Mike Quarino: Once Twice in a Lifetime

Mike Quarino snuffs out Ryan Babel’s attack.

For the second year in a row UF was astounded by the sheer awesomeness of Showdown in Chinatown and for the second year in a row UF has been lucky enough to have someone who was a part of the awesomeness to answer our questions about the awesomeness of the event. This year we managed to snag ourselves an interview with Marc Stein's Man of the Match, winning goalkeeper for Team Reyna, Mike Quarino, who put up with us last year as well.

Now, on with the awesome.

You do realize you, and Marc Stein, are two of the luckiest soccer players ever, to manage to play in a charity game with NBA and soccer superstars two years in a row, right? Is this something you hold over all of your soccer playing friends' heads at any opportunity?

Oh yeah, we realize it. It was funny, all of the players were on one shuttle heading over to the field. And you look around and just have a feeling like “what am I doing here?” Then you get a little smile on your face and realize just how lucky you are.

Have you played the lottery lately? If not, you should be.

I have not, but I may take your advice…it can’t hurt.

How did you manage to get into this year's game, as well? Do you have incriminating photos of somebody?

At the advice of my attorney I am not allowed to discuss these photos. Kidding, no photos, I guess I played well enough last year to get the call. Claudio reached out to me and asked if I wanted to play again. I answered yes before he finished the question. My motivation this year was to play well enough to get another call next year.

How was this year's event different from last year's? Was the atmosphere different?

It was a little more controlled this year, there was more security and they put up bleachers for the fans so there weren’t any people standing on cars, climbing fences, or hanging from trees. That was probably the best for everyone’s safety.

Were you more nervous?

No, more anxious. Just ready to get out there get playing. We were on the field for about 20 minutes before we started playing. I had Tony Parker warm me up (just saying that is still crazy for me), so I was ready to go from the first whistle. Then a few minutes in Flamini scored a great goal on a volley, and I had a flash back to the volley Nash hit last year. I think you have a picture of that somewhere. [Ed. Note: Yep, third pic down on this post]

Marc Stein said you were the Man of the Match for the winning side. Do you think you had a good game? Any personal highlights from the match? Who was the MoM in your eyes?

I told Marc if he said that I would pass to him every time I get the ball if we are invited back next year. I think I played pretty well, there are a few goals I would like back. Steve had 2 on me that I thought I could have saved…including the PK. I got a piece of it, but not enough to keep it out. Personal highlights, well Davids had a few good chances that I was able to keep out. So not having him score on me was nice. There were back to back saves on Steve and Martin Nash that made me smile on the inside. And Thierry had a semi breakaway on me that I was able to send over the bar. My MoM would probably be Claudio or Tony Parker. Adrian Mutu had a pretty good game as well. A true group effort from Team Reyna.


Now, did you ever think being a GK would come in so handy in your life?

Absolutely not. I could never have imagined this. It’s crazy for me to be on the same field as some of the guys that were on my Champions League fantasy team.

Does Nash recruit you to play keeper in his rumored pickup games in NYC?

No, I don’t think Steve and I have ever played on the same team, we are always against each other. Davide Di Malta, who was the other keeper in last year’s match usually minds the net for Steve’s team. Unfortunately Davide was traveling for this year’s Showdown and could not play. We usually make a couple of trips a year into Chinatown for these rumored games.

I understand you are no longer with NY Red Bull and are now working for the expansion MLS club Philadelphia Union. How are the preparations for the inaugural 2010 season coming along?

That is correct, I came to Philadelphia in October as the Director of Ticket Sales and Fan Services to make sure we are sold out for all of our matches in 2010. The other members of the front office have been great to work with, and we continue to grow and move forward in our plans to make this club a success on and off the field. The fans have been absolutely amazing. They’ve been waiting for a MLS team in this market for a long time, and their support has been very impressive. I am very fortunate to be part of this club and can’t wait for our first match to get here.

When will the stadium be done? How are ticket sales?

Construction is coming along and we are targeting a spring 2010 opening. Let’s all hope for good weather in the northeast. Ticket sales have been tremendous. With a very small staff we have already eclipsed 7,000 season tickets. Our stadium is going to have about 18,500 seats and we will cap season tickets at 15,000, so we have already sold about 50% of our season tickets 9 months before we play a game, and before we have signed any players.

Do you think Philadelphia can match Seattle's impressive opening campaign?

I absolutely think we can, and that is our goal. Not only to match, but to surpass what both Toronto and Seattle have done. Every expansion team coming in should be looking to raise the bar that has been set by the previous expansion clubs. That bar has been set very high because both of those clubs have done a great job promoting their teams and embracing their respective soccer communities. But we are confident in reaching our goals, and as many people know Philadelphia is a very passionate sports town. We are looking forward to having one of the best atmospheres and most intimidating stadiums in Major League Soccer.


How does it feel to have penalties scored on you by Thierry Henry and Steve Nash [see photo above] in successive years?

Not as good as it would have felt to have saved penalties from Henry and Nash in successive years. But that’s not bad company to be connected with. So I have that going for me, which is nice. [Ed. Note: Marc Stein says the Nash penalty was revoked at halftime, so technically Mike did not get scored on by Steve Nash from a PK]

I don't believe I asked this last year, but do you have any souvenirs, autographs, shoes from the players in the matches? Or is it just the memories?

I did get a few last year, I took one of the game balls and had all the guys sign it. Greg Berhalter left the inserts for his boots in my bag. This year Mutu wore my boots since it rained and he did not want to play in flats. That and all the pictures on the internet have been more than enough.

Maybe it was the boots.

Is there any particular moment that stands out for you about this year's event? Or is there a particularly interesting story we might be interested in? I ask because Marc Stein tweeted that on the bus ride over Grant Hill was talking to Ryan Babel about Johan Cruyff playing in the NASL. It seems like that would have incredibly surreal to hear/see.

Having Tony Parker warm me up, he was a very cool guy. Grant Hill megging Chris Bosh. Having Reggie Bush drop in at the hotel before the game (he just happened to be staying in the same hotel as us). Mathieu Flamini unleashing a rocket past me for Team Nash’s first goal of the game. Those were some of this year’s highlights. Grant is a big soccer fan, he was talking about the Washington Diplomats and Baltimore Blast, it was pretty surreal.

Two Goal Scorer, Tony Parker

Who was the best player of the non-soccer-playing-professional-athletes this year?

That’s a tough one this year. I would say that Grant Hill and Tony Parker were both pretty good. Tony got our first two goals so I would have to give him the nod. But Grant did get one past as well. It should be noted that this was Chris Bosh’s first time ever playing soccer, he was a great sport about it and had a great time. He was this year’s Baron Davis. I have a lot of respect for these guys coming out and playing against world class players in a sport that they have no experience in. To come out and pretty much know there’s a good chance you’re going to embarrass yourself for charity says a lot about their character. Kudos to both of those guys.

Fan fave Chris Bosh celebrates.

I was expecting another question about the capris. This year I wore them by choice. I would like to give a shout out to Calle, they were one of the sponsors of the event and it was their gear that all the players were wearing. They have a hot soccer clothing line out there. You can check it it out at callerepublic.com


UF would like to thank Mike once again for indulging us and we hope he will be there next year as well.

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Steve Zakuani Is Loving Seattle

The UF interview series returns with its second interview with a number one MLS draft pick. Steve Zakuani of the surprisingly good Seattle Sounders was kind enough to take the time to answer our questions. Steve just scored his first professional goal last week against Toronto FC to help Seattle to an undefeated start to the season.

After the jump, Steve's answers. I implore you to read on, it's well worth your time.

First off, congratulations on the 3-0 start and your first professional goal last weekend against Toronto FC. What did it mean to you to score that first goal?

It meant a lot to me obviously because it's a goal I'll always remember. It's my first one, the first of many I hope, and it also came at an important time for the team. The first one is always the hardest one to put away, so I'm just glad I was able to be in the right place and finish off the play.

Your path to Seattle has been perhaps a bit unorthodox. How does a man born in Congo, raised in London and a member of the Arsenal youth team end up at the University of Akron and then Seattle?

It's been an incredible journey for me to get to where I am today. I left the Congo at the age of four and began playing club soccer in England when I was around seven or eight years old. In 1997, I signed for Arsenal's U10 team and played there for 5 years. I didn't make the cut there in the end, and sort of lost interest in football, and also suffered a serious knee injury that left me unable to play for 18 months. It wasn’t until late in 2004 that I began playing again. A friend whom I had played with at Arsenal invited me to play for the Independent Football Academy in London and from there I began to enjoy the game again, and I also began regaining my fitness and sharpness. Then in April of 2006, an assistant coach from Akron came to scout one of my teammates at IFA. I guess I had a good training session that day because he practically offered me a scholarship right afterwards. Despite not knowing much about college soccer, let alone Akron, I made the move to the States and it's obviously paid off.

You received a contract offer from Preston North End, but you ultimately decided to play in MLS instead. Why? What was it that made you stay stateside?

The nature of the MLS contract was very unique. I trained with Preston in the summer of 2008 and had a good time there, they kept tabs on me during the college season and when I decided to turn pro, they came with a very good offer, and so did MLS. The difference between the two offers was that the one from MLS included some money being put aside for me to continue my education either in the offseason or after my career. Seeing as I was two years into my degree, it definitely made sense for me to have that option. I also enjoy living in America and wanted to be a part of MLS because it's definitely a league on the rise.

Having just started your professional career, what has been the biggest difference between playing in college and playing in MLS? How different is the training in Europe as opposed to college and MLS?

The main difference between college and MLS is the speed and level of play. It's just a better standard. The league is filled with top level players, and good coaches, and I've noticed that most of the teams try and play football the right way with quick passing and moving. I feel I have adapted well to the level, I'm learning all the time, and I always remind myself that I'm only a couple of months in and so there is a long way to go. I think MLS is very similar to England in terms of the way the game is played. Both leagues are physical, fast, and end to end for the most part. The training I receive at Seattle is similar to what I've seen most English teams do, and obviously there are always little variations from coach to coach, but for the most part, it's very similar.

How do you find Seattle so far? What is your favorite/least favorite aspect of the city?

I like Seattle a lot. People told me it was similar to London in many ways, and they were right. It's a nice clean place with quite a few attractions, and there is always something to do. I love the fact that the entire city is behind us. Everybody knows about the Sounders and that means a lot to the players. When we see 30,000 people in the stadium, it drives us forward every minute of the game. The least favorite aspect so far has been the rain. Even though I am from London, I still don't like it when it rains, and so that's the one thing I wish there was less of.

How do the Seattle fans compare to other fans you have played in front of?

The fans have been first class. We've sold around 20,000 season tickets and every home game has been a sellout so far. We know they're behind us and it's great to play in front of them and feel their support. However, I've never come across supporters who can rival the English. Going to a game in England is an incredible experience, especially in the lower divisions because it's amazing how passionate some of those fans are. So I would say that for me, the English fans are the best, but Seattle has been great also, and the noise level in our stadium has really surprised me as well. It's incredibly loud at pitch level.

You are listed as a striker and were known as a goal scorer in college, but it seems because Seattle has Fredy Montero in great form, MLS veteran Nate Jaqua and Frederick Ljungberg returning from injury you will have to push out wide to get consistent playing time. Do you agree and is the wing a position you are comfortable or familiar with?

I'm very happy on the left. I played there at Arsenal, and it was always my preferred position. In college, because of the nature of the game, it made sense for me to be a forward, but I always knew that at the pro level I would probably play from the wing because it suits my playing style more. I like running with the ball and getting faced up, and obviously from the wing I get the opportunity to do that quite a lot.

Tell us about Coach Sigi Schmid. How much has he helped you grow as a player in the short time you have played under him?

He's obviously a very good coach with an impressive resume. Already in these early days I feel that he has taken my game to a different level than it was when I first arrived. Everyday in training he says something that makes me adjust my game, he definitely knows his stuff and so I feel that I am learning from a very good source. I am already a more responsible player, and I also understand that I can affect the game when I don't have the ball as much as I can when I do have it. For example, Sigi encourages me to make runs in behind defenders at the right times and in the right way, and it's those little things that help me adapt to the league.

Obviously there are off-field issues with which Fredy Montero is currently dealing. How do these types of issues affect the team and yourself personally? Is it really a distraction to the team or you?

We're aware of the situation but we are professionals and so we focus on playing football, We did that at Toronto, and we will keep doing it all year. There are always distractions but we channel them out and only think about playing. In regards to this situation, we obviously support Fredy, the whole team is behind him.

And now a few quick questions to end the interview.

What did you buy with your first professional paycheck?

Nothing fancy or flashy, a few clothes, and the rest is still sitting in my bank. I also got a few necessary things for my apartment, but apart from that, I haven't done much spending.

Who is your favorite footballer? Past and present?

There are a lot of players I have grown up admiring. I love the way Zidane played, I'm a big fan of Thierry Henry, and right now I try to watch as much Cristiano Ronaldo as I can. But there is one player who will always be my favorite player and that's Ronaldinho. What I saw him do at Barcelona between 2003-2006 was simply incredible. He could do everything. He was a great dribbler and passer, he was incredibly strong, he brought his teammates into the play and also took over games when the team needed it. He passed the ball with his back, he passed the ball facing the wrong direction, he put his free kicks under the wall, and also scored in the big games. I've never seen anyone play at such a high level so consistently.

Besides Seattle, which club is your favorite in the world?

It has to be Arsenal. I played there, I used to go and watch them, and lived near the stadium. I'm not the biggest fan anymore, but I do look out for their results and am always hoping they win.

If you weren’t playing soccer, what would you be doing?

I'd be in school somewhere. Probably in London because I wouldn't have gone to Akron, but I think I would be studying still. I would probably have a part time job on the side also to help pay for tuition and things like that.

Who do you model your play after, if anyone?

There's no one in particular but it's only natural to try and imitate the guys I most admire. If I see a player do something, I might try the same thing as well because I saw it work for them. But I don't pattern my game after any one player, I take a little bit from a few players.

You have a tradition of cutting a design into your hair prior to the start of the season, do you have any other traditions or superstitions before or during games?

Before a game I just try to get as relaxed as possible. I have my music playing on my iPod right up until it's time to go out for the warm up, and I usually try to visualize the game and try to picture what I want to see myself do. I also always pray before every game, usually right before we go out, that's the last thing I always do.

Steve, thank you so much for time. We wish you continued success and enjoy the Northwest Summer, which, in my opinion are the best you can find in the US.

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Brad Guzan On His First EPL Appearance

Tonight, Brad Guzan gets the start for the USMNT in El Salvador due to Tim Howard's suspension on card accumulation. This season is his first in the Premier League and with Aston Villa. Last week he made his League debut against Liverpool, unfortunately the team was already down 4-0 and he came in to immediately face a Steven Gerrard penalty kick.

Brad was kind enough to take a few minutes out of his day to answer a few questions, for the second time, about his debut for Unprofessional Foul.


1. Your first league appearance was certainly trial by fire. You came in cold in the second half and were immediately faced with a penalty kick from one of the world's leading midfielders, Steven Gerrard. What was going through your mind as you prepared to replace Brad Friedel on the field?

I was just trying to prepare myself physically, getting my top on, gloves on and then go out and try to stop the penalty. The score was already 4-0 so it wasn't a pressure situation, I just wanted to go out and do my best.

2. What were your coaches telling you before you came onto the field? Did they have an iPod loaded with video for you to review like ManU had for Ben Foster in the Carling Cup Final?

They just said to go out and do my best, like I said, the game was not going our way and we were not playing our best, so for me to make my debut in that situation they just said to enjoy it and do my best.

3. While you are standing there waiting for the ref's whistle on the PK, what goes through your mind? What are looking for or thinking about at that time and through Gerrard's runup to the ball?

Anytime there is a penalty you try to put the pressure on the taker. As a goalkeeper you are not expected to save it, but if you do you are the hero, so for me I thought maybe he would change his side since it was his 2nd of the game, but unfortunately he didn't.

4. You came into the match on the famous Kop end at Anfield. Can you describe what that experience was like compared to other matches you have played in? What was the best insult you heard from the Kop?

I think because of the score they were not too bothered by me entering the game and were more excited about the scoreline. It was a great place to play, but at the same time I didn't really notice them too much as I was tuned into the game.

5. It certainly wasn't the ideal situation to be coming into, but how did you feel about your performance in the match and what will you take away from it?

For me individually I was able to go into the game and just play. I think I had to make one save on a shot from distance and my distribution was good, so as bad as it was there were some positives for me to take away from it. I will try to build on those and keep working hard.

6. Be honest, are you a little disappointed that Brad Friedel's red card has been rescinded since it will likely keep you out of next week's matchup at Old Trafford?

To be honest, I knew the club would appeal the red card as it was a very soft red. I would have been more shocked if they kept the 3 game suspension. As a player you always want to be playing games, but I know that if I was in Brad's shoes, I would have felt an injustice if it held up.

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An EXCLUSIVE Interview with Fox Soccer Report's Terri Leigh

We are very honored -- make that "honoured" -- to be the first semi-legitimate football news source to bring you an interview with Fox Soccer Report's Terri Leigh.

Since joining the Report last year, Terri has held her own next to Carlos Machado, Jeremy St. Louis, Derek Taylor and Bobby McMahon. But up until now, Terri has been very much a woman of mystery -- even the official FSR website hasn't taken down their old picture featuring Mitch Peacock (hint!).

Luckily we here at UF have no shyness about asking for an interview, and Terri was kind enough to oblige. Our big thanks go out to her for taking some time from her busy Fox Soccer schedule to answer our questions.

Enjoy the interview after the jump.....




Tell us a little bit about your broadcasting background. How did you link up with Fox Soccer Channel/Fox Soccer Canada?

My career in broadcasting began almost 12 years ago... I was a part-time receptionist at the local radio station in my hometown of Altona, population 3500. Never one to sit still, I soon began night operating which led to on-air hosting, commercial production, live-on-location broadcasting and capped off with a stint as a morning show co-host. I was very fortunate to have been invested in by that particular radio company (Golden West Broadcasting) and owe them everything I have accomplished in my career so far.

I then moved to the ‘Big City’ of Winnipeg and stepped into the wonderful world of television. That was 5 years ago. I had a multitude of positions, including content programmer for Fox Sports World Canada as well as another radio gig with former-Global-owned Cool FM where I was a jack-of-all-trades type person working in both administration as well as the production side of the operation. My first actual on-air television opportunity was presented to me in the fall with Fox Soccer Report. They were looking to add another body to the staff, and I was looking for a challenge. And boy, did I get me a challenge! October 2nd was not only my first football broadcasting experience, it was my first on-camera experience as well. Since then, I’ve been working hard at improving my footie-knowledge… there is much to learn!

How exactly do the Fox Soccer Report programs get put together? Do you help out with the writing of the highlight play-by-plays?

Believe it or not, we are not talking heads here at the Fox Soccer Report! We all do our own research and writing. Our day usually begins around noon, we meet with our senior producer, go over the day’s stories and games and get down to business. At the end of the day, when the show is complete, I usually go home, get comfy and do some more footie reading. As I mentioned, much to learn!

How much soccer do you watch outside of work? Do you have a favorite team or player?

I’m usually working on weekends, so sadly I don’t get to see as many matches as I would like...except for the early games. I do manage to scream at the TV before jetting off to the office. It gets my pipes warmed up!

When I began with FSR, I told myself I would not choose a team until I’ve experienced at least one full year reporting on this game, in an effort to form a solid knowledge base before making any decisions. And I have never been one to choose just one team… so we’ll see what happens. I will tell you, though, I am a huge fan of the under-dog. I loved Hull City’s run at the beginning of the EPL season… Hoffenheim’s persistence throughout their term… and c’mon Osasuna!

It goes the other way, too... It’s refreshing to see big guys like River Plate finishing dead last. Not if you’re a River fan, though...sorry ‘bout that.

Have you ever played soccer? Do you own any jerseys?

I have played soccer. Played a bit growing up, nothing competitive, though. And again in high school for one season but quickly became distracted by boys and music and chose the non-athletic path instead. I am currently looking for a women’s rec league in Winnipeg to play in... if they will have me, of course. It’s been a while since I’ve kicked around the soccer ball, and I can’t rule out the possibility of passing out after 20 minutes from pure lack of endurance. But who knows, maybe I have some hidden talents ready to burst forth. As for jersey’s... I don’t own any, YET… see question 3.

What are your thoughts on Beckham wanting out of MLS?

Kind of tired of talking about it... I think I am not alone.

All I will say about this is...life is short. And a football player’s life on the pitch is miniscule. Even if Beckham is able to represent his country for only another 6 months, year, 2 years... if he’s got the chance, why not take it? Beckham is one of those guys who’s probably got enough money to sustain a third-world country and doesn’t care about earning any more. He loves the game. And as long as his body allows him, he will play. And I can’t imagine it’s a decision taken lightly… the whole world watches David Beckham, and to duck out on his headline-making contract with MLS... I’m sure he had to swallow his pride. It’s a tug-of-war... Duty vs. Passion. He was given hope when he thought his international career was finished. I just wonder what’s going to happen this summer when he’s supposed to rejoin the Galaxy… if I were him, I’d be very hesitant about stepping out on a North American playing field after this whole fiasco…

Describe the Fox Soccer studio. It's in Winnipeg, right? How's life up in Canada?

The FSR studio is brand spankin’ new. We moved in 2 days after I started on the Report. We used to be located in an old grocery store with no windows and an occasional bug problem... now we’re up on the 30th floor of Canwest Global Place in the heart of downtown Winnipeg where we have a bird’s-eye view of the entire city. It’s nice to get some natural sunlight in our work environment for a change. Our studio is a big green room where the only tangible items are a desk and the anchors behind the desk. Everything else is provided digitally, including the plasma screens you see -- all computer-generated. Our cameras are operated robotically from control operations in Calgary, Alberta (830 miles away) where the show is also directed. It’s nice to work in such state-of-the-art studios. I try not to walk too swiftly, for fear of breaking something expensive.

Life in Canada is great! It’s a little chilly right now, but my car still starts, so it’s all good. I’m looking forward to summer. It’s short, but summer in Winnipeg is fantastic.

What are Jeremy St. Louis, Derek Taylor, Carlos Machado and Bobby McMahon like off the air?

Everyone on the show has a unique personality and has something different to offer. That’s a part of what makes this show so great, and great to be a part of. Jeremy is the go-to guy for information, he knows a lot of stuff, a lot of the back-story. You can always count on him for the answers. You may recall that Derek is sometimes referred to as Captain Math. He’s very much a stats man (and is always ready with a relevant Simpsons quote in any conversation or situation). Carlos, unlike the rest of us, grew up with soccer and he has followed it his entire life. Historically speaking, out of all the anchors, he’s probably the one with the most knowledge on the subject. And Bobby... is a genius. That guy knows his stuff, backwards and forwards. I anchored my first ‘Bobby Show’ a little while ago. I spent the entire day scared to death. A friend jokingly told me he heard Bobby eats rookies for breakfast. But that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Bobby is a fantastic person, always willing to answer your questions and take the time to explain his reasoning, no matter how silly you may feel for asking.

If you are the Veronica Corningstone of Fox Soccer Report, who is the Ron Burgundy?

Oh boy... I hope this doesn’t come back to haunt me. But if I had to choose which of my co-anchors were most like Will Ferrell in the movie Anchorman... I would pin it on either Derek or Jeremy. If we were able to combine them, then you would have your Ron Burgundy. Derek is the goofball of the Report and would fit that role to a T... he doesn’t read anchor commands on the teleprompter, though. And Jeremy will be the first to admit it... he’s got this cheese-ball humour thing going on. Thank goodness neither of them owns a maroon suit. Though I hear Carlos owns a maroon jacket...

Which players have the most difficult name to pronounce?

Dutch players all the way... I’ve mostly gotten used to pronunciations from the other leagues... but the Eredivisie is always a challenge. As is Japan. It’s definitely still a work in progress, but I think I’ve improved in that area (somewhat). It’s always unnerving when I’m reading a set of highlights and out of the corner of my eye I see my co-anchor suddenly jot something down on his script. Then, I know I’m getting a correction at the break! But, I appreciate their help.

What do you make of the role of women sports broadcasters? In U.S. sports such as the NFL, it seems like women reporters are used more as eye candy than legitimate broadcasters. Do you find that role limiting?

You know what, yes, the eye candy is out there. It’s a sports broadcasting reality. And it really is too bad when a girl is thrown in front of a camera as a representative of a sport just because they have a pretty face and have absolutely no use for the information they spew. It’s too bad, because everyone knows that unlike men, a pretty face has an expiry date. If you’re not involved for the purpose of learning, then what’s the point? I have the utmost respect for women like Andrea Kraemer and Suzy Kolber. They are truly masters of their domain and they too would have endured a period of time where they faced accusation and doubts from their colleagues and viewers alike. But I highly doubt they encounter this today. Remember Michelle Lissel? Of course you do, she spent upwards of 5 years with FSR, she’s been gone for more than 2 years and people are still talking about her. These women gained credibility and respect in the field not because they are beautiful, but because they have respect for the game. I was fortunate to have been given the opportunity to be a part of a show like FSR and I can honestly tell you I have never worked so hard in all my life. I do my share of the work, just like everyone else. And the way I look at it, the more I can learn from this experience, the more I can take with me and sustain a healthy and respectable career for years to come... and then REALLY accomplish something great because of it. Instead of ‘expiring’ and dwelling miserably in my more youthful years for all eternity, I’m hoping to take it and go as far as I can.

We see that you don't have a Wikipedia page yet. If you did, what would you want on it?

First of all, I’d want the correct information on mine... unlike Carlos’ Wikipedia page. Have a look, it’s ridiculous... and apparently Jeremy’s states that he wrote the lyrics to the FSR theme.

On top of all the info I’ve given you so far, I guess I would add that I’m a small town girl, grew up on a farm, plays piano, sings, big fan of all things culinary, enjoys movies (sci-fi is my fav), love my dog... that kind of thing. And I am very much looking forward to the day I can openly converse with a life-time fan on the subject of soccer... without feeling out of my element!

[Ed: We have a present for Terri, her very own Wikipedia page! ... That was then immediately marked for deletion.]

On a lighter note, what is the best Valentine's Day gift you've ever received?

The best Valentine’s Day gift I’ve ever received was NO Valentine’s gift!
I am NOT a fan of V-day! You get me flowers on V-day, you get a punch. I don’t like the idea of someone being romantic because a ridiculous red and pink ‘holiday’ told them to. And restaurants are a nightmare, so you can’t even be romantic, you have to deal with noisiness and slow service and cold food. I’d rather stay home, curl up on the couch, eat pizza and watch a Star Trek movie. And then be swept off my feet some other random day! But that’s just me....


Terri Leigh is the newest member of the Fox Soccer Report on-air talent team, having made her debut on the anchor desk in October 2008. The Report airs Monday through Sunday at 10:00 p.m. ET/7:00 p.m. PT. on Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Canada.

Read more on "An EXCLUSIVE Interview with Fox Soccer Report's Terri Leigh"...

An Interview with Marc Stein: Part II

As promised, herein lies Part Two of our two-part (despite what my friend Lingering Bursitis might have said to the contrary) interview with ESPN's Marc Stein. Part One can be found right here -- or you could just scroll down the page, but that defeats the purpose of hyperlinking, eh?

Again, big thanks to Marc for taking the time to speak with UF!



After the jump, Marc talks about the NBA, blogs and working for ESPN.


Q: One of the interesting contrasts between European football leagues and the NBA is the different systems for player movement from team to team. It seems like each system has its own massive imperfections. In football, you have essentially an unregulated market – no salary caps, with the best players always moving to the best teams for increasingly astronomical sums. In the NBA, the draft and salary caps have done a good job of ensuring parity, but you wind up with lots of purely cap-saving moves (the recent trade involving Marcus Camby being a prime example). Any thoughts about whether the sports can somehow find a happy medium?

STEIN: It's two completely different worlds. So there's realistically no common ground for a happy medium. You can't really compare a 30-team league governed by a commissioner to the comparative confusion of worldwide football and the constant shuttling of players from country to country to country.

I much prefer the salary-cap system, because it levels the playing field to the point that a team in a market like San Antonio can build an NBA powerhouse, which gives hope to fans everywhere. It’s awfully discouraging for clubs like City, Nash’s Tottenham and so many others knowing before a ball is kicked that we’re playing for fifth place at best. But there's little point talking about instituting a salary cap in the Premiership if La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga don't have the same. And even if the impossible happened and Premiership chairmen agreed to implement a cap, how could there ever be a cap that applies across numerous leagues of all shapes and sizes worldwide? It's almost impossible to fathom.

I will concede, though, that the NBA's salary-cap system will look plenty flawed itself if teams in Europe start consistently outbidding our teams for players. But we're not even close to there yet, with all due respect to the Childress Movement. All the talk about 50-mil-a-year offers for Kobe and LeBron, furthermore, is WAY premature. There's simply no proof yet that teams abroad can pay that kind of money, before we even get into some of the other obstacles . . . like the fact that Greece is a marketing wasteland for basketball players and can't possibly appeal to LeBron. Until we see hard evidence that there will be offers sufficiently rich and sensible for a LeBron or a Kobe or even a borderline All-Star to leave the NBA in their title-contending primes, keep me in the Believe It When I See It camp. I just can't forget how reluctant some guys have been to play in sensational cities like Toronto and Vancouver. Now they're going to flock to Europe for money we don't really know exists?

Q: Another contrast between the NBA and European football is the playoffs v. promotion/relegation system. I love the NBA, but even I will admit that the playoffs have become interminable and the end of the season rendered meaningless, especially for teams trying to gain a better draft pick. On the other hand, the EPL remains competitive throughout the season and relegation battles often take on just as much importance as matches at the top of the table. The playoffs are obviously the NBA's cash cow, especially in terms of TV coverage, but is there any chance that the NBA could emulate football and try to make the regular season more meaningful?

STEIN: Don't think it's a problem exclusive to the NBA. I imagine baseball seasons feel pretty empty when your team is out of it in July. I naturally love the promotion/relegation concept, but the reality, as you know, is that we're again talking about two completely different worlds. England has 92 professional football clubs operating independently and lots of leagues below the four main divisions. We've got nowhere to relegate our teams and no pool of promotion candidates because of the affiliated minor-league systems in major US team sports. They've got us beat on this one. By a mile.

Q: Greg Lalas recently criticized you for not covering football in addition to basketball. Is covering football something that you've ever considered? What about an EPL power rankings column?

STEIN: I read Greg's piece and your recent interview with him and I appreciate the fact that he went back and acknowledged that I'm not some "mainstream sports guy" who had a soccer epiphany. I covered soccer in the mainstream press before his brother ever pulled on a national-team shirt. I covered the US national team extensively from 1987-91 for The Orange County Register, back when my man Paul Caligiuri's goal in Trinidad put US soccer back on the international map . . . and back when the sport was such in this country that a college kid like me could walk into the newsroom of the second-biggest paper in California and talk his way onto the beat of a World Cup-bound team. I didn't get to go to Italia '90 -- don't know that I would have been sent even if I was out of college -- but I did get to cover the '94 World Cup for the Los Angeles Daily News right after my first few months on the NBA beat.

There were simply NO papers in the States back in those pre-MLS days where you could make a living as a full-time soccer guy. (Almost the same held for tennis, which was actually my “first” sport, apart from the New York Times and LA Times.) Some of my closest soccer-writing pals from that era -- like Steve Goff (Washington Post) and Scott French (MLS Magazine and another alumnus from the Cal State Fullerton journalism factory) -- are still going and have my full admiration for putting up with years of snubs from their editors and the countless desk shifts they had to log for the right to occasionally do some soccer to make it to an era where there actually is an MLS beat.

But when I got the chance to cover the Clippers, as a 25-year-old, I could barely contain myself. I think I was the youngest traveling beat writer in the league at the time and it was an absolute dream come true, because the NBA was by far my favorite big-league sport. The NBA, soccer and tennis were my three sporting dreamlands and I was determined from a young age to make it in one of those arenas as a journalist. I was fortunate enough to get an extensive taste of covering the latter two sports while still a student at Fullerton and then got my big break NBA-wise when then-Daily News sports editor Tod Leonard (another soccer sympathizer) did some shuffling and threw me onto the Clips. Some 15 years later, this really feels like what I was born to do. I think I knew it on my very first road trip, too, looking at all the conventioneers in the hotel and thinking: "All these chumps have to sit in some dreadful all-day presentation and I'm going to an NBA game. I am indeed the luckiest man on the face of the Earth."

I initially wanted to be a baseball writer like everyone else in my sports-writing generation (and several generations before that) but quickly found that the NBA was where I belonged. Basketball had the more interesting, revealing and unpredictable characters, all playing a game so athletically tasty that me and my high school buddies taped SportsCenter every night so we never missed the highlights, all of which seemed to be within an arm's length from what were often sensational seats on press row, all in a sport that was global like soccer. (One reasonably why Nash is so popular with footballers around the world is that footballers generally LOVE the NBA.)

Most importantly in my case, I fell harder for the NBA after I started covering it and once I started meeting the people. Turns out that I love talking hoops as much as watching hoops. Not sure why, but sports like baseball and boxing, which I inhaled as a kid, didn't work like that for me as a writer. I was a total Strat-O-Matic baseball seamhead by the age of eight, but my interest in baseball now is reduced to taking my sons to the odd game and buying hats and plastic helmets that I liked in the '70s and '80s. Basketball, by contrast, became even more of a religion after I graduated to beat writer.

However . . .

I can't deny that, like Greg did, I have asked myself once or twice if I should have found a way to do more footy along the way. It’s really not even possible any more in this era of specialization, but it is true that mixing in more soccer somehow -- I think covering the U.S. men's and women's teams at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 for The Dallas Morning News was my last extended exposure to footy on a media basis -- would have been a great way for me to give back to the sport I love so much.

Soccer is still (and might always be) struggling for a foothold in this country and needs more journalists who truly love it to help in the fight for exposure. This is obviously not a problem at ESPN, where we have an army of soccer guys. In general, though, there's still only a small handful of American sportswriters championing the beautiful game's cause. And that’s an issue for the sport to deal with just like the struggle to attract the best athletes.

Q: That said, what's the best and worst thing about being an NBA reporter for ESPN?

STEIN: Best thing? How much time do we have? I don't know that I could aptly describe what those four letters have done for me and countless others who left the newspaper world for Bristol. All the different platforms . . . resources . . . audience size . . . creativity . . . access . . . reach . . . our constantly evolving technology . . . my colleagues on ESPN.com's NBA squad. I could go on and on.

There are only two negatives. 1) Time on the road gets harder and harder when you've got two growing little champs in the house who are looking for Daddy. 2) The NBA calendar is as non-stop as any in sports. We go from Oct. 1 through late June, then it's the draft one week after the Finals . . . and then free agency and summer league starting July 1 might be the busiest time of all. One of my favorite GMs has a great saying that he loves to trot out at summer league when we’re all in a gym in July for hours at a time watching summer hoop that isn't always of the highest standard: “Life’s not bad, boys. We’re on expense accounts watching basketball.” I realize that no one who has to go to those hotel conventions with the overhead projectors wants to hear about our “grind,” but I remember a great line Dan LeBatard had in an interview with The Big Lead where he basically said that sports writing, compared to doing TV or radio, does hurt sometimes. Especially when you’re an obsessive freak-show perfectionist like I am. The writers who are good AND fast – Mark Whicker from my hometown OC Register is probably the first who comes to mind in this category – are my absolute idols. This gig would be even greater if I could be more like Whick and less like the guy who spends 10 months at a clip overthinking comma placement.

Luckily for me I have an unbeatable method for getting refueled. Last thing I do before NBA training camps open is to sneak over to England for about a week to pretend I live there and go to a mess of games all over the Northwest of England. There’s no sightseeing or socializing or any of that proper travel nonsense. It’s a 100 percent soccer trip. And September is a great time because there's almost a game every single day between the various leagues and cups. I love going to a little place like, say, Crewe on a Tuesday night for a Carling Cup game and seeing all the strange looks when folks get introduced to this crazy Yank who came to their small stadium in the middle of nowhere on his vacation.

Q: We'd be remiss if we didn't ask you about the supposed controversy between the Mainstream Media(tm) and the Blogosphere(tm). It seems to me, at least, that on a good day the two complement each other quite well. Blogs are more interested in amusing coverage but also directing traffic and holding the MSM somewhat accountable, whereas the MSM has the vast resources to do the actual reporting that's impossible for kids working in their parents' basements . . . although, to be fair, most of us at UF have just recently managed to move out of our parents' houses and some of us even have day jobs! So what do you see as fueling this debate?

STEIN: Arguably no one is more sensitive about being criticized than us paid critics in the media. Therein lies some of the tension. Media types are being called out louder than ever for their mistakes and watched very closely. Too closely in some cases, but like you suggested: We’re being held accountable like never before. Yet I think it's also true that there are a handful of bloggers out there who love telling each other in print how much smarter they are than us old-school fossils whose reporting still supplies much of what is dissected in the blogosphere. So heads naturally butt.

Another source of tension: Good bloggers and fan sites can cover their local NBA franchise in ways that the local papers cannot. They generally don't have the insider access for newsgathering that the papers have, but when it comes to pure coverage of a game they have more eyes, no space limitations, no deadline issues and no traditional "rules" to handcuff them. Team blogs and fan sites are also great at finding every printed word and video clip about their teams, which adds another layer to their coverage. So just speaking from an NBA perspective -- since the blogs I read most are NBA-related -- traditional media types have been steadily forced to raise our games to deliver stuff that reader doesn't already know yet. I see that as a good thing and take it as a personal challenge. Some of my peers apparently don't.

I would classify myself as a fairly voracious reader of a small collection of blogs from the NBA, sports media and footy worlds. I like, as much as anything, how they save me time by finding and linking stuff I might not have otherwise seen and send it right to my RSS reader. One of my favorite things about Henry Abbott’s work at TrueHoop is that he somehow tracks down links and passages that might not have made it onto the daily rumors page at HoopsHype.com, which anyone who has anything to do with the NBA reads every morning. That's impressive . . . and incredibly helpful.

My complaints about the blogosphere are the old standbys. It's disappointing when the coverage gets too personal or spreads wild speculation, but that’s something that the people we cover in pro sports have to deal with on a daily basis. No one ever said that the sports media would be immune to the same treatment.

And I know I wish I would have had the blog outlet when I was a newspaper beat writer. It gives you so many more options. Marc Spears in Boston, Brian Windhorst in Cleveland, Jonathan Feigen and Fran Blinebury in Houston, Ira Winderman in Miami, Ken Berger in New York, Paul Coro in Phoenix, Sam Amick and Scott Howard-Cooper in Sacramento, Doug Smith in Toronto, Ross Siler in Utah . . . those are some newspaper guys just off the top of my head who have a fun blog touch and have made good use of the immediacy advantage that blogs have over papers. My old paper in Dallas has a dedicated Mavs blogger (Tim MacMahon) who, in addition to his own commentary, does a great job of finding anything and everything worth reading about the team and putting it in one easy place to find. My old L.A. pal Tim Kawakami, meanwhile, is a full-time general columnist for the San Jose Mercury News who happens to churn out about 25 blog posts a week. Many of them are Warriors-related and any Dubs fan would tell you they're absolutely must-read.

You hear lots of complaints about how independent blogs don't face the consequences faced by their mainstream counterparts when they're wrong or over the line and how they lack the proper training, contacts and journalistic checks and balances to be treated as an equal. And maybe there are some cases where all that's true. But I don't think it's our place to worry about how the readers classify every blog they encounter. This is a free country and people can start their own website if they have something to say. I’d like to think the audience can generally determine for itself what's what and who's who.

Q: Next to being on the same field with Steve McManaman, Robbie Fowler, Steve Nash and Thierry Henry, was being canonized by the Onion the greatest achievement of your career?

STEIN: I was certainly honored to see ESPN.com's NBA Power Rankings acknowledged by The Onion and more amazed by how many people saw it and e-mailed me about it. This season will be my seventh doing the Power Rankings and the interest in them, knock on wood, only seems to be growing, with John Hollinger’s daily computerized rankings definitely adding to the interest and debate. But with all due respect to the satire press, I can't quite put The Onion in the same sentence as playing with Growler and Macca. Like I said way, way, way too many words ago at the top: I've had far more fun than I deserve over the years, but lining up with legends like that for the Showdown in Chinatown is pretty much in a category unto itself.

Marc Stein writes about the NBA for ESPN.com and also appears on the WWL's television and radio programs. If Man City really do spiral down this season, please think good thoughts about him.

Read more on "An Interview with Marc Stein: Part II"...

An Interview with Marc Stein: Part I

When Lingering Bursitis and I had the honor and the pleasure of attending the Showdown in Chinatown a while back, little did we know the mileage we’d get out of that chance encounter on a warm, summer day. As you may recall, one of those who took part in the game was ESPN’s Marc Stein, by day an NBA reporter, but also a lifelong footy fan. We have to admit that we were a little jealous of Marc, getting the opportunity to run around with Steve Nash, Thierry Henry, Robbie Fowler and the rest. But, it turns out that there couldn’t have been a better representative for us, the fans.



Marc Stein recently took some time out of his hectic schedule covering the NBA to answer some of our questions about football and various other topics as well. A big thanks go his way. Marc is what we, in the business, like to call a real mensch.

Find out why after the jump in Part I of our interview.

Q: You already covered your experience at the Showdown In Chinatown for ESPN.com but how exactly did you get involved in the game. And about how long did it take you to say "yes" to playing?

STEIN: Apologies first of all for the link you've included and foisting so much on the public about this already. But I think anyone who's heard anything about this day of fantasy football can understand why I can't stop talking about it.

How did it happen? Dismayed as I am that one man can be so good at both footy and hoops, I have to give Nash all the credit. It was all his idea (with some encouragement from his trusty Italian sidekick Simone Sandri, no doubt) to let me bring the level down a few (dozen) notches, ensuring that I would be there to chronicle it all but as much because he knew how much it would mean to me to be out there. I've covered Nash at close quarters since he dribbled into Dallas in 1998 and we hit it off largely because of soccer, which is the sport he'd rather talk about 11 times out of 10. He was introduced to Fowler and McManaman years ago, quickly became close friends with them . . . and has since heard ad nauseum from me how those two are two of my absolute, all-time favorites.

Let’s just say that Nash must have realized that he’d lose me forever as his Ahmad Rashad -- when I'm not working as Nowitzki's Ahmad Rashad, of course -- if I wasn't allowed to sneak out there somehow.

Q: Will you be trademarking the term "Plimptonian Power Rankings?" If not, you probably should, even though I'd guess very few readers have any idea what you were talking about.

STEIN: Really? Inhabitants of the modern-day sports blogosphere don't know George Plimpton? A major disappointment, if true.

For the kids out there: Plimpton is the undisputed, legendary father of participatory sports journalism. Please read his Wikipedia page immediately.

[Ed.: I probably should’ve given readers far more credit. As an aside, the first time I heard about George Plimpton was when my Mom told me that he hit on her when she was working at NBC in the 1960s!]

He actually did full-length books on his experiences, but I've done OK for myself with probably more dabbles than I deserve in the Plimptonian realm. Besides the two other cameos I described in the article -- playing for a week with indoor soccer's Dallas Sidekicks and trying to return Roscoe Tanner's serve on three different surfaces -- I've also shared some interesting court time with Elgin Baylor and Pete Sampras . . . and was once paraded on the Maine Road pitch before a night match with a City scarf held over my head like a new signing. That was for an article I was invited to write in the Manchester Evening News.

I know, I know: I've actually had WAY more fun than I deserve.

Q: I thought it was interesting that some NBA players who were rumored to be involved in the Nash/Claudio Reyna match (Nate Robinson, David Lee and you mentioned Joakim Noah) weren't there. Did their teams pull the plug or was it more scheduling conflicts?

STEIN: No idea what happened to Nate and D-Lee. All of a sudden they went from available to unavailable. At least with Noah there's a story. Joakim called Nash when he read about the game on Page Six in the New York Post, told Nash he was dying to play and then called shortly before kickoff, apologizing for missing "yesterday's game." He had the wrong day somehow.

Q: I think everyone who was there agreed that Jason Kidd, among the NBA players, was the biggest revelation on the football pitch. Watching Kidd play, I couldn't help but think that he would've been an amazing professional soccer player, with the same athletic skills, vision and playmaking . . . plus at 6-3 he'd actually have a height advantage. What's your take on the argument that the United States would produce more top soccer players if student-athletes didn't gravitate towards other sports?

STEIN: I had to apologize to J-Kidd because I had it totally wrong in my preview story for ESPN.com. Never knew he had a soccer background and I made it sound like he had never kicked a ball in his life.

As for the bigger issue . . .

I don't know that I have anything profound to say beyond than the obvious. Soccer just doesn't have a big enough profile in this country -- and you have to wonder if it ever will -- to consistently attract the Kidd-level athletes. You'd like to believe that a country this big could hook, say, 50 of the best athletes under any circumstances. Or at least 20. But America is just totally unlike almost every other nation around the world, where soccer is generally the runaway No. 1 sport. What's the ceiling for soccer here with so many sports ahead of it in the queue and so many choices? I honestly don't know that soccer has moved up much in my lifetime.

Q: Changing topics slightly, when did you become interested in football, especially your beloved Manchester City? And how closely do you follow the Premier League during the season?

STEIN: Apologies, again, to anyone who has already been subjected to this sad, geeky, long-winded story.

My brother and I are the first generation in our family born in the States, so footy is the sport my father grew up with in Romania and shared with us. I was first exposed to English football when I was 11. We made frequent trips to Israel to see family in my youth and the only sports publication in English that you could find in the Holy Land in those pre-internet, pre-cable times was SHOOT! For those that don’t know, SHOOT! was a famed kiddie soccer mag that had heavy involvement from all the big England stars of the day and was published mostly on a weekly basis for a good 40 years before meeting its tragic demise in June as yet another victim of the unforgiving world of modern publishing. I will always hold it dear because SHOOT! immediately became my bible to get through the summer. I milked every word out of every issue.

Knowing nothing about the geography or the history of the English game, I was going to have to pick a team some other way from all the names and clubs I was suddenly trying to learn on the fly. On the back cover of my first issue, pictured in stunning sky blue, was City defender Tommy Caton doing a Q&A. City's kit had a strong resemblance to the shirt worn by my AYSO team back in Southern California -- except ours was one of those cheapo light blue mesh shirts with all the little holes and a white v-neck – so that’s the glamorous story of how this City fan was born.

The choice obviously stuck. And in what I consider to be a true sign from above, I made this call without even knowing that City had won the FA Cup in 1969 one day after I was born. Once I eventually discovered that bit of trivia, I realized that me and City were meant to be.

But it was pretty tough to follow English football back here in the States, in my experience, until the early 1990s . . . even though my dear Uncle Josef in Israel arranged for me to receive SHOOT! by mail in California through my teens at a ridiculous cost. As a kid, Toby Charles’ unforgettable broadcasts on Soccer Made In Germany and games in Spanish (starting for me with the 1982 World Cup) were the standout international footy programs I remember watching, overshadowing some sporadic coverage from England on similar UHF stations in SoCal. I more clearly remember subscribing to Sports Channel America (which I think is now basically Fox Sports Net) around 1991 or 1992 (for about $10-12 extra monthly on the cable bill) because they had an English footy highlights show every week. Then the Internet arrived and the world amazingly and mercifully started shrinking. Every season it wonderfully gets a little bit smaller, too. Example: Just in the last month I’ve watched both legs of City’s first UEFA Cup qualifying tie against a tiny team from the Faroe Islands and a preseason friendly against AC Milan on internet feeds that come from I don’t know where. I don’t know that you could have done that as recently as two years ago. I love this game!

In adulthood I'm your basic Premiership snob/geek who can't find much time for the MLS, but I also have an equally deep (and disturbing) love for England's lower divisions. I'd rather watch club football than international football any day of the week and I'd rather watch a League Two or Carling Cup match on Setanta than a La Liga game. Don't ask me to rationalize any of this because I know I'm a freak. I guess I just grew up reading so much about English football -- without actually being able to watch what I was reading about -- that even clubs in England's lower leagues have mystical qualities in my twisted world. City also spent three long seasons in England’s second and third tiers in the late '90s before the club started to rebound, which took me to some remote outposts that only cemented my Football League fetish. Sixfields Stadium in Northampton, for example. I've indeed been there to see City in what is now known as League One; it's one of the roughly 40 or so professional football grounds in England that I've been to in the past decade-plus. Like I said . . . total geek.

How closely do I follow the Premiership now? Closer than I want anyone to know. Closer than my family can stand. Let's just say that no one in the United States finds a way to watch more of the three daily helpings of Sky Sports News that we get over here than me.

Q: What do you make about the Thaksin Shinawatra/Sven-Goran Eriksson drama at Man City?

STEIN: It's nothing, sadly, that I didn’t expect back when Frank, as we call him, got the club. I always feared, with all the potential pitfalls attached to Shinawatra’s legal situation, that City could end up worse off than we were before he took over, which was an absolutely excruciating time in the last days of Stuart Pearce's regime. I dearly hope I’m just being my usual paranoid, worst-case-scenario self, but the developments coming out of Eastlands are ominous, to put it charitably. And you get conditioned as a City fan to wonder when the next crisis will hit.

As for Sven specifically, clearly he didn’t deserve to go. The man only had us in the top five for half the season and did the league double over U----d, after City had gone nearly 40 years without beating our neighbors twice in the same season. If I must be honest, I was not a fan of his football, like a lot of City fans, largely because Sven insisted on playing a dour system (only one man up front) even at home. But let's face it: He was absolutely fantastic in his first season, results-wise, getting a team full of new players to gel so quickly. Sven also had an undeniable presence that was even more impressive than the top-10 finish. Not Mourinho-like, obviously, but Sven gave City unmistakable credibility, especially in the area of player recruitment. He could call any player in the world and at least get that player to take his call. Don't know if City has ever had another manager with that kind of juice.

That said, I'm a pretty big admirer of Mark Hughes, in spite of his U----d connections and last week's slip up to whatever the hell that Danish team is called that Danny Califf plays for now. He’s a rare breed (top young British manager) who’s joining the club with the most underrated, on-the-rise youth academy in England (reigning FA Youth Cup champions). So I fall into the camp of City fans who have their fingers crossed that we might have gotten away with one when Frank was able to convince Hughes to come to Eastlands after forcing Sven out prematurely. I think Hughes is good enough to solidify us as a top-six or seven side, but that naturally depends on Shinawatra's troubles going away or someone with money coming in to rescue him.

If the stories are true about Shinawatra wanting or needing to sell the club . . . don't make me think about what happens next. But that’s life as a City fan. It’s a roller coaster that never lets you off. As legendary striker Franny Lee famously said back in the club’s glory days -- and I'm paraphrasing here to Americanize his quote -- City would have an overflowing trophy case if they gave out cups for screw-ups.

Q: Do you think Ronaldinho would have worked out at Man City?

STEIN: Nope. No chance. Ronaldinho surely thinks he’s still too good to go from Barca to City. Factor in the ridiculous money we'd have been risking and it only could have ended in tears.

Part II of our interview with Marc Stein is on its way tomorrow!

Read more on "An Interview with Marc Stein: Part I"...

Rob Stone's Not Broadcasting From The Bristol Broom Closet

ESPN do-everything man, Rob Stone, was kind enough to take time out his day to answer a few questions for Unprofessional Foul about soccer, ESPN, Greg Lalas, some topless fun (but not with those people in the picture), and The Sports Guy. Also, be sure to read closely where there may be some hints at the future of soccer at ESPN.

UF would like to thank Rob for finding time in his busy schedule to talk this little ol' blog. Join the fun after the jump.

Can you let us know how you went from playing soccer for one of the "Hidden Ivies", Colgate University, to a ubiquitous presence on ESPN (its soccer programs in particular)? Was it what you planned to do or was it happenchance?

My dad always stressed to me to do what you love. In college, I loved sports and television, so I tried to marry them. I did campus radio work as a D.J. and called basketball games and other events. I got a radio job in Utica, NY doing sports updates in between periods of minor league hockey games. After school I was eventually fortunate enough to get accepted into a 6 month program at ESPN as a production assistant. I passed the test, and was hired full time. I spent horrendous hours running prompter, cutting highlights, etc. I got tired of busting my tail to make others look good, and wanted to do it for myself. I was close to leaving ESPN for an advertising job, but then an opening in a small Fox affiliate in Albany, Georgia was floated my way and I pounced on it. That then led me to Tampa, FL, but I always kept in tough with my ESPN friends back in Connecticut, one day out of the blue, a contact at ESPN that had become the boss of soccer called me and said “I need a tape tomorrow. We have a new soccer show starting (Worldwide Soccer) and want you to host it.” I got it, and since then I’ve just been fortunate enough to continue working on my favorite sport as well as being introduced to several others (college football and basketball, bowling, skiing, darts, the list goes on).

Broadcasting has to be a tough job with all the traveling and time away from home. How do you manage?

Still trying to figure that out to be honest. I have no “office” I report to, so all my research, travel, calls, are done from home. I try to save a chunk of work for the plane rides but I have to be prepared completely by the time I land. Most think of TV as this wonderfully glamorous business, and yes it has perks, but my travel pretty much consists of airport, cab/car, hotel, meetings/practices, gym, eat, sleep, repeat. You will not run into me at the Ritz.

I took a quick glance at some of the Colgate soccer records and your name still appears on several lists, including most shots in the game. Those records have stood since the late 80s and early 90s, pretty impressive. One of your media friends, Greg Lalas, is a former soccer player as well. Who is a better player you or Greg? Don't be bashful.

Stunned that I am still in the record books…come on Colgate recruits get me out of there. When I finished in 1991 there was no MLS and no real reason to continue playing at a competitive level that I was used to. I would have loved to try and make some kind of run at an MLS team if it existed, but I think the chances for survival might have been remote. Greg Lalas succeeded and earned money playing, so he has to win. He’s younger and would still win, but I think I’d be a fairly high pick of his in a pick up game.

Being a former soccer player and covering many soccer matches, what is your take on the relative quality of the USMNT and US soccer in general? Do you think the US will ever be a major player as a soccer nation?

The quality continues to improve, but not at the rate our impatient sporting society would like. I know we have sheer numbers on our side, in regards to finding some immense soccer talents out there, but the value placed on the other “Big” sports out there, will continue to prevent this country’s truly elite athletes from going the soccer route. If soccer was the “main” sport in the U.S., like it is almost everywhere else in the world, it would be different story, but our talent pool gets too diluted due to football, basketball, baseball, hockey, lacrosse, etc.

How about MLS? The Lalas family is obviously high on the MLS, but you have had the opportunity to cover many MLS matches as well as European and high level international matches. Where does the MLS stand in your eyes?

If anyone doesn’t feel I am a believer in MLS they need to be locked away. Remember this league is still an infant in the American sporting landscape. The positive steps that have been made recently (stadiums, new teams, big name international players) are wonderful and should be applauded. But we need to support and nurture the American player more. If that means sending him to Europe so he can earn a paycheck that dwarfs what he gets in MLS, then lets do it. I get tired of seeing some no name foreign player get inked to a deal that is 4 times more than what a hard working young American makes, only to see that foreign player sit on the bench, get beat out by the American, and then eventually leave. MLS is a fair and competitive league that needs more talent, especially on the attacking side. The salary cap needs to be raised dramatically (easy to type when it’s not my money we’re talking about) and we need to continue to locate big name foreign talents who aren’t here for a vacation and who will help educate his young American teammates (i.e. Stoichkov, Nowak, Beckham, etc. – thanks guys).

What does the US need to do or happen to improve in soccer? Are we developing players in the correct manner?

My take would be there needs to be better coaching (which has improved dramatically) with a greater emphasis on individual skills…taking on players, finishing, in short, selfish soccer. Don’t get me wrong, I am a total team guy, but individual brilliance is what separates a World Cup qualifying team from a World Cup contending team…plus it’s a hell of a lot more entertaining to watch, and lets be honest here, entertainment is a big part of anything in our world these days. How many boring events have you gone back to?

What's your opinion of broadcasting games from the "Bristol Broom Closet"? I am staunchly opposed to it because it limits the broadcasters ability to point out things to only the things shown on screen and in replay. Plus, it doesn't give them a feel for the ambience of the stadium.

Trust me, if money was no object it wouldn’t be done. But sometimes you have to be reasonable with your expenses. I am not an executive, but I do know that UEFA was charging insane amounts of money to have a crew call games at the Euro venues. I have never called a game from a monitor, and I know it takes a special skill, and I think we all agree it’s best to be there live. But just having the Euros on our air was a major coup, and the suits at ESPN noticed how successful it was…it can only mean better things for soccer on TV at ESPN down the road.

You are especially familiar with MLS. Can you describe the impact David Beckham has had on MLS in your eyes? Is it good? Or is it the start of the old NASL way?

I have seen nothing but positives out of it. It has challenged other owners to dust off their checkbooks, its brought incalculable amounts of exposure here and abroad, and its made soccer “cool” in places like Hollywood, etc. This is clearly not the old NASL, but I feel MLS does need to loosen the checkbook more and bring in more high priced talent while also supplementing the meager pay of most of the americns on MLS rosters. He is a legit guy..no attitude that I have experienced, and he really cares how his team does, and how the sport grows here…can’t wait to see if he becomes an owner here one day (Miami anyone?)

I have only one question that relates to your friend Bill Simmons, but I thought you might be able to enlighten us. Back in 2006, The Sports Guy selected a Premiership team to "follow," but he asked his readers to help him out in choosing a team. Ultimately, he selected Tottenham Hotspur as his team. We have not heard a word about his team since that time. Is he actually following the team? Have you tried to help him out in following soccer? Please tell me you have busted his chops about this.

I don’t know what happened to his support of Tottenham to be honest. He and I spoke frequently about it as he was pursuing a side, but then I think it kind of died with the explosion of his Pat/Sox/Celts. Trust me, I push the soccer agenda on him all the time.

What club do you support? And, how did you come about supporting the club?

Always kind of supported Man U because my youth team in Connecticut was the Simsbury Red Devils. Outside of that I pretty much just cheer for the Americans abroad. I stay as neutral as I can in MLS.

Who is your favorite player to cover? Least favorite? And why?

One of the great things about covering soccer in the states is that a majority of the players/teams are highly accessible, and good guys on top of that. That is not the case in most major league sports.

Who is the most overrated player in the MLS?

Not going to bite on this one.

What MLS player should we keep our eye on as an up-and-comer?

Stuart Holden with Houston, Maurice Edu in Toronto, Patrick Nyarko in Chicago, and Chris Seitz in Salt Lake…can we get him on the field already? And yes, I know that 3 of those guys are U.S. Olympians, but I think they can take the permanent step to the full national team soon.

I have some non-soccer related questions. How much do you love bowling? You're an announcer for bowling sometimes and are even credited with coming up with the phrase "hambone" for four consecutive strikes. Do you bowl much? If so, what's your average?

I have grown to appreciate the sport and its culture immensely. It was an assignment that was thrust on me, and I went in with low expectations. They were exceeded, but that wasn’t tough to do. I am far from a regular at the lanes, but did take the family there last weekend actually. Even have my own shoes and ball now. Not sure what that says about me. Hambone forever.

Where's your favorite bowling lane? Tulsa, Oklahoma?

Thunder Alley in Omaha, Nebraska. Seriously. Great fans and a new center. Yes, I can now name my favorite bowling centers around the country. Also enjoy Red Rocks in Vegas, Medford, Oregon, and Fountain Valley, just south of L.A.

I heard this rumor about you and a rock show in Columbus, Ohio involving some topless women. What happened?

I see you have spoken to one or both of Lalas’ brothers. (Ed. Note: Yup.) Well done. Good times post All Star game there years ago…thankfully, just before YouTube.

Finally, what's your favorite system? 4-4-2, 4-5-1, something else?

I’m an old school offensive guy…I miss the days of 2 wingers and a forward…give me a 3-4-3 and let the other team adjust.

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An Interview With Gold Medal Hopeful And Tight Wearer Brad Guzan

Unprofessional Foul was extremely fortunate late last week to get the opportunity to have a brief Q&A of US Olympic keeper Brad Guzan. UF got to Brad just before he and the team departed to Hong Kong. Presumably Guzan was in those tights he and Stuart Holden are sporting to the right, since they wore those on the flight over.

I'd like to take this opportunity to thank Brad for taking the time out of his busy schedule to answer UF's question.

After the jump find out about Brad's future in England, his opponents in Beijing and his potential future manager Martin O'neil.

You are in the midst of preparing for the Olympics. How is the training going? What have your days been like? Do you have any good stories or pranks from the camp that you care to share?

The training is going very well. We are just trying to get everyone on the same page as some guys are coming from Europe and some are from MLS. We have been training either once or twice a day and just trying to prepare ourselves for the Olympics.

Besides preparing for the competition, has the team been preparing for other things, like the air pollution we keep hearing about or the different culture? Learning some Mandarin or Cantonese? I can tell you two things in Mandarin-- ni hao (pronounced "nee how") which means hello, and xie xie (pronounced "shyeh shyeh") which means thank you.

Part of the process was to learn about the culture, some key phrases and the life style over here. We are extremely excited to be here and are looking forward to this opportunity. Everyone is going to have to deal with the humidity and air, so we just have to get used to it.

Do you have any positions regarding politics in China? Or have you been told not to discuss those issues during the Olympics?

We are here to play soccer and enjoy ourselves, that's what we are going to do.

The US was drawn into a difficult group at the Olympics along with Netherlands, Japan and Nigeria. What are your expectations for the US team? Will the team win the gold? Or, any medal?

Obviously we are in a very tough group and expect nothing less then 3 hard games. In saying that, we are confident in our abilities and our going to give our best effort.

In your warmup matches against Cameroon and Cote d'Ivoire you will be facing two world class strikers, possibly, in Salomon Kalou and Samuel Eto'o. Kalou is already in the Premier League and rumors abound that Eto'o may move to England as well. And, in group play you will face Premiership players Ryan Babel and Victor Anichebe. Can you describe what your thoughts are about facing these players? Obviously those teams are more than just those players, but it has to be exhilarating and somewhat intimidating to face that caliber of players.

This is why it is exciting to play in the Olympics, you have the chance to play against some of the best players in the world. For me the challenge is exciting and I am looking forward to it.

Which Premiership player are you most looking forward to playing against? Which one do you most want to deny a goal?

All the players in the league are extremely good, that's why that league is one of the best in the world. Hopefully I can go in learn as much as I can and help my team be successful.

I guess the last question may be a bit premature, since your work permit hasn't come through yet. What is the current status of obtaining your work permit in England? Do you expect for that to be resolved shortly or at least before Villa's season starts?

Everyone is confident that the work permit will go through, but only time will tell.

Obviously American goalkeepers have a record of success in Europe, and England in particular. What do you think has led to this success? And, why has the US not had the same success with "field players"?

I think it is very tough for any player, field player or keeper to go to Europe and be successful. The level of play is very high and the quality of players is very good. Hopefully I can just follow in the footsteps of the great American players that have come before me and keep the doors open for other younger players as well.

It looks like Brad Friedel is going to move to Aston Villa as well. Do you know Brad? Have you talked with him about potentially being teammates? What have you two discussed? How would being his teammate benefit you?

I have only heard great things about Brad and given the chance to work with him, I think I can learn a lot. He is an outstanding keeper that has proven himself not only in Europe but on the international stage as well.

It seems that all American keepers abroad have to shave their heads, are you going to do the same?

We will cross that bridge when I get there.

A number of Americans have played and are playing in England now. Who have you spoken to about moving to England? What have they told you to expect? Has Brian McBride given you any tips? What are you most looking forward to if your move to Villa is finalized?

I have spoken to a lot of the European guys and everyone has just given me little tips here and there. Nothing specific, but just great advice. I'm looking forward to helping my team be successful in any way I can.

Martin O'Neill is a very highly rated manager. Did you speak to him before agreeing to the transfer? What did he say and did he tell you what his plans for you were? Do you think you will see much first team action this season?

I have spoken to the manager and like in any situation, I'm going to go in, work hard, learn as much as I can and try to get better.

What do you think of the Olympic outfits you received on Thursday? Are you styling?

The outfits are pretty cool. [Ed. Note: The picture to the right from Guest of a Guest are leaked images of the Ralph Lauren Opening Ceremony duds.]

There is some debate in soccer circles about the benefit of American players going to Europe and leaving MLS behind. Some think it may be good for the individual players but is detrimental to MLS. Would you agree or disagree with this position?

I think each situation is different and has to be looked that way. Ultimately it comes down to the player making that decision. I think the MLS is getting better and the level of play is better, but still compared to the top leagues in Europe it still has a way to go.

[Photo Credit: Tights photo and pollution photo both courtesy of the US YNT Blog. Olympic outfit photo courtesy Guest of a Guest.]

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Wherein Greg Lalas Disagrees With Me

Recently, I hit up Greg Lalas--former professional soccer player, writer, provocateur and general soccer aficionado--for an interview. After a few technical difficulties, I managed to catch the white whale. He graciously answered all of my questions and challenged me to a duel some of my positions. It is also apparent there is no bigger advocate of American soccer than Greg Lalas which is something it needs. Something UF does not do well with, but should try harder.

Before we jump into the interview, I want to take a minute to promote a couple of Greg's recent pieces that are excellent reads. The first, the Bill of Rights of American Soccer fans. The second, a Bill of Responsibilities for American Soccer Fans.

After the jump, Greg on Beckham, Donovan, dating a Lazio fan, and our favorite Chris Mannix.

Clearly you have a unique background as a soccer writer since you played in college and professionally, but did you ever envision having a writing career? Did you plan for this while in college? You now write for several outlets, SI.com, Goal.com, and NYTimes Goal Blog, how did you end up doing this?

Luck and connections. To be honest, I never really envisioned anything as a "career." But I did a lot of writing, and have been doing so since I was a pipsqueak. In college, I wrote a lot of really bad poetry and some semi-decent short fiction. Then, even when I was playing, I was writing. In 1996, while I was playing with the Tampa Bay Mutiny, I had a short play produced by the Source Theater in DC.

After I retired in 1998, I left soccer behind totally. I went to grad school for creative writing, and stumbled into a job at a magazine in Boston. But the soccer itch came back. In 2003, I was living in Greece, freelancing and writing, kind of off the grid. I decided to move back to the States, to New York, and the first thing I did was to get a hold of someone at MLSnet.com and ask about writing for the site. They said sure. My first piece was a profile of Freddy Adu, who I met up with the day before he was drafted. He was great. So I wrote a column for MLSnet.com, "The View from the Cheap Seats," for about a year, and everything snowballed from there. Next thing I knew, I was doing the TV for the Revolution.

After I wore out my welcome at MLSnet -- calling for a sitting coach's head in an article on the league website didn't sit well with certain people...but come on, Andrulis needed to go! -- I started writing the "Outside the Box" column for SI.com then I took over Goal.com USA. I've only written for NYTimes.com for special events, like this past Africa Cup of Nations.

Your brother, Alexi Lalas, is a US soccer legend and the current GM for LA Galaxy. Does this relationship help or hinder you as a writer?

Both. Being his brother has gained me access to things that many journalists don't have access to, like sources, etc. But it's a hinderance because there have been people in the past who love to slam anyone who might appear to have an advantage. Truth is, advantages come in various ways, and I think at this point, I've proven to the people who matter to me that I am a good journalist.

Also, has your brother always been so outspoken, for example his comments comparing MLS to the Premier League?

I'm not sure what comments you're referring to, but I'll surmise they are things like "MLS teams could compete in the EPL." Well, I don't think that's so outspoken because he's right. And he's not the only one who says it, by the way.

A lot of Englishmen I've talked with -- at least the ones with open minds -- say similar things.

What amazes me is that many of the people who slam Alexi for comments like that have never stopped to say, "Hey, Alexi played at the highest levels in the world, including the World Cup and Italy's Serie A. Maybe he knows a little something about this." Now, sometimes his mouth bites him in the ass, but that just goes with the territory of being in a high profile position. My favorite quote of all time: "To avoid criticism, do nothing, say nothing, be nothing." That's from Elbert Hubbard.

This is the quote I was talking about from Alexi:

"The fact that a segment of the world worships an inferior product in the Premiership is their business,'' Lalas said in an interview with The Guardian published Tuesday.

I think that it is fair to say that calling the Premiership and the quality of play in the league inferior to any other league is a bold statement. Especially considering the Champions League play the past few seasons. It is without a doubt one of the strongest leagues in the world. And, while the best of the MLS teams might be able survive relegation, it is safe to say, in my opinion, that none of them would contend for a spot in Europe. Just my opinion.

Yes, it is a bold statement. And yes, the EPL is without a doubt one of the strongest leagues. But in terms of actual soccer, it's overhyped and overpriced. No, MLS team would contend for Europe. Very true. But then, I repeat, the New England Revolution, arguably MLS's best team right now, carries a salary of around $2 million (they don't even use the whole cap available to them!), and yet, I would argue, they could contend with teams in the middle of the EPL. That says something pretty profound.

Either MLS is better than most people believe, or the EPL is not as good as everything thinks. Outside the top four and then a revolving three teams after that, the EPL is pretty mediocre. Same goes for the other leagues too. Same goes for MLS, for that matter. Unfortunately, these arguments will never be solved until the teams play against each other in a meaningful way. Maybe the CWC in 2009, if an MLS team can win the CCL.

Soccer is definitely on the rise in the states. It is more commercially viable, MLS is looking like a good investment now, and soccer is receiving more coverage than ever before, but it's not a finished product yet. What are your opinions on where the sport is headed in the US and how it needs to improve?

More money. More exposure. More fans. These are all chicken or the egg things, though. Ultimately, time seems to be the final arbiter of soccer's success. When more Americans know the game and understand its nuances and beauties, soccer's popularity will explode.

Also, in a decade or so, many of the old-school Baby Boomer sports editors at newspapers and TV channels will move on and younger, more soccer-savvy guys will take over. That will help.

Finally, there's the youth development. And it's a strange seeming paradox that I think will work best. When the US starts to consistently export young talent to Europe, like Jozy, our reputation globally as a soccer nation will improve. After that happens, players will be less reluctant to come here and play.

Along those lines, what does the U.S. need to do to develop better players?

I think we're developing pretty fantastic players.

At Unprofessional Foul we have had several email discussions about the poor track record the U.S. has in developing highly-skilled players. There are certainly well conditioned and skilled players but nothing coming close to world class, except for the goalkeepers.

So you don't consider Landon Donovan a world class player? I do. I think often we are too enamored of European and South American players and don't realize just how good some of our players are.

I think we do have a track record of developing highly skilled players. What we don't have is a track record of developing players who can step onto Europe's fields and be very good for a long time. This is why Brazil and Argentina are so revered, because for more than 50 years, their players have proven their worth. But on the face of it, is Alexandre Pato $20 million better than Jozy Altidore? No. It's just that Brazilians have a better track record of succeeding in Europe than Americans do, so it's a better risk, which means a higher transfer fee. Then there's the other issue: When you say "skilled," do you mean a Messi type or a Ballack type?

I get what your saying about "world class" players, but no, I don't think Donovan is world class when he can't get pitch time in Germany and wants to go home. Yes, he is skilled. Much more skilled than the majority of MLS, but he's not great. But, I'll say he forfeits any right to be called world-class when he decided not to stick it out in Europe. He's a big fish in a little pond now and that's how he likes it. At least Riquelme showed his talent and ability before packing it up to go home.

But why does he have to show his talent in Europe? What if Donovan shows his talent in the international game? Is Cuauhtemoc Blanco world class? Was Carlos Valderrama? Check out Pibe's record in Europe--he pretty much flamed out in Europe. Was Marco Etcheverry world class? Never played in Europe. Or a guy like Martin Palermo, who also barely had a career in Europe but is a legend in Argentina. And those are just some of the modern examples. It's absurd to say this, considering the eras, but Pele never played in Europe.

Are the MLS Academies and US Soccer Development Academies the answer?

Not necessarily. They are a start, though. It comes down to having coaches who encourage players to express themselves. But you also need the non-Ronaldinhos -- guys like Marquez and Makalele and Nesta. It'll come.

And maybe I am a bit enamored with European soccer, but we certainly haven't produced any elite players other than goalkeepers that could be considered for an all-league team in the best leagues in Europe (Brian McBride being the one exception I would think of). Maybe I should have said elite rather than world-class. Maybe Adu and Altidore will be there but they really haven't proven anything on the big stage yet. Heck, Adu had trouble getting off the bench at Benfica, although he did have coaching changes to deal with.

Freddy's gotten a bum deal. I hope Monaco works out for him. He's had so much pressure to deal with, and, if you look at it objectively, he's handled it amazingly well. I still think he will be a star -- and world class -- when all is said and done. But when thinking about his "trouble getting off the bench at Benfica," it's tantalizing to compare him to guys like Messi and Pato and other young studs.

Thing is, we only ever notice the ones that rise to the top from their respective countries. There are a hundred Messis and Patos out there, but only these two become international stars. The US, on the other hand, only has a few guys. We don't have a critical mass yet. Hell, we don't have any mass yet, although it's changing. After all, we now have a $10 million 18-year-old player. And Bradley is another one. And even Rogers, if he does well in Beijing, could move. Once we get more youngsters over there, we'll start to see some of them rise to the top.

To address your "skill" question, I would say both. No US player has ever dominated a midfield like Ballack does even now at 31. Reyna did well, but was never at that level consistently. As for Messi, maybe Altidore will be that, but those two are about the same age and Jozy hasn't done what Messi has.

See above. I'd argue that Jozy has done in MLS what Messi has done in Liga. Different scale, I admit, but still something impressive. Now that he has the chance to try his luck at the next level, we'll see just how good (or overhyped) Jozy is.

But, when I say highly skilled I am talking about the best of the best like Messi and Ballack. Have we had anybody come close to that level, ever from the US? I don't think so.

I agree. We haven't. But here's another thought: Messi and Ballack are great because they have great players around them. This is something Alexi and I have often discussed, how these great players we see, although certainly terrific in their own rights, are also buoyed by the general skill level around them. But if you surround a good MLS player with good talent, he will be good too. Could he be great?

Think about this: Joseph Ngwenya, the Zimbabwean striker who used to be with Houston and then went to Austria, where he basically flopped, is right now training with Bayern Munich. He played on Friday in the German SuperCup against Dortmund. How can this be? How is this guy from MLS, from the US college system, and a flop in Austria, now getting time with one of the best clubs in the world? Well, partly, it's because of his relationship with assistant coach Martin Vazquez (former Tampa Bay Mutiny player, Chivas USA assistant coach, and college coach). But it's mainly because they think that Ngwenya, surrounded by good players, can have an impact. Strange, huh?

There are rumors that ESPN may be pursuing EPL games in the near future and changing ESPN Classic to ESPN3 and focusing it on soccer. Unprofessional Foul has debated whether this is a good or bad thing. What is your view? Is this a positive for soccer in the US? For the MLS?

I've heard this same thing. I think it's a great sign about the popularity of soccer if a juggernaut like ESPN realizes they need to get into it even more than they already are. But I worry about the lack of competition in the soccer TV space. I don't know if they are going to be acquiring FSC's rights or Setanta's. But either way, there might end up being less soccer on TV because of it. On the other side, I think it's a positive for MLS, sure, because it will better educate the American public about the game. That's certainly good.

The old adage is that any press is good press, but it seems you're not of that opinion. You called out in your last SI.com piece Marc Stein and your fellow SI.com writer Chris Mannix for their recent writings on soccer. Although, I must note you have amended your opinion on Stein subsequently. Unprofessional Foul found the Mannix piece reprehensible and did a quite long post on it. Why do you think the Mannixes of the world continue to write this tripe? And, do you care to expand your criticism of Mannix and Stein?

I realized after the fact that I was unduly harsh on Stein, which is why I added the endnote to that article. I knew he was a soccer fan, so I should've cut him some slack. I didn't particularly like his article. It was really well written, but it just proved precisely how soccer is a sideline for him. He's a great writer, and I'd love to see him doing more soccer writing, real soccer journalism. But he knows what pays the bills.

Mannix...I think I said it all in my article -- and I commend SI for running my slam of one of their big-name guys. (Although I was pissed that the magazine ran a letter that praised the article then said, "But I still hate soccer.") Basically, pieces like Mannix's are obtuse journalism that comes out of the uncreative minds of the aforementioned old-school editors.

Media outlets will need to change their attitude about soccer or be left behind. Globalization means that the worldwide juggernaut that is soccer is slowing taking over the States, and that includes the media.

I would be remiss if I didn't ask you about your Wikipedia entry. "His Major League Soccer career consisted of only five games played, 100 minutes, one weak shot on goal, and one foul committed." Did you do that or did a friend?

I didn't do it. And my friends are technological morons. They couldn't create a wiki page even if they were promised a one-night stand with Jessica Alba for doing it. And, is it true? Yes, however, that "weak" shot missed the upper 90 by a few inches. At least, that's how I remember it.

Who is your favorite player to cover?

Jimmy Conrad. He's clever, well-spoken, honest, and, as he'll gladly tell you, good looking.

Your least favorite?

Beckham. He's a poster boy for staying on message by spouting out cliches and platitudes.

Is the Designated Player a good development for MLS? Why or why not?

Hell yeah! Why? Because we get to see the likes of Juan Pablo Angel instead of Sergio Galvan Rey.

Some quick hitters and we're done. 4-4-2 or 4-5-1 or 4-2-3-1? 3-4-1-2

Best league in the world? La Liga

Favorite all-time player? Michel Platini

Favorite current player? Matt Reis

Landon Donovan—fraud or real-deal? See above.

Do you still own any of your brother's CDs from his band? I played bass in his band, so, yes, I have a few.

What club(s) do you support? Panathinaikos. Pame oi Prasinoi!!! Also Roma, because I dated a girl from Rome for a little while -- although she was for Lazio.

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