It seems that the US as a soccer community takes a bit of a beating over the exploits of American owners who dip their toes into English waters; while Randy Lerner has managed to keep Villa fans happy, not every Yank owner has done such a good job. Hicks and Gillette continue to take heat in Liverpool and the Glazers aren't exactly beloved at Manchester United. It appears that another Big Four club may be added to the list of those controlled by Americans, as Stan Kroenke nears the control threshold that requires him to make an offer for remaining shares.


I reject the notion that all American owners should be viewed with a skeptical eye thanks to the problems at Liverpool and the debt at Manchester United; Americans aren't the only ones botching things in Europe when it comes to the business of running a football club. Still, it worries me what Kroenke might do if he does take control of Arsenal, if only because it would once again be used against all Americans. The Independent has a informational Q & A on the potential Kroenke takeover.

• I enjoy seeing laments over the Revolution's stadium situation, because it is now far and away the worst in MLS. If the Revs were bad, never made the playoffs and never showed up in tournaments like SuperLiga, it would be less of an issue (though still a concern); but the Revs are good, and so the situation looks all the worse. It's time for something to happen in New England, and happen quickly. If the proposed Somerville project is going nowhere, then Kraft and the league need to look for other options. Maybe Providence would like a pro soccer team.

• Americans are generally used to the corporate renaming of stadiums, though it's rarely done for venues with as much history and lore as St. James' Park, home of Newcastle United. "Sportsdirect.com @ St. James' Park" is the official new name, and it's bad even by American standards; Sky talks about those American standards in a piece meant to (I assume) put the sponsored name in the modern context. Even Pizza Hut Park and Dick's Sporting Good Park, two of the stadiums mentioned in the piece, aren't as bad because they're new facilities. The renaming of St. James', and with that ridiculous "@" sign to boot, is well beyond anything we've seen here. Imagine if Fenway Park was "monster.com @ Fenway Park"...

• Alex Kotler at Football Partnerships has an interesting take on the need for "teaching" in soccer broadcasts. He uses Tim McCarver (a man who says one worthwhile thing out of a thousand, in my opinion) to illustrate his point, calling on broadcasters to use stoppages in play to educate the consumer on the finer points of the game. I think it's a nice idea, but flawed in several fundamental ways. It's actually the "dumbing down" of American soccer broadcasts that keeps many fans of the game from giving MLS a chance, and I might even argue that broadcasters like ESPN actually do attempt to work in graphical elements to illustrate how a play occurred. I generally don't mind these "Americanized" elements on an MLS broadcasts, but it is possible to take things too far. Soccer will always be a game of flow; going to a telestrator to draw squiggly lines on one of Beckham's free kicks doesn't strike me as necessary or particularly insightful.

Shallow Scratches, otherwise knows as Deep Cuts When I Don't Feel Like Dealing With Snarky Comments, appears as daily as is possible and brings together stories relating to American Soccer from around the web. If you have a link for Shallow Scratches/Deep Cuts, feel free to email it to matchfitusa@gmail.com.