The Constitution Cup

One day as I was a bit bored out of my skull, I came up with a cup competition for the Fifty States. (Uh, United States that is.) I wondered, "How cool would it be to have something like Euro '08 for the State of Washington to win?" Here's what I came up with:

The Constitution Cup

A cup tournament for the fifty states. Each state may enter one team. Club teams are not allowed to compete. This is similar to the World Cup, but using state teams. It is called the "Constitution Cup" because it is open only to those who have ratified the US Constitution, so that means no DC or Puerto Rico. To be eligible for a state's team, a player must have kept residency in that state for at least the previous fourteen months- just to have some sort of time requirement. Here is the structure I came up with:

First Round- A group stage consisting of ten groups of five with games played both home-and-away against all other states in the group. Top two advance to the Second Round.

Second Round- The states that advance are randomly placed into four groups of five for another round-robin home-and-away group stage. The only exception is that the winners of the first round groups and their respective runners-up cannot play in the same Second Round group. For example, the winner of Group A cannot be in the same group as runner-up of Group A. Top two advance to the Quarter-finals. The site of the Finals is chosen from amongst the states that are now out of the competition.

Quarter-Finals- A two-legged home-and-away series. Winner advances to the Semi-finals.

Semi-Finals- A two-legged home-and-away series. Winner advances to the Finals.

Finals- A single game played at a neutral site.

I think this would be something fun for all soccer fans in the USA. We already have many inter-state rivalries and this would be an exciting addition to them. Besides, I'm curious to see who would come in second to Washington every year!

And the Seattle MLS team name is...

Seattle Sounders FC!
With over 14,000 votes cast, the write-in campaign for "Seattle Sounders" won the fight! This is very awesome and I would like to thank everybody who voted for "Sounders." (Yeah, this is a few days late, but I DID have to celebrate!)

Oh, and one more thing:

I'm Sounders 'Til I Die!
I'm Sounders 'Til I Die!
I know I am! I'm sure I am!
I'm Sounders 'Til I Die!

The Write-In

As you may have found out by now, the ballot to name the Seattle MLS team was given a write-in option. "For fans who are passionate about a different name." Gee, I wonder what they mean by that? I dunno, gotta keep looking toward the future I guess.

OK, no more whining. In the end, "Sounders" supporters got what they wanted- a chance to vote on the name that really means "soccer." Now, I haven't been a Sounder supporter as long as some. I've only been following them since half-way 2006. But I've been a sports fan all my life. What does this have to do with the "Sounders?" Easy, sports- all sports- are about tradition. You think the guys in Pittsburgh are concerned with how their team will fare in 20 years? Not at all. They're remembering the glory days of the Steel Curtain and the Bus' Superbowl victory over the Seahawks.

When they asked for team name suggestions and the overwhelming response was "Sounders" of some form, I figured they would follow their pocketbooks at least and give the fans what they wanted- the name that kept Seattle's soccer tradition alive: Sounders. And after the three names were leaked, I was a "tad" upset that Sounders wasn't even considered. It was the one name that most of us could agree on. It was an easy marketing task and no effort was even made towards the fans and supporters. After only two-and-a-half years, I really was "Sounders 'til I die!"

Now, we do get to at least vote it up or down. And I can only keep my fingers crossed until April 7 when the name announcement is made. Please, go to MLS in Seattle and write in "Seattle Sounders." Thanks, everybody.

A Statement from the Emerald City Supporters

We, the Emerald City Supporters, lament the fact that the new Seattle MLS team will not carry the "Sounders" name. We feel that the name is entwined with the soccer "soul" of the region. It is a representation of the Puget Sound area and an expression of Seattle's imprint on the world's game. Furthermore, we feel that it is by recognizing the past that helps move us toward the future. When Seattle MLS asked for team name suggestions after the expansion announcement, 60% and more of the respondents wanted some form of the "Sounders" name. If the team name vote is to be the decision of the fans, why is "Sounders" not on the list?

While we will support the new team regardless of name, we will also still lobby the front office to officially change the name to "Seattle Sounders." Please join us and let the front office know your position as well. If the Fans and Supporters are loud enough, the hope is the front office will come to share in our dream- Seattle Sounders, MLSCup Champions!!!

Thank you.

Playing Catch-up with Some Random Thoughts

So, it has been a while since I last posted anything- and I had planned on making this a weekly thing! Oops. Oh, well. So, I figured it is about time I got on my duff and did something about that.

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I've had some comments on the coming Champion's League (CCL)- mostly about how MLS teams would get into it. Emmett and "Anonymous" both agree that the US Open Cup winner should get into the CCL, but Emmett hears- and I would agree with him on this- that the four MLS teams will be the winner of the Supporter's Shield and the runner-up along with the two teams that vied for MLSCup. My only two questions here are: would Toronto FC be considered "American" just because it is in MLS? Would the Canadian entry into the CCL come from a domestic league up there? "Anonymous" would put the winner of the Supporter's Shield and runner-up ahead of the MLSCup teams as far as seeding would go. I should have put this in my Champion's League post as I believe the regular season is all you need and the post-season is just a small unnecessary tournament. Thanks for the comments, guys! Keep 'em coming, everybody!

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Rumor report: Word on the grapevine has it that the owners of Seattle MLS are having a time trying to decide on a name. It sounds like one owner wants one name, while another owner prefers something else and neither choice is "Sounders." If they can't decide, the rumor goes on to say, then the name will default to "Sounders."

Also, there is another rumor about a man who works with a local (Seattle) Spanish-language radio station. This man has connections within the team's front office and he is POSITIVE that the name will be "Sounders." For fans like me, this is looking very good indeed.

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And finally, I'm going to put out my idea for a promotion/relegation system for American soccer. (I know, everybody has their own particular idea, but nobody else has this blog!) My plan calls for the scrapping of the playoff system, but can work with one in place. With the playoffs, my idea would take the top two teams from the regular season in the USL-1 and that league's playoff champion and play them against the bottom three teams from MLS in a two-legged series. The winner moves up and the loser moves down. Without the playoffs, the teams would be the top three from the regular season. Heck, this sounds a little like how MLS should choose its teams for the CCL (plus the Open Cup Champ, of course!)

I know that American soccer is probably- no, most likely- about ten to fifteen years away from anything like this. However, the MLS Commissioner of then is- hopefully- a reader of this blog and would use this idea to honor me- because we all know that I will be a famous soccer sportswriter by then and will have huge influence with the fans!

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Well, that's it for now. My brain tends to run dry a little quicker on the weekends. Also, I hope to have something else to post before the end of the month and maybe the posts will come a little quicker once soccer starts up again here in the States. Until next time, please keep the comments coming!

The CONCACAF Champions' League

Ok, so this has gotten me really excited and waiting for this August. If you'll remember from my first post, I made a call for the CONCACAF Champions' Cup to be turned into a true Champions' League (mostly as a call to increase the profile of the US Open Cup). It looks like my dream has come true- mostly. CONCACAF today announced that a CONCACAF Champions League will begin in August, 2008- replacing the Champions' Cup. (The winner of the last Champions' Cup will go to the 2008 Club World Cup and the Champions' League will start sending its winner to the 2009 edition.)

Right now, I don't know exactly how they will choose the 24 teams that will participate. I do know that the US and Mexico will each receive four slots each. To my mind that is enough for the top three out of MLS and the US Open Cup champion. (Mexico can choose its teams however it wants, I'm just concerned with American soccer.) After all, isn't this new creation supposed to be a CHAMPIONS' League?

Here's how I see the final American breakdown for its four slots:
First Slot: US Open Cup Champion
Second Slot: MLSCup Champion
Third Slot: MLS Supporters' Shield winner
Fourth Slot: MLS regular season runner-up
(With the MLS teams, it should be the closest American team if Toronto FC actually takes any of the slots.)

I don't know how US Soccer will make the final determination, but I would hope they take outside opinion into consideration. In final regards to the Open Cup, it is US Soccer's tournament to promote- or hide. But that tournament could mean so much to American soccer fans if it is tied into the new Champions' League.

I hesitate to point out- but will anyway- that today, the day the Champions' League was announced, ussoccer.com had the new uniforms as the top headline and as of this article going to "press" the Champions' League was still not announced there. MLSNet.com and CONCACAF.com both covered, but not one of the two biggest participating federations. Hmmm, on top of things, are we? Let's hope that the reason for that is because they are going to announce how US teams will get in.

So, keeping my fingeres crossed, I will wait anxiously to find out how American teams will get in- and will keep a countdown going for August. Man, I'm excited!

A Slight Correction

So it seems that the history of lower division US soccer is a bit more twisted than I initially believed. GS-1 from www.goalseattle.com has sent me the following:

"FC Seattle drew bigger or similar crowds to those the USL Sounders have, in general, over the years. The only bump the 'Sounders' got was when they came back in 1994, after Seattle had been without pro soccer for over 4 years. The Sounders of 1996-2002 drew fewer fans than FC Seattle for the most part.

Also, they never played 'in the USL.' FC Seattle Storm played in a couple of leagues, and won the Western Soccer Alliance in 1988. The USL later 'adopted' that league's history, but they are different animals."

Shows that maybe I shouldn't play slave to attendance data also (heh-heh). With that being said, I do still stand by my article "A Team by Any Other Name..." and the general tone of the piece.

GO SOUNDERS!!! And don't forget to visit both www.weareecs.com and www.goalseattle.com for more on the Seattle soccer scene!