Major Link Soccer: College Soccer City USA

Welcome to Major Link Soccer, where you'll only Yacht alone if your Yacht can only fit you and your five beer kegs.

Local

Earlier this week we brought up the University of Washington Men improving their standing to third in the country. They now have an opportunity to lock up the top spot in the Pac 12, by far the most fearsome division in NCAA soccer today. However, this writer had no idea just how well it was going for some of the other high level teams in the Puget Sound. Both Seattle U's Mens and Womens teams have claimed their respective WAC championships, the women going to their first ever NCAA tournament. Pete Fewing's work with the men made him WAC Coach of the Year.

Another terrific artist has taken a stab at converting teams from some other sport into soccer sides. The Football as Football site took the color schemes and ideas of NFL teams, and gave them crests that will look very familiar to fans of the UEFA Champions League. Seattle becomes Italy's Lazio, and while it could perhaps use some script (and more care taken with the number of feathers), Seattle 76' is a worthy effort. It looks like there's space for further interpretations including Germanic and British versions.

Those of us who love this city are damn lucky that the Seahawks are so good right now. I mean, What else would the local Radio Heads be talking about if our Football was bad or nonexistent for the next four months? (Hint: It'd be the bad football.) Leave it to former mic jockey and current bestselling author* Mike Gastineau to remind everyone that the Sounders have a pretty awesome news and opinion outlet, one that favors the city's tech-savvy nature.

*(I don't know what qualifications one needs to be called that, but all indications are his book is doing very well)

MLS

So, Toronto was pursuing Alberto Gilardino, right? And it sounded like things were getting pretty serious. Toronto has a Leiweke now, and are flashing the cash. It's a sure thing right? Well, that's what it sounded like, until Toronto's fanbase got involved. Yeah, you read that right. Fans of Toronto FC appear to have prevented the team from getting a pretty darn good player, and not one of those "they wanted me too much" kind of ways you could see happening to the Timbers. No, Gilardino was CONTACTED BY FANS warning him that joining the club could potentially DERAIL HIS CAREER. Which, hey, good on those people for probably telling him the truth. I mean, I could see the team turning it around with the Galaxy architect at the helm, and he has thrown some lofty goals around lately, but this is still Toronto.

More bad news on the television front: More people are watching the WNBA than MLS. There are some legitimate reasons for the disparity, but it still highlights a profound shortcoming that Don Garber needs to deal with before real progress can be made. I hope you're all tuning in for those Gamethreads (he said, self-servingly).

Gregg Berhalter has been introduced to the media as the new head coach of the Columbus Crew, and things are going to change. They'll now have international scouting as well as for the college ranks (something the Crew didn't have before). It looks like the dawn of a new age for the Crew, no time better than now for that rebranding.