MLS 2008 Conference Finals Recap and MLS Cup Prediction posted by NMRyan

Recapping the Conference Finals:

East Final: Columbus Crew vs. Chicago Fire

           I picked the Crew pulling away in a hard fought match

The Crew continues to roll, all hail the Crew.  In what looked to me like a matchup between the top two first round survivors the Ohio boys came out on top.  Sigi’s side has been the best of the league all season, with no glaring weaknesses.  They handled a very dangerous Fire squad with a solid, but not heroic, performance from their MVP finalist.  They even reaffirmed their mental toughness by coming from behind after McBride put his new team ahead of his old.

West Final: Real Salt Lake vs. New York Goal Posts

           I picked RSL to pull it out late (again)

RSL was just a little too late this time.  In my opinion this game proved one thing; Houston’s loss was New York good luck more than it was Dynamo bad luck.  Oh, ok, I guess two things; the second being that RSL (just like the US national team) desperately needs a sniper.  They need the type of player who can simply finish and score goals.  Of course that puts them in the same boat as many, many teams in the world, but I think in the case of Salt Lake if they get one they could easily be one of the powers of the league.  In the end I boil this game down to three key factors: RSL can’t finish, the Bulls of Red are riding a great streak of luck, and sometimes one defensive breakdown can cost you the whole match (especially combined with that finishing and luck).

MLS 2008 Playoffs First Round Recap and Conference Finals Predictions posted by NMRyan

First off, recapping the opening round:

Columbus Crew vs. Kansas City Wizards

           I picked Columbus with some difficulty

Well, as I expected with this matchup the Wizards put up a good fight and managed to keep things all even in Missouri.  However, also as I expected the Crew’s quality came through in the Buckeye state and the Supporter’s Shield holders still look good to me for the league double.

Chicago Fire vs. New England Revolution

           I picked Chicago in a close shoot-out series

In defense of my pick, Twellman was still expected to play when I called for the high scoring.  I still think with at least one of their offensive tools available the Rev’s could have put up some goals in this series.  Especially with all the injuries it looked like a mismatch coming in and it looks like one heading out as well.  Despite the two shutouts I still believe the Fire will either live by McBride, Blanco, Rolfe and the rest of the offense or die by the guys lined up directly in front of standout Jon Busch.

Real Salt Lake vs. Chicas USA

           I picked RSL in a close one, calling for a possible extra frame

I must admit that this series turned out almost exactly as I predicted, but only on the score sheet.  The first leg in Utah was one of the most dominating 1-0 games I’ve seen in awhile and if the royals had more finishing finesse the second leg could have easily been nothing more than a formality.  I give Preki’s men credit for sticking in, but RSL was really the better side for the vast majority of the series, certainly almost the entire first game.

Major League Soccer 2008 Playoff Predictions posted by NMRyan

Starting at the top:

MLS Cup 2008

I like the Crew to take it all.  Basically this team reminds me a lot of other teams that have had recent MLS success.  Specifically, they are similar to Houston and New England in the middle of their best stretches in that they are solid at every position.  This no superstar/no glaring weakness approach really seems to work in MLS as opposed to the approach of a few superstars combined with some otherwise inferior players (I’m looking at you Galaxy).  I think the big question for the Crew is can someone step it up and be the hero if need be.  Somewhat similar to how New England has been able to rely on Twellman and Houston on DeRo and Ching.  Schelotto is the obvious choice to fill that role and he certainly has experience in such a role from his time in Argentina.  The big question is can he do it in MLS too or are such glory days behind him.  I personally go with his past experiences’ indication and say he will get the job done and Columbus will raise MLS Cup 2008.

First Round Series:

Columbus Crew vs. Kansas City Wizards

Regular season matchup: Crew 2-0-1

Crew: Out of the playoffs sense their last Supporters’ Shield season in 2004

Wizards: Lost in 2007 Western Conference Final

Of course I’m going with the Crew on this one.  I see the old Wiz putting up a good fight but I think in the end they don’t have the offensive firepower to finish off the strong Supporters’ Shield winners.

@ Kansas City: tie

David Beckham Loan to AC Milan posted by NMRyan

So I want to take a quick minute to talk about the rumored loan of David Beckham to AC Milan.  I’m going to look at this deal primarily from the perspective of the league.  I will leave it up to David himself and those close to him to decide what is best for him personally, he has so far outstripped what I will likely ever accomplish that I don’t think it’s my place to be giving him personal advice.  Anyway here we go:

Definite Cons:

The Galaxy will most likely be a very different team next season (working from the assumption that they actually want to win).  There is talk that this loan deal could have Beckham skipping the MLS preseason to play in Italy.  This would be bad for the team and therefore more likely to lead to them struggling at best in the league and is therefore bad for the league’s image.  The self proclaimed jewel of the league should at least be competitive and Beckham not being around for preseason makes that less likely to happen, how less likely no one knows, but definitely some.

It seems that Bruce Arena has about as much to do with the decision on this loan deal as I do, which is to say absolutely none.  I understand that keeping David happy is very important for the league and I have no problem with that, but if MLS wants to be taken seriously the coach and general manager for the Galaxy should have at least gotten to be a fly on the wall during any talks about loaning out his captain.  I mean come on, let’s at least try not to look like a league that’s run by middle school kids.

Beckham in MLS posted by T. SaadiQ Kamali

Earlier this season, David Beckham and the L.A. Galaxy played a series of barnstorming games in South Korea and China. Aside from England, Asia has been Beckham's most rabid fan base since the 2002 World Cup was held there.

In the first match against FC Seoul, the 65,000-seat stadium was only half full. Five years ago, they would have required riot police to keep people out.

After one year in America, David Beckham is already fading from the world's consciousness.

It's fair to ask, has Beckham been a success for Major League Soccer?

When he committed to the league, Beckham and MLS had a few goals. One, to increase the league's profile; two, to raise interest in soccer generally; three, to boost the level of play in the league; and four, to encourage other international stars to join MLS.

Last January, the league's profile shot through the roof, at home and abroad. North American journalists and opinion makers who'd never before wrapped their lips around the word "soccer" without scorn were forced to reconsider.

The problem here is that this news is always Beckham-centric. Interest in his arrival has yet to translate to any interest in the league generally. MLS still has work to do promoting its other stars and teams, while continuing to use Beckham as the sharp point of the marketing spear. That's a tough job.

Beckham also promised to do his utmost to push the game forward in the U.S. He needn't have bothered.

Soccer already is a mass participatory movement among North American kids. Beckham set himself a goal that had already been accomplished in this case.

How to use social media websites (MySpace, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon) to promote your blog posts posted by Earn Money Blogging

You may have noticed the small icons at the bottom of your blog posts linking to MySpace, Facebook, Digg, Stumble Upon and other social media websites.  These icons allow you to quickly link your blog post to these sites.  You should be using these links a lot.  Submitting to social media sites is free and easy and can really increase the traffic to your blog.  Consistently using them is the easiest way to build a following and increase your traffic.
Using the Facebook and MySpace links:
Assuming you have an account on MySpace or Facebook (it's free to join so if you don't sign up now) click on the icon below your blog post for the site you want to submit to.  It will take you to a submission page where you simply put in a brief description about your blog post.  Then, a link to your blog post will appear on your Facebook or MySpace profile. It's that easy.  If you have a large following on either of these sites it's an easy way to get people to your sports blog.  So make sure you submit links to your best sports blog posts.
Digg, StumbleUpon, BallHype:
These social media sites are a little different than MySpace and Facebook.  You create an account on these sites (it's free to join), you submit interesting content (i.e. your sports blog posts) and you vote on content submitted by other people.  As you click around the sites looking at interesting content you'll also be trying to build a friends list, which is important because people will find your submissions based in part by how many friends you have.  This is a simplistic overview of the sites, but it should be enough to get your started.  There is quite a bit of complexity to each of these sites and they all work a little bit differently.  The only real way to learn them is to use them so sign up with them today and start using them.
Continue reading "How to use social media websites ..."

Headlines Widget updated to include your blog posts posted by Earn Money Blogging

We've added some additional functionality to our " Headline Widget" so that our bloggers can now promote their blog posts through the widget.  Simply go the "Headline Widget" page, type in your username in the appropriate blank, and copy the HTML to any webpages (i.e. your MySpace profile page or your personal blog) where you want your blog posts to appear.
 
The " Headline Widget" can be customized to display in any color and it comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. 
 
Important: The widget is geared towards displaying headlines and blog posts for a particular sport or team, so if you want the widget to display all of your blog posts no matter what the subject of the blog post is, be sure to choose "All Sports Headlines" for the first customization option.
 
This widget is a great way to promote your blog.  Get as many people as you can to put the widget on their webpages.  For example, tell your friends with MySpace and blogs to paste your widget into their pages.  Or contact other sports bloggers and see if they would put the widget on their blog page.  The widget is simply HTMl code, so any page where you're allowed to post HTML is a good place to post the widget.  We've had local television stations use this widget on their website to get up-to-date information about the local professional sports teams so there's no telling who might find your blog posts interesting and be willing to post your widget on their website.  Email the webmasters of any websites you visit regularly and see if they would be willing to post your widget on their website.
Continue reading "Headlines Widget updated to include ..."

Inbound link contest winner announced! posted by Earn Money Blogging

A big thanks to everyone who participated in the "Inbound Link Contest".  We have a winner!  A big congratulations go out to Marija.  Thank you for all your hard work on this.  While we had a lot of people participate, Marija was able to win with only 4 links!  So it wouldn't have taken a lot to win this contest!  We'll be having another contest soon so stay tuned.

The whole purpose of this contest was to get our bloggers networking with other webmasters and to start to build up their inbound links which will help their traffic.  Even a few links can help you with the search engines as they will see you as more of an authority on your topic the more inbound links you have.

To learn more about marketing your blog check out this post: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html#my_faq_2971

Marija's blog can be found here.  If you're a Knicks fan, check it out: http://www.newyorkknicksnews.com/marijak

The original post announcing the contest can be found here: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/bloggers/weblog/2984.html

And if you're not already signed up with Google AdSense and making money from your blog, check out our Revenue Share FAQ page: http://www.nbabasketballonline.com/sports_content-rev_share_faq.html

Inbound link contest - Win $100! posted by Earn Money Blogging

To try and motivate our bloggers to get inbound links we're going to have a contest to see which blogger can get the most inbound links to their blog. The contest begins now and ends July 31st, 2008. To be entered in to the contest all you have to do is go out and get as many websites to link to your blog as you can and at the end of the month send us an email listing all those links. All links must be active from August 1st through August 7th when we'll be judging the entries - a winner will be announced on August 7th. All entry emails must be received by Midnight on July 31st, 2008. You can email them to sportsfan@nbabasketballonline.com

We're going to impose some restrictions on the types of links you can get so please see below for the full list of links that do NOT count.

To get started simply go to Google and find other websites and blog that are about the sports and teams that you write about. Email the website owner and ask them for a link by explaining that you think your blog would be a good resource for their readers. Or offer to write a guest post for them with your by-line and URL at the bottom of the article. Or offer to exchange links with them by writing a quick write up of their site and a reciprocal link back to them. Some webmasters will be happy to add you to their blog roll even if you don't give them a link back (which is ideal) but some may want you to link back to them - you can easily do this with a quick blog entry on your blog about their website.

To learn more about inbound links and marketing your blog in general check out this post:

What tips can you give me on blogging? posted by Earn Money Blogging

Make each blog post as interesting as possible. This may sound like common sense, but always keep it in mind. The more interesting your blog is the more people will read it. Quality is much more important than quantity. No one will read through a hundred blog posts (or even 10) to find one interesting one. But if each post is interesting people will be coming back week after week to read what you have to say.

You're more than welcome to blog on any sports subject you choose, however blogging on a subject that we have website for will give you much more exposure.  We have a site for nearly every sport / team: every MLB, NBA, NFL, and NHL team, as well as a golf, tennis, NASCAR, NHRA Drag Racing, MLS Soccer, horse racing, boxing, mixed martial arts, WNBA, college football, college basketball, and high school football.  So if you blog on a subject covered by one of our sites your blog entry will get maximum exposure because we'll be linking from the appropriate site's home page directly to your blog.

Pujols joins St. Louis bid for MLS team (PA SportsTicker)

National League MVP Albert Pujols is trying to bring Major League Soccer to St. Louis. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Pujols joins MLS expansion effort (AP)

Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is adding his star power to a group working to bring an MLS expansion team to the area. The announcement on Tuesday comes a day after Pujols won his second NL MVP award. Pujols' reputation, plus a significant financial investment that was not disclosed, is expected to boost St. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

MLS Breakdown: (Kind of) familiar MLS Cup finalists (Goal.com)

The status quo sure has a funny way of presenting itself. After the Columbus Crew beat the Chicago Fire on... [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Crew, Red Bulls set to meet in MLS Cup final (AP)

Frankie Hejduk and Danny Cepero represent polar opposites in experience yet both will play in the MLS Cup for the first time Sunday when Hejduk's Columbus Crew meets Cepero's New York Red Bulls. "It's been a long time coming," said Hejduk, who joined the MLS in its first season in 1996, then played five years in Europe before coming to the Crew in 2003. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports

Red Bulls GK Cepero feels right at home (PA SportsTicker)

Danny Cepero is bolting to stardom at a rapid pace. [read full article]

From Yahoo! Sports