Lesser Known Stories of MLS 2006

Half the season is over, and we all know about D.C. and Dallas dominating, Bruce Arena and Frank Yallop coming in, and the changing fortunes of the two Los Angeles teams. But there's a lot of stuff that goes under the radar. I'm talking about the stuff that gets posted only on message boards that even 90% of hardcore fans don't know about. This post is dedicated to those stories. 1) I have to start with this one, because it's so amusing and disgusting at the same time. Brought to my attention by the generically named Real Salt Lake blog, it comes straight from the mouth of Trey Fitz-Gerald, the team's Senior Director of Marketing & Communications. After another disappointing display where they let it a last second goal to Chivas to draw 3-3, the fans were letting their feelings about head coach John Ellinger known. They were chanting for him to be fired, when Fitz-Gerald comes over to them and says "Hey, fans, shut the f--k up!" Read about it here. RSL has already been made to look bad over their handling of the stadium situation, so they really don't need to be doing stuff like this. It's unbelievable, especially coming from a guy who's job description includes "public relations outreach." Although, this isn't Fitz-Gerald's first major embarrassment. He was also a part of the XFL. 2) Another Ellinger story. This one's a little embarrassing for someone, but I have to post it anyway. A person on Bigsoccer started a Petition to fire Ellinger thread. Signing the petition was free, but after you did that there was something about donating to the site where it was at. It was totally optional, but somebody actually was tricked and gave $2 to the site. That's funny enough. But what's even funnier is that they were willing to pay money to display their dissatisfaction against John Ellinger. 3) Bridgeview was not going to be like Frisco. When Toyota Park opened, it would be totally complete. There would be no glitches, no half finished amenities, etc. Well, the stadium itself is fine...except it has a thirst for human blood. Not just one, but five people had their knees busted open by the seat backs at the grand opening game on June 25. Read a detailed account here. 15 stitches...ouch. I don't know if they've fixed this yet, but they better have. Nice job AEG. 4) I posted on this a while ago, but did you know Cobi Jones was in the "Hip Hop Gaming League?" He lost to Twista, but managed to beat Murs (L.A. underground rapper). Judging by the number of forfeits, it doesn't look like the "league" was successful. 5) Matt Nickel of D.C. United was in People Magazine's "Hottest Bachelors" issue. From the Washington Post article about it: "The magazine quotes him saying that women love his "good smile, sense of humor and small-town charm."' It says he's self-nominated, but someone on Bigsoccer says that the league does these kind of things to get publicity. Come to think of it, that makes sense. Just look: July 2000: Brian Dunseth voted Cosmo "Massachusetts bachelor of the year." February 2003: Carlos Bocanegra named one of Chicago's "most eligible bachelors." November 2004: Jeff Cassar was one of the finalists to be on the show "The Bachelor," I believe as the star (the guy all the women were trying to date). December 2004: Alecko Eskandarian was a special "guest bachelor" at a Washington Wizards game. February 2005: Kelly Gray named one of Chicago's "hottest singles." Yes, I spend like 15 minutes researching that. No, I'm not gay. They probably just want to raise awareness that the league actually exists among women, so that they'll attend games (or at the very least gain an understanding of their man's obsession).