Recently in Business of Football Category

Yes, you read that right.

Southern California's own Landon Donovan, a Redlands native, is ranked three places higher than global superstar and part-time underwear model David Beckham on the just released Bloomberg Businessweek Power 100 list of the most powerful professional athletes in American sports.

Donovan checks in at No. 55, while his teammate Beckham is at No. 58.

Of the only other soccer players listed, incidentally, Hermosa Beach resident and U.S. Women's National Team striker Abby Wambach checks in at No. 79, while "Dancing with Stars" contestant and national team goalkeeper Hope Solo is at No. 88.

The list, in case you're wondering, is half based on athletic performance and 50 percent on intangibles such as name awareness, appeal and overall popularity.

So why did Donovan beat out Becks?

"While, as expected, David Beckham did very well with his off-field numbers largely due to his endorsement earnings, his on-field performance brought his overall score down," said David Newman, vice president of analytics for Atlanta-based CSE, which conducted the study of more than 3,00 athletes. "Meanwhile London Donovan performed statistically better on-field while playing for the Galaxy, Everton and the U.S. national team during the 2011 Gold Cup. This ultimately pushed Donovan ahead of Beckham overall."

Put another way: Play better Beckham.

And last year was statistically the best of his five years in MLS.

See the entire Power 100 here.

Clearing up a few odds and ends before the weekend (that would have posted hours sooner had our soon-to-be-replaced blogging software not freaked out):

*Galaxy midfielder Michael Stephens, Chivas USA's Jorge Villafaña (formerly Flores) and UCLA midfielder Kelyn Rowe were named today to the U-23 camp set for Sunday through Jan. 25 at Carson's Home Depot Center and in Costa Rica. All but four of the 22-player roster, including Rowe, were in the December U-23 camp in Florida. Full roster, camp details here.

*The increasingly unimportant MLS Combine, a precursor to the increasingly unimportant MLS Draft, is under way in Florida.

There are several Southern California-based players involved from the likes of UCLA and Cal State Northridge. The complete roster of combine participants is here. You can watch the combine here.

*Chivas USA President Jose Domene tweeted this morning that a new player signing was imminent.

The club has also released four players who won't be missed: starting midfielder midfielder Marcos Mondaini; defender Michael Umana, a second time wash-out in MLS after featuring for Steve Sampson's Galaxy back in 2005; striker and noted braggart Victor Estupiñán, who boasted he would score 25-plus MLS goals and ended up with one; and third choice goalkeeper Sergio Arias.

*Former Chivas USA coach Thomas Rongen has joined Toronto as Academy director, the club announced today.

*Toronto also announced today that tickets for the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinal against the Galaxy will go on sale next Friday. Tickets start at $29. Anyone making the trek from LA?

*Hermosa Beach native Dan Tobias has joined the South Bay Force as director of coaching for the club's girls program. The Mira Costa High grad and was a two-time PAC-10 Coach of the Year at the University of Arizona during a seven-year tenure at the school.

*Glasgow Rangers manager Ally McCoist said the club turned down an inadequate offer from French club Sochaux for midfielder Maurice Edu of Fontana.

McCoist was quoted by the Associated Press as saying the bid, which he didn't disclose, "was so far away that I would be very surprised if they came back in."

Sochaux is already home to American forward Charlie Davies, who spent last year on loan with D.C. United.

"I can tell you that I want Maurice Edu to sign a new contract rather than go anywhere," McCoist said.

*There's yet more on the scandals involving FIFA and CONCACAF today:

ZURICH (AP) -- FIFA says former vice president Jack Warner peddled "inaccuracies and falsehoods" when he claimed last month that he got World Cup television rights for $1 in exchange for supporting Sepp Blatter's presidential campaigns.

FIFA confirms that Warner received Caribbean broadcasting rights for $1, though from 1986 and not -- as Warner claimed -- from 1998 when Blatter was first electe d.

FIFA says the deals had "nothing to do" with Blatter's election campaigns.

FIFA says World Cup rights were often sold until 1998 for nominal sums to maximize coverage in developing nations, and provide soccer bodies with extra revenue from selling on rights to broadcasters.

The governing body says Warner was expected to raise money for the Caribbean Football Union.

*Finally, if you only watch one game this weekend, I recommend the Manchester derby in the FA Cup third round that's set to air locally at 5 a.m. Sunday on Fox Soccer.

Enjoy what is shaping up to be another stunning winter weekend in Southern California.

Big guns: Aging stars like, from left, Robert Pires, retired Brazilian striker Ronaldo (well, OK maybe it's a little late for him) and Chelsea's Didier Drogba, seen here at a charity game in Hamburg, Germany today, may have less motivation to take MLS money now that China's newly rich have jumped in the game (AP Photo).

I thought the following column was worth running, given how it sorta dovetails with my weekly piece that ran today.

Who knew a bunch of Commies would flaunt their cash like this anyway?

Here's AP Sports Columnist John Leicester with more:

PARIS (AP) -- With more than 100 billionaires and counting, it was only a matter of time before China's financial muscle started making dents on world soccer, following in the designer-clad footsteps of moguls from the Middle East and Russia.

This, after all, is a sport happy to be a play thing for those with money to burn, with players who don't give two hoots who signs their paycheck -- just so long as it has lots of zeros on it.

But becoming wealthy enough to buy the twilight years of a fading star like Nicolas Anelka, who is moving from Chelsea in the English Premier League to Shanghai Shenhua in the Chinese Super League, is not the same thing as spending wisely on Chinese stars of tomorrow. Anelka will deliver to Shanghai that thing craved by many rich owners in sports -- attention.

Yet such glamor buys, alone, aren't going to help China unearth an Anelka of its own in decades to come or stop it from being, on a per capita basis, arguably the most underachieving soccer nation on the planet. The next World Cup in 2014 will take place without China, which again failed to qualify.

Anelka is making Chinese soccer noticed outside China. But, if being talked about is all that comes of this, then China won't be much closer to becoming a respected soccer nation or fielding a homegrown 11 of top-notch players in the foreseeable future.

"This is just the beginning. Every transfer window from now on you will expect to see more 30-plus world stars, or previous world stars, starting to take big salary payments for a couple of years in China," said Rowan Simons, a Beijing-based expert on soccer in China and author of "Bamboo Goalposts," which recounts his efforts to help grass roots soccer take hold there.

"It's egos, isn't it? Egos of very rich men. And soccer is a very obvious -- you see this all
over the world -- place to splash cash. It's toys for very rich boys," Simons said in a phone interview. It's "massive games going on with huge amounts of money that are linked into politics and the egos of oligarchs while having absolutely zero effect on the health of the game of football in China."

Forget the $300,000 Anelka will reportedly pocket each week. Don't dwell on the $10 million that another club, Guangzhou Evergrande, splurged in July to sign Dario Conca from Fluminense, smashing China's transfer record and making the Argentine reportedly the third-highest paid player in the world. Such sums are like a garage of expensive sports cars -- nice to look at but not, ultimately, terribly useful in getting you from A to B when faced with challenging, steep and bumpy terrain.

No, the most eye-grabbing figure from China these days is 7,000. That, says the China Daily, is the number of players aged under 18 that the Chinese Football Association had on its books at the end of last year. Just 7,000, from among 1.3 billion people. In the early 1990s, the total used to be 650,000, the newspaper says. Furthermore, it notes that Japan, with a population one-tenth that of China's, now has 70 times more registered youth players.

Anelka hasn't played for France since he was sent home from the 2010 World Cup, in disgrace for telling coach Raymond Domenech in no uncertain terms what he could do with his tactics.

At Chelsea, new manager Andre Villas-Boas didn't appear to have much further use for the 32-year-old striker.

But Anelka will be the biggest name Chinese soccer has ever seen -- which, in itself, is a measure of how far behind the sport is there. His renown should lure the curious to Shanghai's Hongkou Stadium, where Shenhua plays with one-third or two-thirds of the 30,000-odd seats often empty.

Which is all very nice for Anelka and for Zhu Jun, the 45-year-old businessman who bought Shenhua in 2007 having made his fortune in computing and online gaming. But where are the hordes of soccer-mad youngsters that China will need if it is to become something more than merely the next Klondike for soon-to-be retirees from overseas?

Well, when I was based in China a decade ago and, most recently, traveled there for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, they either seemed to prefer basketball, to watch broadcasts of the English Premier League and other foreign leagues, or were too focused on cramming for exams to play soccer. Corruption and match-fixing were so rampant that bribed referees even had their own nickname -- "black whistles" -- something that also turned fans away.

"It's kind of one of those love affairs where the partner kept on cheating on you and cheating on you and you kept on forgiving them and they kept on cheating on you," Terry Rhoads, a former Nike executive who runs Zou Marketing, a Shanghai-based sports consultancy focused on the China market, said in a phone interview. "It got to the point where the Chinese soccer fan ... is very jaded. They have just been abused in the relationship for 15 years."

Anelka's move is another signal that Chinese soccer is bouncing back, having hit bottom. Rhoads likened money coming from Chinese tycoons as "the beginnings of an arms race" and said he's advising clients "that Chinese soccer now is a buy." The government coaxed Wang Jianlin, a real estate tycoon who turned his back on Chinese soccer a decade ago, to help out this July with a $77 million, 3-year-investment, some of it to sponsor youth leagues and to send young players overseas.

One of Wang's goals, a yardstick by which he says he will measure whether his company's money has been well spent, is to get more teenagers playing.

"If China's soccer population increases to 700,000 or 800,000 in three years, then our
cooperation will be successful," the China Daily quoted him as saying.

Now that, not throwing money at must-have trophy players from overseas, sounds like a goal really worth having.

John Leicester is an international sports columnist for The Associated Press.

Pujols presented: Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno introduces Albert Pujols during a news conference Saturday in Anaheim (AP Photo).

Say, haven't we seen this before?

I thought so, too. Read today's column here.

No wonder this man is smiling

LONDON (AP) -- David Beckham earned nearly $16.5 million from personal sponsorship deals during his first full season with the Galaxy.

The England midfielder's latest accounts show that his marketability was unaffected by his move from Real Madrid to the United States, where soccer is less popular.

Newly released figures from the official British company registry show that Beckham's income from his Footwork Productions company in the year ending Dec. 31, 2008, soared by 91 percent from the previous year.

The company's gross profit of $20 million, which rose about 15 percent, includes income from endorsements. That figure is believed to account for two-thirds of the 34-year-old Beckham's sponsorship income.

A separate company, Brand Beckham, receives his $5.5 million basic salary from the Galaxy, the share of the merchandising he generates for the MLS team and joint endorsements with his wife, Victoria, including their range of fragrances.

Beckham joined the Galaxy on a five-year contract in July 2007. Despite the non-renewal of sponsorship contracts with Gillette and Pepsi, his advisers at 19 Entertainment are confident of expanding his off-the-field portfolio.

As well as developing his own apparel range with Adidas, Beckham's management team is looking to secure up to six sponsors in various areas.

Beckham's global appeal is likely to be helped by a second five-month stay at AC Milan
beginning in January, which will boost his chances of going to a fourth consecutive World Cup with England.

That's according to Brian Boswell, coach of the Rolling Hills Estates-based Women's Professional Soccer League club Ajax America (for years now one of the top women's teams in the nation and a WPSL finalist again last year) and a sometime contributor to this blog.

The revelations were contained in what is essentially a begging letter circulating via e-mail that seeks to ensure the continued existence of Ajax.

Boswell also has close ties to the Sol and it's the first-time I've seen semi-confirmation from someone associated with the team regarding the long-rumored magnitude of the team's losses.

Still, Anschutz Entertainment Group, which has part ownership of the Sol, has committed to the team for at least one more season and the club will play next year at Home Depot Center again from what I've heard.

Here's the text of Boswell's e-mail exactly as he wrote it:

Hi Everyone,

Please excuse this mass e/mail but many of you have watched the Ajax women play and/or participated in 1 or more of the Ajax Academies.

Ajax is one of the top women's teams in the world. Last year we were the LA SOL's reserve team and had 11 of the SOL players on our roster. We have been US Soccer National Champions 6 times, WPSL national Champions twice in the last 9 years and in the WPSL final 4 of the last 4 years.

Ajax is broke.

Each year we have been able to raise money through the Academies and some wonderful sponsorships. Plus 4 years ago we won $20,000 playing in an international tournament in Korea which we have been using.

For Ajax to play next season we need to raise a minimum of $12,000. This covers league fees, field fees, travel fees, referees fees etc. Notice no coaching fees.

We were hoping this year we would get financial support from the LA SOL but its possible there will not be an LA SOL. They lost over $2 million last season and may not be around for next year. Leaving Ajax as the best women's soccer you will be able to see locally.

Obviously we would love to find 1 sponsor who would donate the whole $12,000 but we realize that is probably impossible but please feel free to be that sponsor. Realistically we are hoping to find 120 families who would be willing to donate $100 each to the Ajax team.

We hope there are enough of you who have watched and enjoyed Ajax playing that you would want it to continue. We have never charged admittance, just hoped you would come up, watch and enjoy.

Please let me know if you would like to donate or have any ideas that we could use to raise the money.

Please consider this and please pass this onto anyone you feel could help or anyone we have missed.

Any donations are tax deductible.

Thank you all for your support in the past and hopefully the future.

Sincerely,

Brian

Brian Boswell Ajax

Brian's telephone number is listed on the team's page, BTW, for anyone who wants to help or get in touch with him.

Eurosnobs and assorted critics (like this one) often wish MLS would open its wallet a little more to attract better players and improve the quality of play.

Well, a fiscally conservative approach has its benefits as this story below out of Europe today confirms. Put this one in the careful what you wish for department.

BRUSSELS (AP) -- Almost a quarter of Europe's top division soccer clubs reported major financial losses last year, UEFA said Thursday, with a third of the teams in the rich and successful English Premier League losing at least 20 percent of income.

UEFA secretary general David Taylor warned a conference on financial responsibility in sport that more red ink is expected this year as leagues feel the full weight of the sputtering global economy.

Of the top leagues in the world, the Premier League was by far in the worst position when it came to the number of clubs with major losses. Only Romania, Ukraine, the Czech Republic and Poland had more clubs losing money among Europe's 53 federations.

Italy was in 15th position on the 2008 club losses list, with Spain ranked 35th and France and Germany among those in the best financial shape.

Across Europe, barely half of teams break even or make a profit, UEFA reported.

The financial problems come despite income that's tripled for clubs since 1997, largely
through marketing and media revenue.

The problem is costs are rising, too. For instance, while income rose 5 percent last year, player costs increased 9 percent.

"The huge spending on players produces constantly an inflationary effect with consequences on the whole club football movement," Taylor said.

On top of that, "the current financial crisis has exacerbated the situation."

This offseason alone, Real Madrid and Manchester City combined to spend more than $487 million on new talent.

In an attempt to contain such massive spending, UEFA has imposed new rules for clubs to break even on soccer-related businesses by 2012 or be stripped of their licenses. The governing body of European soccer appointed former Belgian Prime Minister Jean-Luc Dehaene to lead its campaign to control excessive spending.

On Thursday, the European Union, often at loggerheads with soccer when it comes to imposing sports-specific rules, embraced UEFA's efforts.

"I welcome and support these," EU Sports Commissioner Jan Figel said. "I look forward to the implementation."

Taylor said the system will teach leading clubs to compete for European titles with their
revenues instead of their debt, and to protect the long-term future of the sport. UEFA's
financial fair play policy has also been endorsed by most club owners.

Early this week, the Premier League also announced a new financial plan to regulate its 20 clubs. The league will take temporary control of clubs that run into financial problems and ban them from buying players or raising salaries. Clubs will have to submit accounts each March to ensure they can begin the next season in August.

Inter Milan unveiled their 2009-2010 season kit that celebrates the centenary of the club's first league title at an invitation-only flashy production Thursday night at Nike Sportswear at The Montalbán in Hollywood.

Photos by Susan Goldman courtesy of Nike

Dejean Stankovic, left, waves to the crowd while Alessandro Mancini, Thiago Motta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Francesco Toldo look on.

The event apparently included a "blue carpet" arrival by team and a "history of Inter kit runway show."

The new kit will be worn first at the World Football Challenge tournament that includes a game between Inter and Chelsea Tuesday at the Rose Bowl.

From the press release:

The new kit is subtly infused with stories from their glorious past starting with their first win in the 1909-1910 season. Additional inspiration for the uniform was taken from several triumphant periods including the 1965-1966 season when Inter won their tenth Championship thus earning the star that now sits proudly above their club crest.

As the press release reminds us, they are from Italy:

The cut and fit of this new kit reflects the best of Italian tailoring by taking Milan's innate sense of style from the catwalk and boutiques on to the football pitch.

From the this isn't just a soccer kit, it's a "sweat management fabric" department:

The uniform is made with Nike's Dri-FIT fabric, a cross-category and successful versatile, sweat management fabric resulting from years of research and testing. Nike Dri-FIT apparel is designed to keeps players drier, cooler and lighter by drawing sweat from the body to the fabric's surface; the three-dimensional structure creates air space around the skin, reducing clinging and maintaining athletes more comfortable on the field.

Briefly:

*U.S international Jozy Altidore will sign autographs and take pictures with fans from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday at the adidas Sports Performance store on the Third Street Promenade. The address is 1231 Third Street Promenade. There's adidas product giveaways, too.

*Pasadena City College product Yura Movsisyan spoke publicly for the first time Wednesday about his pending move from Real Salt Lake to a club in Denmark.

*Finally, will Chelsea's John Terry join Manchester City before his current club plays at the Rose Bowl later this month? Find out goalkeeper Petr Cech's opinion here.

If approved, financed and built it will be called South Coast Soccer City.

I'm told it will look very similar to the picture that accompanies the story.

The usual crew of anonymous bigots has hijacked the comment section at the bottom of the story, so allow me to clarify one thing: no taxpayer money is involved.

This is an ambitious venture and some folks I've talked to worry those involved may be reaching a little too far. Nevertheless, given the demand for fields in the greater L.A. region, there should be plenty of interest from varying demographic groups (and yes, to answer another question I received via e-mail, there will be adult leagues for men).

Frankly, I've barely played soccer since moving to Torrance from Ventura, so I'm looking forward to this, too, assuming it gets off the ground (the backers declined to tell me how much they're spending on this and I have the impression they still may be looking for investors).

The backers understand the risks involved, BTW. Kevin Gilmore observed that because this is the first purpose-built facility of its type they know of "therein lies the challenge and the opportunity."

BTW, I was told it will cost about $550 per team for an eight-week season, which isn't bad split up between 8-10 people. And no, you can't sign up yet.

The proposal calls for seven fields: three 49 feet by 90 feet fields, one 60 feet by 120 feet, one 60 feet by 120 feet field (the size required for international play) and two 40 feet by 90 feet field turf arenas.

A few futsal facts (culled from the project's overview):

*Futsal is not played with walls like traditional indoor soccer in the U.S. and therefore is considered the best way outdoor soccer players can train indoors "to refine and maintain their control, skill and touch."

*Futsal is considered one of the fastest growing indoor sports in the world and is played by 12 million people worldwide, including 70,000 in the U.S.

*"In futsal you need to think quick and play quick so it's easier for you when you move to normal football," said Pele.

Updated: It was approved by the Planning Commission.