North American Soccer Almanac: An Introduction

Taking a snapshot of where the game was and where it's going

http://www.mlssoccer.com/soccer-almanac


North American Soccer Almanac: MLS jerseys, past &
present

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150292967603887.359226.9733218886

Soccer Almanac: Top 10 local announcers

Fans name their favorite commentators and color guys

http://www.mlssoccer.com/soccer-almanac/news/article/2011/08/22/soccer-almanac-top-10-local-announcers

Soccer Almanac: How social media spurs the soccer chatter

Increased availabilty of soccer news mirrors growth of web, MLS

Top 10 soccer journalists on Twitter (as voted by MLS fans)
Rank Name Handle
1. Grant Wahl @GrantWahl
2. Ives Galarcep @SoccerbyIves
3. Steven Goff @SoccerInsider
4. Brian Straus @BrianStraus
5. Joshua Mayers @JoshuaMayers
6. Steve Davis @SteveDavis90
7. Jason DeVos @JasonDeVos
8. Jeff Carlisle @JeffreyCarlisle
9. Jason Davis @MFUSA
10 Jeremiah Oshan @JeremiahOshan

http://www.mlssoccer.com/soccer-almanac/news/article/2011/08/22/soccer-almanac-how-social-media-spurs-soccer-chatter

Soccer Almanac: The explosion of soccer on TV

Once it was "Game of the Week" – now soccer's all over the tube

NEW YORK — This may be an apocryphal comment made by European visitors and remembered by American soccer fans always looking for the silver lining, but there’s a significant symbolism to it:

You can watch more live soccer on TV here than in Europe.

It’s probably true. Today, US audiences have their choice of three soccer-specific channels, a regular presence on the ESPN networks and four Spanish-language channels that regularly show live matches. Then there are the various satellite channels, such as RAI (Italy), TV5Monde (France), TV Globo Internacional (Brazil) and that glorious section of DirectTV dedicated to the beautiful game

Plus, starting in 2012, NBC and the new NBC Sports Network will join the party when they begin broadcasting MLS and US national team games.

In a typical week these days, a US-based soccer fan gets to choose from upwards of 50 live matches on cable TV alone (i.e., not on satellite).

http://www.mlssoccer.com/soccer-almanac/news/article/2011/08/24/soccer-almanac-explosion-soccer-tv

Soccer Almanac: The ups and downs and ups of Canadian soccer

From the heady days of the NASL to the mid-'90s doldrums to MLS

VANCOUVER, B.C. — The story of Canadian soccer is one of peaks and valleys, of sizzling temperatures at Mexico ’86, to days as cold and hopeless as a northern winter.

The professional game in this country hit its first crescendo during the North American Soccer League era of the 1970s and early '80s, when teams like Toronto Metros-Croatia/Blizzard and the Vancouver Whitecaps thrilled massive crowds en route to Soccer Bowl championships.

Top Canadian players
(per Soccer Almanac survey)

Rank Player % of votes
1. Dwayne De Rosario 71%
2. Pat Onstad 10%
3. Tomasz Radzinski 8%
4. Alex Bunbury 7%
T-5 Bob Lenarduzzi 3%
T-5 Paul Stalteri 3%

Canadians in MLS
1996
5

2011
23

http://www.mlssoccer.com/soccer-almanac ... ian-soccer