Sporting Kansas City

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0zIswIuiObg

This video reminds me of an episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

The awkwardness jumps up, out of the screen and punches you in the face.

Hope Solo and the rest of the U.S. Women’s National Team will be playing a friendly match, against Canada this Saturday. They are training at Sporting Kansas City’s MLS training complex.

Solo, the newest contestant on Dancing With The Stars, has turned into a pretty large celebrity, and her presence amongst soccer players can cause them to go head over heels.

Enter Sporting KC striker C.J. Sapong.

He clearly fell in love with her success this summer and was inspired to write her a poem.

With plenty of cameras and media members snapping pictures, Sapong began to recite his poem with lines like this:

"I heard you were coming to KC, feelings couldn’t express the words inside of me."

After only a few lines, Sapong got cold feet and stopped his “performance.” But as a true competitor, he kept going, much to the chagrin of Solo, who looks incredibly uncomfortable at this point.

Eventually, he finishes his poem while rhyming words like “Solo” and “coco” and gets a big hug from his favorite goalie.

The icing on the cake comes when Hope gives Sapong a big smooch on the cheek. It made the whole poem worth it for Sapong and he falls to the ground in shock.

His year has officially been made.

The awkward looks Solo shoots her fellow teammates are priceless and more than worth the price of sitting through this uncomfortable exchange. At one point it looks like she was contemplating sprinting down the field to get away from the crowd.

With DTWS coming up, don’t expect the cameras to go away anytime soon, Hope.

Like any good episode of Curb, the awkwardness always turns into a good ending, and all that was missing was Larry David in the circle calling out Sapong for his horrible rhyming abilities.

After barely missing the playoffs last year, Sporting Kansas City was expected to come out with fire in their eyes and was expected to be at least decent. The season was supposed to be magical for the re-branded Wizards (see what I did there?)

However, they are falling very short of their expectations so far this season. After a close 3-2 win in the opener to Chivas USA, Sporting has lost thrice and tied once in season play.

They sit dead last in the standings with a 1-3-1 record, and a measly four points.

It seems that since the Kansas City Royals are finally playing well, Sporting has taken the reins as Kansas City’s resident last place team. They are not horrible by any means, but they deserve to be in last in the entire league.

Sporting should have two wins, but their inability to close out games let Vancouver tie the game in the final seconds, and Sporting barely got away with a tie as Vancouver narrowly missed the game-winner in the last minute.

Now skip ahead to Saturday. Sporting traveled to Gillette Stadium to take on the New England Revolution. They were so close to at least pulling away with a tie. Sporting even had the lead at one point, but gave up the equalizer less than two minutes later. New England was then able to score again later in the match off of a fantastic header from Rajko Leki.

Once again, it was the inability to play defense at the end of the game. Hopefully Peter Vermes will realize this and find a way to fix it.

If the matches were only 80 minutes, Sporting would be 2-2-2 and not dead last in MLS. It’s the last ten minutes that are killing Sporting’s season. They will need to play the full 90 if they want to beat, or at least tie the New York Red Bulls on Saturday.

It’s very difficult for a team to start the season on a ten game road trip, but with the way they’re playing right now, not even a huge stretch with home games may be able to save Sporting.

If they get on a roll in the final five games before the new stadium opening, then Sporting may just be able to climb back up in the standings to return to the playoffs.

I mean, it is soccer. Deeper than that, it is Sporting Kansas City. The season is still very young, and anything can happen.

We all know that Chad Ochocinco can hold his own on the football field, and he proved he could do it on the dance floor after a stint on Dancing with the Stars. But lookout, David Beckham—now he is trying to conquer the world of soccer.  

Ochocinco had a six-day trial run with Sporting Kansas City. Unfortunately for Ochocinco, he was not as much a success on the soccer field as he is on the football field. Sporting KC did not give him a contract, but did say that he could continue to practice with the reserve team as an "honorary" member.

As it turns out Ochocinco played competitive soccer back in high school and some may remember when he kicked the extra point for the Bengals in 2009 when Kicker Shayne Graham was injured. Even though his skills were not enough to keep him on the team, he was just happy to get out and get some exercise.

According to the Kansas City Star, Ochocinco said, “I just played in a match for a professional soccer team. It doesn’t get any better than that. What is everybody else (in the NFL) doing? ...I can get better, stay fit, continue to stay active instead of being home on my butt.”

Ochocinco has also made it clear that he is not concerned about the lockout. He claims he makes enough money off the field that there is no point in arguing with the owners over revenue.

So where will the combination of professional soccer and the NFL lockout take him? No one knows.

But Ochocinco is definitely down for the ride.

For more info on Chad Ochocinco and Sporting KC go to: http://www.kansascity.com/2011/03/29/2762390/ochocinco-will-train-with-sporting.html 

Over the last few months many football fans were trying to feverishly delay the inevitable horror of an NFL lockout. There is no life without the world’s greatest sport, and surely they couldn’t resort to the unthinkable consolation of watching hockey.

What many fail to realize is that the lockout is hurting not only the fans and those in love with game, but the players as well.

The NFL is notorious for having athletes with a serious work ethic and who never want to press the stop button. Chad Ochocinco is no exception.

Now, before you begin to ridicule him or say he puts more effort into mid-game tweeting than his post routes, just think of him as the guy who puts 110% into everything (especially pissing off the suits in the NFL offices).

Ochocinco recently tried out for MLS club Sporting Kansas City and had some reasonable success. He has officially made the reserve squad (or at least to the point where they’re playing him today) and seemed to have had a positive affect on the KC footballers.

While MLS is pretty huge in North America right now, it isn’t the most exclusive soccer league in the world. With such big names as David Beckham and Thierry Henry donning MLS jerseys this year, the league will gladly accept any superstar that comes their way, even if they haven’t played soccer since they were four.

As ridiculous as #85 can be on Twitter or in the endzone after TD's, I think this move is more legit than his last name.

He’s an athlete and the golden rule about athletes is that they don’t embrace the off-season with open arms.

Imagine if you had your dream job and because you lost a game you couldn’t do that job for six months. You’d go out of your mind right? You’d probably even turn to soccer!

Ochocinco is an eccentric dude but if he has what it takes to make SKC, then I’m behind him 1000 percent.

He definitely has the speed and tenacity, and the skills will come naturally to a genuine athlete like him. I think Ochocinco would be great for MLS by bringing it a BIG name from a big league and a star who doesn’t shy away from the limelight.

And MLS could use some ridiculousness too.

I mean, come on, don’t you want to see what he’s planning for after he scores a goal?

I'll admit, I was sketchy about Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco when he decided to accept an invitation to join Sporting Kansas City on trial.

Then again, because I never liked his on camera antics, I never took Ochocinco seriously as a real player in the NFL. I just thought of him as a guy who loved the camera and loved the checks.

It's amazing what a couple of days can do.

Since Tuesday, my respect level for Ochocinco has skyrocketed.

I always knew of Chad's love for the game of soccer, or as I call it, real football. He played in his youth and was an exceptional player.

Family influence and the uncertainty of a stable career in the brand new and financially strained Major League Soccer caused him to choose a career in the NFL. He is a big fan of the game in general.

In fact, he is currently struggling with who to root for when he goes to the Real Madrid-Barcelona derby on April 16. He has friends on both teams. His friends in the world football community include Barcelona star Lionel Messi, Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo and New York Red Bulls forward Thierry Henry.

In fact, the only player in a major professional sports league in the US that even comes close as a soccer fan is Kobe Bryant, the diehard AC Milan fan who—at one point—dreamed of playing for the Rossoneri.

With the NFL currently in a lockout, Ochocinco has the opportunity to revive his chances of a career in professional soccer.

MLS has never been more popular in the US and the competition has never been as strong.

Money is flowing in, as are the stars. In the last few years, Juan Pablo Angel, David Beckham, Thierry Henry, Rafa Marquez and several other well-known players have left Europe to play in America.

Landon Donovan even snubbed the likes of Everton, Manchester City and Liverpool to remain at Los Angeles.

It was a rough start for Ochocinco. His touches were weak. His passes were not crisp. He struggled to shoot on target. You could see he was getting frustrated, but he never quit. He kept working and working.

The improvement from Tuesday to now is incredible! He was playing in full-sided scrimmages, showing strong wing play and a couple of dangerous crosses, one which connected with Teal Bunbury and found the net.

He certainly respects how difficult this task is. Of course, failure is something he must have thought about. He certainly understands the work and dedication and skill this will take.

As he tweeted to Barcelona star Gerard Pique: "I understand the skill it takes it to play at this level,I just love the beautiful game n have much respect for it."

He is asking his teammates for help, especially the likes of fellow forwards Kei Kamara and Bunbury.

What struck me the most besides his work ethic was his attitude in general. This is not, "I'm Ochocinco. I'm above you all."

It is more like, "I'm here to work. I'm here to live my dream but I know that it is going to take a long time for me to ever be near the level of the rest of you."

Again, respecting the difficulty of the game, he tweeted to his followers: "I wish you all can see the skill it takes to play FUTBOL,even with my speed these guys still make me look like shit on the pitch."

On day two, he met one-on-one with manager Peter Vermes. When the coach asked him his personal evaluation, Chad admitted to knowing he was nowhere near the level of the other players and had a long road ahead. Good for him owning up to that and realizing he has to work if he wants to have a chance at one day going after the ball against Beckham or trying to take Rafa Marquez one-on-one.

I loved the smile on Chad's face when Vermes told him he wanted him to play "20, 30, 45 minutes" in the reserves game this Monday. It showed just exactly how much this means to him.

I'm sure he wants to play a full 90, but he is being given a chance, which is the most important thing.

It has been a successful trial so far for Chad and I hope he gets a contract. It's still a long road, as he has to climb the ranks a bit before he can see first-team time. Once he gets near that level, he has to deal with a few rather talented forwards.

Kamara, Omar Bravo, Birahim Diop and C.J. Sapong are all quality strikers. He has to get to the level of these players if he wants to line up with a certain Bunbury, the Yank on the rise.

All in all, Chad Ochocinco has earned my respect and the respect of many others this week. His work ethic and motivation are incredible and his improvement is very encouraging.

All I can say is that Chad, I am no longer a doubter or a hater of yours. I have the utmost respect for you and best of luck as you try to make the squad at Sporting Kansas City.

I run a weekly NFL podcast, down at The Pigeon Toe. A buddy and I get together, grab some topics, stick 'em in between two slices of banter and deliver an NFL video podcast sandwich, topped with horseradish, because we're extremely saucy.

We're in our virgin year, and we started back in October 2010. We're getting better, we hope, but we would like some feedback. Here at the Bleacher Report, communities are awesome enough to deliver that. Take a gander, and let us know what you think.

Watch this week's NFL video podcast here!

You can 1) Subscribe to our show on iTunes, or 2) Download the .wmv files directly.

Here's a breakdown of this week's episode:

The rise of the UFL

• Neil Tillman and I discuss the hiring of Marty Schottenheimer by the UFL's Virginia Destroyers as the head coach and general manager.
• We also tackle the hiring of Jerry Glanville by the Hartford Colonials. We try to answer the age-old question, "Who the heck is Jerry Glanville?"

NFL wants HGH testing

• We also break down why the players are against HGH blood testing in the first place, as well as decide if this is even a good idea.

Friendly 40-yard-dash competition

• Though this was a bit impromptu, Neil Tillman and I decided to run the 40, while the loser would have to pole dance, probably.

Chad Ochocinco trying out for MLS' Sporting KC

• We're going to run-down Chad Ochocinco's weird soccer tryout at Kansas City. Is he any good at soccer, anyhow?

Why won't Gus Johnson scream in Madden?

• We all know how crazy Gus Johnson can get. So when EA Sports named Johnson as the play-by-play announcer for its Madden series, we were all pumped, only to find out he never. Freaking. Screams.

That's it, you guys. Take a gander at the podcast. We realize that audio is pretty horrible, but we promise, it'll get better. (NOTE: We had some technical difficulties, thanks to crowded air-space.)

Comments are welcome. Encouraged, even.

In retrospect, it likely was destiny. The NFL labor dispute is now having an impact on another sport.

As players are not currently limited to contractual terms, and free agents can't sign new contracts in the NFL, a high-profile player is flirting with another sport.

Maybe it was also inevitable that person would be one of the flamboyant receivers from Cincinnati. As much as we might have expected it to be Terrell Owens, the player formerly known as Chad Johnson and temporarily as Chad Ochocinco is trying his hand…well, legs…at Major League Soccer.

Kansas City of the MLS has given Ochocinco a four-day tryout to determine if he might have a role with their squad. The first day of his workout was hardly perfect, as he was panting and looked exhausted following Day 1. It is possible that his conditioning has waned over the last two months, but it is more likely that there is a bit more running in soccer than the manner in which Ochocinco plays football.

"Exactly what I expected," Ochocinco said. "I would be a little winded being that I haven't ran at this pace or this level since the end of our season of football. It was fun. I didn't expect to come in here and be Superman."

This appears to be more than just a publicity stunt, as Ochocinco said he will join the team if he is invited. "I would play for free," he said. 

It is quite possible that dollar figure has a pretty high correlation with his value on the field. However, the marketing aspect can’t be ignored. 

Ochocinco would be wearing his signature “85” jersey for Kansas City. The attention and sales associated with him could be huge. It certainly has been so far, as 40 media representatives lined the practice field Wednesday morning. 

That figure might not seem odd if one were comparing it to a Bengals or Chelsea practice, but the reporters present for a normal MLS practice could all carpool to the stadium. In a compact car.

Ochocinco definitely has a passion for the game, and he isn't without skill. Family pressures forced him to focus on football at the end of high school, as there was a potential for an NFL career. 

There is some soccer-rust that needs to be fixed, but his size and athleticism on the field were obvious.

"The time I've had off from the game of this football has been a very long time," he said. "There's no way I can make up that ground, the years I've been away from the game. But I do have a love for it."

His coach in the other football, Marvin Lewis, wasted no time in taking a shot at Ochocinco. "How does he do at anything?" Lewis told reporters. "What has he ever done that he's completed? What circle has he ever connected in any way?"

Ochocinco responded as expected via Twitter, bemoaning Lewis' relationship to fellow Bengal Carson Palmer.

The reception has been a little more warm from Sporting Kansas City coach Peter Vermes. He dedicated his assistant coach, Zoran Savic, to Ochocinco for the day.

"He was a little bit hesitant early on, a little bit tentative," Vermes said. "But I think now he's got a good feel for what a day goes like for us. You can see he's very coachable. I wouldn't try to make any determinations at this point."

Don’t expect to see Ochocinco making a significant impact on the pitch, but his potential impact to MLS coffers is impossible to ignore. His efforts, and the diatribe with Lewis, also make his return to the Bengals even less likely than they were.  

National Football League and reality star Chad Ochocinco is set for a four-day tryout with the Sporting Kansas City's Major League Soccer club.

The club said Wednesday that after the tryout it would determine whether to extend the trial period.

"We're always searching for players who can help our team and bringing in new talent,” Sporting Kansas City Manager Peter Vermes said. “We know that Chad is an exceptional athlete and that he loves the sport of soccer, and he did play a lot when he was younger. We're excited to see how his skills will translate once he arrives next week and begins training with our team."

“Due to the NFL lockout, I’m excited to be able to follow my childhood dream of playing for a Major League Soccer team,” Ochocinco stated.  He also went on to say he started playing soccer at age four but chose to focus on football in high school. He emphasized that he was thankful to Sporting Kansas City for giving him the opportunity.

The NFL reality star considers many of the sport’s biggest stars as close friends, including New York Red Bulls Designated Player Thierry Henry, Real Madrid’s Cristiano Ronaldo and two-time FIFA World Player of the Year Ronaldinho.

In January, Ochocinco visited Ronaldo, Kaka and the rest of Real Madrid’s squad and was introduced to Manager Jose Mourinho.

Ochocinco was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL Draft out of Oregon State University. He went on to become the most distinguished wide receiver in Bengals history and holds the team’s all-time records in receiving yards, receptions and touchdown receptions.

Ochocinco is also one of only six players in NFL history to compile 10,000 or more receiving yards with a single team.

Away from the playing field, Ochocinco has become a media sensation with a massive fan following. He appeared on Dancing with the Stars after having his own reality TV show on VH1 called Ochocinco: The Ultimate Catch and co-hosting The T.Ocho Show with Terrell Owens and Sports Soup on the Versus Network.

We can't help wondering if this is another futile attempt for Ochocinco to grab more of the limelight during the lockout. 

Chad, you may have played soccer well as a child. Please stick with the one thing you are good at—American Football.  You will eventually become that "Ultimate Catch" when you stop trying so hard!

That's right, Sporting Kansas City (formerly the Kansas City Wizards) has decided they would like to give some deserving talent a shot at a contract, and who is more deserving than Cincinnati Bengals' wide receiver, Chad "Ochocinco" Johnson?

The newly rebranded side will be giving Ochocinco a four-day trial starting next Tuesday.  If he somehow impresses, they'll extend the period and move on from there.

There are no timeouts in soccer

Look, I thought it was cute when he joked about playing soccer last year, but this is ridiculous.  He may be an incredible athlete, however, he has been training his body to withstand the rigors of the National Football League for the last 10 years.

Soccer at any professional level is all about maintaining the balance between skill and stamina.  I'm pretty sure Mr. Ochocinco doesn't have much of either right now.  He has been on the decline for the last few NFL seasons and will be shopped around by the Bengals right up until the NFL trading deadline, lockout or no lockout.

If the Kansas City Wizards, whoops, I mean Sporting Kansas City bring him in for anything besides a publicity stunt, they really are destroying what little integrity the MLS has built up over the last 15 years.  Chad may have been a good soccer player when he was a kid, but that was at least 14 or 15 years ago. 

Does he know how to mark?

Does he know how to run at defenders?

Will he know how to position himself? 

Will he be able to strike the ball at goal under any kind of pressure?

It's safe to assume he'd be nothing more than a striker, maybe a winger, but these are all questions that should've crossed KC management's mind if they are being serious.  He'd be a liability on the field, the same way an inexperienced youth would be a liability at the top level in any professional league.

There is no way they can ingrain a lifetime of training and experience into the period of a few weeks if they ever handed the guy a real contract. 

David Beckham, Thierry Henry and Chad Ochocinco

One of these is not like the other.  Now you could argue that the Beckham experiment is a bust, while Henry is past his prime, but at least those two are credible internationals with more trophies than any NFL player right now.

Chad Ochocinco will go down in history as an overrated wide receiver who spent more time grinding the NFL commissioner's gears than producing consistent performances on the field.  I'm sorry, but a few Pro Bowl appearances are nothing in comparison to the resumés of Beckham or Henry.

He is not Beckham.

He is not Henry.

He is not even Marcelo Gallardo.

The thought of watching Ochocinco on a soccer field could be even more embarrassing than watching Michael Jordan swing a baseball bat. (Not saying he is anywhere near Jordan's level, though).

Well it's just the MLS

Someone could argue that it's just the MLS, but at the end of the day, Major League Soccer is a credible, professional club soccer league recognized by soccer's governing body, FIFA.

The league prides itself in being a stage for young American talent to display their skills alongside experienced internationals in a professional and competitive setting.

However, bringing in an obnoxious talent like Ochocinco contradicts the league's current mission statement.

I'm not saying the guy doesn't deserve a chance, but the MLS has 18 clubs with only so many spots to fill on their roster at the moment. The fact that they're giving a shot to a wide receiver who is essentially just bored and looking for something to do is a disgrace.

The league is already frowned upon by the international soccer viewing community as well as fans stateside.  The simple act of handing Ochocinco a trial is not going to tear die-hard soccer fans away from European league play any time soon.

Hopefully, it'll be nothing more than an innocent publicity stunt when it is all said and done. If Ochocinco is serious about soccer, he should look into giving Sjarnan FC a call.

Chad Ochocinco (Cincinnati Bengals Wide Receiver) is going to try out for Sporting Kansas City. 

If things go well during his four-day invite, it is expected that the tryout will be extended. While many people are thinking that this is a publicity stunt in response to the NFL Labor problems, I tend to disagree.

My reasons are the following:

Chad Ochocinco grew up around soccer during his childhood in Miami Florida. He even played it in high school before opting to play American Football.

Ochocinco is friends with Thierry Henry, Cristiano Ronaldo, and Ronaldinho. He also visited Spain where he met with Real Madrid greats such as Jose Mourinho, Kaka, and Ronaldo.

We also have examples of people who excel in many sports and have a tendency to participate during a certain period. One of the notable example is Brian Jordan who played for the St. Louis Cardinals in baseball and as a safety for the NFL Team Buffalo Bills.

Who can forget Charlie Ward who was able to balance basketball, baseball, and American Football? The more a person is an expert in different sports, the more he or she can use their talent.

My recommendation is to let Chad Ochocinco be Chad Ochocinco.