—by Chris Rifer

Welcome, Montreal!

Just a year after the Timbers went through this same process – albeit with some expansion competition in Vancouver – the Montreal Impact are preparing for Wednesday’s Expansion Draft. With protected lists due out Monday, it is time to look ahead to what the Timbers’ protected list might look like.

We start with a point that may make this entire section moot. During the season, the Timbers sent longtime favorite Ryan Pore to Montreal on loan. At the time it was hinted that the move had expansion draft implications. The Impact have reportedly been satisfied with Pore’s services and have him in their plans going forward, despite Portland holding his rights in the future.

It is entirely possible that as part of the loan the Timbers and Impact made a handshake deal whereby Montreal can take Pore in the Expansion Draft in exchange for the Impact leaving the rest of Portland’s roster on the board. If that’s the case, well, fantastic. Love me some Ryan Pore, but the Timbers have better options on the wings.

Unfortunately few outside of Morrison Street really have much insight into such deals, so assuming the entirety of the Timbers are fair game, here is who the Timbers ought to protect.

First off, as a Generation Adidas player, Darlington Nagbe is not eligible for selection. So that frees up one spot on the protected list. He is the only Timbers player that is ineligible for selection, however, as Portland does not have any Home Grown players on the roster. Here is who I would protect.

Mortal Locks

1.  Troy Perkins – Still has plenty of years ahead of him in goal and provides the Timbers the medium-term stability between the posts to give time for Portland’s young goalkeeping talent to develop.

2.  Diego Chara – Best player on the team. Reasonable salary number. Has at least a half decade of peak performance ahead of him.

3.  Eric Brunner – Good young central defender. Has shown he can anchor the defense and, again, provides great value and good promise for quite a while.

4.  Kalif Alhassan – Way too much potential to be leaving unprotected.

Worthy of Protection

5.  Rodney Wallace – Given my rather turbulent relationship with Rodney as a player (I’ve never met him, but he seems like a standup guy) this makes me cringe a little bit, but he’s only 23 and if needs be could fill a very valuable position for a long time. One thing nobody has been talking about, though, is that rumor has it Tigres wouldn’t mind parting ways with Jonathan Bornstein. If that’s the case, and he wants to come back to MLS, then Portland is his home. Should that be in the works, Rod drops of this list in a hurry

6.  Futty – Gets a slight edge over David Horst. I see them largely as equals in defense, but Futty showed some serious prowess in the air on set pieces this year. He’s just a little bit better rounded player than Horst, and accordingly gets a coveted spot on the protected list.

7.  Sal Zizzo – He’s a good young wing. As discussed at the end of the season, the Timbers need more scoreboard production out of him, but he’s only 24 and has shown promise.

8.  Eric Alexander – Really didn’t get much of an opportunity to see him demonstrate his full range of talents, but he’s young, has a ton of potential, and the front office appears to be high on him.

On the Good Side of the Bubble

9.  Jake Gleeson – It’s a bold strategy to protect two keepers,[1] but Gleeson is a tremendous talent. On top of that, with a strong veteran presence in goal right now, Jake is in a prime position to develop into an outstanding keeper.

10.  Jack Jewsbury – It’s unlikely he would get picked considering his age, but to lose Jack for nothing would be awful for the Timbers. He showed this year that he is the leader of the team and very much a contributor. He is also a powerful bargaining chip for Portland. Either he will be in the Timbers uniform next year or he will help bring something else of great value.

11.  Lovel Palmer – I agonized a bit over this spot, but the reality is the Timbers would be in trouble if they lost Lovel without having something else come in at that spot. If the Timbers do have something else on the way, this spot goes elsewhere. But absent that, Palmer is a passable – if perhaps a bit vulnerable – incumbent.

The Tough Omissions

The Starting Forwards – Yeah, I know, I didn’t protect a true forward. Two reasons for this: First off, especially with Cooper’s salary figure, I think it is unlikely they get plucked. Anyway, if either of them did get picked, would you be devastated? With Nagbe’s emergence up front, Perlaza may be on the outside looking in anyway. Cooper showed promise toward the end of the season, but something tells me if Gavin had an extra $267,000 to bandy about he could find a replacement. The point is, and this is the second reason, attacking talent is not that hard to come by. If Montreal decided to loot the Timbers strikeforce, I have full confidence Gavin and Spencer could find a fitting replacement before January.

David Horst – Very nearly gave him the last spot instead of Palmer. Also very nearly gave him Futty’s spot. I’ll be very disappointed if Horst is pilfered, but tough decisions have to be made when you can only protect 11.

Mike Chabala – Another tough decision. I fell out of love with Chewy a little bit in the last month or so of the season, and Rodney Wallace’s advantage in potential made me gravitate to Rod. That said, this is the omission that I feel I would have the greatest possibility of regretting.

Brian Umony – I don’t think he’ll get picked, but it would be a shrewd gamble for Montreal. I’m curious to see what Umony could do in another season in Portland, especially if he can stay injury-free. I would rather Montreal not have the opportunity to see that through.

James Marcelin – To be honest, there are three guys on the protected list that can play central mid (including Alexander) that have greater value than Marcelin. I already have two goalkeepers protected, I can’t possibly protect four central midfielders.

Bright Dike – Again, this came down to whether he could be replaced. I think Bright brings some things to the field that would be tough to replace, but ultimately he is a decent reserve forward in this league. Good thing to have, but not a terribly hard thing to find.

The Cup

Predictions are dangerous because, more often than not, they make you look stupid. That said, I’m making an MLS Cup prediction.

2-0, L.A Galaxy. Yeah, okay, not exactly a bold prediction. I just don’t think the Dynamo attack will be able to function effectively against a pretty good Galaxy defense without Brad Davis. The Galaxy attack has been pretty darn good, with Mike Magee and David Beckham starring. Imagine what would happen if Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane come to play today as well. I think they will, and I think that will make this a bit one-sided. Houston has arguably been the best team to date in the playoffs, but no team can lose somebody like Davis and maintain their level of quality. Personally, I would rather see Dynamo win, but I’m prepared for disappointment.

The Good Cannoli

I don’t fancy myself a food critic, but I hit up Zizzo’s FC for the first time at lunch on Friday. Very impressive.

I got the Salsiccia sandwich and some cannoli for dessert. The sandwich was great. The sausage was tasty, but the peppers stole the show. I don’t know if it’s how they cook them or where they get them, but the peppers were some of the most flavorful I have ever had. Add in some grilled onions and a slice of provolone and you have yourself a pretty happy lunch hour.

The cannoli was top-notch as well. The filling of knock-off cannoli is often little better than miracle whip. This is no knock-off cannoli. The filling was delightfully rich with a good hint of cinnamon, and was well accompanied by the crunch of the shell and a perfect dusting of powdered sugar.

I’m a sucker for tomatoes, and the Caprese sandwich was the David Horst[2] of my lunch order. If you haven’t tried it yet, you really should go. There’s a decent chance you’ll see me there.

Onward, Rose City!

—by Abram Goldman-Armstrong

107ist board members Joanne Coachman, Garrett Dittfurth, Fernando Machicado, Jeremy Wright, and Abram Goldman-Armstrong are attending the MLS Supporters Summit and MLS Cup in Los Angeles. The weekend started with the supporters meet and greet at the Marriott Hotel in Torrance, where board members were able to network with supporters from clubs across the league. The was a presentation on the brewing process by Anheuser Busch InBev brewmaster George Reisch, including samples of AB Budweiser in malt, wort, and part way through the fermentation process. Goldman-Armstrong discussed security issues with MLS security consultant Jeffery Stonebreaker. A No Pity scarf was one of the most sought after items in a charity raffle put on by Angel City Brigade.

Saturday morning all board members attended the Independent Supporters Council Meeting at el Pescador Restaurant organized by Goldman-Armstrong and facilitated by Wright. Supporters from teams from across the US and Canada gathered at el Pescador Restaurant to discuss issues facing supporters, including security, away support, and game day ops. The Council developed several Position Points:

An Unbalanced schedule lowers the integrity of the league

When does MLS set up schedule? When Can we Have Input?

-Schedule regional and rivalry games (as determined by supporters) for Saturday rather than mid week

-Away Supporters Group Ticket Allotment- The ISC supports the FIFA 5% recommendation That 5% of stadium capacity of tickets be held for away supporters until two weeks before the match.

-The ISC opposes a league-wide banned supporters list. (too much chance to be arbitrary)

The Council also discussed a number of other pertinent issues including the following topics:

Designated Supporters Sections should be controlled by the supporters groups.

MLS has to hold clubs accountable for not following Away Travel plans (need to stick to security plan outlined in conference call).

The ISC will take a stance against violent SGs.

Saturday afternoon the group attended the Supporters’ Roundtable with Evan Dabby of MLS, and MLS club liaisons including Chris Wilson. Topics discussed included:

o Communication Strategy between Supporter Groups, Front Office and League Office

- Finding effective ways to build rapport between stakeholders - Improved communication tools to facilitate traveling supporters

o Supporter Group Committees

- Continuation and growth of existing committees

- Sub-committees (e.g. Hispanic and/or Cascadia Clubs)

o Growing and Enhancing the Game Day Experience

- Pre-match Communication and Planning

- Prohibited Items with Supporter Group Exemptions (see below)

- Minimum Ticket Allotment and Pricing (see below)

- Security

- Eliminating YSA/Foul Language Chants

o League-Wide Spectator Misconduct Tracking

- Establish a reporting process and plan to disseminate the information with all clubs

- Consistency in response and enforcement

o Self-Policing Strategies for Supporter Groups

- Identify successful models from individual groups and how it evolved

- Developing a system with discipline and rewards

o Partnership Marketing Opportunities

- Ideas for future growth, as well as finding a balance without “selling out”

- MLS and Club partners

- TEAM Coalition and “Responsibility Has Its Rewards”

o Supporter Group “Certificate of Authentication”

- Criteria to be recognized as an official supporter group

- Motivate and incentivize supporter groups

o 2012 Supporter Summit

- Review of the organization and approach

- Evaluating on the best location and timing for 2012

Though supporters and the MLS did not agree on all points there was a lot of good information sharing. 107ist, along with Section 8 Chicago, and ECS seem to be among the forerunners of the groups in many areas including self-policing, relations with the club front office, and travel organization. SUNDAY Nov. 20 You can virtually join in the conversation with Commissioner Don Garber tomorrow at 11 am via live webstream.

With the GPSD fall season winding down, there was an undecided manner in GPSD Division 4 that involved one of the TAFC member clubs.  North End United, the only undefeated club in the table going into the final regular season weekend, thought they just had to win their final fixture against Oregon National Guard FC to secure a championship berth.  While the NEU lads took care of their result, they were unaware that the team leading the standings, Ronler Hacres, was upset in their final schedule match versus Mayday.

 Mayday was hoping to overtake NEU and jump into the championship match, but the results ended up causing a tie in second place on the table.  This necessitated a rather strange circumstance where a cancelled game would need to be completed before a championship pairing would be determined.  Ironically, that cancelled match was North End United versus Ronler Hacres, and GPSD put the rescheduled match on Thursday, November 17 at LaSalle High School in SE Portland.  With an NEU win or draw, they would secure second place and the same two clubs would meet on November 20 at Gladstone High School for the GPSD Division 4 title.  A Ronler Hacres win would put the result into a tiebreaker situation and since Mayday and NEU drew back on November 6, it would mean GPSD would have to determine the participant.

While we didn’t get an official match report, we did get an email from Steve Joinson, the NEU manager, who happily reported that NEU had defeated Ronler Hacres 6 to 0 under blustery, chilly conditions.  Joel Weakland and Marcus Nelson scored a brace while Allen Cook and Shiloh Rodriguez added single tallies in securing the big win.  The result means that NEU finishes the 2011 fall season undefeated and has the momentum going into November 20’s championship match.  The championship event will take place under the lights at 6 PM in Gladstoneat Dick Baker Stadium just off the campus of GladstoneHigh School.  As a reminder, FC Portlandia meets earlier in the day at the same location in the GPSD Division 2 championship against SDFC Eastburn at 12 noon.  Good luck to both teams in their matches this weekend, and up the TAFC!

The final weekend of the GPSD regular season was looming over the TAFC clubs going into the second weekend of November.  With the holidays coming up on the calendar and visions of the region’s first official snow watch rumored for later this week, visions of championship games danced in the heads of some of the clubs while others hoped for great results to end their fall campaigns before looking forward to the spring season. 

FC Portlandia was hoping to secure a berth in the GPSD Division 2 championship match and guaranteed promotion into Division 1 for the spring term as they prepared to battle Sporting Commando.  They had played their previous four matches on turf, so the switch to the grass at Columbia Park had both sides struggling to adjust to the different surface.  Anthony O’Reilly took a great pass from Devin Chapman in the 30^th minute to put FCP up 1 to 0 and they held the lead going into the halftime break.  Nabil Zerizef doubled the lead quickly into the second half before Sporting Commando broke into the scoreline with a well placed free kick.  Zerizef and O’Reilly notched additional goals later in the second half as FC Portlandia held on for a 4 to 2 result.  The win secures their berth in the GPSD D2 championship versus SDFC Eastburn on November 20 at 12 noon at Gladstone High School.  The two sides met earlier in the year with SDFC getting a 2 to 0 win, but both teams have secured promotion to D1 for spring. 

North End United was the other club hoping to win a championship berth, making it all the way to November as the only club in GPSD D4 that had yet to lose a match.  A win in their final regular season match versus Oregon National Guard FC would keep the losses at zero and give them an expected championship berth depending on results from other fixtures.  Playing under the lights at Delta Park’s Strasser Field, NEU got some early bad news when striker Rem Evert had to leave the match with an ankle injury, and they ran afoul of the offside violation repeatedly all match.  However, Sam Nicholas picked up the scoring slack with a hat trick while goalkeeper Chad Nelson held strong against a relentless attack as NEU defeated the Guard FC 4 to 2.  In an odd bit of scheduling, NEU will be asked to play a midweek fixture versus Ronler Hacres on November 17 at LaSalle HS at 8 PM that was originally slated for October 9 but was postponed.  Ronler Hacres was in first in GPSD but lost to Mayday on November 13 thus making the cancelled match necessary to play because Mayday and NEU are currently tied in total points.  Depending on the result, it could be the same two teams meeting on November 20 in the GPSD Division 4 championship at 4:00 PM.

Rose City Athletic was playing their final match of the fall at Sherwood’s Snyder Park against the Fiji Islanders.  While the RCA boys were floating about the middle of the table standings wise, they wanted to end the season on a strong note against a very good side.  The fall conditions were great for soccer, but RCA found themselves struggling to hold possession although they had chances to score all match.  Jose Lopez got his sixth goal of the season, but the Fiji Islanders were able to tally three to win the match 3 to 1 to end RCA’s season.  RCA ends the 2010 fall season with a 5 win, 5 loss record putting them smack in the middle of the table, while Bryan Boen ends up as RCA’s top scorer for the fall with 11 goals.  Knowing the brains behind RCA, I can imagine the managers are up to some secret strategy for the next term of soccer, or they could just be interested in trying to eat all they can eat at Izzy’s.

TAFC has experienced an up and down season due to injuries that have kept their numbers down, so they were happy to simply have a sub available in their final fixture against BDFC at Gladstone High School.  The first half displayed a wonderful defensive effort by TAFC to hold their opponents scoreless while Jesse Wagner converted a first half penalty kick to put them up 1 to 0 at the half.  The second half was temporarily delayed because of lighting issues on the field, but once play resumed,BDFC finally found space to work and scored three goals in the second half while holding TAFC scoreless.  TAFC had their chances, including a wonderful run by Wagner that was saved by the BDFC keeper that was very much Troy Perkins like, but in the end, TAFC fell to 1 win and 9 losses on the year.  The offseason for them will be extra special, as the team will undergo their long awaited rebranding project which promises to be something to behold.

—by Lucas Grzybowski

The University of Portland Pilots men's soccer team yesterday lost a bleak 0-1 contest to Santa Clara at Merlo Field, but there was a silver lining.

Through donations and the volunteer efforts of TA/UP stalwarts Tim Chamberlin and Seth Hunt, $120 was raised for the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund, which was created in honor of our dear friend Gisele after she passed away suddenly last spring. Admission was free for anyone wearing Timbers Army gear, and a few dozen TA came out to support the Pilots in their quest to qualify for the NCAA Men's Soccer Championship.

Santa Clara broke the deadlock in the 81st minute with a header off a corner kick, and though the Pilots had a couple of good chances to equalize during a frenetic finish, it was not to be. The loss means Portland finishes in 3rd place in the West Coast Conference and could only qualify for the NCAA tournament through an at-large bid (which they unfortunately did not get).

Thanks again to everyone who donated, and to Seth and Tim for working the booth.

Learn more about the Gisele Currier Memorial Fund, and make a donation to support local soccer.

—by Roger Anthony

November is a big month of AC Portland, with two open-to-the-public-but-especially-to-the-Timbers-Army events on the schedule.

To refresh memories, AC Portland is an after-school program from grade-school kids ranging from Grades 3-8. Kids take part in two-sets of school curricula focused on literacy, health and nutrition – and supplement that with some small-scale recreational soccer. The project was launched this summer with a fund-raising and awareness campaign powered by the TA, the 107ist and Operation Pitch Invasion, as well as a field-construction project at James John Elementary School in North Portland.

So far, 400 kids and seven schools have taken part in AC Portland activities, not to mention several Timbers Army volunteers who’ve stepped up to help coach the kids.

Over the next week, you’ll have to chances to see the payoffs from all that hard work:

On Tuesday, Nov. 15, there will be a dedication and celebration of the new artificial turf mini-field at James John. (Turf better than Seattle’s!) Ceremonies will begin at 3:45 p.m. and continue for about 45 minutes to an hour. James John is located at 7439 N Charleston Ave., a short stroll from the St. Johns Bridge or the McMenamins St. Johns Pub, depending on your points of reference.

On Thursday, Nov. 17, you can see some of the kids in the program compete on an entirely different playing field. Starting at 6:30, the kids of AC Portland will be raising their voices as part of the Get Loud! Poetry Slam. Winners could qualify to take part in the America Scores National Poetry Slam to be held at the fabled Apollo Theater in New York City.

Admission is free, and because the Slam is being held in the Benson High auditorium, plenty of good seats will be available. Benson is located at 546 NE 12th Ave.; the Slam will last until about 8:30.

With just two weeks left in the regular season for the Timbers Army football clubs, there was plenty of excitement going into the November 5 and 6 fixtures.  Rose City Athletic played a rare Saturday date in the afternoon, while FC Portlandia and North End United were playing for potential berths in their respective division championship matches.  TAFC, meanwhile, had some players saddled with injuries return to play for their match in the hopes from rebounding from their last match out inWashington County. 

For FC Portlandia, their Sunday match against Por Que No had plenty of importance associated with the result.  A win for the lads in purple would almost guarantee them into the GPSD Division 2 championship match.  Under the lights at Oregon City HS, FC Portlandia debuted their new sky blue look sponsored by Cartlandia and used a lone goal by Nabil Zerizef in the first half to earn a 1 to 0 victory in an extremely competitive match.  Por Que No put the Portlandia defense under pressure the entire match, but FCP held them off to earn an advantage in the berth for the championship.  They finish their regular season on November 13 against Sporting Commando atColumbiaPark inNorth Portland at 2 PM.  A win in that match not only assures the championship match berth but it would secure them promotion to Division 1 for next season.

I had to read about North End United’s match versus Mayday a few times to make sure that I caught all the nuances, and apparently the match report doesn’t even begin to underscore the craziness of their 2 all draw.  Apparently, the match featured some trash talking, great passing, and a bizarre penalty kick situation.  The contentious chatter continued after the final whistle apparently as there was some spirited banter amongst the participants that I’m sure wasn’t for the faint of ear.  It was a great result for NEU, however, as they fell behind 2 to 0 in the first half, but used second half goals from Marcus Nelson and Shiloh Rodriguez to earn the point.  If NEU wins this weekend against Oregon National Guard FC at Delta Park Strasser Field at 6 PM, they will assure themselves second place in Division 4 GPSD and play in the title game the following weekend.

Rose City Athletic played the rare Saturday at Glenhaven Park against long time Division 4 participants the Onetouchables, and the boys in red came out firing.  Bryan Boen continued his torrid goal scoring pace in getting his eleventh of the year, but he was outpaced by a hat trick for Eduardo Ramirez and a brace for Jose Lopez as RCA beat the Onetouchables 6 to 1.  Apparently the cold and windy conditions didn’t stall the RCA offense while they held the Onetouchables’ offense in check.  RCA will finish their fall campaign in Sherwood atSnyderPark on November 13 at 2:30 PM when they meet the Fiji Islanders.  A word of warning for RCA – theFiji guys might be big, but they are really quick as well.

TAFC was excited to welcome the return of midfielders Jesse Wagner and Eben Crawford back to the team, and they actually had available subs for the match against Sasquatch Gang FC at Columbia Park on November 6.  The pre-match festivities were highlighted by a pre-match kit switch for Sasquatch from their green to white, and a colorful discussion between TAFC manager Jerry Makare and the center official about clock management.  Once the match got started, TAFC held their ground for most of the first half but gave up 2 goals on great individual efforts.  Whether it was the lingering effects of the previous match or the sloppy conditions that made passing difficult, TAFC started to falter as the score tally rose for Sasquatch.  They did earn some redemption when Chris Tschirley scored in the second half, putting him officially in the top 10 of all time TAFC goal scorers over his career.  TAFC finishes the Fall Session this weekend against BDFC at Gladstone HS at 4 PM on November 13; while TAFC beat BDFC during the Spring 2010 season, BDFC is a much improved side.

The weekend also marked the first ever practice for the newest Timbers Army FC club, Old Growth FC.  Slated to join one of the over 40 divisions in GPSD for the Spring 2012 season, team founder Todd Diskin welcomed 12 participants to a rainy, drizzly practice on Saturday but everyone was smiles as they worked through various drills and a short scrimmage.  The motto on this day was just having fun and work on getting better, but knowing the participants on this club, I’m sure the competitive juices will start flowing once the fixtures begin in March.

—by Chris Rifer

A couple weeks ago we recapped the Timbers’ season and looked into the future for our beloved PTFC. This week we look back at the season that the MLS had, and what it needs to do – or not do – to continue growth.

Pieces like this are tough, because it is easy to come off as hypercritical and whiny. I imagine at some point over the next 2,700 words, including footnotes, I will come off as both. Keep in mind throughout that the league is doing a lot more right than it is doing wrong. The upward trajectory of MLS is prima facie evidence of that – nobody can seriously question that over the last three or four years the league has grown substantially in both popularity and quality. The league, however, still has areas that need improvement.

Finally, I regard these issues as equally important to Timbers fans as the issues facing the club. The reality is the MLS is still a fledgling league. Every club and its supporters have a vested interest in seeing the league develop. The bigger the league, the better the quality of soccer, the better the experience for everybody.

So, without further adieu, let’s pass judgment on Don Garber and the league under the guise of Good Don, Bad Don. As always, dissent is more than welcome.

Good Don

The Playoffs

There has been plenty of griping about the MLS Playoffs, primarily for the reason that it’s un-European. The argument goes that the season’s body of work should be the primary measure of success and should thereby determine the champion. All well and good. But let’s face it, a single-table points-winner-takes-all system without relegation could very well lead to the final months of the season being rendered pointless for most of the league.

Take this year, for example. If such a system had been in place, even with something like the top 3 or 4 qualifying for CCL, more than half the table would have been eliminated from meaningful competition by August. And here is the other thing: CCL play, while certainly a nice prize, doesn’t carry nearly the allure that the UEFA Champions League does. So, by August, with Galaxy virtually assured of winning the league, and only a handful of teams battling for a CCL spot they only moderately care about, we would have had a system in which more than half the league would be virtually playing for pride.

Instead, with the playoff system, we were treated to two months of thrilling soccer where virtually everybody[1] was still in contention. Until American soccer grows to the point of making relegation and promotion viable (which we’re not even close to, if it will ever happen), and until CCL truly becomes a major tournament (which we’re much closer to, but still have a ways to go), the playoffs create the most exciting league play of any system.

Relative Austerity

If you haven’t read Leander Schaerlaeckens’s article on the impending economic demise of European soccer, you should. The short of it is clubs have spent so wildly that several major European clubs are on the verge of financial collapse. We’re not talking Wigan and Napoli, folks, we’re talking clubs like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Manchester United, and Liverpool. Apparently you’re not the only one that thought $123 million for Ronaldo was crazy; turns out creditors did too (or at least they’re going to very soon).

Say what you will about MLS, but it has done a fantastic job of keeping payrolls modest while maximizing talent. Really, there are only a handful of gargantuan contracts in the league, with a number of other contracts that are bargains. Yes, as the league grows there will be greater necessity to shell out more money. But to date MLS has done a good job of avoiding the irrational exuberance of Europe, and has kept its fiscal house in decent order. The league should hold that principle sacred as the league continues to grow.

If European soccer does go through a major financial crisis, as may well happen in the next few years, there is going to be a lot of talent looking for a well-constructed, financially stable league to play in. MLS would be happy to oblige.

Past Expansion

Putting my anti-Seattle hat aside for just a moment, take an objective look at the MLS’s expansion decisions over the last three years. In three years MLS has added Seattle, Philadelphia, Vancouver and Portland. Now put together a list of the five best supported clubs in the league. All four of those clubs are on that list, with Portland, Philly and Seattle – in no particular order – solidly occupying the top three spots. Very shrewd.

Supporting Supporters

This has a foot in both camps, as the transformation is incomplete, but there is no question that over the past three years MLS has made great strides in making its product more supporter-friendly. A lot of people speak about this as being the supporter v. soccer mom choice. To me, that’s a bit of a false choice as I’ve seen plenty of happy soccer moms in Jeld-Wen Field – the most supporter-friendly venue in MLS. The league seems to acknowledge this more and more, and on most fronts is making good progress toward marketing itself to both groups.

There are still blemishes, however, with this year’s most prominent being the debacle in New England, as supporters were arrested for being rambunctious and yelling “[YSA]”. I agree that YSA is unoriginal, perhaps annoying, and to some could even be offensive. But arrest-worthy? If I’m Don Garber and I see something like that happen, I’m in the owner’s office the next morning. I know the league doesn’t have complete control over all of its franchises’ actions, but it certainly has the ability to shape the culture. That’s happening, but there is still work to do.

Bad Don

The Referees

This one has been well documented.[2]

Future Expansion

This is not impeachment of Montreal. The jury is still out on them, and there is no reason to believe they won’t have the success of other recent expansions. This is mostly about the seemingly imminent addition of another team in New York.

Every time I watch a Red Bull New York match, I am amazed at how well they coordinate the folks sitting at midfield to wear the proper colors of the Red Bull logo. Oh, wait.

Here is the reality, the existing franchise in New York is toward the bottom half of the league in terms of support. The Viking Army has plenty of class, but lacks the numbers. Sure, a lot of this has to do with the fact that Red Bull Arena is well outside the City, but if you add another franchise – even if it is in the City – what is to keep the Red Bulls from becoming Chivas East?

There are some decent options out there. Orlando has made a nice debut in USL Pro. Las Vegas is a tragically underserved sports city that provides scant entertainment options for the folks who live there – believe it or not, most of the folks who live in Vegas don’t spend every weekend on The Strip. Now that Tijuana has moved up to Mexico’s top division, San Diego is a little bit less viable, but if they are ever relegated San Diego becomes a gold mine. Minneapolis, Milwaukie, and Indianapolis – at least in the abstract – all provide some promise. Memphis and Nashville may work as well.

Here is the other sticking point, Garber seems determined to grow beyond 20, and soon. Why? The league is healthy at a smaller number. Leagues, with the NFL being the only exception, often immediately regret the decision to over-expand.

Here is my plan: Around 2015 add one more franchise in either Orlando or Vegas. Move Chivas to either the spurned of those two cities or San Diego. Then sit at 20 for a while. If the league continues to grow, there may come a point where expanding beyond 20 is more viable, but what’s the rush?

The Glamour Franchises

I understand why MLS would like to have Galaxy and NYRB be the league’s cornerstone franchises. They are the biggest markets with the most international draw. But this brings up the same issue, especially with NYRB. Does it do the league any good to have an international audience tune in to a Red Bulls match and see a half full stadium with modest atmosphere? No.

It’s time for a little bit of rebranding. The glamour franchises need to be the liveliest. I’m talking again about Philly, Portland, Seattle, and Real Salt Lake, etc. Instead of spinning its wheels trying to market a mediocre product out of New Jersey, why doesn’t the league double down on the clubs that have paid dividends?

Not to go too John Edwards on you, but it feels like we have two MLSs emerging. One MLS is new, cutting-edge, and exciting. It markets itself to a largely young, urban-based clientele who grew up playing and enjoy watching soccer.

The other MLS is the old, warmed-over MLS trying to empty the suburbs’ cul-de-sacs into to its stadia. Nothing against the suburbs, but relying on that exclusively is a broken business model. To be perfectly honest, NYRB feels awfully old MLS to me, and that’s not the image the league wants to project.

Portland is fortunate insofar as it has that large group of young urbanites, and also a large group of folks who have been following PTFC since the NASL days. That’s the cornerstone of the franchise, and it’s a really strong one. Would that cornerstone be nearly as strong if they named the franchise the Portland Pioneers and built a generic 25,000 seat soccer-specific stadium in Wilsonville? That’s basically the old MLS business model – the Red Bulls’ model – and ultimately why the Red Bulls shouldn’t be a flagship franchise.

The Myriad Player Acquisition Mechanisms

Player acquisition in the MLS is absurdly confusing. There are no fewer than 12 player acquisition methods in MLS, including the allocation rankings, the SuperDraft, the Supplemental Draft, the Re-Entry Draft, discovery signings, home-grown player signings, the lottery, trades, and a few more minor ones. Ugh.

First off, many of these acquisition methods create the perverse incentive for a club that has been eliminated from contention to tank in hopes of boosting their positions in the respective rankings. It’s one thing to play for pride if it only affects one or two spots in the draft – like a team in the NBA or NFL – but it is another altogether when it affects nearly every method listed above and the amount of allocation money the league gives you.

Certainly one of the challenges a league has in putting together its player acquisition system is balancing the interest in parity with creating too great an incentive to tank. EPLitis, a common disease amongst top-flight soccer leagues in which the league is dominated year-in-and-year-out by a select few clubs, is certainly to be avoided. The MLS, however, has struck the balance too far on the side of parity in giving teams – almost literally – dozens of reasons to sacrifice meaningless late fixtures.

For one, I would challenge Garber to name one good reason why the Supplemental Draft, the Re-entry Draft (which is actually two drafts), and the lottery couldn’t just be replaced by a free market approach more like what is used internationally. Also, do allocation rankings serve any proper purpose other than to bury some of our best domestic talent on bad teams?[3]

I would dramatically simplify the system. Keep the SuperDraft and trades because they’re fun.[4] Institute a more free market approach with signings outside of those processes – be it signings of MLS players who are out of contract, foreign talent, young off-draft-cycle domestic talent, or veteran American talent returning from overseas. Keep allocation money, but make it so that every team that doesn’t make the playoffs gets the same amount so as to limit perverse incentives. So the 11^th team in the table would get the same amount as the 19^th. Finally, keep home-grown signings to promote the development of academies.

Finally, and here is the big one, make everything public. No more “we’re not disclosing how much allocation money we spent, or how much allocation money we have” garbage. Putting that stuff in the public forum gives everybody something else to write about, something else to complain about, and something else to create buzz about. It makes the offseason livelier and creates gossip about who is legitimately in the market to make big moves. On the whole, it would give people a lot more to talk about with MLS, which is just what the doctor ordered.

Wow, spent a lot of time on that one. Moving on…

The Playoff Format

I actually like the 10-team format. I’m fine with the single-match, higher seed gets home field format for the wild card rounds. The two leg aggregate goal series in the conference semis is a lot of fun. As I wrote about a couple weeks ago, the first leg of such a series very often produces some thrilling soccer, and depending on how the series goes, the second leg can be just as enthralling – as the middle of the Red Bulls – Galaxy second leg showed. So, to this point, I love it.

But after that, what the heck is MLS thinking? The conference finals, inexplicably, revert to the single-match, higher seed hosts format. Considering getting a draw on the road against equal competition is considered a quality result in soccer, to have this format for the conference finals is manifestly unjust. Just as the stakes are getting high, the MLS stacks the deck.[5]

If that’s not enough, though, then the MLS decides to put the MLS Cup in a neutral location. Really? Last year it was in Toronto. You want to play the biggest game of the year – between Colorado and Dallas – in Toronto? Toronto?![6]

Location problems aside, why would the league ever want to put its most important match in a neutral site, likely thousands of miles from the supporters of one or both teams? Or worse yet, as we’re going to experience, why would you ever give one team such a huge, completely fortuitous, advantage in the off-chance that the “neutral location” is their home stadium?[7] Wouldn’t you rather have two matches with packed stadia and frenzied supporters to trot out on primetime television as a two-part advertisement for American soccer to the country and the world?

Here is the solution, and again, it’s about simplicity. Keep the format for the wild card play-in. Then, everything is home-and-home aggregate goals series. Wild card matches on Wednesday. Conference semis on Saturday/Sunday and Wednesday/Thursday. Conference finals on the following Saturday/Sunday and Wednesday/Thursday. Time off for FIFA dates. Then the leg one of the MLS Cup on Thursday night, and leg two on Tuesday night in primetime.

Remember when I promised not to make this a whine-fest? Then I went off and spent 750 words on the good stuff and 1,500 on bad stuff. But trust me when I tell you that the league is doing much more right than it is wrong.

I should probably just stop.

Onward, Rose City!

In October, those of you who made it out to the "Fall Frenzy" at Adidas saw kids from seven Portland-area grade schools pursuing their joy – and the always-elusive soccer ball – under the watchful eyes of several Timbers Army coaches.

On Thursday, Nov. 17, you can see them compete on an entirely different playing field. Starting at 6:30, the kids of AC Portland – the next generation of Pongs and Purple Cows – will be raising their voices as part of the "Get Loud! Poetry Slam." Winners could qualify to take part in the America Scores National Poetry Slam to be held at the fabled Apollo Theater in New York City.

Admission is free, and because the Slam is being held in the Benson High auditorium, plenty of good seats will be available. Benson is located at 546 NE 12th Ave.; the Slam will last until about 8:30.

The fall weather reared up this past weekend in the Portland area, but that didn’t stop the TAFC teams from taking the pitch despite the conditions. With just a few weeks left in the regular Fall season, some of the clubs are jockeying for playoff positions and possible hopes of promotion while others are hoping for better results once the injury bug finally leaves them alone for a while.

FC Portlandia is in the throws of the GPSD Division 2 playoff race, and a win against their long standing rivals the Marmots would move them closer to securing a berth in the championship match. Playing on the turf at Cleveland High School, FC Portlandia was behind for most of the match until Anthony O’Reilly leveled the score at 2 with 15 minutes left. Only some stellar saves by the Marmots goalkeeper kept the boys in purple from securing the full three points, but the 2 all draw keeps FC Portlandia in the driver’s seat for the championship. They will need to deal with the loss of defender James Kinnon, who left the club to return to merry England but he is scheduled to rejoin the team sometime in spring 2012. FC Portlandia faces Por Que No under the lights at Oregon City High School on November 6 at 7:00 PM, and per their crack stats person, a win there would give them their desired berth in the finals.

Coming off their big derby win over TAFC the previous week, the North End United boys were hoping to keep their undefeated campaign going when they met Deacon Blue, a GPSD club with many Timbers Army members but not currently part of the Timbers Army FC initiative. Playing at Delta Park, NEU had an early advantage as Deacon Blue only fielded nine players to start, but reinforcements soon arrived for the opponents. Marcus Nelson scored a brace in the first half and helped set up NEU’s third goal in the first half as they defeated Deacon Blue 5 to 0. NEU hopes to keep their unblemished record in tact as they play the team they are currently tied with in second place on the GPSD Division 4 table, Mayday. The two sides get an early start time on the battle with a noon start time at Delta Park 6 on November 6.

Rose City Athletic, currently floating in the middle of the pack in GPSD Division 4, battled South VN on Sunday, another club within the pack chasing overall Division 4 leaders Ronler Hacres. While Bryan Boen continued his torrid scoring pace in notching his tenth goal of the Fall campaign, RCA struggled in the backline and let South VN control the pace and tempo of the match which they eventually won 3 to 1. RCA goalkeeper Casey McLaughlin made plenty of quality saves to try and keep things close, but RCA struggled with their offensive fast break and missed out on several key scoring opportunities in the loss. RCA hopes to rebound at Glenhaven Park on this Sunday when they face long time GPSD members the Onetouchables also at noon.

TAFC, meanwhile, continues to struggle with numbers as they fielded only 10 healthy players in meeting Ronler Hacres, the top side in GPSD D4. Despite the lack of numbers, TAFC held them scoreless for the first 25 minutes of the match until Ronler Hacres finally broke through off a quick counter. The shower of goals for the next few moments was only amplified with the torrent of rain that turned an already muddy field into a bog in certain areas. TAFC fought valiantly despite the lack of subs and the quickness of Ronler Hacres, but they ended up being held scoreless while the top team put up double digit goals. TAFC hopes to rebound this weekend and secure the return of many of their key players as they meet Sasquatch Gang FC at Columbia Park at 2 PM on November 6. In other TAFC news, manager Jerry Makare has announced that the new team name will be officially released soon just in time for the Winter session.

All TAFC clubs should be aware that this weekend is Daylight Savings Time, so many of us will be moving our clocks back one hour. If you happen to miss out on the fun, well at least you will be incredibly early for this weekend’s games. All clubs will continue regular season play through November 13, 2011, followed by any playoff dates. We’ll then have official announcements about Winter TAFC teams, and news of some new arrivals to the TAFC family very soon as well just in time for Spring session.