Some interesting thoughts from Eric Vormelker...

From:             griiki@mail.utexas.edu (ERic Vormelker)
Date sent:        Fri, 28 Jul 1995 18:12:59 -0600
Subject:          NAS El Paso - Seattle thoughts

Well, this Sunday Seattle gets its first real test of the Open Cup.

I'm sure that many of you out there will be thinking 'I know how El Paso
did against Pennsylvania and North Jersey, Seattle should have no problem.
Their win against Colorado was a fluke.'

Well, I've learned otherwise.  It seems that the Open Cup has no rules on
the number of foreign players on a team.  I've heard that a couple years
ago the A.A.C. (Chicago) team that won the cup had NO American players on
it.

So, in following these USASA-set rules, the El Paso Patriots will be
playing more than their USISL-allowed number of foreigners.  These players
are on their USISL roster and have always been, they're just not all
allowed on the 18-man roster and on the field for a USISL match.  As I
understand it, some of these players were playing with a Mexican First
Division side, Juarez (right across the border from El Paso), that was 
given a one-year break (I'm interested in hearing from anyone that knows
more details on this team, and if it's really a first division team).

[**NOTE: Since I originally posted this, I've learned that Juarez is a second
division side.  As far as I know, the Mexican league structure is First, 1-A,
and Second, so that makes them pretty much the same level as El Paso...]

So now we know why Colorado lost.

Between this and one other factor that I'll point out in a moment, Seattle
will face a very tough test this weekend.

The other factor?

2pm game time in El Paso.  It's been 108 degrees there lately, while it's
been around 70 (?) in Seattle.

I have been told that both teams have next weekend off (though my schedules 
don't quite say that), and El Paso *and* Seattle would have been happy to
play a night game next weekend, but Richard Groff insisted that the game
was scheduled to take place this weekend, so he pressed, and El Paso set
the game time.

*sigh*

I know that the USASA set game times for these matches well ahead of time,
and I really look forward to the time when the USISL can set up a schedule
that will take the Cup into consideration.  It would be nice to see a
little less politics, but until either the A-League or the USISL doesn't
exist, I think it will keep being a part of the Cup.

So, to close, here's to the day the USSF takes over running the Cup, and it
sets rules for foreigners in the games that mirror those in MLS, and has
enough strength to tell the politickers to shut up.  It's time that we
start playing soccer with Americans.  The NASL died 25 years ago.

ERic

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ERic Vormelker                                 HoT Brigade
griiki@mail.utexas.edu    "Time-outs?  We don' need no steenking time-outs."
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Austin Lone Stars - See Ya In Richmond! (Des Moines?  We're walkin' thru DM!)
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USISL website:
http://ccwf.cc.utexas.edu/~griiki/quitameehu/usisl/usisl.html