I'm heading out to Chivas USA training right now so I won't be able to blog much this afternoon. But I did file a story last night to MLSnet.com about Jonathan Bornstein's offseason trip to Israel. Good stuff.
This will be only time to go out and talk to Chivas USA players this week so I'm sure I'll come back with plenty of info.
In the meantime, here are a few articles to pass the time.
This story actually ran yesterday in the LA Times but it's on the same topic as my PE column. The Times' take on the Pan-Pacific Championship and mine as well.
Showing posts with label Pan-Pacific Championship. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pan-Pacific Championship. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Crowd count
Some 23,000 fans turned out to see the soccer doubleheader in Hawaii on Saturday.
I'd been searching for this figure but just now found it. However, given the opponent whom Gamba Osaka allegedly beat, I'm not sure these are the most reliable.
ADD: The link is fixed. For a while, it said Osaka beat the Houston Galaxy. Oops.
I'd been searching for this figure but just now found it. However, given the opponent whom Gamba Osaka allegedly beat, I'm not sure these are the most reliable.
ADD: The link is fixed. For a while, it said Osaka beat the Houston Galaxy. Oops.
Friday, February 22, 2008
KO punch
Anyone remember the Giants Cup? It was played at the LA Coliseum in the year 2000 or 2001, can't recall. The premise seemed somewhat viable - invite some of the region's giant clubs and have them play each other. As the clubs were popular, it seemed like a good opportunity to draw some fans.
Except the crowds were, well, if they were small the tournament wouldn't have been such a monumental failure. The crowds were miniscule, and the tournament vanished.
Such could be the fate of Pan Pacific Championship.
Except the crowds were, well, if they were small the tournament wouldn't have been such a monumental failure. The crowds were miniscule, and the tournament vanished.
Such could be the fate of Pan Pacific Championship.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Different goals
I'm sure some MLS fans were glad that Houston was in the Pan-Pacific to restore a bit of pride to the local league, because the Galaxy definitely looked rough last night.
Of course, the defending champions aren't trying a bunch of new players, don't have a new coach who has yet decide on a formation, and don't have too many preseason injuries to deal with.
It's small consolation to the Galaxy fans, but I'll go out on a limb and say the club is at least better than they looked last night.
If Houston wins the Pan-Pacific - how appropriate for Hawaii's native son, Brian Ching, to claim the title.
Sadly, if attendance last night is any indication, it maybe the only such competition. With around 15,000 in the stands, that's low for an MLS game, and certainly not worth the long flight out to the island for four teams.
Of course, the defending champions aren't trying a bunch of new players, don't have a new coach who has yet decide on a formation, and don't have too many preseason injuries to deal with.
It's small consolation to the Galaxy fans, but I'll go out on a limb and say the club is at least better than they looked last night.
If Houston wins the Pan-Pacific - how appropriate for Hawaii's native son, Brian Ching, to claim the title.
Sadly, if attendance last night is any indication, it maybe the only such competition. With around 15,000 in the stands, that's low for an MLS game, and certainly not worth the long flight out to the island for four teams.
First-hand perspective
Martin Rogers of Yahoo Sports is in Honolulu for the Pan Pacific Championship... not that I'm jealous or anything...
Good for Martin, honestly. I don't think any of the other SoCal-based scribes are out there.
Anyway, Martin seemed impressed with Sean Franklin and Julian Valentin as well as Houston's entire performance.
And, in case you missed it, here's an earlier story Martin wrote about the possible sanity that might be in store for the Galaxy as opposed to last year's insane madhouse.
Good for Martin, honestly. I don't think any of the other SoCal-based scribes are out there.
Anyway, Martin seemed impressed with Sean Franklin and Julian Valentin as well as Houston's entire performance.
And, in case you missed it, here's an earlier story Martin wrote about the possible sanity that might be in store for the Galaxy as opposed to last year's insane madhouse.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Pan-Pacific running blog
No Landon Donovan - he's out with a tendon injury. Beckham is starting, though. Anthems are playing.
Steve Cronin, Michael Gavin, Greg Vanney, Troy Roberts and Chris Klein on defense
Alvaro, Josh Tudela and Kelly Gray midline
Ely Allen, Beckham, Edson Buddle on the top line
Kick-off.
2- Announcers are talking about the Brazilian influence in Japanese soccer.
3- GOAL! Gamba Osaka - all those of our readers who didn't buy Luis ranking the Galaxy defense so low, please take note - the poor marking and a rather simple finish from Bare that defeats Cronin.
10- Almost another goal. Cronin is saved by the crossbar.
12- Bare is teeing up on Cronin, but this time Cronin gets in a decent save.
13- I've covered the Galaxy for years and when I was posting the line-up, "Who are these guys?" crossed my mind.
15- The Galaxy are scrambling, but they often are hitting bad passes. They're not giving up, but they look desperate.
16- Nice through ball for Bare, Cronin comes off his line, Bare touches ball around him but puts it too far and over the goal line.
19- Galaxy with a nice little run of possession - but it doesn't lead to anything threatening - oh, wait, Beckham puts the ball on Buddle's head, but Buddle heads it over the bar.
22- The turf is pretty poor. It's making the ball bounce strangely.
26- I wish this was on the Spanish channel. These guys aren't even talking about the game.
They just showed a replay of the goal - Bare was arguably offsides, but it was still poor defending.
30- Ely with a through-ball is into the box, turns back, lays the ball off - not well. At least the Galaxy got within range of the goal.
31- Ely again with the ball, but the defense cuts off the middle and starts a counter. Still a good run from the Galaxy.
33- Alvaro looks perpetually angry. He earns a free kick on the right. Beckham lines it up, hits Kelly Gray in the stomach, but Gray doesn't recover in time to kick the ball into the goal. Sad.
36- Ooh, another through ball leaves Cronin exposed and facing two attackers, he comes out quick and gets a palm on it - the follow is denied off the line by Troy Roberts. Cronin is looking better, even if the defense is still shambolic.
39- Gavin with a nice cross pass to Beckham, who then hits a really poor cross out of bounds. That play would have made more sense if the names were reversed.
40- Cronin with another save. He looks more comfortable now.
42-Becks lines up another freekick - Fugikaya catches it.
43- Freekick for Gamba Osaka - Becks is in the 4-man wall - I think the ball hit him, actually.
44- Bare tees up on Cronin again, this time with another low shot, but Cronin gets down for the save.
Halftime
46- Becks is still around for the second half. Josh Wicks is in goal, Valentin looks like a little like a cyborg warrior with his face patched and that Full90 helmet thing.
53- Gamba looks a little tired, or perhaps they're just content with their one-goal lead. They're not pressuring the Galaxy much, but the Galaxy still can't put together a decent attack.
56- Free kick for Osaka - but wide of goal
58- The Galaxy just keep making simple mistakes. There are a lot of young players out there right now, and i'm sure they're nervous, but some of the gaffes are terribly amateur.
60- Roberts bundles away a ball in the box. Out for a corner, which gets cleared.
61- Galaxy get the ball in the box and get a shot off, but it bounces off a defender.
62- Beckham can't corral a long ball. He seems really irritated. It's not a pretty match, can't blame him.
64- Gavin on an overlapping run gets into the box, but takes too long to shoot and gets blocked.
67- Looked like a handball in the box, but Baldomero Toledo lets it go. Corner. Beckham takes, ball comes out to Josh Tudela, who shoots way over the bar. Gray comes off for Jordan (more who?)
70- Give Beckham credit - he's out there with his team still, trying to make things happen.
71- Buddle brings down a pass, gets the ball in front of goal, but Jordan can't shove past his defender to poke it into goal.
74- That was weird, a graphic showed up briefly of David Beckham wearing the old Galaxy gold uniform. But he never wore it - they had switched to the current look before he joined the team.
76- Buddle with a sweet flick in the box to MacDonald, who skies it. Another chance lost.
78- MacDonald serves a random ball into the box, Osaka clears the Galaxy half-chance.
80- Corner for Gamba, cleared out.
81- Beckham initiates a comedy of errors, he steals a ball and passes into the box, MacDonald misses the header, Ely Allen whifs on the kick, than pulls the ball away from his charging teammate, Tudela, then centers for a miss by Buddle? Not sure.
85- Galaxy playing long-ball looking for a goal chance.
89- Gamba freekick - served out.
90- Ball into the area, but MacDonald can't get a head on it. Probably last chance for the Galaxy.
90+ Nope, Buddle brings the ball down in the area and manages to turn his defender, but after all that work, his shot was weak and easily caught by the goalkeeper.
90+ Wicks saves one final shot.
LA loses, will play third place game on Saturday.
Steve Cronin, Michael Gavin, Greg Vanney, Troy Roberts and Chris Klein on defense
Alvaro, Josh Tudela and Kelly Gray midline
Ely Allen, Beckham, Edson Buddle on the top line
Kick-off.
2- Announcers are talking about the Brazilian influence in Japanese soccer.
3- GOAL! Gamba Osaka - all those of our readers who didn't buy Luis ranking the Galaxy defense so low, please take note - the poor marking and a rather simple finish from Bare that defeats Cronin.
10- Almost another goal. Cronin is saved by the crossbar.
12- Bare is teeing up on Cronin, but this time Cronin gets in a decent save.
13- I've covered the Galaxy for years and when I was posting the line-up, "Who are these guys?" crossed my mind.
15- The Galaxy are scrambling, but they often are hitting bad passes. They're not giving up, but they look desperate.
16- Nice through ball for Bare, Cronin comes off his line, Bare touches ball around him but puts it too far and over the goal line.
19- Galaxy with a nice little run of possession - but it doesn't lead to anything threatening - oh, wait, Beckham puts the ball on Buddle's head, but Buddle heads it over the bar.
22- The turf is pretty poor. It's making the ball bounce strangely.
26- I wish this was on the Spanish channel. These guys aren't even talking about the game.
They just showed a replay of the goal - Bare was arguably offsides, but it was still poor defending.
30- Ely with a through-ball is into the box, turns back, lays the ball off - not well. At least the Galaxy got within range of the goal.
31- Ely again with the ball, but the defense cuts off the middle and starts a counter. Still a good run from the Galaxy.
33- Alvaro looks perpetually angry. He earns a free kick on the right. Beckham lines it up, hits Kelly Gray in the stomach, but Gray doesn't recover in time to kick the ball into the goal. Sad.
36- Ooh, another through ball leaves Cronin exposed and facing two attackers, he comes out quick and gets a palm on it - the follow is denied off the line by Troy Roberts. Cronin is looking better, even if the defense is still shambolic.
39- Gavin with a nice cross pass to Beckham, who then hits a really poor cross out of bounds. That play would have made more sense if the names were reversed.
40- Cronin with another save. He looks more comfortable now.
42-Becks lines up another freekick - Fugikaya catches it.
43- Freekick for Gamba Osaka - Becks is in the 4-man wall - I think the ball hit him, actually.
44- Bare tees up on Cronin again, this time with another low shot, but Cronin gets down for the save.
Halftime
46- Becks is still around for the second half. Josh Wicks is in goal, Valentin looks like a little like a cyborg warrior with his face patched and that Full90 helmet thing.
53- Gamba looks a little tired, or perhaps they're just content with their one-goal lead. They're not pressuring the Galaxy much, but the Galaxy still can't put together a decent attack.
56- Free kick for Osaka - but wide of goal
58- The Galaxy just keep making simple mistakes. There are a lot of young players out there right now, and i'm sure they're nervous, but some of the gaffes are terribly amateur.
60- Roberts bundles away a ball in the box. Out for a corner, which gets cleared.
61- Galaxy get the ball in the box and get a shot off, but it bounces off a defender.
62- Beckham can't corral a long ball. He seems really irritated. It's not a pretty match, can't blame him.
64- Gavin on an overlapping run gets into the box, but takes too long to shoot and gets blocked.
67- Looked like a handball in the box, but Baldomero Toledo lets it go. Corner. Beckham takes, ball comes out to Josh Tudela, who shoots way over the bar. Gray comes off for Jordan (more who?)
70- Give Beckham credit - he's out there with his team still, trying to make things happen.
71- Buddle brings down a pass, gets the ball in front of goal, but Jordan can't shove past his defender to poke it into goal.
74- That was weird, a graphic showed up briefly of David Beckham wearing the old Galaxy gold uniform. But he never wore it - they had switched to the current look before he joined the team.
76- Buddle with a sweet flick in the box to MacDonald, who skies it. Another chance lost.
78- MacDonald serves a random ball into the box, Osaka clears the Galaxy half-chance.
80- Corner for Gamba, cleared out.
81- Beckham initiates a comedy of errors, he steals a ball and passes into the box, MacDonald misses the header, Ely Allen whifs on the kick, than pulls the ball away from his charging teammate, Tudela, then centers for a miss by Buddle? Not sure.
85- Galaxy playing long-ball looking for a goal chance.
89- Gamba freekick - served out.
90- Ball into the area, but MacDonald can't get a head on it. Probably last chance for the Galaxy.
90+ Nope, Buddle brings the ball down in the area and manages to turn his defender, but after all that work, his shot was weak and easily caught by the goalkeeper.
90+ Wicks saves one final shot.
LA loses, will play third place game on Saturday.
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Pan Pacific push
Here's my PE column about the Galaxy and the Pan Pacific Championship. This picture was one you may see elsewhere on the web today, or may have seen already. It's David Beckham and Miss Honolulu Raeceen Woolford upon the Galaxy's arrival in Hawaii on Monday.
We've gotten quite a bit of press releases and the sort from tournament organizers Soccer United Marketing ever since the tournament was announced. I even got a press kit mailed to me on it back in December, something I wasn't expecting.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Locals' view
The Honolulu Advertiser with a story on the Pan-Pacific Championship. One of the main questions surrounding this tournament is the focus here, but whether the tournament is successful is much more important for the locals. A successful tournament to them would mean large crowds and true interest from abroad, which would in turn mean an economic boost.
No word on ticket sales, though. If ticket sales are slow and the stadium is mostly empty, then this might not be worth the hassle for next year. But if crowds are large and the interest extends beyond just one particular Galaxy player, it will be a good thing for the local economy.
No word on ticket sales, though. If ticket sales are slow and the stadium is mostly empty, then this might not be worth the hassle for next year. But if crowds are large and the interest extends beyond just one particular Galaxy player, it will be a good thing for the local economy.
A foundation
I'm trying to write my weekly soccer column for the Press-Enterprise right now. I'm writing about the Pan Pacific Championship, but the focus there isn't on the games themselves but rather the tournament and what the Galaxy feels is important to get from said tournament.
Another part of the PPC that won't make my column is what we can expect to see from the Galaxy this year. So far, the Galaxy's preseason games have consisted of closed-door scrimmages. No fans, no media, nobody knows what happened except for the players and coaches themselves. So this in essence will be the first opportunity for all of us to see the 2008 Galaxy in action.
Now, the beginning of this season is a stark contrast to last year. In '07, it was all about making sure the team hit its stride when Becks arrived. Now, it's about preparing for the season just like other clubs. The main pieces are seemingly in place now and it's about trying to lay down some sort of foundation to hit the season running.
I'll be interested in the games mostly to see what to expect from the Galaxy this year. I guess my main points of interest will be seeing who comprises the backline, and where David Beckham lines up.
I never really thought last year's midfield worked, with Kyle Martino out left and Beckham in the middle (for the few games he played) alongside Peter Vagenas and whoever was healthy out right.
I'd like to see Chris Klein out right for all 30 games this year. Klein is best at that position and can offer more there than he can at the back, where played out of necessity a year ago. Klein on the right with Beckham and Kelly Gray in the middle isn't bad. I also don't see Martino as a true left midfielder, but is he a better option there than whoever else the Galaxy has?
But we won't know what Ruud Gullit's tendencies are until we see some actual games against actual teams. I guess we'll start to get some answers soon. So that's one positive from the PPC.
Another part of the PPC that won't make my column is what we can expect to see from the Galaxy this year. So far, the Galaxy's preseason games have consisted of closed-door scrimmages. No fans, no media, nobody knows what happened except for the players and coaches themselves. So this in essence will be the first opportunity for all of us to see the 2008 Galaxy in action.
Now, the beginning of this season is a stark contrast to last year. In '07, it was all about making sure the team hit its stride when Becks arrived. Now, it's about preparing for the season just like other clubs. The main pieces are seemingly in place now and it's about trying to lay down some sort of foundation to hit the season running.
I'll be interested in the games mostly to see what to expect from the Galaxy this year. I guess my main points of interest will be seeing who comprises the backline, and where David Beckham lines up.
I never really thought last year's midfield worked, with Kyle Martino out left and Beckham in the middle (for the few games he played) alongside Peter Vagenas and whoever was healthy out right.
I'd like to see Chris Klein out right for all 30 games this year. Klein is best at that position and can offer more there than he can at the back, where played out of necessity a year ago. Klein on the right with Beckham and Kelly Gray in the middle isn't bad. I also don't see Martino as a true left midfielder, but is he a better option there than whoever else the Galaxy has?
But we won't know what Ruud Gullit's tendencies are until we see some actual games against actual teams. I guess we'll start to get some answers soon. So that's one positive from the PPC.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Pan Pacific coverage
In case you care about the tournament, the Pan-Pacific Championship will be broadcast on ESPN Classic. It's not exactly a prime channel, but it's something.
Incidentally, I heard an explanation last week about the participating teams. Supposedly it was to be the US champs (Houston), the Japanese champs (Gamba Osaka), an Australian team (Sydney FC) and the SuperLiga champs (Pachuca). But since Pachuca supposedly declined to participate, the SuperLiga runners-up were chosen to go, and thus we have the LA Galaxy.
Sydney FC, by the way, aren't the Aussie champs but they are a finalist for the A-League championship.
As far as the Galaxy's participation, how convenient...
Incidentally, I heard an explanation last week about the participating teams. Supposedly it was to be the US champs (Houston), the Japanese champs (Gamba Osaka), an Australian team (Sydney FC) and the SuperLiga champs (Pachuca). But since Pachuca supposedly declined to participate, the SuperLiga runners-up were chosen to go, and thus we have the LA Galaxy.
Sydney FC, by the way, aren't the Aussie champs but they are a finalist for the A-League championship.
As far as the Galaxy's participation, how convenient...
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Pan-Pacific Championship
Yes, it's in Hawaii. What a perfect excuse to go, no? Unfortunately, it's probably a no-go. Anyway, here are more deets.
Major League Soccer (USA), the J.League (Japan) and the Hyundai A-League (Australia) today announced an unprecedented and innovative partnership in the creation of a new international soccer tournament to be hosted in Honolulu, Hawaii: the Pan-Pacific Championship (PPC), which will crown the top club from the Asian and North American soccer confederations.
The four teams to participate in the 2008 tournament are: reigning MLS Cup champion Houston Dynamo and Haleiwa, Hawaii native Brian Ching; the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Champion Gamba Osaka, with 19-year-old Japanese sensation Michihiro Yasuda and J.League star Yasuhito Endo; the 2007 SuperLiga finalists Los Angeles Galaxy, whose international roster includes English superstar David Beckham and perennial MLS all-star Landon Donovan; and a club to qualify from the Hyundai A-League Final Series, which concludes in February 2008 ahead of the Pan-Pacific Championship.
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