Grant Wahl's Solution to PKs

In last week's Sports Illustrated, sidebars to the article about the NHL's switch to 3 v. 3 overtimes in an effort to avoid shootouts, made suggestions to improve other sports, including soccer.

Soccer writer Grant Wahl proposes removing a player every five minutes in overtime.  "Soccer games should be decided by soccer," Wahl writes.  He reasons that "soccer is a game about space: How to find it, how to use it, how to create it."  He goes on to say that his proposal would create more space and add interest because of the coaching decisions required.  And debates about these coaching moves would be soccer debates, which those about shootouts are not.

I greatly respect Wahl as a soccer journalist, but I think he's trying too hard here.  My problem with is proposal is it assumes someone will score once the teams are playing with less than the normal 10 field players.  But the more players who are removed, the more running those remaining on the field will have to do. And there are only so many miles in the legs of even the fittest professional players.

After 95 minutes it's 10 v. 10.  After 100 minutes, 9 v. 9.  At the 105 minute mark it becomes 8 v. 8, then at 110 7 v. 7.  At the end of 120 minutes, the normal amount of overtime, the teams would be down to four field players and a keeper.  Is Wahl suggesting that they keep going here?

Timbers Chop Down Crew For MLS Cup

In just their fifth Major League Soccer season the Portland Timbers won the MLS championship with a 2-1 victory over the Crew before 21,747 in Columbus yesterday.

The Timbers got off to a quick start when Crew keeper Steve Clark could not clear a passback and Portland midfielder Diego Valeri intercepted the attempt and scored just 35 seconds into the match.  The Timbers doubled the lead in the seventh minute after the assistant referee missed a ball over the touchline that should have been a Crew throw-in.  Portland took advantage and Rodney Wallace scored with a diving header off a cross from Lucas Melano,

The MLS webpage has an entertaining video of numerous calls and non-calls during the game.  The New York Times ran a comprehensive story by Brian Sciaretta on page D-5.

Cherry Pie

It only took 85 years, but AFC Bournemouth from the coast of England finally made it to the top division of English Soccer - the English Premier League - this season.  Bruce Schoenfeld wrote an entertaining piece about the team, known as "The Cherries," for ESPN - The Magazine a few weeks ago. 

Schoenfeld wrote, "The idea of a team advancing through England's 92-club, four-tier league system to the EPL is surprising enough. It rarely happens, even over a generation -- let alone in the span of five years. In English soccer, the same marginal sides tend to bob up and down from the top of the second-highest division to the bottom of the first. But if any club could do it ... well, Bournemouth would not be it." 

With a population of 180,000, Bournemouth is one of the smallest cities ever to play in the EPL and its stadium, with a capacity of only 11,464, is the smallest venue.

On the field the Cherries are off to a slow start and it will be tough to stay in the EPL.  They have two wins and four draws in the first 14 league matches, leaving them in the relegation zone - 18th place.  Although AFC has been competitive in most games, it is riding a 10-game winless streak since beating Sunderland, 2-1, back on September 19.