Snow in Colorado…
The Rapids opened up their season in Dallas where snow is a rarity. This week, however, snow is almost a guarantee for their home opener according to weather reports that claim that Saturday's game will be coinciding with a possible foot of snowfall in blizzard-like storm conditions. The expected conditions have led to some creative marketing from the club to help push fans to come out. At least the visitors, the Philadelphia Union, may be ready for the conditions given the east coast has been hit by big storms the past few weeks.
Flooding in Kazakhstan…
Their is no background on this story, but you have to wonder what the referees and administrators were thinking when they allowed the game featured in this video was allowed to go on under extreme flooding. Having worked for USL and watched broadcasts of several league and Champions League games played in drenched conditions and shallow puddles in Puerto Rico, I can easily say this short clip of a corner is one of the strangest things you will see when it comes to field conditions.
Falling from the Blue Sky
The national team, and another NWSL team, received bad news Thursday when US Soccer announced that goalkeeper Jill Loyden suffered a broken bone in her left hand and will be out of action potentially for three months. The Sky Blue goalkeeper incurred the injury during training at the Algarve Cup after leading the US to a shutout win against Iceland the day before with Hope Solo of the Seattle Reign absent from the event due to her own wrist injury, which was, coincidentally, operated on Thursday. Solo is expected to return for NWSL action in 6-8 weeks. Nicole Barnhart (no relation) and Ashlynn Harris are the other two keepers on hand for the Algarve Cup.
An American in Heredia
As Real Salt Lake was being eliminated from the group stage of the Champions League last fall by Herediano, little did anyone know that an American from Utah was starting the process of saving the very club that was delivering the dagger. And as it turns out, that man also know very little about the game. But things have changed considerably since then and Scott French tells the dramatic change in the life of David Patey from a soccer neophyte to a hero of the soccer culture in Costa Rica where he and his partners are saving the storied 91-year-old Herediano, currently squaring off against the LA Galaxy in the CCL quarterfinals, from extinction.
Xolos in San Diego
Dreams of MLS moving into the southern California city of San Diego are pretty much a thing of the past, especially now that the Xolos of Tijuana are running rampant from across the border. The Mexican club, which was created six years ago and advanced to the newly rebranded Liga MX a year-and-a-half ago, are already rivaling the popularity of the San Diego Padres of MLB. This story from Mark Zeigler is a great introduction to a club that is truly becoming the first true Mexican-American club, an irony considering the floundering efforts of MLS side Chivas USA these days.
'Soccer with Breakfast' is a quick recap of interesting, underreported, or top soccer news items - sometimes accompanied by some commentary - to give readers in the Inland Northwest area (or beyond) a brief look around the North American news scene.
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