MLS Superdraft Brings A Superstar Name To The League

Rooney scores at this year's MLS combine in Florida

Let me clarify ... the 2011 MLS Superdraft brought the brother of a superstar. John Rooney, younger brother to Manchester United and England striker Wayne Rooney, was selected by the New York Red Bull in the second round of yesterday's draft (he was the 25th pick overall).  What's ironic is that John came to the US to separate himself from his brother's reputation and make a name for himself.  I wonder if he had any idea that he would be drafted into the media hotbed that is NYC, alongside other superstars like Thierry Henry and Rafa Marquez?  Not exactly the escape he was potentially planning (too bad Kansas City couldn't offer a spot, he could have fallen off the face of the Earth).

“I never expected to be going to the New York Red Bulls. It’s a dream come true for me,” said Rooney, a 5-10, 176-pound midfielder. “They’re probably one of the more well-known MLS teams in England. The league’s a great league, everyone knows the league, and the Red Bulls are such a big club. I never had a clue they would pick me.”

Rooney had been playing in the lower levels of English soccer but was looking for a clean start, away from the shadow of his oft-troubled brother. He trained with Seattle and Portland last summer but decided to come to the MLS Combine last week and show what he could do.

“We know what it’s like to play in the lower divisions in England,” Red Bulls general manager and sporting director Erik Soler said. “The guy is 20 years old. He did well in the combine in a different environment. We think we can develop him.

“It tells something about him when he goes into the combine. It can’t be easy for anybody to have a big brother like that with all the expectations. The fact that he chose to go and show himself off, to sit here and wait for 25 picks, we think it tells a little about the player. We don’t know him that well, but if things run a little bit in the family it might be surprisingly good for everybody.

“We liked what we saw. It’s a $43,000 risk. It’s not a huge risk.”

Like Wayne Rooney, John Rooney came up through the Everton youth system. But while Wayne shot into the Everton lineup as a teenager, John ended up at Macclesfield Town in England’s League Two. He has been looking for a change ever since.

“That’s the whole idea of me coming out here. I just want to build on my own career,” Rooney said. “There were some teams that took a look at me in England but I came over and trained with Seattle and Portland in August. It was just a great experience. I’m looking forward to getting started.”

U.S. Soccer looks to EA Sports to help develop next generation of pros

ou would think that with a population of 300 million the U.S. would be a little better at soccer than it currently is. Not that the US Mens National Team is terrible—its victory against Spain in the Confederations Cup in June was all kinds of great—but we’re (yup, Royal We time) not exactly known as a “world power,” mentioned in the same breath with Italy, Germany, Spain, Brazil, and Argentina. In steps… EA? Yup, we just got word that EA Sports, makers of FIFA 10, has teamed up with US Soccer to develop and promote a series of training videos that young players can use to improve their game. Is is enough to to give some future USMT the World Cup one day? US Soccer certainly has high hopes.

The premise is pretty simple, actually. American kids spend an awful amount of time playing video games, so why not get these kids, kids who have already expressed an interest in the sport, to improve their game a little bit? EA set up a new Web site, Interactive Training, that has a series of tutorial videos that explain the basics of the game to youngsters. (The program is aimed at 8-12 year olds.) So you’re playing a round of FIFA against your son/daughter or younger brother/sister, and you say, “Wow you’re good at headers in the game. Let’s go to this Web site where they’ll teach you how to actually head the ball.”

That’s just what US Soccer would like to see, at least. I talked to John Hackworth, who’s the U.S. Soccer Development Academy Technical Director (a fancy title that means, essentially, he’s in charge of youth development), and he said that, yeah, U.S. Soccer should try to leverage, if that’s the right word, kids’ proclivity to sit down and play FIFA all day long. Why not tell these kids, “Look, you’re pretty good at this game, why not try it out for real?” That way you’ve exposed the sport to a large number of kids who might turn out to be halfway decent one day.

Again, no one expects overnight success here, especially if it’s targeting young kids. But there’s nothing wrong with steps in the right direction.

Courtesy of Crunch Gear

Pepsi and Beckham End Partnership After 10 Years

Courtesy of AdAge...

After 10 years, Pepsi won't be bending it with David Beckham anymore. The soft-drink behemoth and the celebrity soccer star agreed to part this week, a decision both sides described as mutual in statements.

But Pepsi's decision to walk away from Mr. Beckham, coming as it does on the heels of a disappointing, injury-riddled second season with Major League Soccer's Los Angeles Galaxy, raises questions over whether Mr. Beckham's marketability is fading along with his footwork.
The soccer celebrity -- who is married to former Spice Girl Victoria Beckham -- signed a much ballyhooed deal with MLS in 2007 that could be worth up to $250 million over five years.

Shortly after that deal was signed, Mr. Beckham split with one of his largest sponsors, Gillette. Reports on the cause of the split differed: Some said Mr. Beckham wanted more control over his image than Gillette would allow. Others said the move to the U.S., where soccer is a minor sport, made Mr. Beckham less useful to Gillette because it lowered his profile in Europe and Asia, where the brand used him most.

Adidas, Motorola deals
Mr. Beckham still has global deals with Adidas and Motorola, but his pact with the struggling handset-maker expires in June.

In a statement responding to questions, Motorola, which recently featured Mr. Beckham as part of its RAZR2 phone campaign in Asia, said it was "very pleased" with him and his global appeal. The company declined to comment about its interest in renewing Mr. Beckham's deal or whether talks were already in progress.

While the actual cause of Mr. Beckham's splits with Pepsi and Gillette is unknown, it's worth noting that he's among the most expensive sports endorsers in the world, which may make it more difficult for marketers to fit him in tightening budgets. His expired Gillette contract, for instance, reportedly paid him upwards of $10 million over a three-year period, and a fourth-year option declined by Gillette would have been for at least $5 million more. Given the performance of his team and the relative obscurity of the league in the U.S., it may not be as cost effective as it once was for marketers like Gillette owner Procter & Gamble and Pepsi to link up with Mr. Beckham when a strong player in a higher-profile league may come a lot cheaper.

Mr. Beckham's split with Pepsi comes after reports during the summer that he was weighing launching his own line of bottled waters.

'Nothing but good memories'
In a statement, Mr. Beckham said: "I have nothing but good memories of my 10-year association with Pepsi. Along the journey, I've played a gladiator, a cowboy and a surfer, and worked alongside Beyoncé and Jennifer Lopez as well as some of the biggest names in world football. I hope everyone who has seen the work Pepsi and I have done together enjoyed it as much as I enjoyed making it and, who knows, there may yet be another chapter in this long relationship."

Pepsi said: "We wish David well with the many projects he is pursuing and look forward to the possibility of partnering together with him again someday."