Chicago Soccer Smolderings 5/19 - Sunderland, Bone, Ralph, Rooney, MLS Vegas, Chicago Bulls and more

There is no real lead today, just a bunch of solid stories that are worthy of reads and listens.  All-In with Larry Sunderland, Section 8 $10 tickets, American coach finds success in Guatemala, Qwest Field goes solar, and some thoughts on why Bulls fans should still be optimistic after the break.

Chicago Fire Soccer

All-In With Larry Sunderland | Chicago Fire Soccer Club

Jeff Crandall does a great interview with Chicago Fire Assistant Coach and Academy Director Larry Sunderland.  Give it a listen.

Bone fits Fire’s style of play - DailyHerald.com

Orrin Schwarz does a profile piece on Corben Bone.  There are good quotes from Corben himself and Carlos de los Cobos in there.

A weekend of firsts | Chicago Fire Soccer Club

Orr Barouch scores his first goal, Corben Bone has his first assist, Davis Paul has his first (and hopefully only) wedding.  Jeff Crandall is there to tell the story.

New career beckons for Fire star Ralph | Chicago Fire Soccer Club

Damani Ralph's career looked very bright back in 2004.  Injuries brought him down.  He is now going into a new career as a player agent.  Shawn Francis with MLSsoccer.com has the story.

$10 Section 8 Tickets - Section 8 Chicago

I am a season ticket holder in Section 8 Chicago and I did not know that you can buy additional tickets for MLS games in Section 8 for just $10 as a season ticket holder.  Yet another great perk, hat tip to Section 8 Chicago for pointing this out.

General Soccer

Geneva comes back against Glenbard East - DailyHerald.com

The IHSA Girls' Soccer playoffs continue.  Geneva defeated Glenbard East 5-1 after giving up a goal to Glenbard East in the first five minutes.

Six Programs Recognized by NCAA with Public Recognition Award - DePaul Blue Demons

DePaul's soccer program getting some national recognition.

American Coach Finds Success in Guatemala - NYTimes.com

This might have been the best story I read all day yesterday.  American Jeff Korytoski takes on the coaching job for a Guatemalan club team playing in the country's third division.  He has lead the once proud club back into the second division while becoming a bit of a folk hero.  Very fascinating story.

Union, Real Madrid to meet in World Football Challenge | MLSsoccer.com

The World Football Challenge expands as the Philadelphia Union will take on Real Madrid on the same day Chicago plays Manchester United, Saturday July 23rd.

Debating The Real Madrid Friendly: With Jonathan Tannenwald - Brotherly Game

Scott Kessler of The Brotherly Game and Jonathan Tannenwald discuss the fact that Philadelphia and the Seattle Sounders have agreed to move their regular season game so that the Real Madrid vs. Philadelphia Union game can take place on the same day Chicago Fire play Manchester United, Saturday July 23rd.

Around the League on CSRN: ATL 2011: Week 9

Around the League is a podcast that talks to a commentator from every team in MLS.  Take a listen.  You might recognize a name in there...

Developer wants tax zone around site for stadiums - Business - ReviewJournal.com

Chris Milam is a Texas real estate developer that wants to build a sports stadiums site located around Las Vegas's famous strip.  In addition to having a baseball field and buying the Triple-A Las Vegas 51s baseball team, the project would include a 36,000 stadium that would target a proposal for a MLS expansion team.  I think this is a great idea.  Las Vegas is the largest city with no professional sports team.

Monarcas Morelia Vs. Pumas UNAM, 2011 Liguilla Final: Preview - SBNation.com

This is a good preview of an upcoming clash in the Mexican league.

Wayne Rooney Challenges Himself To Fight After Receiving Threats On Twitter - SBNation.com

Twitter awesomeness thanks to Wayne Rooney.

FA refuse to vote in FIFA election - ESPN Soccernet

England's Football Association has authorized their representative to abstain in the upcoming vote for FIFA President.

As CONCACAF Improves, So Does Its Champions League - SBNation.com

Ryan Rosenblatt breaks down yesterday's drawing for groups in next year's CONCACAF Champions League and discuss the overall improvement in tournament quality.

Questions answered about the USL and MISL agreement - Kansas City Kansas City Soccer | Examiner.com

Great rundown on what the USL and MISL agreement means for Major Indoor Soccer League fans.

Seattle Seahawks home to add Solyndra solar panels | Green Tech - CNET News

The Seahawks are adding solar panels to their stadium.  The Sounders don't even get a mention here.

Chicago Bulls

Bulls struggle to shoot from anywhere as Haslem and LeBron lead Heat to series-tying win - Blog a Bull

The Chicago Bulls lost last night 85-75.  Blog a Bull tells us why.

Miami evens series with 85-75 win | Blogs.Bulls.com

Sam Smith has a lengthy breakdown of his own.  In all of the writings I've read, it strikes me that the Bulls had terrible shooting.  That plays into the hands of the Miami Heat who thrive off fast break and scoring transition baskets.  The more the Bulls miss, the more rebounds the Heat can get, and the more the Heat can launch the fast break.  Obviously the idea of the game is to make shots and scores points but the Bulls will have better shooting percentages than this in the next games.  Less rebound opportunities for Miami mean the Bulls should be able to limit the fast break scoring like they did in Game 1.  I'm still confident the Bulls can win the series but it might take seven games.

Sporting royalty Noah does the dirty work for Bulls | Reuters

I knew Noah had some tennis relatives but I did not know this:

Noah's paternal grandfather Zacharie Noah became a professional soccer player in France after emigrating as a child from Cameroon, and his Sedan team won the 1961 Coupe de France (French Cup).

You learn something new everyday.

YouTube - David Kahn Post-NBA Draft Lottery Reaction

I think this video is hilarious.  The NBA Draft is rife with conspiracy theories.  This just adds to the pot.  You have to admit it is a little fishy that Cleveland gets their collective heart torn out by LeBron.  The next year they end up with the 1st and 4th pick after the 2.3% odds they acquired from the Los Angeles Clippers win the drawing and giving them the best draft possible draft position overall?  It's at least a 'what a coincidence' moment.