Seattle won't host World Cup qualifiers this fall

Bleh.

This is extremely disappointing. Seattle had been one of 6 cities vying to host one of 3 games, but were not chosen. Hard to understand why, really - with SSFC coming next year the timing was perfect, Seattle is a long ways from each of the potential opponent countries, and Qwest hasn't been used much by the USMNT. Of course, there's still the chance of getting a game in Qwest Field for the final round of WC qualification, which goes on during the better part of 2009. So there's still hope for a meaningful Mens National team game in the moderately near future.

Hungry for MLS? Here's some appetizers

Here's a quick rundown of the potential big friendly matches that may be coming to Qwest Field this summer.

-Mexico vs. China, international friendly: This would be an intriguing match between two seemingly unlikely opponents. Rumored to be April 16.
Probability: Fairly low. The supposed gameday isn't on a FIFA international date... and why would Mexico want a friendly in Seattle, anyways? (EDIT - we fail, this is happening. You should go! April 16!)

-US mens national team, World Cup qualifiers: One of three probable, hugely important matches could be held at Qwest, which would, being geographically far from the likely opponents, provide a great home-field advantage.
Probability: Moderate. Seattle is one of seven cities and there are just three games to go around. Having never before hosted a qualifier could come to our advantage.

-Seattle Sounders vs. KC Wizards, friendly: Seattle played at KC last year, and now it's our turn to host them. A win (albeit a meaningless one) here is very possible.
Probability: Moderate. The front office is still working on finding a suitable date for both clubs. If they can't work it out, the match will be played in 2009 instead.

-LA Galaxy vs. AEK Athens, friendly: Another odd pairing, this would pit David Beckham, Landon Donovan and Ruud 'Sexy Football' Gullit against... a bunch of Greek guys. Rumored to be May 26, though that could change.
Probability: Fairly high. While the rumored date might present a scheduling conflict for the Galaxy, they take every opportunity to play friendlies/make money off of Beckham. Something will probably get worked out.

The National Team: Coming to a Stadium Near You?

If you liked what you saw in the US Mens National Team's thrilling 2-2 draw with Mexico last night, you could be in luck. There's a good chance that one of the group stage World Cup Qualifiers is played in Qwest Field sometime this fall.

Seattle is one of a number of cities being considered to host a game (the others are Columbus, L.A., Dallas, D.C., Chicago and Denver, out of which 3 will be chosen.) Logic and fairness dictates that one game will be held west of the Rockies... but L.A. is already hosting a qualifier in June! So Seattle would seem to be a front-runner to host a game (at Qwest, obviously). Our guesses for the other 2? D.C. and Denver.

Keep in mind, though, that the USMNT does need to beat either Barbados or Dominica in June just to advance to the group stage. Fortunately, though, the gulf in talent between the U.S. and either of these two teams is wider than the Gulf of Mexico separating the countries geographically. Keep your fingers crossed...

(Original source here)

Call it an 'unfriendly'

ESPN2 and Univision, 9:00 ET (6:00 PT)

Want to watch a big game that people in more than one country care about?

Tune into the somewhat annual USA-Mexico match Wednesday night. Nothing official will be on the line, but that doesn't matter when these two teams face off. For those who don't know, the U.S. and Mexico teams (or at least their fans) absolutely hate each other, making this one of the top rivalries in international soccer.

Mexico, ranked 15th in the world, are probably in slightly better form than the United States (currently 20th). But Mexico haven't won in the last 9 games they've played in the U.S., and this contest will be held just across the border in Houston. It's definitely one worth watching.

(And if you do, make sure to check out the spanish-language broadcast. Even if you can't understand a word they're saying, it's still supremely entertaining.)

The Bigger Picture

So to partially fill this off-season we're going to be doing a series on the popularity, acceptance and development of soccer in the United States. This will be called



We're going to be talking to various people around the U.S. and Seattle soccer scene to see what they think of the current and future states of American soccer. The basic question, of course, is "how popular will soccer be in the near future?' There are some differing opinions:

Danny Jackson (former MLS and current Sounders player) - "I do think it will get there, but it will take time. When this next generation of supporter arrives at the stadium, the generation which grew up playing the game, who will vividly remember Beckham arriving, Sounders winning a championship, feeling pain and hurt when their team loses, and when we are on prime time TV, we will be on the right track."

Adrian 'Man of the Hour' Hanauer (owner of Sounders and future MLS franchise) - "The trend is definitely going the right direction, and I believe that we will continue to see increased support for soccer on every level, over the next 10-20 years."

Larry Stone (Seattle Times sportswriter) - "I don't think soccer will ever become a mainstream sport. It's simply not part of our culture, and it never will be. When I was little, I heard people say that soccer would be huge once all the kids who play youth soccer became adult consumers. Never happened, and it won't happen, I believe. Soccer will remain a niche sport -- hugely popular among the fanatics, but not on par with NFL, MLB, or NBA. It might catch NHL."

...so what do y'all think?