Chivas El Paso Patriots: The Borderland's Safest Soccer

Totally forgot the Chivas empire has an El Paso outpost in the form of Chivas El Paso Patriots. An unwieldy name for sure but not a bad promo video. I do wonder who goes to see a PDL team when you have a Mexican sometime-1st Division side Indios just across the river. People who don't want to be macheted to death and have their body parts placed around town like some kind of twisted scavenger hunt I reckon.

Remember Rochester?

I wish someone would do a documentary on the rise & fall of the Rochester Rhinos. 7 or 8 years ago they were the darlings of the U.S. second division with a U.S. Open Cup title to their name, outdrawing a few MLS teams at the gate and getting a SSS at a time when few big-league clubs had one. It seemed like only a matter of time before they got the call to join the promised land of America's first division.

And then the dream got blowedthehellup. Ownership issues, a decline in attendance, the USL-NASL debacle and so much more leave the club in a place where joining MLS now sounds damn-near like crazytalk.

It's not the film that I want but this piece outlines the saga --including quotes from The Don and details of secret meetings with Uncle Lamar about moving the then-Wizards to town-- as well as I've seen. Great Sunday reading.

VIDEO: Shine On (Episode 1)

A look at life in America's second division, specifically life with the NSC Minnesota Stars.

USL Pro No-No

Why? Why, why, why USL Pro? Why talk all this noise about regionalizing your league and cutting costs and yadda yadda yadda when you are just going to go and put a club out on its own out west? And in LA? Are you serious? The one market in America with two MLS teams? Y'all may as well try and open up an all-Schlitz pub in Dublin or something equally unlikely to be a success. Lawd have mercy...what will they think of next?

Against Everyone's Advice, USL Still Holding on to New York Dream

Oh look who's back. It's FC New York, the self-professed soon-to-be-kings of the Gotham soccer scene. Or at least they thought they were going to be last time the attempted to launch. But a lot has changed since then: RBNY has become something close to relevant in the market, the ghost of the Cosmos is making the rounds and the USL has managed to become even more unstable.

But one thing hasn't changed: they are still going to be playing on Long Island. Seriously guys, why try?