indoor-outdoor field complex on town-owned land near Hedgehog Mountain.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Seacoast United Buys Topsham Dome (December 19, 2011)

The Geography of Talent: Top 2012 Players in the U.S.

2011-12-19T06:20:00.004-05:00

(Editor's Note: Click on the map above to enlarge.)

Top Drawer Soccer has ranked its Top 100 2012 boys' club players (here) and Top 100 2012 girls' club players (here), so I've organized the two-hundred players by geography. Once again, the blue pins represent the male players, and the pink pins represent the females.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: A Geographic Plot of the Top Youth Soccer Clubs in the U.S. (December 15, 2011)

Seacoast United Buys Topsham Dome

2011-12-19T05:00:00.002-05:00

The Forecaster:

Seacoast United soccer club says its desire to build a sports arena in Freeport is not off the table, even though the club is buying the Howard Sports indoor facility in Topsham. Paul Willis, Seacoast's director of development and finance, said the nonprofit club plans to close on the Howard Sport purchase next week. It has leased the facility at 20 Atwood Road in Topsham for the past three years.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Seacoast May Take Field Complex Elsewhere (December 8, 2011)

Vid of the Week: Lech Poznan v. Tottenham Hotspur, U-12

2011-12-16T06:28:00.002-05:00

Fast-forward to 0:40 to see what has to be the most incredible supporters group any U-12 team has ever had. Chants, flags, flares--these guys have it all.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Vid of the Week: Panyee United (December 9, 2011)

Wahl: Revs Are the Least Ambitious Team in MLS

2011-12-15T17:26:00.012-05:00

Sports Illustrated's Grant Wahl measured the aspirations of all nineteen Major League Team soccer franchises and found the New England Revolution to be the most pathetic:

No fan base sends me more complaints about its own team ownership than New England's. The Revs play in an NFL stadium far from any city, and any hopes for an urban soccer stadium in Boston remain talk and little more. Spending some money to make Shalrie Joseph a DP has been the exception to the rule in New England. Winning seems terribly important to the Kraft family when it comes to the New England Patriots, but how much do the Krafts care about the Revolution?

- John C.L. Morgan

Update: Revs Should Complement New Uniforms with Throwbacks (December 6, 2011)

The Geography of Talent: Top Youth Soccer Clubs in the U.S.

2011-12-15T16:26:00.006-05:00

(Editor's Note: Click on map to enlarge)

Soccer America recently published its annual ranking of the best 30 boys' and girls' youth soccer clubs in the United States (here and here). The image above is a geographical representation of the results that I put together. Of course, the blue pins represent the boys' clubs, and the pink pins reprsent the girls' clubs.

John C.L. Morgan

Related: An In-Depth Look at Region I: Wealth (April 1, 2010)

Westbrook Soccer Alumni Collegiate Report: 2011 Edition

2011-12-14T05:04:00.007-05:00

Below are the Westbrook soccer alumni who played collegiate soccer this past fall:

Peter Dore (WHS '05)

Dore, a sophomore at Southern Maine Community College, started 19 games, had 7 assists, and scored 4 goals for the SeaWolves.

Lindsay Driscoll (WHS '11)

Driscoll, a freshman at Johnson & Wales University, appeared in 6 games for the Div. III Wildcats.

Zach Johnson (WHS '08)
Johnson, a sophomore at St. Joseph's College, set a school record for goals scored in a season (17) for the Div. III Monks.

Layne Kearney-Graffam

Kearney-Graffam, a freshman at Southern Maine Community College, started 16 games and had 2 assists for the SeaWolves.

Galen Perkins (WHS '09)

Perkins, a redshirt sophomore at Stanford University, did not appear in a game for the Div. I Cardinal.

Jarrick Russo (WHS '11)

Russo, a freshman at St. Joseph's College, appeared in seven games for the Div. III Monks.

Andrew Sousa (WHS '11)

Sousa, a freshman at Daniel Webster College, played in one game for the Div. II Eagles.

Brenden Walden (WHS '10)

Walden, a sophomore at Roger Williams University, appeared in three games for the Div. III Hawks.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Westbrook Soccer Alumni Collegiate Report: 2009 (January 20, 2010)

A.R. Gould Player Wins Sportsmanship Award

2011-12-13T05:48:00.005-05:00

PPH:

Alex Pedroza, a senior at the A.R. Gould School, located within the Long Creek Youth Development Center in South Portland, was recognized Friday by the Western Maine Board of Approved Soccer Officials with the group´s award for outstanding sportsmanship. Pedroza was chosen over all players in Maine schoolboy soccer. A 5-foot-7, 150-pound senior from Bowdoin, he plays soccer and basketball, and runs track. A co-captain of the soccer team, he was a sweeper and scored two goals.

- John C.L. Morgan

Vid of the Week: Panyee FC

2011-12-09T16:29:00.005-05:00

We're at that time of year when the number of playing surfaces will begin to narrow (theoretically, at least), but I think it's fair to say Mainers still have an advantage over the players in the non-fictional re-creation above.

- John C.L. Morgan

Seacoast May Take Field Complex Elsewhere

2011-12-08T17:19:00.007-05:00

The Forecaster:

Michael Healy, a spokesman for Seacoast United, said the Topsham-based nonprofit is still looking for ways to make the project fit in Freeport, but has also started to look for another host. "We will look to relocate in Freeport or outside Freeport," Healy said. After the Planning Board decision, which was an advisory vote, Healy met with the Town Planner, town councilors and the town attorney to discuss options that would make the project fit, including amending the zoning ordinance to establish an overlay district, creating a new recreational zone, or adding an additional permitted use to the zone.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Seacoast United and the Town of Freeport: A Timeline (December 3, 2011)

5 Holiday Gift-Giving Ideas

2011-12-08T06:15:00.004-05:00

Bumpy Pitch

A California-based online retailer of hipster t-shirts with soccer themes.

Cruyff Classics

A collection of fashion and soccer footwear inspired by the former Dutch star and coach Johan Cruyff. If for no other reason, go to this site to check out the Cinema section.

Ruffneck Scarves

A Seattle-based retailer of a wide selection of soccer scarves at some of the best prices you'll find. The site has multiple scarves for each MLS team and features the scarves of the usual suspects across the Atlantic and elsewhere.

Ultras

Another California-based online retailer of hipster t-shirts with soccer themes. All shirts are manufactured by American Apparel.

Zonal Marking
Though primarily a tactical analysis Web site, ZM has a rich bibliography of recommended reading for the aspiring tacticians and soccerheads on your gift list. I've read about ten of the books, and I'd say the list is a good one so far--with the exception of Rinus Michels's Teambuilding. Don't buy that; I'll give that one to you for free if only to open a slot on my bookcase.

- John C.L. Morgan

Clint Dempsey Sets American Scoring Record in EPL

2011-12-06T06:33:00.006-05:00

U.S. National Team standout (and New England Revolution alum) Clint Dempsey not only scored the game-winning goal in Fulham's game against Liverpool on Monday, but he also set the record for the most goals scored by an American in the English Premier League when he tallied his 37th goal of his Fulham career. The video* above a collection of most of those goals.

- John C.L. Morgan

* I apologize for the soundtrack accompanying the video. As this Run of Play piece argues, bad accompanying music is epidemic among YouTube highlight videos of this sort. I have to say, though, I'm not all that excited about the suggestions contained in the essay either.

Fall River Marksmen, Circa 1921

2011-12-06T06:27:00.001-05:00

Revs Should Complement New Uniforms with Throwbacks

2011-12-06T06:15:00.005-05:00

The New England Revolution introduced their 2012 uniforms to the public on Saturday.

And though I can't say I'm a big fan of the new threads,* I was disappointed for another reason: The New England Revolution (and the MLS in general) appear to be missing an opportunity to introduce most of its fans to a rich history of American soccer that predates both the MLS and the NASL by complementing their 2012 jerseys with a jersey that gives a nod to, say, 1921, the year in which professional teams in leagues such as the American Soccer League kicked off the "Golden Age of American Soccer."

An exhaustive search on the Maine Memory Network Web site yields but one lone photograph of a soccer game between those hotbeds of Maine soccer, Biddeford and Saco, circa 1912. And if American soccer ever gets face time on ESPN Classic, you're more likely to hear the live play-by-play call of a late-night international against Grenada than you are to hear a leather-throated baritone conducting a melodramatic voiceover about the spectacular exploits of Archie Stark.

Considering this mass media and cultural blackout blanketing the history of soccer in America, it's no wonder that even the most passionate soccer fans among us possess a gap in our knowledge, an ignorance of the long roots of professional soccer in the U.S.

The Revolution, then, would do well by taking at least one home game to adopt the throwback uniforms of the Fall River Marksmen (see above) and give us fans an excuse to talk and learn about how this sport has a much richer history in this country than a lot of us appreciate.

Until that happens, though, I suppose I'd settle for the Revolution to take a cue from the Philadelphia Union and at least recognize on their Web site that professional soccer in New England did not just begin with the birth of the MLS in 1995.

- John C.L. Morgan

* Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the new uniforms, I do appreciate the Revolution's efforts to incorporate the flag of New England on the back of the jerseys. It's small, but the official adoption of iconic regional imagery is another step in the right direction for a team still looking to be considered part of the so-called MLS 2.0 brand.

Nike U-17 Friendlies: U.S. v. Brazil

2011-12-05T14:35:00.000-05:00

Best Of the Pine-Scented Pitch--So Far

2011-12-03T19:43:00.004-05:00

I've dabbled with this blog off and on for about two years, but now plan to post more regularly. Below are a few of my favorite posts I've worked on so far; be sure to "Like" the page on Facebook (here) to receive gentle reminders of the brilliance that'll be posted in the future.

2011 WHS Boys' Varsity Soccer Post-Season Awards (November 13, 2011)

Roger Levesque Caps Supporters' Tifo (May 17, 2011)

An In-Depth Look at Region I: Wealth (April 1, 2010)

Bite-Sized Review: Multiculturism and Soccer (March 10, 2010)

An In-Depth Look at Region I: Population (March 1, 2010)

Bite-Sized Review: The Freaky Side of Soccer (February 24, 2010)

Bite-Sized Review: How Successful Soccer Players Are Made (February 10, 2010)

WSL Alum Shares South African Experiences (February 5, 2010)

- John C.L. Morgan

Nike U-17 Friendlies: U.S. v. Turkey

2011-12-03T10:48:00.001-05:00

Seacoast United and the Town of Freeport: A Timeline

2011-12-03T07:30:00.003-05:00

Below is a rough timeline of Seacoast United's involvement with the Town of Freeport regarding the development of a soccer field complex in that town. The articles below have been culled from the digital archives of The Forecaster and the Portland Press Herald:

September 9, 2009
The Freeport Town Council receives a study suggesting it invest $2.8 million into upgrading the town's athletic facilities.

November 24, 2009
The Field Use Committee, a sub-committee of the Freeport Town Council, gives initial approval to Seacoast United's proposal to develop a soccer field complex on a piece of town-owned property on Pownal Road.

December 16, 2009
The Freeport Town Council and Seacoast United decide to share the costs associated with a feasibility study on whether such a facility could be built on the Pownal Road property.

October 27, 2010
The Freeport Town Council unanimously votes to give the Town Manager the go-ahead to negotiate a final sale of 17 acres of land to Seacoast United for the purpose of developing the field complex.

December 8, 2010
The Freeport Town Council approves a final agreement to sell 12.5 acres of town-owned land on Pownal Road to Seacoast United.

November 3, 2011
The Freeport Planning Board unanimously opposes Seacoast United's request for a change in zoning regulations for the land in question, and it also narrowly opposed a proposal to make a specific exeption for the Seacoast project.

November 22, 2011
Seacoast United officials look to circumvent the restrictions in the zoning laws cited by the Freeport Planning Board (see November 3 article below) by passing along ownership of the field complex to the town of Freeport.

November 29, 2011
The Save Our Neighborhoods Coalition, a group of Freeport citizens opposed to the Seacoast United project, organizes an informational and strategizing meeting.

- John C.L. Morgan

Nike U-17 Friendlies: U.S. v. France

2011-12-01T06:00:00.001-05:00

Opposition to Field Complex Gathers in Freeport

2011-11-30T06:25:00.006-05:00

PPH:

A group of residents [met November 29] to develop a strategy to block town officials from helping a local soccer club develop an indoor-outdoor field complex in a rural residential district. The Save Our Neighborhoods Coalition [met] at 6:30 p.m. at the Freeport Community Library. Coalition leaders said they are concerned that town officials are trying to circumvent zoning regulations that limit commercial developments in residential neighborhoods. Seacoast United Maine wants to build soccer fields and an indoor arena on what is now town-owned land on Hedgehog Mountain Road.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Seacoast United Tweaks Field Complex Proposal for Freeport (November 23, 2011)

Maine Sunday Telegram All-State, MVP Announced

2011-11-28T19:28:00.002-05:00

The high school boys' player of the year and All-State selections are listed here, and the girls' honorees are listed here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Seacoast United Tweaks Field Complex Proposal for Freeport

2011-11-23T05:43:00.003-05:00

PPH:

Under a new proposal from Seacoast United Maine, the town
would continue to own the land and ultimately the $4 million indoor-outdoor athletic complex that the soccer club wants to build on Hedgehog Mountain Road. The Town Council decided last December to give the 12-acre site, valued at $300,000, to Seacoast in exchange for future public use of the fields and arena. However, town zoning regulations prevent the nonprofit club from building the recreational complex in a rural residential district, and the Planning Board recently recommended that the council avoid making any zoning changes to allow the complex. A Seacoast representative has asked town officials for a legal opinion on whether the project would be allowed if the land and the arena were municipally owned, according to emails obtained by The Portland Press Herald.

- John C.L. Morgan

2011 WHS Boys' Varsity Soccer Post-Season Awards

2011-11-13T06:38:00.014-05:00

Robert "Soup" Jordan Award
Named in honor of Robert "Soup" Jordan, the Westbrook High School boys' soccer coach from the program's inception in 1973 until the early 1980s, the long-tenured annual Robert "Soup" Jordan Award will recognize the best player from the Westbrook v. Bonny Eagle game.

Sawyer Award
Named in honor of Geoff Sawyer ('96), the Westbrook soccer alumnus who holds the school record for the best single-season offensive output with 19 goals in 13 assists in 1994, the 1st annual Sawyer Award will go to the player who is chosen by the coach to be the Offensive Player of the Year.

Perkins Award
Named in honor of Galen Perkins ('09), the Westbrook soccer alumnus who holds the school record for the most shutouts in a single season (9 in 2008), the 1st annual Perkins Award will go to the player who is chosen by the coach to the be the Defensive Player of the Year.

Rand Award
Named in honor of Travis Rand ('07), the Westbrook soccer alumnus who was an All-New England selection in 2006, the 1st annual Rand Award will go to the player who is chosen by the coach for demonstrating capable leadership skills, a stellar work ethic, good decision-making skills, and strong team spirit.

- John C.L. Morgan

(Update: Kyle Gaudreau won the Robert "Soup" Jordan Award, Dylan Gillis won the Sawyer Award, Austin Watts won the Perkins Award, and Joe Quinlan won the Rand Award. All four players are part of the Class of '12.)

The Question

2011-11-12T10:12:00.002-05:00

The Question: Should Maine High School Soccer Adopt a Promotion/Relegation Format?

2011-11-12T10:07:00.007-05:00

As most of us know, the classification of high school soccer teams (and other high school sports) in Maine is based on the various high schools' enrollment numbers, instead of the strength of a soccer program at a particular school.

The question to debate, then, is this: Should high school soccer adopt a promotion/relegation system so that the classification of programs has more to do with the strength of a soccer program than it does the number of students enrolled at a school?

To put this hypothetical question into concrete terms, the 16-team Western Class 'A'* classification would relegate two teams** per season to Western Class 'B,' and Western Class 'B' would promote two teams to Western Class 'A.' Based on results from this year, for example, Bonny Eagle and Biddeford would drop to Western Class 'B,' while the two regional finalists from Western 'B'--Falmouth and York--would be promoted to Western 'A.'

What are the pros and the cons of such an idea? What would the promotion and relegation format look like exactly? And if the pros overwhelmingly outweight the cons, what are the chances for something like this actually ever happening?

- John C.L. Morgan

* Cape Elizabeth and Greely, two teams that are included in the Western Class 'A' Heal Points rankings and tourney despite playing a Western Class 'B' regular season schedule, have been inserted into the Western Class 'B' Heal Points rankings for the sake of this thought experiment.

** The number of teams relegated and promoted is based on the Barclays Premier League's policy of 15% (or 3 of 20) of its teams being relegated to the Championship League.

Westbrook Soccer Alum Enjoys Record-Setting Season at St. Joe's

2011-11-10T06:20:00.009-05:00

PPH:

But now [Zach] Johnson is enrolled at St. Joseph's,where he is a business major and a record-setting scorer for the Monks' soccer team. Johnson scored one of the goals Saturday as St. Joseph's beat Norwich 4-1 for the Great Northeast Atlantic Conference title and a berth in the NCAA Division III playoffs. The Monks, making their second NCAA appearance in three years, will play Trinity in the first round at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at Babson College in Massachusetts.

- John C.L. Morgan

(Update: St. Joseph's lost to Trinity College, 1-0).

White Brothers, Lane Construction to Donate Playing Fields

2011-08-08T13:06:00.004-04:00

PPH:

It wasn't long after Mike and Tim White started buying up property in 2004 for a quarry off Small Hardy Road that they started talking about donating land for athletic fields there. As kids growing up on Duck Pond Road, the brothers--former owners of White Bros. Construction--knew firsthand about the lack of recreational space in the northern end of the city.

[snip]

The multipurpose fields will probably be ready to use in 2013. Maria Dorn, Westbrook's community services director, said there's an ever-increasing demand for soccer fields in the city. "Everybody's on them all the time," she said. Priority for playing time on the fields will go to the Westbrook Soccer League, which serves 300 kids from age 3 to 13 years old.

- John C.L. Morgan

Levesque Enjoying Best MLS Season Yet

2011-07-04T08:05:00.004-04:00

PPH:

[Roger] Levesque has two goals in three starts for the Sounders this season and has had another nine appearances off the bench. That is by far the most minutes he's played in three years with the team. He's nearly eclipsed last year's total minutes of 510. He has played 497 minutes in 12 games. Two seasons ago, he played just 260 minutes. He has evolved as a player since lighting up the field at Falmouth High a dozen years ago.

- John C.L. Morgan

U.S. Looks Abroad for National Team Talent

2011-07-03T07:20:00.005-04:00

Sports Illustrated:

Enlisting foreign-born players with U.S. passports is hardly a new phenomenon; U.S. World Cup teams in the 1990s featured German-born Thomas Dooley, Dutch-born Earnie Stewart and French-born David Régis, among others. But two recent changes have increased the volume of dual-passport players. In '09, FIFA eliminated the age limit of 21 for players requesting a one-time switch of federations after having participated in official competitive youth matches for one country. That opened the door for [Jermaine] Jones and Canadian-born forward Teal Bunbury, age 21, to join the U.S. pool. And now, U.S. Soccer is more active than ever in searching for players around the globe who are eligible for U.S. passports.

- John C.L. Morgan

An Online Guide to the 2011 FIFA Women's World Cup

2011-06-27T11:25:00.002-04:00

The U.S. Women's National Team opens its 2011 World Cup tomorrow morning, when it takes on North Korea (11:45a ESPN, ESPN3.com). Below are some links you might find helpful as you follow the U.S. as it tries

FIFA 2011 Women's World Cup

U.S. Soccer Women's National Team

U.S. Women's National Team player profiles

ESPN Soccernet

- John C.L. Morgan

Roger Levesque Caps Supporters' Tifo

2011-05-17T17:17:00.010-04:00

Supporters of the Seattle Sounders FC unveiled an impressive choreographed visual display, or a tifo, on May 14 prior to its game against rival Portland, and Maine native Roger Levesque's face highlighted the display.

Levesque, a Falmouth product, was celebrated for a first-minute goal he scored against Portland in a 2009 U.S. Open Cup game. Of course, the fact that he also appears to be the most hated player in Portland fans' eyes (see here or here) probably didn't hurt when Sounder fans picked which Sounders, past and present, would represent the club.

- John C.L. Morgan

MLS Birthplace Map

2011-03-26T06:56:00.003-04:00

The MLS By Birthplace

2011-03-26T06:15:00.002-04:00

Major League Soccer (MLS) has released its annual survey of its players' birthplaces.

As of March 23, 57% of the 487 players on MLS rosters were born in the United States. A breakdown by continent can be found below:

North America
71% (348)

South America
11% (52)

Europe
9% (46)

Africa
7% (34)

Oceania
0.8% (4)

Asia
0.6% (3)

- John C.L. Morgan

Soccer and Mud Season

2011-03-23T17:12:00.006-04:00

Sun Journal:

While many local gyms are dark and most recreational sports programs are in a holding pattern, youth from the communities of RSU 58 and a few from Farmington are celebrating soccer. Indoor soccer, to be precise, played on a high school basketball court temporarily infused with the personality of a hockey or roller rink. "It’s dead time in the gym," association registrar Darren Allen said. "Mud season's here. What can you do outside, sink?"

- John C.L. Morgan

How Tactics Have Changed

2011-02-26T14:40:00.002-05:00

Michael Cox of Zonal Marking ranks the most remarkable changes in soccer tactics over the last decade.

- John C.L. Morgan

Q&A: Jordan Rich

2010-04-12T14:31:00.007-04:00

[Editor's Note: Jordan Rich, an alum of the Westbrook Soccer League and Westbrook High School ('06), was named Soccer Maine's "2010 Male Young Referee of the Year" at the organization's annual awards dinner in March. Below, Rich briefly talks about his officiating experiences and his aspirations as a referee.]

How long have you been officiating?
I have been officiating for about 8 years.

Why did you start officiating?
I started refereeing going into my freshmen year in high school. I got started when my high school coaches made an announcement during pre-season that they were looking for referees to ref local rec league games. There was a referee certification class coming up, and they said they would pay for it. I figured it couldn't hurt to take the class, so I did. I started out by refereeing the Westbrook rec league 9-13-year-olds at $20 a game for 2 or 3 games on a Sunday. I had no expectations and, at first, no desire to move up. I just thought it was a good way to make a few extra dollars on the weekend.

What are your refereeing aspirations?
This is something I am very invested in, as I reffed about 400 games last year alone. Right now I need to pass one more assessment to get my grade 6 in USSF/FIFA. Grades 6 and 5 are considered a "state badge." I would at least like to get my grade 5 and possibly my Grade 4 or 3, which are considered a "national badge." Getting your national badge is very difficult (only one referee from Maine has ever obtained a national badge), so right now I am just focusing on one step at a time.

What stands out as a memorable moment in your officiating career?
Last year I had many memorable moments. I was lucky enough to attend the Disney Soccer Showcase in Florida, which was a lot of fun. I also had my experience [as the head referee] in a Premier Development League (PDL) game. That was exciting, as it was the highest-level game I've officiated. I did have to give a penalty kick in the second half which lead to a 1-1 tie. I was fortunate enough to get out with minimal complaints and no cards, so I was happy.

Would you like to add anything?
For those younger players out there considering officiating, it is a great way to get involved and stay involved with the game of soccer while making money. It can be very good money. I can make $400-$500 a weekend refereeing. Not many college kids have a job that pays that well while they get to watch a sport they love. Another perk is I get to travel. Many tournaments will pay for your travel, food, and lodging. Just last year I had paid trips to Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and almost every New England state. I highly encourage high school and college age players to give it try. I would be happy to assist and talk with anyone interested in getting started.

For more information about becoming a soccer referee--including the dates of upcoming certification and re-certification classes--click here.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: WSL Alum Shares South African Experiences (February 5, 2010)
Related: WSL Alums Playing College Ball (January 20, 2010)

An In-Depth Look at Region I: Wealth

2010-04-01T06:01:00.001-04:00

An In-Depth Look at Region I: Wealth

2010-04-01T06:00:00.009-04:00

Today, I've posted the wealth for each state that makes up Region I, which is the U.S. Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) region to which Maine's soccer teams belong. Gross State Product (GSP) refers to the total value of goods and services bought and sold within a state's borders in one year, and GSP per capita refers to the value of goods and services bought and sold per person within a state's borders in one year.

According to the statistical analysis of the authors of Soccernomics, journalist Simon Kuper and economist Stefan Szymanski, a country whose wealth is twice that of its opponent has a 1/10 goal advantage over its opponent. Or, to put it another way, a country whose wealth is twice that of its opponent would have a one goal headstart in one every ten games against that opponent. Presumably, that advantage would increase if the states' population ratio is greater than 2:1.

Now, I'm not entirely sure if such an advantage should be discounted or magnified on the state level here in the United States (the authors' research focused on the results of international matches played between 1980 and 2001), but it is nevertheless interesting to say how Maine matches up against the states in its immediate competitive sphere.

(Editor's Note: Click on the chart below to enlarge it.)

The median Gross State Product (GSP) per capita of the 13 Region I states is $38,800. To put that number into some international context, the Netherlands is the only country who qualified for the 2010 World Cup that has a Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita higher than Region I's median wealth. The range for the other World Cup-qualifying countries is $38,500 (Australia) to $1,700 (Ivory Coast).

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: An In-Depth Look at Region I: Population (March 1, 2010)

Outcasts United, New Mainers

2010-03-10T06:01:00.008-05:00

Bite-Sized Review: Multiculturalism And Soccer

2010-03-10T06:00:00.023-05:00

Outcasts United: A Refugee Team, An American Town
By Warren St. John
(Spiegal & Grau, 2009)
320 pages

New Mainers: Portraits of Our Immigrant Neighbors
By Pat Nyhan, Jan Pieter van Voorst van Beest
(Tilbury House, Publishers, 2009)
153 pages

(Editor's Note: This post contains numerous links to archived newspaper articles from the Maine Newstand, a database in the Maine Marvel! system. If you are not immediately brought to a linked article, you can register a free account with Maine Marvel! here.)

Maine is still among the whitest (and oldest) states in the union, but it is nevertheless gradually becoming more colorful and culturally eclectic each year, thanks in large part to immigrants and refugees coming from outside the borders of the United States.

There is, of course, the well-known influx of Somali refugees in Lewiston since the early 2000s. In Portland, the number of students who are enrolled in the school district's English-learning programs jumped 9% this year, from 1,474 students to 1,600. (This number is also included in the 4% increase in the number of students within the district who are considered multilingual, an increase from 1,474 pupils to 1,864.) Here in Westbrook, we too are experiencing a spurt of immigrants from around the ever-shrinking globe.

Last February, for example, Westbrook's city officials announced the formation of the Human Relations Committee, a group created to open the lines of communication and cooperation between the city's burgeoning immigrant population and its public servants. Moreover, racial and cultural diversity within the city's schools has increased over the last decade.

Indeed, according to statistics provided by the Westbrook School Department, there at least twenty-one different languages spoken in the schools' classrooms.* And the number of students participating in the school district's English for Speakers of Other Languges (ESOL) program has steadily increased over the last decade: A little more than twenty students were enrolled in the program in 2000; today, there are almost 120 enrollees, a ten-year increase of about 500%. The capability to view the school district's Web site in seven different languages, after all, was not developed in a vacuum.

Unfortunately, a look back into the annals of Maine history--or the records of most any society's history, for that matter--indicate such a growth in foreignness tends to initially bring with it division and cultural tension. Some of it is benign and relatively harmless, such as the Maine humorist Tim Sample's comedic bit on Mainers' long-standing habit of distinguishing between the state's native-born residents and its residents "from away." But other indications of division and tension are more serious. In the 1850s, members of the nativist Know-Nothing Party tarred and feathered a Jesuit priest in Ellsworth and burned a church used by Bath-area Roman Catholics. And in the 1920s, a staggering proportion of Mainers were part of the Klu Klux Klan due to that group's animosity toward immigrants in general, and Franco-Canadian Catholics in particular. The past, as the old saying goes, can often be prologue.

In 2002, the conflict between Lewiston's city hall and the city's Somali immigrants was considered by Portland Press Herald readers to be the second-most important story of that year. More recently in Portland, numerous headlines have been devoted to the occassional flareups between that city's police department and its Sudanese residents. And Milbridge, the small Down East town of about 1,200 residents which was determined by the 2000 Census to be the third-most diverse community n the state, has experienced multicultural headaches of its own, as the nearly year-long feud about the construction of an apartment complex proposed by an advocacy group for Hispanic agricultural workers only now appears to be heading for resolution.

With this increasing diversity as a backdrop, we are fortunate New York Times writer Warren St. John expanded his January 2007 feature article on the Fugees, a Georgian soccer club consisting entirely of refugee players (hence the club's name), into Outcasts United. This book--coupled with Pat Nyhan's New Mainers--not only gives us clearer insights about the immigrant experience in modern America , but it also demonstrates the important role those of us involved in soccer can play in the healthy assimilition and integration of our new neighbors.

Though diversity in Maine is on the uptick (our foreign-born population grew by 14.3% between 2000 and 2006), Nyhan's helpful appendix places such growth in context by citing statistics provided by the Migration Policy Institute that show such growth is relatively sluggish to other places around the country. Take Clarkston, Georgia, the locale of St. John's book, as an example. This town of about 7,000 was once mostly populated by white residents, but as of the publication of St. John's book, at least half of the residents were refugees from war-torn countries. Unsurprisingly, such a change in demographics provoked both division and opportunity in the small southern town.

The town mayor's increasingly stupid opposition to the Fugees' request to use a practice field that wasn't dust-choked or littered with tough glass and broken gangsters, for instance, is balanced out by the town grocer's willingness to stock his shelves with ethnic foodstuffs. And the former police chief's unwillingness to deal with his officers' blistered-fisted behavior toward refugees is corrected by the new police chief's proactive adoption of law enforcement tactics that incorporated "CPR--'courtesy, professionalism, respect'" into his officers' everyday interactions with refugee residents. Indeed, for each of the ugly incidents that are described in such chapters entitled "'They're in America Now--Not Africa,'" "Get Lost," and "The 'Soccer People,'" there are hopeful and important lessons contained in the book's best chapter, "Getting Over It."

Besides the simple--yet elusive--morality of treating others like we ourselves would like to be treated, St. John argues in this chapter that adapting to shifting demographics is often in our best self-interest. The grocer who stocked his shelves with food that appealed to global taste buds saw his bottom line swell. And the church that added foreign-language services to their repertoire was able to stem the steady loss of members they'd been experiencing. And on and on.

Likewise, it is beneficial to recognize the similarities between locals and newcomers are often much greater than their differences. Instead of focusing on the fact that you're Somalian and I am American, we should focus on the fact that we both love soccer, yearn for strong families and social connections, and do not want the scourges of drug use and gangsterism to gnaw at the threads that hold together the community.

And instead of falling prey to the pernicious rumors that the immigrants have emigrated to America only to suck on the teat that is public assistance, we should recognize the fact that a great number of them were driven involuntarily from their homelands, have endured incomprehensible horrors en route to these shores, and yet still face daunting challenges to carve out meaningful lives for themselves and their families in America. (The profiles of the individuals and families contained throughout much of Outcasts United and all of New Mainers is must-read material to gain context of the many facets of the immigrant experience. Reading these books will give you an appreciation for the difficulties immigrants must overcome to fulfill their goals of assimilating into American mainstream life, while also preserving their native cultures. And the work ethic many of the subjects of these two books exhibit in gaining and maintaining employment is sobering, while the sacrifices they undertake to ensure their children earn the education and opportunities they'll need to live a better life than themselves is inspiring.)

Ultimately, given our affection for what has long been considered a foreigner's sport here in America, we "soccer people" (as Clarkston's mayor would snarl) are uniquely positioned to be advocates of cosmopolitan provincialism. We should love our country, our state, and our city, while at the same time avoiding the urge to close ourselves off to the beneficial ideas and cultures of people not born in this country. And a good place to start would be to read these two books.

- John C.L. Morgan

* According to the Westbrook School Department, the twenty-one languages spoken in its schools are: Albanian, Amharic (Ethiopia), Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, Ethiopian, Farsi (Iran), Indonesian, Khmer (Cambodia), Kinyamulenge (Rwanda), Kurdish, Man Chinese, Nuer (Sudan), Pashto (Afghanistan), Russian, Somali, Spanish, Sudanese, Tagalog (Philippines), Telugu (India), and Vietnamese.

Region I Population Density

2010-03-01T06:01:00.001-05:00

An In-Depth Look at Region I: Population

2010-03-01T06:00:00.003-05:00

According to the the authors of Soccernomics, a region's population, wealth, and soccer-playing experience are the three most important criteria to consider when judging the state of soccer in that region.

Today, I've posted the population figures for each state that makes up Region I, which is the U.S. Youth Soccer Association (USYSA) region Maine's soccer teams belong to.

According to the statistical analysis of the authors of Soccernomics, journalist Simon Kuper and economist Stefan Szymanski, a country whose population is twice that of its opponent has a 1/10 goal advantage over its opponent. Or, to put it another way, a country whose population is twice that of its opponent would have a one goal headstart in one every ten games against that opponent. Presumably, that advantage would increase if the states' population ratio is greater than 2:1.

Now, I'm not entirely sure if such an advantage should be discounted or magnified on the state level here in the United States (the authors' research focused on the results of international matches played between 1980 and 2001), but it is nevertheless interesting to say how Maine matches up against the states in its immediate competitive sphere.

(Editor's Note: Click on the chart below to enlarge it.)

The median population of the thirteen Region I states is 3.5 million. To put that number into some remarkable context, there are two countries who qualified for the 2010 FIFA World Cup whose population is either equal to or less than Region I's median: Uruguay (3.5 million), Slovenia (2 million). Think about that for a minute: Two countries with populations no greater than three times the size of Maine has produced enough international-caliber players to field a World Cup team. That's sobering.

Anyway, next month I'll post the wealth of the respective Region I states, as defined by each state's gross state product (GSP) and its GSP Per Capita.

- John C.L. Morgan

Related: Bite-Sized Review: The Freaky Side of Soccer (February 26, 2010)

* Population figures for each state's overall population and the numbers of 10-19 year-olds who are living in each state are based on the U.S. Census Bureau's 2006-2008 data. And the USYSA registration numbers are taken from their statistics for the 2008-2009 season. Of course, each state's percentage of membership in the USYSA was calculated by dividing the number of players that state has registered with the USYSA and dividing that number by the number of 10-19 year-olds who live in that state.

Soccernomics

2010-02-24T08:07:00.002-05:00

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