MLS Commissioner Don Garber explains his reasoning as to why Atlanta was chosen as the city to receive an MLS team. Stating that Atlanta is very different than the other US or Canadian cities and extremely diverse, but that the large Hispanic population in the city had a lot to do with it the decision as well as that the city is very young. It was a probable choice when the league first started but finally got its team due to a new 1.2 billion downtown stadium. In addition, Georgia is a top ten state for youth soccer. Read more here.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/04/16/mls-commissioner-don-garber-and-new-owner-arthur-blank-explain-why-pro-socce

Going back in history Andry Edwards takes a look at Atlanta’s former team names and logos. It is kind of a surprise at the amount of teams that city has had in the past, six in fact. Ranging from the Chiefs, Apollos, Attack, Ruckus, Beat, and Silverbacks. All with very… interesting and retro logos. Take a look.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/sideline/news/article/2014/04/16/logos-atlantas-pro-soccer-history-what-might-citys-new-mls-look-be

Atlanta is now the recipient of the 22nd spot for an MLS team. This will be owned by founder of Home Depot and current falcons owner Arthur Blank. Their logo and name will be announced at a later date. More details here!

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/04/16/major-league-soccer-names-atlanta-22nd-franchise-set-2017-debut

Starting this year Delaware girls high school soccer will be divided into two divisions by school size. Some people are against this because it takes away from certain rivalries and other things, but it is only to make it more fair especially for schools that are smaller or newer.

I agree with this creation of a new division because it allows teams that would never have a chance to finally have one and evens the playing field. It isn’t fair if one school has 1,000 girls to choose from for their team versus a team that only has 200 girls to choose from. And a lot of those matches end with a “mercy rule” or a loss of more than 7 goals, which no one wants to see.

http://www.delawareonline.com/story/sports/high-school/2014/04/14/delaware-prep-notes-mixed-feelings-soccers-split-divisions/7725417/

I found it a little surprising that only 1/3 Americans plan on following the World Cup. I thought the numbers were a little higher last world cup, but the statistics shown were not surprising. The majority of Hispanics plan on watching the cup and Univision paid over $300 million for TV rights for it in Spanish, while ABC paid $100 for English.

It is a little dismal to read that soccer isn’t near the popularity of the Super Bowl or World Series, but I predict in the next twenty years the cup will surpass Super Bowl viewers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/04/14/us-worldcup-usa-poll-idUSBREA3D12A20140414

John Fox and others, along with Royal Caribbean Cruise Line, are opposing David Beckham’s proposed soccer stadium on the Port of Miami, overlooking downtown and linked up with shopping centers and other markets.

They claim that this would cost high paying jobs and be traded in for low paying jobs as well as jeopardize their chances of taking full advantage of the expansion of the Panama canal. They also say that it’ll get in the way of their expansion of offices and other such things.

Attorney Niesen Kasdin, an advisor for the Beckham group, disagrees saying it’ll not interfere at all with port operations. I also think it should be fair to take into consideration one of these men fought against 2009 $600 million request for a Marlin’s stadium as well as 2013 $200 million loan for a new dolphins stadium. Sounds like quite the sports fanatic huh?

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/soccer/business-groups-rally-beckham-miami-soccer-stadium-article-1.1756980

UEFA is currently investigating 76 clubs for breaking the financial fairness rules. This is a rule that is designed to help even the playing field by curbing the excessive spending and these 76 clubs have a deficit of over $800 million.

This hasn’t received much publicity but should. Platini didn’t issue any consequences for the teams caught guilty, but if they are unable to compete or are penalized, this could change the dynamics of the soccer world. And just a side note, these 76 teams are around a third of all the teams in the UEFA….

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/uefa-investigates-76-clubs-over-financial-fair-play-rules-022814

The U.S. successfully showed the world how weak our team is today. Despite not having first team players, our team looked sluggish and the performance they gave was terrible.

To start, the defensive line allowed mediocre Ukrainian players to get open for numerous chances. We lucked out by only allowing them to score twice. Our outside and inside defenders were both constantly getting beat. The midfield lacked Bradley and the attack missed Donovan. As it seems, without those two and our first team starting in defense there is no way we will make it out of the group stage of the World Cup. Coach Jurgen will need to start making some changes to the squad and putting players that can compete against these larger nations in, in case we need to make key substitutions in large matches.

http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/united-states-fall-flat-in-friendly-loss-to-ukraine-030514

A youth soccer coach in Washington D.C. will not allow her youth players to head the ball. In fact, it seems as though she allows her players to mock those who do and properly head the ball.

Her reasoning is based off scientific research and the amount of concussion injuries in soccer. She believes that heading a soccer ball can cause ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig’s Disease. I don’t believe her theory at all. If one is taught how to properly head the ball, then no injuries or other such things should occur. In addition, he concussions can be explained from collisions in the sport or heads hitting each other from trying to head the ball. I was a defender and would head the ball hundreds of times a year and never in a million years got, or expected, to get a concussion. This is absolute malarky that a coach would teach her players not to head the ball, instead of teaching the proper mechanics and should not even be allowed to coach.

http://www.slate.com/articles/sports/sports_nut/2014/02/soccer_headers_and_children_why_kids_shouldn_t_be_allowed_to_hit_the_ball.1.html

Due to the current situation in the Ukraine, people and the two organizations have been going back and forth as to if the match will be played and should be. The article I just read said that the Ukraine will still participate, but the game will be moved to Cyprus.

I believe the game should be played because this is a very important friendly for the United States. In addition, soccer has always provided hope for people in times like this. This is a great opportunity for the Ukrainian people to unite for one night and celebrate their nationality, win or lose. Essentially though, it is ultimately up to the two organizations because player and fan safety is the number one issue at hand.