Over at CNNSI.com, Avi Creditor has weighed in with a detailed piece looking at prospects and draft targets.  The article does a solid job listing some of the top talent from the college ranks.  Creditor also weighs in with an article looking at the various team needs across the league.  The effort from CNNSI should be contrasted with the absence of the usually excellent coverage on ESPN.com.   The draft is largely MIA on the Worldwide Leader’s website despite the upcoming broadcast on ESPN2.

Elsewhere, Canada’s TSN offers some thoughts on Montreal’s first Superdraft and adds some insight into Jess March’s thinking as the season gets closer. Staying North of the border, the Vancouver Sun’s soccer blog chimes in about the relevance of the Superdraft in MLS 2012.  Elsewhere in CONCACAF, the Jamaica Gleaner weighs in on the MLS prospects of local product Darren Mattock.  The day after the draft is typically replete with these types of articles from town newspapers covering the success of community residents.

In other news, ESPN2 will televise the SuperDraft starting at noon on Thursday.  Typically the network manages to cover the entire first round of the draft and provides insight into the players selected and the status of the league as the calendar turns to 2012.  Last year the draft coverage was hosted by the recently departed Rob Stone.  Also last year,the broadcast was presented by adidas, and commercial advertisers included McDonald’s, Taco Bell, Wendy’s, Scottrade, the Post Office and AT&T.

We’ve long discussed the benefits of Major League Soccer’s Generation Adidas program that allows underclassmen to risk entering the SuperDraft before graduation while retaining the ability to pursue a college education on adidas’ dime if their soccer career doesn’t pan out.  Now comes this piece from Ives Galarcep (wearing his Fox Sports hat), suggesting that MLS is now diverting Generation Adidas funds to signing MLS Academy products rather than college undergraduates.  Galarcep’s article is a must read for fans interested in the signing of young domestic talent by the league.

ESPN’s package is reduced to 20 games but includes a number of games on ESPN rather than ESPN2.

Last year we linked to an excellent article by Kyle McCarthy at Goal.com that included  his interview with Mark Abbott and Brad Pursel about the dynamics and challenges involved in creating a schedule for MLS.  This is a fascinating and under-covered topic.  From a business perspective, the most interesting aspect of the interview was Mr. Pursel’s discussion of the three biggest priorities in setting up a schedule: “maximizing attendance, creating a television schedule to maximize ratings and balancing the schedule from a competitive perspective.”  It is telling that business factors are the primarily driver behind the schedule making.

The league also announced, in conjunction with adidas, the debut of its new match ball.  According to the official press release, the PRIME  ball’s “new panel design provides more accurate and consistent ball movement to support the modern soccer game which is faster than ever.  The Prime also features a matte finish for better grip and improved sealing for better performance in all weather conditions.”  The new ball retails for $150 and is available now through MLS Gear.

Finally, GOLTV has made it known that they have renewed multimedia rights agreement to air coverage of Brasileirão, Brazil’s premier championship soccer league, and Campeonato Paulista through 2015.  In addition, the network will also telecast the FC Barcelona/Real Madrid match on December 10.

Over the past few years, the league has significantly improved on the “back end” of the off season with respect to generating interest.  Last year MLS teams did a great job keeping their fans updated on scrimmages and matches through Twitter during the preseason period.  The league’s official website stepped up its offerings with in depth reporting and highlights from training games around the country.  There were also taped interviews and the video provided views of the excellent Arizona facility where many teams played.  The quality of the broadcasts were surprisingly good and provided a great way for fans to keep track of their team in the weeks leading up to the season.  Teams also participated in neutral site matches (like Corpus Christie) which drew sizable crowds.

Presuming the league builds on that effort, the key is now the December/January period.  The league runs its expansion draft right after the Final and deals involving Montreal have dominated the post-Thanksgiving period.  The Superdraft and re-entry drafts also have potential to become publicity generating events during the Winter months.  While these events should garner some attention, the league should work harder with its partners to generate more interest in the drafts.  This is especially so of the Superdraft, which has typically been squeezed into a mid-day broadcast on ESPN2 or News.  While the quality of the broadcast has increased significantly over the years, the mid-week/mid-day timeslot reflects the limited interest in the event.  Increased interest in the draft begets increased interest in rookies, which ultimately creates interests in the on the field product. Fans become vested in their draft choices, which also drives jersey sales and increases connections with the players on the field.

Generating interest in the off season for any but the most fervent of fans is of course challenging.  However, it will be interesting to see if the league can leverage its new relationship with NBC Sports to increase coverage of hot stove, draft and other off season changes. 2011 was a very successful campaign for Major League Soccer; the league now has a great opportunity to build upon that momentum through an well orchestrated off season

1.  Garber stated that television ratings are up double digits on all of the league’s broadcast partners.

2.  He confirmed that an unbalanced 34 game schedule will be played in 2012.

3.  DC United has the most expensive lease in the history of the league with substandard facilities.  He indicated that the situation is unworkable and that new lease negotiations for RFK are underway.  He further indicated that moving United was certainly a possibility.

4.   Says the league is proud of MLSSoccer.com and that a French version should emerge next year.

5.  The Houston stadium is ahead of schedule while Montreal is behind schedule.

6.  Schedule will be released early this year (perhaps December) and perhaps dates for future seasons will be released as well.

7.  TFC is investing $20 million in a youth facility.

8.  Orlando possibly in the running for an expansion franchise.

9.  Galaxy looking to add seats for the Final.  Game sold out.

The opening of BC Place was supposed to be a banner moment for Major League Soccer and the Vancouver Whitecaps.  However, just a few weeks after the grand opening of the new soccer facility, the Whitecaps’ last game of the season is in doubt because of a potential strike by workers at the facility.   The union issued a 72 hour strike notice which would enable them to strike in advance of the team’s final match of 2011. However, a deal could still be reached or the union may elect to not strike on the day of the game. For more on the story, check out this story in the Vancouver Sun.

Finally, the league has formalized plans for the Montreal Impact’s expansion draft at the end of November.  Teams must submit their protected list of 11 players by November 21.  Two days later, the Impact will have the opportunity to select 10 players for their 2012 rosters.  Non graduated Generation adidas players need not be protected, and there is no obligation to protect Designated Players.  For more, click here.

The DC United stadium situation has been in flux for years, with the team exploring options in Virginia, Maryland and the District.   Studies have been commissioned, reports prepared and speeches given yet the team continues to play at RFK Stadium.  The facility is in poor shape, the rent is high and neighborhood largely devoid of dining options.  Yet the stadium has the advantage of easy Metro access and a location centered between a fan base located in two states and the District.  Here is a quick interview from the Washington Examiner with the City Mayor about DC United.  For those interested in stadium politics, the interview is worth a read.

Now on to attendance.  The week started with more than 25k in New York for the Red Bulls/Galaxy match.  In Vancouver, more than 20k were in attendance for a midweek game. On Saturday, the Revs faded back after last week’s high not and barely managed 9k, while Seattle saw its usual 36k for their home loss to Philly.   Meanwhile, the USA played before only 21k at SunLife Stadium in Miami on Saturday night. Monsoon like conditions and the Yom Kippur holiday likely contributed to the limited attendance.

Elsewhere, Montreal has officially signed its first player to a 2012 in Colombian defender and former Serie A standout Nelson Rivas.   The team is now a full member of of MLSSoccer.com along with th rest of the teams atop the website banner.  A trip to the Impact website offers fans a fun video highlighting the history of the Montreal soccer franchise along with other video about the team and league.  2012 season tickets will be available in five categories, $250, $350, $550, $850 and $1,250.

Finally, NASL announced today that they have signed a deal with GolTV to broadcast a 30 minute television program over the next six weeks (three live shows) on the soccer network.  The show will be titled Team NASL and will  include highlights, interviews and other footage of the lower division league.

For years, St. Louis was considered  front runner for a team.  St. Louis has a long and proud soccer history.  For years, Jeffrey Cooper was the centerpiece of a St. Louis bid.  Despite an in place stadium deal, the League repeatedly expressed worries about Cooper’s finances and the Gateway City has been left behind through multiple rounds of expansion.  The league’s concern seems well placed.  Cooper has since played with various roles in the WPS and the NASL without much success. For more on Cooper’s problems, click here.

Miami has long been considered a possible destination for Major League Soccer, but those talks have died down in recent years.  Recall that Barcelona was rumored to have interest in a Miami based MLS franchise.  The Spanish powerhouse combined with Marcelo Claure and Florida International University to  submit a bid to bring MLS back to South Florida.  As MLS fans well know, the Miami Fusion entered the League as an expansion team in 1998 and were contracted just four years later.  That background, combined with South Florida’s rather weak history of supporting its teams (Florida Marlins anyone?), has lead many to scoff at any move back to the Miami area.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank has long been rumored as a possible expansion owner and there has been discussion about elevating Rochester or Carolina to MLS.  Some have also raised Hartford, Birmingham, Las Vegas as other possibilities, but the league remains focused on New York.