For the first time in months, there we have concluded a weekend without a soccer match on United States’ soil. Major League Soccer is counting down to the 2011 MLS Cup at the Home Depot Center and ceded the weekend to International Soccer as FIFA claimed this weekend for World Cup Qualifiers, Euro 2012 Qualifiers and a spate of International Friendlies. For American soccer fans, one such friendly pitted the United States against France. The match was televised on Friday afternoon ensuring a fairly limited television audience.
Other weekend stories include a feature from MLSSoccer.com about efforts to improve scouting in San Jose. According to the article, “San Jose have hired a full-time video analyst to help the club sift through hours of tape on all the various players they’re keeping tabs on at any given point in time. And they’re also one of several MLS clubs who recently signed on with Wyscout.com, a service that significantly widens the club’s reach and ability to see video on players from all around the globe.” Investing in scouting is definitely a way in which teams can gain advantages in a salary cap league. San Jose has long been rumored to be one of the more spendthrift teams, so these additional scouting funds represent a positive sign that ownership is looking for ways to creatively spend its money.
Finally, Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer provides some perspective on the team and the league in this Q&A in the Seattle Times. Hanauer suggests that a new field will be in place for 2012 and that seating capacity at Century Link Field will be expanded.
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