Question and Answer with Kerry Zavagnin and Eric Kronberg

The great thing about living in Kansas City is I can finally go to little Wizard’s promos and talk to players. Tonight I went to a combined SPCA and Wizard’s event at a sports bar that was promoting dog night at the next Wizards home game. Wizard’s long time player turned Assistant Coach Kerry Zavagnin and injured backup goalkeeper extraordinaire Eric Kronberg were sitting around chatting. I took the opportunity to ask them both a couple questions.

As with every Major League Soccer player I’ve spoken with so far (sorry about the f’ed up audio Claude Simms), they were super nice.

Kerry Zavagnin

Do you like being an Assistant Coach over being a player?
That’ s a though call, very different. They both have their positives and negatives but coaching was something I wanted to go into and I knew that I wanted to go into it long before I finished playing. To do it in a place I’d played for so long made the transition much easier.

Are you putting in more hours now that you’re a coach?
Many more hours. The average player comes in at nine am and is out by one. Now I come in at 7am and sometimes I’m not out till seven. It’s a longer day.

Eric Kronberg

Are you looking forward to the Open Cup?
Ya If I can play. I’m injured right now.

What did you pick up?
I tore my labrum and my rotator cup in my shoulder. I’m been out the last five months or so. I’m coming back in a month hopefully.

I don’t get as much news about you.
Ya you don’t hear as much about me right now, or ever.

Hey hey you were awesome in the Open Cup. I think a lot of fans appreciated your performance.
It was the first time I really got to play in a competitive match with a crowd in a long time. I played for Miami FC back in my rookie year and that was really the last time I played in front of a crowd. It’s been a couple of years. It was something special to me really getting my first time with the starting team.

Do you like being a backup goalkeeper?
Do I like it? Ummm. You’ve always got to put your time in. I was a backup in high school; I was a backup in college. I’m putting my time in and being patient. You’ve got to learn from the person above you and keep working at it.

Have you learned much from Kevin Hartman? What have you learned from him?
Oh Absolutely. It’s the little things like positioning wise and communication and little aspects of the game. Taking a step here instead of here.

I would think it would be a really intricate position because you play in such a small area of the field.
Kevin really simplifies what he does. A lot of keepers try and do too much. He really shows that you can take one step instead of three if it’s in the right spot. He knows what he’s doing, he’s been doing it for years and has all the records. It’s a great experience in my mind.

Music for Tuesday

Sad news today from Seeqpod. They are being sued by several music labels and have filed bankruptcy. Though the CEO says they are just moving servers and are in talks with a major Apple competitor I don't think its going to happen. That's pretty sad, Seeqpod had to be my favorite web app ever.

Well to cheer us up here is a Youtube documentary about a hippy school teacher who recorded a 70s rock album with his kids:
Part 1


Part 2


Part 3

Six Punches to the Face

Total Domination

Picture this: A new stadium, a young team, a fiery young coach, the best football of their lives. It sounds like the perfect setting for a drama where a coal company tries to buy out the stadium to start a mine but the whole community comes together to fight the big company off and instill community values and love throughout the atmosphere.

Well it wasn’t quite that, there was a mining company but they sponsored the stadium instead of turning it into a huge pit. I’m speaking of course of the Real Salt Lake vs. New England Revolution

The Beat Down of a Life Time

Six goals. One half. Saturday night Real Salt Lake played the best football of the team’s young life. This is what new stadium are built for. An almost full stadium cheered on the hero’s as RSL starts to come of age.

It wasn’t just a culmination of soccer culture in Salt Lake, it was a culmination of Jason Kries hard work. Kries has brought together a diverse group of players and taught them to believe in themselves. Kyle Beckerman was a steal from Colorado that I’m sure Jason Smith would love to have back. Yura Movsisyan moved disgruntled and upset from Kansas City to a team and supporters that gave him a second chance.

Clint Mathis looks like his old self. Disparaged in the media, Mathis is bringing it hard. He is transforming yet again into the playmaker of yor. Beautiful passes, hard strikes, Kries has given the old charge renewed energy and ferocity.



New England: Down and Out
Could New England have played any worse? Remember when New England was going to the playoffs no matter what? Well they sure don’t look like that team anymore. New England looked miserable and without hope in the high altitude.

The only players who looked decent were the always stalwart pair of Shalrie Joseph and Jeff Larentowicz . With Taylor Twellman out possibly forever, will New England find a way out of this slump? Making it all the harder is lack of commitment by their team owner, who would rather go see an NFL game then New England in the Championship.

The Southwest Kansas Greeting

Someday you will be in Kansas
Towns the size of small anthills
The smell of cow shit

Someday in Kansas
You will grow lonely for a game
Of pickup

Past the railroad tracks
In the back of a park
On an uneven field

Long sticks for goal posts

Run
Move it with your left foot
Charge the ball in the air

In Southwest Kansas
You can play with

el Salvadorians, Mexicans, Puerto Ricans
Beers, loud music, open containers
A Kansas wind behind you

The greeting is the key:
A quick hand slap
and quickly
A solid fist bump

The quick hand slap
The solid fist bump

The quick hand slap
The solid fist bump

BMX Tuesday

Some inspired riding for your day.

Five Weeks In: Five Questions Answered

Welcome back ya’ll, I’m still here and updating, I promise to get back on a regular schedule very soon. Big new over on the du Nordfront, Brucio is re-opened for business. That is great news all around. Now we will see some sort of competition between MLS Daily and du Nord. Should be interesting to see how that plays out. Hopefully they will work together for the greater good.

Five Answers
Will Gary Smith Improve Colorado?

Perhaps this question should be: how could Gary Smith not improve Colorado? Gary has everything going for him. He has put in place a system that rights all the wrongs Fernando Clavijo put in place.

Horrible tales were told while Clavijo coached. Absolutely no scouting other teams before they played. Practices with no structure, just open games. Little communication between teammates and the coach. Supporter groups held down and kicked out of the stadium. From the moment Gary took over new air flowed into Colorado. Order was restored, a up and coming coach was getting his chance, and the players were behind him.

A run towards the playoffs resulted and this season Colorado is off to a strong start.

Will the Wizard’s young players produce?

Kansas City’s 09 team is loaded with young players. And unlike some teams in the league, they are getting minutes, Besler, Kraus, Espinoza, and other young stars are expected to step up and fill the gaps. Curt Onalfo is building for the future. He needs his young quick agile players to quickly move into the ebb and flow of his system.

So far it has been a success. The Wizards got off to a rough start losing their first two games (not for a lack of scoring though) and then proceeded to go 2-1-0. Last week saw a jaw dropping come from behind victory at Chicago. When I was leaping through the air in my living room that tie sure felt like a win.


Will Fredy Montero be convicted of rape?

Earlier I reported on Fredy Montero’s rape charge and I am happy to report that all charges have been dropped due to lack of corroborative evidence. Fredy is safe, Seattle can continue to be proud of their nineteen year old star, and the league breathes a sigh of relief as their new model franchise goes unblemished.

Will MLSnet.com’s streaming service be any better?

Yes this is perfect representation of video streaming

I really wish I could say yes to this. I really really, really do. I am a huge fan of Major League Soccer’s media distribution model. They realize that letting their fans see almost every game is a win. They have embraced web 2.0 like no other soccer league in the world. While the Premier League actively tries to stop fans from watching online video, and on their site, provide zero video.

But MLSnet’s streaming service still has large problems. The Wizards game against Seattle that thousands were counting on failed horribly and no one knew why. No details that I am aware of where ever reported.

MLSnet, you need to at least provide a layer of transparency. I know that working with tech and streaming services can be hard and prone to problems, but at least let fans know what is going on. Provide updates on your front page instead of just removing the “Watch Live” links. Send out update emails about current problems. You will find much more forgiveness if you communicate with your paying customers.

How will the economy influence league attendance?

Is Major League Soccer free from the horrible economy? Unfortunately the answer is no. Attendance has been low for the first five weeks, and excuses have been forthcoming. Horrible weather, everyone had the flu, Giants stadium sucks, and your mom. But even with two huge outliers in Seattle and Toronto the attendance is down a bit. Obama, send a stimulus to Major League Soccer.

Now go take care of 4/20.

Sounders Sweet Medicine

The Offside rules showcased two great adverts for Virginia Mason Medical Medical Center featuring the Seattle Sounders. They are too good for me not to forward. I hope these aren't currently breaking Advantage Played, but if so I do apologize.

Power Rank This

Power Rankings: A Call for Responsibility

The MLSnet Power Ranking Team

What do all Major League Soccer blogs (even MLSnet.com) have in common? Power rankings. You’ll find them everywhere. Hell it’s fun to make a list. Put teams in order depending on Power. But what exactly is a power ranking? What exactly is power? It could be:

• A list of Power
• A list of longevity
• Teams with the most points
• Teams with the most potential
• Teams with the best players
• Whatever the hell Ives want it to mean

All of the Above

Ives hard at work on his Power Rankings
Really a power ranking is all of the above. Most of all it’s an arbitrary ranking of teams for fun. It’s hard to take any power ranking seriously because they are put together based on bias and personal opinion. Which Power Rankings are the most accurate? It’s hard to tell.

Is there some kind of secret formula? If there is it’s based on the same formula that turns any metal to gold. The middle ages brought us the same formula that powers the Power Rankings.

You want me to take your rankings seriously? Let’s see some transparency. Tell me who your favorite team is and how it figures into your list. Give me your formula. I want to see your rubric.

That’s right, the favorite tool of teachers everywhere can apply to Power Rankings.

A Proposed Rubric

To prove I’m not all bluster and fire with no talk to back it up I’ve developed my very own rubric and point system that is will provide the ultimate Power Ranking. Use as follows:

• Points earned is starting number
  
• +1-7 points for conference ranking
• +10 points for community shield leader
• +2 points for every win in a row
• +1 point for every shutout
• -2 for every loss in a row
• -1 for each tie in a row
• +50 for your favorite team

There. A fool proof Power Ranking system. Go forth bloggers and put my incredible system into use.

Or at the very least, tell me your formula.

I wish I was updating

I really do. But a new job requires working outside of work and that's what I have to do. I hope you won't forget about Advantage Played as I try to get my life in order.

A Few Videos

What We Know So Far: Fredy Montero’s Alleged Sexual Misconduct

This past week it came to light that sexual assault charges have been filed against Fredy Montero by a female in the greater Seattle area. I’m not going to include music or video today, that’s too lighthearted. I’m just going to give the facts.

What We Know
Here is what we know so far. This information comes from an April 2nd report:

• On April 2nd the police began investigating when a woman said Montero was stalking her
• She reported that he had sexually assaulted her on the 22nd
• Police declined to confirm if Montero is under investigation
• No charges filed
• No bookings

April 3rd brought new information :

• The word rape is first used
• There were two alleged dates, the 15th and the 23rd
• When the woman saw Montero he was with his host family returning from a high-school soccer game
• Montero had been under investigation before the stalking complaint

I’m not going to make a judgment. We don’t know all the details. No charges have yet to be filed against Montero.

According to Montero’s agent Montero fell into a trap when he rejected a woman who randomly showed up at his apartment for a sexual tryst.

News Articles

• Agent says Montero fell into a trap
• Agent defends Montero
  
• Keller defends Montero

Wednesday
Wednesday brings a lighter note unless you are a Columbus fan. I’ll tell you what and why is going wrong with the Crew.

Match of the Day: Major League Soccer Style

Welcome Back
Well hello everyone. I’m sure you missed me. I’ve finally moved all my possessions from one end of Kansas to the next and saddled myself with more debt. I’m all about helping the economy. Regular updates will start up again, expect more great Advantage Played features every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.

I’m still trying to figure out how to cover the regular season. I’ve got the off season down pat, (I just do whatever I want) but I’m struggling a little to give my updates some form of consistency and that coincides with the happenings on the field.

I just have a small update for you today but things are headed back to normal.

Match of the Day: MLS Style

I’m not a huge fan of the English Premiere League. There I said it. But just because I don’t ever watch full games doesn’t mean I hate seeing all the actions, goals, and how the American players are fairing. I don’t have the time or willpower to watch endless EPL matches, but I still want to know how it all turns out. For that, and my twitter followers will know this, I watch Match of the Day and Match of the Day 2.

For those not in the know, and if you follow me you’ll get tweets to the torrents, Match of the Day is an hour long review show that covers Saturday’s and Sunday’s matches respectively. The commentators do their very best to look absolutely bored, but once in a while they throw out some good analysis. Best of all the matches are well edited, shown in high quality, and have those great English announcers.

I don’t have time to watch the full games, but I sure have time for the review show. So why doesn’t Major League Soccer have an equal?

MLS Needs a Match of the Day
Match of the Day allows both casual fans and rabid followers to get their kicks. It covers all the games, highlights outstanding performances, and generally wraps everything up in one slick comprehensive package.

Sure you can go to MLSNet.com now and watch highlights. You can get commentary. There is some minor analysis. But what it really needs is an hour long review show that really drives to the heart of the matter.

Nominations
I hereby nominate Shep and Greg from Extra Time to move their format from three minute segments to one hour long review show. MLS get your ass in gear, sign these guys, and get an hour long spot on ESPN2 or ESPN Classic in a spot usually reserved for professional bowling.

I don’t care if they run it at 2am, the magic of the internet means it will be widely available. With a show that people are eager to watch, MLS will draw in new fans from around the world.

And that’s awesome.