The Freezer for 18 April 2008

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, Bob and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer, and we check our results with commenters in our pre-Freezer solicitation post. And really, that actually happened this time, which is kinda cool.

And really, we're a year ahead of the curve, as even Slate magazine has decided that the Power Poll concept is tired. Should we put power polls themseleves in the freezer. And then, couldn't you still argue that this is a power poll, just one with a goatee saying things like "Your agonizer, please." The mind boggles.

Regardless, once again we plunge United into the Freezer, but we're keeping them near the top for easy retrieval in the event they stop playing to our dark fears. Monsters of the id that they are. Anyways, let's do the damage:

Morning Coffee out of the Freezer

FREEZER CALL: Okay, so thinking about it, it makes sense to publish the Freezer on Fridays. There are a few reasons for this, but mainly it allows us to consider the midweek games for the Freezer, and set the table nicely for the weekend. Your recommendations in the comments are most appreciated as we go forward. The previous week's Freezer is here.

OVERSEAS REPORTING: Congratulation to Hoops for keeping the Scottish race alive. Kevin G and his gang have been good friends to us, so we're glad to see some good fortune go the way of his lot. Further, the official Unibond Premier League team of the DCenters, Gateshead F.C., are solidly in with a shot at promotion, as they currently sit third in the standings, which puts them in the playoff (if I understand the promotion system at this level correctly).

SEE ANYTHING YOU LIKE? Sideline Views reports that Chivas is interested in a D.P., having traded away their D.P. rights to New York. Let's see, what teams haven't used their Designated Player allocations? Oh wait, didn't we get one from Colorado for Christian Gomez? I'm not sure if we could trade it, but if we could, and this is just speculation, is there anything you might want out of Chivas? There's some talent on that squad...

The Freezer for 11 April 2008

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, Bob and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer, and we check our results with commenters in our pre-Freezer solicitation post. At least, that's how it's supposed to work. Like MLS, the spirit is noble if the execution is occasionally weak.

After a hiatus for the off-season, the Freezer returns. Naturally, we had to clean it out and defrost sections with an icepick, throwing out everything past its sell-by date. Hey, who put these half eaten Icee Pops in here?

Anyways, that means it's time to acknowledge some left-over business from last season. First, congratulations to the U.S. Nats, Red Bull New York, Kasey Keller, U.S. Referees, the Chicago Fire, and ESPN, all of whom we bring out of the Freezer. The Nats put together some good showings against difficult teams, RBNY fires Bruce Arena for Osorio (good move) and gets rid of their technical director, Kasey Keller at least has a team now, the Fire made the East finals, and ESPN reworks its line-up to try something new. All good stuff.

Still, that just means we have to fill up the freezer with new less-than-appetizing dishes. And voila, here we go.

Interactivity

I am pleased to announce that The Freezer will be returning to The DCenters for a second season. We'll try and make it a recurring feature each Thursday, and this year, to allow for greater participation, we'll call for submissions on the Freezer each Wednesday. While I certainly have ideas on where to rank things, I'd like to take into account your thoughts on the matter. Right now, Mo Johnston, Alexi Lalas, the New England Revolution, Frankie Yallop, Carlos Ruiz, DC Stadium Plans, and others are all candidates to make appearances in the debut of the Freezer this year, but feel free to include your suggestions in the comments for a Freezer entry.

Now, two days ago commenter Nick asked the following provocative question, and I will reprint his comment in full:

D,

I would like for you to weigh in on this topic if you get a chance:

DCU is a four-time MLS champ, playing in a decent sports town with a large population. DCU has been successful on and off the feel, and has a huge presence, including media, within the community. DCU puts out a great product every year. DCU's front office, considered the best year-in and year-out works its ass off and achieves season ticket sales in the 9.000 range.

Seattle FC has no team, no players, no wins, no SSS, and a front office that just began working. Seattle FC will not even play a game until a year from now. Seattle has sold more than 13,000 season tickets.

Philly has no team, etc, two years out, etc. Philly has done no advertising. Philly has sold more than 5,000 season tickets.

Could you weigh in on this and try to offer some explanation as to why we struggle to get 10K season tix and Philly gets half of that 2 years out without spending a dollar on advertising?

That's a decent question Nick. Commenter Skippy in the same thread noted that there is some excitement about a new team, but also concurred to a larger point: "I remember looking at RFK attendance halfway through last year and I think DC's attendance was always 2nd or third, which isn't lousy, but considering DCU's success, I know what you mean."

Now, full disclosure. For the first time in a few years, I did not renew a season ticket package. This is primarily because my paying occupation is sending me around the country more, and I wasn't sure if I'd be able to use all my tickets. But there's another reason why I didn't renew my season tickets: I felt that it wasn't something I had to do in order to attend games and support the team. See, there's a difference between season tickets and regular attendance. Right now, the only way expansion team supporters can do anything real to support their team is to buy season tickets. Quite simply, there are no games for them to attend and sing and chant and cheer. So with only one option to take, they're taking it. But I don't need season tickets to support the team, I can just walk up to the box office, usually day of game, and grab a decent ticket. RFK is cavernous, even with only the lower bowl available, and I'm not worried about getting a place in the stadium. And once I'm there, how does it matter how I got there? The supply of tickets is huge, and while our demand is strong, it doesn't really create a huge incentive for me to cough up the cash for a package. This might change in the utopian future of the Soccer Specific Stadium, but who knows? And given that United draws decent attendance even without the season ticket base of an expansion franchise, I think others may feel the same way. We know the tickets are going to be there whenever we want them.

Now, I do recognize that this approach may indirectly harm the team in terms of estimating cash flows. They can bank season ticket sales in advance in a way you can't with walk-up sales. And I do feel slightly guilty about this, but at the same time it's so much of a theoretical problem (I mean, they're still going to get my money, it's just going to affect their models) that it does not really change my position on the matter.

So that's why I think United's season ticket sales may seem to lag, and once the SSS is up, perhaps they will see an increase (in fact, almost certainly). Then demand suddenly is constrained by supply, providing a greater incentive to part with the cash in advance. And for expansion teams, their fans don't know how to judge demand with seating capacity, and are naturally excited about being able to support their team right now. Good for them.

Now, if United's attendance starts suffering, we may have to reconsider.

The Freezer for August 14th 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind 101 Ways to Over Promote a Single Player in A Team Sport by ESPN Sports Publishing. Yes, that is the same most feared list ahead of last week's freezer, because if anything it was worse.

Beckham played his first MLS game but LA dropped 6 points during the week. Colorado stuns Houston and the rest of the MLS world, while Dallas shows some grit in battling back against the Crew. This week in the Freezer everybody was reshuffled and Becks moved up, but his team and his general manager moved down, while a teammate and donor moved into the freezer.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. Kinney just posted it this week. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer for August 7th 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind 101 Ways to Over Promote a Single Player in A Team Sport by ESPN Sports Publishing.

The news on everybody lips is Mr. Beckham's ankle. This is a bit overblown, but reflects badly upon both David and MLS nonetheless. This week in the Freezer the lower ranks were reshuffled and the fallout from Beckham's injury is felt.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. Kinney just posted it this week. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer for July 24th 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind 101 Beckham Voyeur Tips by Dave O'Brien

Interestingly enough, it was a very good week for Soccer in the United States but that success highlighted the problems that currently plague the sport. This week in the Freezer soccer players moved up and out while a bunch of organizations moved down into the cold. DC United moves back into the freezer after an ugly July, as does BSPN and another maligned group that was doing pretty decent before this past weekend.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. Kinney just posted it this week. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer for July 17th 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind 101 Ways to Rehab an Ankle Injury by David Beckham.

This week in the Freezer we make a few small adjustments. DC United gets put on notice, as does a certain striker with high expectations.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. Kinney just posted it this week. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer for 10 July 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email and chat to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind My Favorite Coaches and Teams by Santino Quaranta.

This week in the Freezer we make a few small adjustments, thaw off a striker, add in a legend, and give one team their rightful spot back at the bottom.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. D just posted it this week. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer for 3 July 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind 101 Ways to Finish Your Chances, by Jay Goppingen.

This week in the Freezer there is quite a bit of movement. Many long frozen teams and indivduals move up the list by virture of worse performances by others. A coach is split off from his team as rumors swirl. Lots of people made it out but we're still keeping an eye on them.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. Kinney just posted it this week. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer for 26 June 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Each week, Oscar, Kinney, and D have a frank discussion over email to rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind 101 Excuses for Any Occasion, by Hugo Sanchez.

This week in the Freezer, we welcome our third member to meet the ignoble fate of Absolute Zero. We also clear up some items on the watchlist, and one lucky team escapes the gravitational pull. At least, we think so. We took them out once before, but they weren't ready yet. Don't make us look foolish (or, at least, don't make us look more foolish) this time.

Note: The Freezer is a collaborative effort of the DCenters. D just gets to post it. We all wrote the thing.

The Freezer For 19 June 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Here we rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind Terry Vaughn's list of cautions assessed in major international matches.

This week in the Freezer, UNITED IS FREE! Hoorah! Yes, I'm biased, but finally I felt secure enough to take them out. And perhaps the goodwill was just too much, since I took out two others as well. Meanwhile, the watchlist remains vigilant, and three more enter the freezer, including a league leader.

The Freezer for 12 June 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Here we rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind A Guide to Soccer Radio Hosts with Names Beginning with G by Steven Cohen.

This week in the Freezer, one team gets out, but it probably isn't who you would expect. And Tom Soehn is feeling a bit warmer, which is why you see him in short sleeves on the sidelines. However, two more enter the Freezer, and the watchlist continues to scan the horizon. Ultimately, it was a week for sediment to settle to the bottom, cream to rise to the top, and cliches to be dusted off and used with aplomb.

The Freezer for 5 June 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Here we rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind the Clint Mathis Reputation Red Listing.

Now settled in its new timeslot, this week sees one player escape the freezer despite not playing a minute. But when one leaves, one must enter. We're also adding a few to the watchlist, in some cases in response to reader requests, so feel free to drop your opinions as they do affect what happens here. And what happens in the freezer does not say in the freezer...

The Freezer for 29 May 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index, known as the Freezer, is the anti-power poll. Here we rank the most feeble, the most tenuous, and the overall weakest things in US Soccer. It's the second most feared list in US Soccer behind the Alexi Lalas "Dial-A-Cliche."

After a week off, the Freezer debuts at its new time-slot (Tuesdays after Gray's Anatomy). There was a lot of movement over the past two weeks. Two get off the list entirely, and one and a half make their debuts. Lots of change in the overall rankings as well. Plus, I've indicated a few things that aren't in the freezer, but are on the watch list...

The Freezer For 16 May 2007

Not much change this week. No one crashes out, and two get off the list. We're splitting ESPN up a bit, so they'll take one of the empty slots. Most of the movement this week is internal, although the next few weeks might see some changes.

The Freezer For 9 May 2007

The US Soccer Fragility Index (known as the Freezer) is the opposite of the ubiquitous Power Poll. Instead, each Wednesday, we rank the most feeble, ineffective, and generally cold things in the US Soccer World.

THIS WEEK: Two vacancies need to be filled, as one team gets out of the freezer, and our second casualty hits Absolute Zero. While a few are showing signs of life, others continue to get colder, colder, colder...

The Freezer Week #2

The US Soccer Fragility Index (known as the Freezer) is the opposite of the ubiquitous Power Poll. Instead, each Wednesday, we rank the most feeble, ineffective, and generally cold things in the US Soccer World.

THIS WEEK: Three items are out of the freezer - two because the situations improved enough to no longer be considered weak enough of this elite list, but one of them because we found it completely frozen next to the Porterhouse Steaks we bought over the internet two years ago (hey, it seemed like a great deal at the time!). Here's the list of shame:

Introducting The Freezer...

Anyone can write a power-poll where the strengths of various teams are debated. But only a select few can do the opposite, and rank the weakest things in US Soccer. Introducing the US Soccer Fragility Index, or as we call it around here, the Freezer. We're going to try and update you on the most fragile, weakest, and most uncertain things in US Soccer on a regular basis. We're still working out the kinks, and we're more than open to your input on the matter. Think of it as an "Anti-Power Poll", the kryptonite to the World Soccer Rankings, an excuse to call-out more than just one or two items with a Yellow Card/Red Card segment.