Goff outlines USSF budget, 2012 kickoff luncheon, LTS Indoor, and Wilman Conde wants to come back to MLS?

Hat Trick

Steven Goff has some juicy and exclusive details on the United States Soccer Federation's budget for their 2013 fiscal year. The link is a must read but here are three highlights:

• Jurgen Klinsmann makes four times as much as Bob Bradley did when Bradley was USMNT head coach
• USSF has budgeted $3.8M for improving officiating in '13 FY - that's a $1.1M increase from '12 FY.
  
• Major League Soccer paid USSF $620,000 for Division 1 sanctioning

That's just the tip of the iceberg. Goff is one of the best soccer journalists in the USA and continues to show it here. It's interesting to note that the USSF just about tripled their referee budget going into the next fiscal year. Fans have been blasting MLS for poor officiating and many forget that MLS relies on USSF to provide referees. MLS must also pay USSF to sanction it as the top soccer division in the United States. These are not inconsequential issues to remember when discussing American soccer. It's not as simple as Major League Soccer investing more money into referee training. Many people forget to include USSF as a major player in the American club soccer picture.

The date for the 2012 Season Kickoff Luncheon, Live to Support Chicago Indoor Soccer and the Question of the Day - Do you want Wilman Conde back? - are all after the break.

The 14th annual Chicago Fire Season Kickoff Luncheon will take place on Monday, March 12, 2012 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago. Tickets are not on sale just yet but this is a major save-the-date opportunity. Start asking for the day off, find a babysitter, or even better, plan on taking the kids. The kickoff luncheon is a highlight of the year and they should be going all out for the 15th season of the Chicago Fire Soccer Club.

Live to Support Chicago is a unique recreational company that seeks to use sport to raise money for charity. It's a great organization to get involved with and they are taking registrations for their Winter Coed 5v5 Indoor Soccer league. Games will be played on Wednesday nights at Nettlehorst Elementary School at 3252 N. Broadway in Chicago. More details and sign-up at the link.

Question of the Day: Do you want Wilman Conde back?

Either way it looks like Wilman Conde will be returning to MLS. His days at Mexican club Atlas are done. I personally think there's zero chance of Conde returning to the Chicago Fire.

The team already has Jalil Anibaba, Cory Gibbs, Josip Mikulic, Yamith Cuesta and Kwame Watson-Siriboe. That's a solid group of center backs to work with. It's also a group that takes up 2 of the 8 international player slots (Cuesta and Mikulic) the Fire have at their disposal. Conde would take up yet another international slot along with a hefty salary. Gibbs and Anibaba work well as the starting center back combo. There's no reason to mix that up. Conde doesn't want to be a back-up and he didn't play down the stretch of 2010 with the heart a starter needs to have. He has the talent to start in this league but I think he burned his Fire bridge. It's too bad we'll probably see him across enemy lines in 2012.