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Busy Soccer Scene Despite Looming Strike
Major League Soccer made history this past week, but for all the wrong reasons. Frustrated by the lack of progress towards a new Collective Bargaining Agreement between themselves and the league, MLS players overwhelmingly voted in favor of a strike. Through their vote, players have essentially told MLS that if an agreement is not reached by March 25th, clubs shouldn't expect to see them in their respective locker rooms.
Few would have imagined back in 1994--when the league existed nowhere else but paper--that at this stage in the league's life, it would be facing the threat of its first strike. Negotiations are scheduled to continue next week, but last week's discussions seemed to yield very little progress despite the involvement of a federal mediator. Perhaps someone will blink in the next two weeks and it will all be water under the bridge come March 25th.
The threat of a strike, however, has not hampered soccer activity in the area. The one trophy coveted by all European clubs, the UEFA Champions League Trophy, is on tour and today marks the first day of its multi-day L.A. stop. It is going to make several appearances in the area, so check out the full schedule for this rare opportunity to see what is widely considered as the most prestigious prize for club soccer.
Thousands of miles away, English Premier League side Everton FC is also closely monitoring the strike situation. Galaxy and U.S. Men's National Team star Landon Donovan is reaching the end of his stint with the Toffees and is scheduled to return to L.A. on the 15th of this month. Donovan's interest in extending his stay in Liverpool may be helped by the dispute given it is a World Cup year and he needs to be playing on a regular basis through the next few months in order to have a chance at a good performance in South Africa in June. Those conditions may give Everton sufficient leverage to work out a deal that allows him to stay longer, but that's assuming the parties involved are even factoring in his participation in South Africa. The next few days should produce a good quantity of rumors and are sure to be interesting to follow.
Those that have been following the rest of Donovan's Everton adventure will notice something a bit different in this week's match against Birmingham. Nike has provided all EPL teams with special (Nike)RED soccer balls to be used this weekend. La Liga and Seria A teams from Spain and Italy respectively will also participate, so you are likely to see quite a bit of these balls this weekend if you are into watching top-flight soccer. The move is part of Nike's continued efforts to bring awareness to the HIV/AIDS crisis. Much like the (RED) branded laces we told you about a few weeks ago, the balls are also available at www.nikestore.com with proceeds benefiting The Global Fund to fight AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.