FC Dallas might lose Toja to Europe

Is Juan Toja about to play his final match as a MLS player?

Rumor has it that the longhair midfielder will fly to Romania tonight, after the All-Star match, to finish a deal with Romanian powerhouse Steaua Bucharest.

Then again, it is just a rumor. Accord to FCD coach Schellas Hyndman, "I expect him here to play against LA (on Sunday)."

Although this season has not been as strong as the first half of last year, Toja is still a vital part of Dallas's attack. If he does decide to move on to Europe, FCD will have a difficult time replacing him.

Then there is the ongoing speculation that teammate Kenny Cooper might also be soon to fly across the Atlantic. Those rumors have died down of late, but if both of these ended up being true, it is hard to see a way for Dallas to finish the season in a commanding fashion.

Is the face of FC Dallas about to change in a major way? We'll know within a week.

MLS expansion - 24 teams by 2013?

Canada's sports network TSN reports that "MLS Commissioner Don Garber will lift the original ceiling of 18 franchises and announce Thursday a new expansion plan of not less than 20 and up to 24 franchises by 2013-2014."

They add that, "Vancouver and Montreal are considered expansion priorities for Garber in 2011."

This is not the first time that similar rumors have jumped up, but let's say it is true that tomorrow will see a big announcement concerning expansion, what does it mean?

First off, if the league targets 20-24 teams in the next six years, they must do something concerning the player pool. What this means is more international players and an increase in the salary cap, but that starts bringing in thoughts of NASL. MLS has tried hard to stay away from any such comparisons but if this is their realistic goal, they will need to address it soon (quick note, MLS is in a much better financial state today then NASL ever was).

Next up, the schedule. Is the East/West divide soon to be gone in favor of a single table or might they break into two different leagues and never play each other except for in cup competitions (think old school baseball rules)? Also, how does Superliga fit into this? If clubs are playing 38-46 league games*, plus US Open Cup, plus Concacaf, plus MLS Cup matches, they could easy end up with almost 60 meaningful matches in a season so throwing on 3-5 more for Superliga would be asking a great deal. Is MLS ready to kill off a moneymaker?

Finally, there is the issue of television deals. The current broadcasts are a huge improvement over a few years ago, however it is time to push for more airing over non-cable channels. The fact that most games are not available for a large (perhaps majority) portion of the country hurts the development of a stronger fan base. What casual fan is going to go hunting for HDNet or Fox Soccer Channel, if they even have it on their cable system? If they can get a game or two a week on over-the-air, national networks, the perception of the sport will begin to change. Remember, if it wasn't on TV, it didn't happen.

I know, I'm really jumping ahead of everything here, but if this is to be the path for the league, they need to make sure it is a success and these are the big three issues as I see them.

On the plus side, 24 teams means just about every large urban area in the US and Canada will have a team. Also, if they broke the FIFA limit for 24, what would stop them from going higher and adding smaller markets that show an ability to support teams.

* this assumes that teams play each other twice

Montreal Impact best team in Canada

Toronto FC's slump continued last night as they only managed a 1-1 tie against the USL's Montreal Impact. With the point, the Impact won the Nutrilite Canadian Championship and earned a trip to the CONCACAF Champions League Cup, which begins next month.

Now the question is will this win have an effect on a possible move to MLS by Montreal? Impact head coach John Limniatis thinks it does.

The platform (for entering MLS) was already set...

I think, obviously, this helps. This just shows we're capable of competing ... From what I understand, we're aiming for the start of the 2011 season to be in the MLS.

The Impact organization has a lot going for it (stadium, rich owners, good fan base) and adding solid play against top-tier teams will only help them in their quest to land in MLS.

However, this failure by Toronto as well as the defeats suffered by MLS teams in the US Open Cup points to a very different issue, player salaries. With just around $2.5m to spend on a full squad MLS teams are very limited in the depth that they can bring in, thus the difference between the two divisions is not as pronounced as it should be. If MLS did up their pay level to around $5m a year, it helps elevate this issue.

Some might think that it is not a big thing that MLS teams often get toppled by USL clubs, however I disagree. League officials are usually quick to claim MLS as a world-class league, however what fan is going to believe them if top-level teams are consistently dropping games to lower-level opposition? In the perception race, these upsets need to become a rare bread.

Columbus wants to improve team but MLS's hurt feelings might get in the way

The Columbus Crew want to improve their team by bringing in a quality player from Norway's first division. So what's the problem? The player is Pat Noonan.

Noonan left the New England Revolution after the team decided not to offer him a respectable contract extension at the end of last season (they offered him less money then he made in 2007). Because he was out of contract, Noonan was able to move to Norway without a transfer fee, which means the Revs retained his MLS rights.

For their part, the Crew are willing to pay Noonan a salary similar to what he was earning previously in the US, plus pay a transfer fee to his current club and give the Revs something for his rights, however MLS is not happy. Why? Coach Sigi Schmid has the answer:

"A player that can turn down an offer from the league, go overseas on their own volition and then we as a league have to buy them back," Schmid said. "That's bad business and MLS doesn't want to be in the habit of doing bad business. That's completely understandable."

Schmid is playing the good sport here because really the only thing bad about this whole situation is that New England tried to hardball him in the first place (they would not trade him, thus he had to take their deal or get out of the country).

Noonan is a quality American striker who wants to be treated with respect. The fact that the league and the Revolution failed to do so should not be held against him or the Crew.

Instead the league should get past the hurt feelings caused by someone calling their bluff and do what is best for the sport.

The idea that a team can hold back a player that they no longer have under contract is one that must change or we can expect to see more young American players skip over their domestic league in favor of third tier competition overseas.

Kansas City Wizards hit with sexual harassment lawsuit

The good news that has surround the Wizards over the past week (late win against, and by, Real; comeback win in US Open Cup; re-signing of Josh Wolff) looks to be at an end as the team's management has been accused of “pervasive and regular” sexual harassment.

Kathryn Carver filed the lawsuit on Monday against the Wizards' ownership group OnGoal as well as 'Greg Cotton, executive vice president and general counsel for OnGoal, and Robert Thomson Jr, the company’s vice president for marketing and communications.'

The suit alleges, amongst other things, that:

•Cotton and Thomson would review the Facebook and MySpace sites of prospective female employees to determine whether they were “hot enough” to be hired.

•Cotton allegedly said of one employee, “She is the dumbest person I have ever met, but she is worth keeping around for the scenery.”

•Male employees held “drafts” of young female employees with whom they would want to have sex.

•During a team-sponsored trip to Las Vegas, Thomson told Carver she was “hot,” complimented her physical attributes and said he wanted to have sex with her, she alleged.

It is far to early to figure out if these charges are true or not, but it is worth watching, especially as the Wizards move forward on their stadium development.

Obviously, if these accusations prove to be accurate, Cotton and Thomson need to be dismissed and a major restructuring of the whole OnGoal organization must happen. In addition, the league would need to figure out punishments, such as the loss of allocation money, that they can place on the team.

Bad times in Kansas City.

Ronaldinho rejects LA Galaxy move

Ronaldinho still believes he can play at the top level in Europe so he will not be moving to LA. And with these words, Ronaldinho's representatives kill Alexi Lalas's dream of a modern day Cosmos franchise (original Spanish article).

It appears the Galaxy offered the Brazilian €32m of $50m-per-year, with half coming from salary and the other half from image rights. These numbers would have put him on par with Beckham. They also offered Barcelona €26m or $40m as a transfer fee.

Now the bigger question here is, if this report is correct, how could LA actually have signed Ronaldinho? They are already riding hard against the salary cap with three players taking up about half of the team's paycheck. Would the league have allowed LA to acquire another designated player slot even though it already has three players that fit the requirements for such slots (although only one actually is)?

As much fun as it would be to have Ronaldinho playing meaning matches on US soil, it would have been very disturbing if MLS let it happen in LA. If the league wants to be taken seriously, they need to apply the rules equally to all teams and not grant exceptions just because it would be really cool.

That being said, I do like the idea of teams going after stars still in their prime, so kudos to LA on that front.

Spanish club Villareal close to deal for Altidore

Spanish side Villareal and MLS have reached an initial agreement on Jozy Altidore. The transfer fee amount is unknown at this point, but MLS had been seeking $10m for the teenager.

If Jozy moves to Villareal, he will join a club that finished second in La Liga last season, thus has a guaranteed ticket into the Champions League group stage. That is good news and it gets even better as the club is in a bit of a need for offensive talent having scored the fewest number of goals of any club in Spain's top 5.

Jozy's Haitian heritage might also end up playing a role in his move since Spain has very tight restrictions on non-EU players. As an American, he would count against their non-EU limit, however since Haiti has signed the Cotonou Agreement, he might be able to use dual-citizenship to get around the rule.

All and all, this could be the perfect fit for Altidore.

By the way, New Jersey born Giuseppe Rossi also plays for the Yellow Submarine that is Villareal. Rossi is the striker who rejected Bruce Arena's invited into the US camp ahead of 2006. Rossi instead hopes to be part of Italy's senior squad at some point. Maybe Jozy could convince him to get America instead.

Does Toronto really want McBride? How about the Chicago players?

Brian McBride is coming back to MLS, that much we know. The question now seems to be where will he land.

Early indications seem to be that he wants to play for Chicago, his hometown team, but first he would need to get Toronto to let go of his rights. So does Toronto really want McBride?

TFC general manager Mo Johnston is being coy about it saying the team 'needs another striker' but also pointing out that they are, 'sitting on a little pot of gold here.' So is Mo just trying to get the offers up or might TFC be serious?

Meanwhile in Chicago, at least one player is a little concerned about the addition of McBride to their roster.

"If [McBride] is asking for designated player money ($400,000 or more), players might get moved or traded or dropped," Fire forward Chad Barrett said. "There's a good chance he would take my spot, but I think I've gotten off to a good start and am contributing. The coaching staff knows that."

With the way the Fire have played this season, a change might not be the best idea. Then again, I think most people would pick a McBride over a Barrett any day (no offense).

But there is another factor in this move that needs to be resolved. If McBride is going for designated player money, Chicago will need to pickup another DP slot* as they are using their slot for Blanco. So not only would the Fire need to give something to Toronto for McBride's rights, they would also need to give up something else to get the second DP spot. That's a lot to surrender, but maybe we now know why coach Denis Hamlett packed his team with forwards during the off season.

As far as salary cap space, Toronto looks to be close to their limit, so they would probably need to clear about $300k to make space for the $400k portion of McBride's DP salary, while Chicago would only need to free up about $100k. (Allocation money might make these numbers a little different)

My guess is the MLS really wants McBride and McBride really wants Chicago, so the league will find a way to make this happen. Just think how much the MLS brass would love to promote the Blanco-McBride connection. Two legends from the US-Mexico national teams coming together in Chicago.

* Under MLS rules are teams received one designated player slot that they can use to sign a player for more then a $400k a year salary or trade to any other club. Only the first $400k of the player’s salary counts towards the team’s salary cap. No team can have more then two designated players.

Trinidad and Tobago finally paid for 2006 World Cup

CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president Jack Warner tried to keep the players of Trinidad and Tobago's 2006 World Cup squad from their rightful payday, but in the end a London arbitrator, like most judges do, ruled against Warner.

At issue was the complete disregarded for law that the T&T FA and Warner showed for the players. In a contract signed before the 2006 World Cup and negotiated in part by Warner, the players were to get a 50-50 split on all money from licensing and endorsement deals made with the federation. In the end, the FA received $28 million in gross profit from the World Cup, but each of the 23 players only collect $5,000. Somebody's calculator is broken.

Although the judge ruled in the players' favor, the exact amount each one will get will not be known till June, presumably after England plays their 'hay, why not vote for us to host the 2018 World Cup' match in T&T on June 1.

Warner has said that if the T&T FA disagrees with the ruling, they will pursue justice in some other way. Any guess as to what that way will be.

MLS Expansion - Seattle signs their first player

After what I'm sure was a very difficult negotiation session, the MLS's Seattle Sounders FC signed Sébastien LeToux away from the USL's Seattle Sounders. As part of the deal, SSFC will loan him out to SS for the remainder of the USL season*. Makes sense.

Sébastien LeToux proved himself to be a quality player last year after netting 10 goals for the Sounders and propelling them to the league championship. He is one of the main reasons the MLS group argued hard to get permission to sign players directly from the USL club without going through the normal discovery allocation or other MLS hoops, and according to Sounders Coach Brian Schmetzer we shouldn't expect him to be the only player that moves up to the big league.

"(LeToux) is an exceptional soccer player," Schmetzer said. "We've developed him on the USL level; now, he's made the jump to Seattle Sounders FC. We hope to do that with six, eight, 10 of (the USL Sounders) and hopefully we can have a good nucleus of the team for '09. ... The top half of our roster, I truly believe, is better than the bottom half of some of the MLS teams."

The ability for the new MLS Sounders to draw from an established team gives them a leg up that no other expansion team has had.

LeToux alone will not give the team enough offense to make a huge splash in MLS, but he is an excellent start. It is worth noting that he did manage to score three goals during the Sounders three 2007 US Open Cup matches against MLS teams.

LeToux's contract is worth $96,000 a year.

* For those that don't know, the owner of the USL's Sounders Adrian Hanauer is also one of the owners of the new MLS Sounders who will begin play in 2009.

VW backs DC and MLS in $4-6 million deal

The rumor is now official, DC United has a jersey sponsor.

Volkswagen has signed a multi-year deal with United that will be worth as much as $3.7million annually for the club. By Vee Dub's commitment to the top-level US league does not end with one shirt as they have also become the official automotive partner of MLS. This partnership will give the league an additional $1-2m annually.

A final official announcement is expected next week.

It will be interesting to see how VW runs with their MLS partnership. Will they use any footage or players in commercials/billboards or are they just interested in having their logo behind Beckham and the rest during press conferences?

For DC, like I said yesterday, this is a good get and at almost $4m a year, it is sure to make their bottom line a lot nicer. Also, having a well known, European based company on a MLS jersey is a very good idea.

This deal makes DC the ninth MLS side with a jersey sponsor. It is also the second biggest sponsorship after LA's $3.5-$5m a year deal with Herbalife.

MLS Expansion - Vancouver's soccer future tied to railroad past

The future of a waterfront soccer stadium that could lead to a MLS team for the city of Vancouver hinges on the resolution of railroad issues. Vancouver Whitecap owner Greg Kerfoot has proposed building a $90m stadium with his own money, but he doesn't have enough land to make it happen. That's where the Vancouver Port Authority (VPA) comes in.

The VPA owns the strip of land Kerfoot needs to complete his stadium, however to get at it, the VPA wants rights over the part of the rail yard Kerfoot owns. Kerfoot is not in a hurry to give up his property, although he has given Canadian Pacific right-of-way to the rails in perpetuity.

So what is the big deal? Well the reason Kerfoot doesn't want to hand over the land or rights to another group has to do with his other plans for the site as he wants to build three condo towers around the stadium, which would defer a lot of the cost of the stadium (hello DC and San Jose).

Part of these towers will stand over the current rail lines, meaning he will need to place some serious support pillars into the area. This engineering work will probably require altering the path of the rails in some way. Needless to say, the more people involved in this means the less direct control Kerfoot has over the site.

For their part, the VPA fears that any drop in railway capacity will hinder the ability of their shipping port to handle all the traffic in the future.

Thus enters Canadian Senator and former Vancouver mayor Larry Campbell.

"Maybe it takes someone to sit down and say: 'Okay, boys and girls, is this going to happen?' " Campbell said Monday afternoon. "I don't know if anyone would consider me an honest broker, but I've taken mediation.

"From a politician's point of view, this [project] is a win-win."

Now it is up to Campbell to see if he can make the two sides agree. If he does, Vancouver becomes a top-tier MLS target.

As far as a backup plan, if it will help them land a MLS team, the Whitecaps owners are open to the idea of playing at a revamped B.C. Place Stadium, but only on an interim basis. The MLS is open to the idea but only if a stadium deal was assured of taking place.

MLS Expansion - If Portland doesn't act fast, owner might be priced out of MLS

Portland Timbers owner Merritt Paulson would love to bring Major League Soccer to town, but he is concerned that the ever increasing expansion fee (now sitting at $40 million +) might price him out of consideration.

Still the dream of top-level soccer in the city is moving forward as Paulson plans on presenting his full proposal for a MLS team to the city as early as June. It is very much expected that he will ask for a public-private partnership that could cost the city more then $55 million.

Portland's bid hinges on Paulson and the city agreeing to a public-private partnership. Paulson said he is willing to absorb the league's $40 million expansion fee. The city would be on the hook for the rest, Paulson said, which probably would amount to more than $55 million.

A breakdown of the city's cost sees at least $20m going to the renovation of the Timbers current home PGE Park, which needs 'grandstand seating on the stadium's vacant east side, plus more restrooms and concessions.' The other $35m would go to the construction of a new, 9,000-seat baseball stadium for the Portland Beavers. The Beavers currently play at PGE Park but with the improvements mentioned above, would no longer be able to call it home. Paulson also owns the Beavers.

I guess the biggest question I have about the Portland situation has to do with the ownership group. Paulson is not a poor man but he is not the billionaire type the league has been looking for of late. This makes the Portland situation seem a lot like the St. Louis situation. If the city approves the funding request, both cities will have rich but not mega-rich owners with solid public backing.

One big difference, unlike Paulson, St. Louis owner Jeff Cooper is not the son of the current US Secretary of the Treasury.

Anyway, the question I have for Paulson is how much he is willing to invest in a future team beyond the roughly $40m expansion fee and does he have other owners setup to take part in the project (his pop is partial owner in the sports teams)?

If Paulson is not ready to invest the big money needed to make Portland a success, I find it hard to see the league moving in.

DC United and VW in jersey sponsor deal?

Is a new jersey sponsor about to join the MLS ranks? It seems so as the Examiner reports the sighting of a DC United player in RFK wearing a team jersey with the Volkswagen logo. No official word has come out of the front office but it is no secrete that the team has been looking hard for a shirt companion.

If completed, the arrangement would make United the ninth of 14 Major League Soccer teams to sell the front of its jersey to a corporate sponsor. The Los Angeles Galaxy currently has the league’s top deal, reportedly earning between $3.5 million and $5 million a year from Herbalife through 2011.

Volkswagen of America recently strengthened its ties to the Washington area, announcing in September that it was moving its headquarters from Detroit to Herndon. It has announced major sales targets increases in North America over the next 10 years.

Since DC released their 2008 shirt earlier this year, speculation has been ripe that a shirt deal was on the way as the entire front of the jersey had little on it.

If United land VW, it will be a very solid get as they are a well-known international company with a good history in the sport. Also, as you can see in my mock-up of the jersey, their logo would not clash with a DC jersey.

Houston stadium gets another tenant

The Houston Dynamo don't even have a deal lined up yet but they might already have a secondary tenant for their proposed soccer stadium. Texas Southern University, located just south of downtown Houston, is very interested in using the new venue for their American football games.

"Although I officially start on May 1 at Texas Southern University and I haven't had an opportunity to look at all of the data involving the proposed stadium, TSU athletics and its football program would be excited to be able to participate and partner with all entities involved in the project to ensure Texas Southern has a state of the art football facility," said Charles McClelland, the schools' new athletics director in an interview with FOX 26 Sports.

This one report doesn't give much information, so it is not clear if TSU would pay some of the cost for the stadium or if they would just be renters, but it is something to watch. Since the main sticking point for the Dynamo seems to be about a $20m tab they want someone else to pickup for construction, a joint venture with TSU might be the final piece of their stadium puzzle.

So the plus side, if this all falls into place, would be a stadium getting built. The downside, from August through November, there would be American football lines on the pitch. Not the worst trade off, but still a trade off.

MLS Expansion - Will Vancouver ever let Whitecaps owner build a stadium?

The Vancouver Whitecaps are yet another soccer team having troubles getting their stadium built, however their issues are very different from those of most teams as the organization is not looking for public money to fund the project. Instead the objection centers on the use of waterfront land.

Whitecaps FC owner Greg Kerfoot is ready to front the full cost of the $90m, waterfront stadium, however those opposed to the idea feel the location will deprive the public from access to the water as well as negatively alter the historical area. This dispute has caused Kerfoot's proposal to linger for four years, just waiting for approval.

So why bring this up under the header of MLS expansion? Simple, if this stadium gets approved in the next year or so, it would catapult Vancouver from not even a chance territory to serious contender in the quest to land either the 17th or 18th franchise in the league.

As envisioned, the stadium would start off as a 15,000-seat facility, but could expand to 30,000, which fits in just fine with the current MLS stadium requirements. Add to it the waterfront view and the rivalries with Seattle and Toronto and they might just have something magical. But it all comes down the stadium as MLS Commissioner Don Garber has specifically told the city, no stadium, no team:

"The key for Vancouver is being sure they have a stadium plan. It's the third leg of the stool to give the city an opportunity to be part of the mix in future MLS expansion."

Vancouver still stands far outside the realm of MLS reality as cities like St. Louis, Miami, New York and Montreal push forward, but that could change very quickly if Kerfoot's plan is approved.

On a side not, Kerfoot seems to be the Canadian version of Lamar Hunt as he has placed a lot of his own money into developing the game in the country.

MLS commish threatens to move Houston again if stadium deal is not reached

MLS commissioner Don Garber has drawn the line with the city of Houston by basically saying help build the Dynamo a stadium or the team will move. His exact words:

It is inconceivable that MLS will allow the team to continue playing as a secondary tenant in a college football facility after the League moved the team due to the challenges at San Jose State.

While another relocation would be equally traumatic, we both must consider our options to ensure that the team has a path to economic success. We learned an important lesson in San Jose: a passionate fan base is not enough to support the economics of operating a professional sports team. The team needs a soccer-specific stadium to ensure success.

Is someone over reacting or might der commish truly be looking at the Earthquakes/Dynamo and be thinking 'Miami Wanderers'*?

Whatever the reason, this letter is pretty much a bunch of spit to the face for Dynamo fans. Yes, teams need to make money, but to so callously say 'give us what we want or else' is really disappointing. It didn't work in San Jose so what makes Garber think it will fly in Houston? And what does this signal to the thousands of Dynamo fans that show up match after match? To me it means MLS might not yet be one of the big three sports in America, but they care as little about the fans as most in those leagues seem to.

By the way, I find it very interesting that Garber points out that San Jose didn't work because it doesn't have a stadium, yet the Earthquakes have just started playing again without a stadium deal in place. I guess they will have two years to make it work or Garber will threaten to take the team elsewhere. Hay, after he moves the Dynamo, Houston will be available.

As far as the actual stadium issue, it looks like the City of Houston and the Dynamo are at an impasse caused at least in part over the growing cost of the stadium (it is now priced at $105m, up from $80-90m).

Mayor Bill White has said all along that he didn't plan on using tax dollars for the construction of the site, which the Dynamo seemed okay with, however they now are saying 'the club and the City would share the cost of the project.'

Stadium deals have never been an easy thing, however this one could easily become one of the worse (although the DC situation might still be able to top it).

* I picked Miami because it seems like MLS really wants to go there, just like they really wanted to go to Houston. Plus, there has been stadium talk there of late. Anyway, I have no idea if there is even a city in mind.

San Jose close to a stadium deal - City agrees to $132m deal

The Earthquakes return to San Jose is close to becoming permanent as the city and team owner Lew Wolff have agreed to a $132m deal that could lead to a stadium by 2010.

Although this is great news for the club, there are still a number of hurdles such as getting City Council approval for the deal.

So what is in the agreement? Wolff will purchase 66 acres of land by the airport (click on map to see the site) from the city for $132m. Wolff will set aside 18 of these acres for a possible stadium, while the other 48 will become home to retail, office and a 300-room hotel.

However, in order to build the stadium, Wolff still needs the city to rezone 78 acres of land he owns elsewhere in San Jose from industrial to residential. If they do, Wolff will take the profits from the development of that site to pay for the stadium out by the airport.

Before any of the residential development can take place, the city needs to change the zoning, an environmental study needs to take place and Wolff must find a developer.

If all these items happen and if the City Council approves the $132m airport land deal, as expected, then the Earthquakes will likely have a new home.

If this does not happen, could San Jose become the first city to lose a MLS team twice?

Roma and San Jose Earthquakes soon to be linked

MLS's own San Jose Earthquakes might be about to get a powerhouse corporate big brother as 'Quakes co-owner John J. Fisher has been linked again to a purchase of Italian heavyweights AS Roma. Fisher has been pursuing the club since last summer.

One of the main issues Fisher will need to overcome if he does moves to own Roma is the image American owners have thanks in large part to what has happened in the EPL. Although Italy is a very different league, Fisher would keep current club President Franco Sensi on as honorary President.

With $2.4 billion in wealth and a proven history in the game, Fisher might just be the person to prove that American ownership of a top soccer side does have to be horrible.

Confederations Cup spot earns US soccer $1.4 million

FIFA has placed $17.6 million into the prize fund for next year's Confederations Cup in South Africa.

"The winners will receive $3.75 million and the runners-up $3.25 million, while the team finishing third will get $2.75 million with $2.25-million going to the fourth-placed country. The other participants will each receive $1.4 million."

The US joins South Africa, Brazil, Italy, Egypt and Iraq in the Confederations Cup. The winner of Euro 2008 and the Oceania Nations Cup will fill the final two spots.

So where will this money go? Hopefully it will be used to improve the youth system in the US. The better the facilities, coaches and training are for the younger players, the better the national team will be in the next decade.

As far as the Confederations Cup, this will be a test run for South Africa. With five World Cup venues being used, we should have a better understanding of just how many glitches we can expect during 2010. Also, since fewer fans travel for the Confederations Cup, this should give the locals a great chance to see some top quality soccer.