February 24, 2010 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
No buzz to spring training
There is no Freddy Adu coming into Major League Soccer this year. No David Beckham, either. There isn’t even a “will he or won’t he be back” debate or feud between Beckham and Landon Donovan. In other words, there is no buzz in the run-up to the coming MLS season.
January 7, 2010 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Labor battle can hurt soccer
Labor problems have plagued every American sport for the better part of the past four decades. Baseball, football and hockey have endured and survived major work stoppages.
I am not sure Major League Soccer can.
December 5, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Draw does matter to many
To read or hear certain comments in the media the last few days, you’d think no one in the United States cared about Friday’s World Cup Draw in South Africa.
Don’t tell that to the folks who gathered in Nevada Smith’s in New York or Fado’s in Philadelphia or La Huasteca and ESPN Zone in Los Angeles.
October 5, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Chicago’s loss should be lesson for World Cup bid
Friday’s crushing defeat of Chicago’s bid to host the Olympics in 2016 should serve as a lesson for the United States World Cup bid committee.
July 20, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Beckham: Savior or false Profit$ ?
In more than 30 years involvement in soccer, I’ve never seen anything generate as much controversy as the arrival of David Beckham for his third, albeit partial, season in Major League Soccer.
May 31, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Time for a change – four ideas to improve MLS
When everyone plays for a result, we really get none.
May 12, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Union is a good fit for Philly
I have to admit, when I first heard the name of Philadelphia’s Major League Soccer team, I thought to myself “just another bad name in a league full of them.”
April 27, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Who hosts the World Cup should be a no-brainer
Sometime within the next year or so, one or more large loose leaf binders, videos and power point presentations will make their way from an office in New York to Zurich Switzerland. A letter in support of what those materials contain has already been sent by President Barack Obama.
March 21, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
MLS getting expansion right
There is an old saying, “What goes around comes around.” That is true of a lot of things, especially, it seems, in soccer expansion.
February 11, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Crazy weather, fans made this special
COLUMBUS, Ohio---I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end.
Grammy Award winning singer/songwriter James Taylor wrote those lyrics in the 70s.
Now I’d like to add one more line.
I’ve seen everything.
February 2, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Voting for Hall of Famers a tough process
Last year, when no one among “modern era” players was elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame , many of my colleagues railed about the process. There were a number of deserving candidates, but none got the required 75% of the vote from the members of the media who make up the voting panel.
January 15, 2009 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
MLS Draft has become a must-see event
ST.LOUIS, Mo---Back when the National Football League started opening its draft to the general public, in the late 70s, you could always count on Jets and Giants fans to show up for the event at a New York hotel. Maybe even a few fans would make the trek up from Philadelphia.
December 31, 2008 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
USWNT was 2008’s best overlooked story
The tv shows and sports magazines have been filled with the top stories of 2008. From the New York Giants winning the Super bowl to the Philadelphia Phillies winning the World Series. From Tiger Woods’ amazing performance in winning the U.S. Open on a bad leg to Michael Phelps and his eight Olympic Gold Medals.
November 23, 2008 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Cup game needs a home side
CARSON, Calif.---Like most things in LA, they are pretty laid back about their sports out here.
Good thing then, that MLS imported some real fans from New York and Columbus to give The Home Depot Center some real soccer atmosphere. Other wise the place would have been pretty quiet, and that would have been a shame given the performance the Crew and the Red Bulls put on.
October 11, 2008 CUTTONE’S CONCEPTS
Troubles? Not on this night
WASHINGTON, D.C.---No doubt this country has a lot of problems. The economy, the bailout plan, the war, the tenor of the Presidential race. Showing our patriotism and moving on to the next round of World Cup qualifying, however, do not seem to be among them.
