MLS Daily Sweeper, 3.18.08: Amado Guevara’s, Obsession; Cramped in CONCACAF; + One More

Knowing I not only buried this feature, but essentially chastised myself for ever creating it, it feels like I should acknowledge that – no links, though. That said, my New Year’s resolutions usually die a quiet death somewhere around January 10 and this one was no different. Well, there was my resolution to go bald…that one is going like gangbusters.

Moving on the stories I liked/that mattered today…

– You’ve all heard by now about Honduran midfielder Amado Guevara’s apparent, looming return to Major League Soccer (MLS). (UPDATE: Soccer Insider reported later today that this deal is in “long-shot” mode. Well…dammit, people.) But I haven’t yet read anything as his motivation. He’s not positioning himself for a hop to Europe, not at his age, and it sounds like things were going well enough in Honduras: so, what is it that keeps Amado coming back? And it’s worth remembering that he made some noises about wanting to return last year, so this isn’t exactly spur of the moment. Anyway, it sounds like he’ll head to Toronto, news that has the locals (somewhat over, perhaps even irrationally) excited. Some call it, desire; Amado calls it….obsession.

– Andrew Dixon, of Gol Noir and a contributor to USSoccerplayers.com, wrote a column this morning about feeling uninspired by the opposition in CONCACAF. He figures we’ve outgrown our small pond. On a coincidental, yet somehow related note, MLS Rumors passed on word (well, it actually appears closer to a comment of dubious context and significance, but let’s run with it) on MLS clubs getting into the Copa Libertadores. Doubt this is anywhere near happening, but count my corner of Center Holds It as four-square behind the (non-existent) proposal. Actually, count me a fan of merging CONCACAF and CONMEBOL for World Cup, and all other, qualifying, having the smaller nations do preliminary qualifying, etc. Does this mean we’d miss out on the World Cup – perhaps even more than from time to time? Yup. But the virtually automatic bid we’re now getting through CONCACAF leaves me feel cheap and dirty. We should earn our bid. It should make us stronger on the occasions we do arrive.

MLS Rumors Watch: Fun While It Lasted and, Hey, Ends on an Up

Call it the last of a long line of projects I assign myself, only to discover the mechanics of the thing proved more difficult than anticipated. The plan to track MLS Rumors’ success rate ended today when they posted a rumor with a four rating and a damned long timeline; the simple reality is, I’m unwilling to keep track of a rumor that won’t come together for 2 years, as is the case with Major League Soccer’s (MLS) possible, future inclusion in the Copa Libertadores. I think I’ve mentioend this in the past, but I’m lucky to leave the house with pants most mornings; I’ll be lucky if I remember my fucking name by the time an MLS team takes the field in the Copa Libertadores…a move I wholly endorse…provided we kill Superliga…which, according to MLS Rumors’ write-up, may yet become MLS clubs’ entry point into the Copa…or something to that effect.

Even without highly complicated timelines, I never quite settled on a way to cope with something like, say, the Eddie “EJ’s” Johnson to Fulham rumors. The basic concept has been floating around for over a week on sites like Down the Byline and damn near everyone (including me) made mention of what looked like multiple suitors for EJ’s hand….or rather, feet. Given the age and general knowledge of that one, and knowing I have neither the time nor inclination to discover whether their January 3 post was the first to mention it, I can’t comfortably credit MLS Rumors for getting it right – even if, as happened today, they whittled a wide-open field down to Fulham FC (with Steve Goff’s help) and predicted that Fulham would be the place in that January 3 post….when Derby seemed more possible…or something to that effect.

Long story short, rumors move too quickly and have too many moving parts. I imagine/hope I could do this if this was all I wanted to do, but it isn’t. So, I’ll just call things even – and they are, literally, at 2-2 – and walk away.

What took the MLS Rumors to a .500 record? I’m calling the Gonzalo Martinez to DC United rumor in the site’s favor. It’s not wrapped, sealed, and signed, but between the deal entering final negotiations prompting Steve Goff to advancing the story from his blog to the regular pages of the Washington Post and The Fullback Files telling me that Wikipedia (oh, bastion of truth) already has Martinez off to DC, things look pretty certain to end with Martinez wearing black and red. So, congratulations to MLS Rumors on a 50% success rate. I could only hope to do as well.

Now…let us never speak of this again…