Category: soccer

soccer

CONCACAF: The MLS graveyard

Posted on by Beau Dure

Funny how the buzz over the Kansas City Wizards beating Manchester United can be killed so quickly.

The Los Angeles Galaxy, several bajillion points ahead of the Wizards in the MLS table, played a more meaningful game last night in the CONCACAF Champions League against the Puerto Rico Islanders.

And lost.

At home.

4-1.

This is a tournament that hasn’t been kind to MLS teams over the past decade. The competition actually went better for MLS in the old days, with the Galaxy reaching the 1997 finals (MLS’ second year) and D.C. United winning it in 1998. Then the Galaxy won it in 2000. Since then, no MLS teams have reached the finals. Since moving to a “League” format rather than a simple eight-team Cup, the carnage has been worse.

It’s not just a case of losing to the better-established and better-financed Mexican league. Puerto Rico knocked out Toronto last year. Trinidad and Tobago’s W Connection FC knocked out New York, one year after countrymates Joe Public routed New England on 6-1 aggregate. Houston failed to advance from its group last year, finishing behind Panama’s Arabe Unido.

Granted, the tournament as a whole has some strange results. Puerto Rico, which plays in the USA’s second tier but qualifies through the Caribbean club championship, makes this competition its highest priority and reached the 2009 semifinals before losing on penalty kicks to Mexico’s Cruz Azul. Mexican teams often look disinterested, particularly if those teams are also involved in the more prestigious Copa Libertadores.

But the top team in MLS losing 4-1 at home to a team featuring a couple of players waived from MLS clubs?

Galaxy coach Bruce Arena put it succinctly: “Their effort was excellent and ours wasn’t good enough.”

From what I saw yesterday, Landon Donovan was at least putting in the effort. But Puerto Rico clearly brings a bit more motivation.

It’s not talent. Players from clubs that pull CONCACAF upsets sometimes sign with MLS, and they rarely have an impact. Perhaps the reserves that play in these games can’t cut it, which raises questions about the players MLS is signing for the 12th-20th spots on the rosters.

Whether it’s extra motivation or a deeper bench, MLS has to address this problem. The league knows full well that it’s battling to capture the fan base in the wake of the World Cup, the quadrennial revival tent for soccer fans. Beating Manchester United is nice, but these games are mere tune-ups for the English visitors. The real report card for the league’s quality of play is in meaningful games.

The saving grace for MLS is that no one’s paying attention other than us soccer nerds. The crowd in Kansas City was nearly 10 times the crowd in Los Angeles last night. But the league can’t rely on obscurity forever.

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soccer

Women’s soccer: Small world, wouldn’t want to paint it *

Posted on by Beau Dure

Tom Dunmore has a post at BigSoccer about the global rise in women’s soccer, drawing from Nigeria’s upset of the USA in the U-20 Women’s World Cup. This women’s competition has indeed been as unpredictable as a men’s U-20 event, with unheralded African teams going toe-to-toe with the big names in the sport.

This coincides with my debut at ESPN, in which I ponder the decline of women’s soccer’s popularity in the USA. The WUSA overspent, yes, but wouldn’t WPS love to have those attendance figures today? And the funny thing is that the games are better today than they were then.

I don’t have any real answers, of course. I’ve wondered before if Gen Y and the Millennials are less inclined to see women as athletes and more inclined to see them as Maxim covers, and one of the ESPN comments describing half the Washington Freedom crowd as “butch lesbians” points at a rather skewed view of the world. To cite Seinfeld, there wouldn’t be anything wrong with having that mix in the crowd, but having been to several Freedom games, I can testify that it’s just not true.

In Europe, meanwhile, the women’s Champions League just gets more solid each year. Europe is hardly a unified continent of progressive attitudes, of course — women’s ski jumping has fought through all kinds of condescending remarks, and the old guard of English journalists didn’t exactly welcome women’s soccer with open minds.

Women’s games, in general, aren’t bad at all. The diving epidemic in the men’s game hasn’t quite caught on, for one thing. After some of the drearier World Cup games, WPS provided a welcome change of attitude.

We in the USA think of ourselves as the worldwide leader in women’s sports, at least women’s team sports. Yet basketball pros find life more profitable overseas, perhaps free from snarky columnists like SI’s Jeff Pearlman.

Is that the future for women’s soccer as well?

* – yes, the headline is a Steven Wright joke

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soccer

Freedom’s misfortunes touch Gold Pride, too

Posted on by Beau Dure

FC Gold Pride wasn’t necessarily planning to turn the entire Saturday evening at the Maryland SoccerPlex into one large-scale counterattack. The game just turned out that way, with the Bay Area team on their heels in the first half and then taking advantage of opportunities in the second.

The 4-1 final score was deceptive, and with Freedom keeper Erin McLeod suffering a knee injury bearing all the signs of something serious, the visitors weren’t getting too giddy.

Yet the game showed how much is going Gold Pride’s way this season and how much is going wrong for the Freedom, who tumbled out of playoff position with the loss.

Sympathy for McLeod

McLeod’s injury was particularly tough on Gold Pride forward Christine Sinclair, her Canadian national teammate.

Continue reading →

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soccer

MLS fans: Shut the *&^&# up

Posted on by Beau Dure

There’s a disagreement over fan behavior going on in the blogosphere, and it’s clear that my longtime RFK pressbox pal Aaron Stollar (Fighting Talker, BigSoccer) is better-informed than Ethiene Rodriguez at EPL Talk.

Usually, the better-informed person is right. And Aaron’s usually right. Unfortunately, this argument has hit upon a pet peeve of mine, which is gratuitous bleeping profanity at bleeping MLS games.

There’s nothing clever or entertaining about chanting “&%$# you, ref” after a disagreeable call. Frankly, we had far better chants in high school. (My favorite: “Nuts and bolts! Nuts and bolts! We got screwed!”)

There’s nothing clever or entertaining about yelling “You suck, a&&hole” just as the goalkeeper makes contact on a goal kick.

Forget for a moment — only a moment — that MLS can’t afford to tune out any audience. You 18-35ers who think you own the world have to coexist with the 40somethings and their U12 kids. Apologies to all who want to take the wrong lessons from Toronto’s success in filling BMO, but that’s the way it is. “F you ref” isn’t going to make anyone feel a sudden urge to take in an MLS game; it might get a few people to leave.

The larger problem is that you just look and sound like stupid wannabes. Like so many college basketball fans who copy Duke’s energy without any of the creativity (which, sadly, has faded in Cameron Indoor Stadium over the years), you’re taking the bit of someone else’s atmosphere that’s easiest to copy and running with it.

A lot of the U.S. soccer community has a complex about European soccer. We want the atmosphere at MLS games to be full of raucous chanting like we imagine we’re seeing and hearing at EPL games. Fine.

Now tell me what you think of when you think of Liverpool fans. “%&%# you, you &%$#munch” or You’ll Never Walk Alone? Thought so.

MLS fans are capable of much more than this. Some Toronto and Seattle fans may think they invented passionate atmospheres, but most clubs have at least one solid supporters group with good chants and sometimes stunning banners.

Changing the tone doesn’t mean keeping a swear jar at the turnstile, though they might be an effective way for some teams to afford a Designated Player. It means cutting down the organized pottymouth. You’re not going to intimidate the ref or the opponent. You’re just going to intimidate your neighbor who looks across the stadium and sees a mob missing a few brain cells.

These days, everyone’s asking MLS to raise the level on the field. How about raising the level off it?

Update: Match Fit USA has a typically articulate post defending the notion of MLS fans “being themselves.” I still disagree, of course, and I hope “typical Philly behavior” is closer to what I know of the Sons of Ben rather than the Flyers fans shouting homophobic slurs and starting fights in the men’s room at Verizon Center.

2
cycling, olympic sports, rugby, soccer

Friday Myriad: The dog ate it

Posted on by Beau Dure

Things I’ll try to watch this weekend while we finish up a long week of dog-sitting …

FRIDAY

8:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 18. Flat stage with a likely sprint finish that will help decide the green jersey. Thor SMASH! Thor SMASH! Versus

8 p.m.: Softball, USA-Japan. First game of a lot of World Cup softball on ESPN networks this weekend. Jennie Finch has announced her imminent retirement. ESPN – full schedule of games at USA Softball

SATURDAY

6 a.m.: Rugby, Tri-Nations, Australia-South Africa. RugbyZone.com (pay)

8:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 19. Time trial. That’s Andy Schleck’s last real chance to take the yellow jersey from Alberto Contador, but he’s an underdog. Versus

4 p.m.: Action sports, BMX Open. NBC

10 p.m.: Basketball, U.S. national team intrasquad game. World Championships start in late August. LeBron apparently not involved this time, though without a one-hour special, can we be sure? ESPN2

SUNDAY

5:30 a.m.: Soccer, USA-Nigeria, U-20 Women’s World Cup quarterfinal. ESPNU/ESPN3.com

7:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, final stage. Possibly a final sprint for the green jersey, but more importantly, time to bid a fond farewell to Phil Liggett and Paul Sherwen for now. And what will we do with our mornings now? Versus

4 p.m.: Beach volleyball, AVP Long Beach men’s final. ABC

10:30 p.m.: Soccer, Seattle-Colorado. In case you prefer league games to friendlies. Fox Soccer Channel

11 p.m.: Beach volleyball, AVP Long Beach women’s final (same-day). ESPN2

MORE MYRIAD

  • Full soccer listings at Soccer America: MLS, international friendlies, U-20 Women’s World Cup, Mexico.
  • Selected weekend listings at USA TODAY
  • ESPN3: U-20 Women’s World Cup, Australian Rules football, CFL, cricket, AAU basketball, tennis, fishing, lacrosse
  • Tennis Channel: Two live ATP tournaments.
  • Universal Sports: Triathlon, World Juniors track and field.
  • More Olympic sports: Handful of U.S. championships and junior competitions.
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soccer

MLS Player News: Dallas debut, Bunbury’s case

Posted on by Beau Dure

Just a little experiment in gathering bits of news — feedback welcome.

Jon Conway, GK, Toronto — Not likely to play but happy to return home to Philly area. Main reason for inclusion here, of course: Dad’s name is Tim Conway. (Delaware County Times)

Columbus — In dire need of a DP? Not going to get one because of ownership? (Columbus Dispatch)

Thierry Henry, F, New York — Not ready to play in big match with Columbus, but he’ll travel with team. (multiple)

John Wolyniec, F, New York — Has missed last two practices, and coach Hans Backe has no comment. (MLSSoccer.com)

Dane Richards, F/M, New York — Expected to start alongside Juan Pablo Angel up front as Backe opts against 4-5-1. (MLSSoccer.com)

Milton Rodriguez, F, Dallas — Colombia striker gets transfer paperwork in order and may dive right in atop 4-1-4-1 formation. (MLSSoccer.com)

Teal Bunbury, F, Kansas City — Will the rookie keep starting job after he scored lone goal in 1-0 win at Columbus? (Kansas City Star)

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cycling, general sports, olympic sports, rugby, soccer

Friday Myriad: Morning TV, friendly soccer

Posted on by Beau Dure

I have survived Double Deadline Day. I survived the sauna that passes for RFK Stadium’s press box. I survived the long Metro ride home, which ended with a ranting woman accusing me of using my Blackberry to transmit shortwave signals into her head to make her hair fall out. (Among other problems corroborating such an accusation: She had a very healthy head of hair.)

So what will I be watching now that all of this is done? There’s the British Open, which some will watch for Tiger drama but I enjoy for the spectacle of seeing pro golfers deal with bunkers that look like they’re hiding the Millennium Falcon. The Tour de France has a good two-man race between defending champ Alberto Contador and youngster Andy Schleck. And there’s soccer, soccer and more soccer.

FRIDAY

7 p.m.: Soccer, Manchester United-Celtic. Euro friendlies have always struck me as something I’d much rather watch in person than on TV, but plenty of people would disagree with me on that. Must be a considerable number disagreeing with me, as this game is taking up an ESPN network’s air time rather than filling summer time slots on FSC. ESPN2

9 p.m.: Boxing, Zab Judah-Jose Armando Santa Cruz. Unusual to see a name like Judah’s on the Friday Night Fights card. ESPN2

SATURDAY

3:35 a.m.: Rugby, Tri-Nations, New Zealand-South Africa. See Travis’ preview.

5 a.m.: Golf, British Open coverage starts with multiple angles/holes online, then on TV at 7 a.m. ESPN/ESPN3.com

8:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 13. Versus

Noon: Soccer, USA-Switzerland, U-20 Women’s World Cup. Fresh from a stunning 1-1 draw with Ghana, which would apparently frustrate the USA in every sport ever invented, the young Americans try to regroup against the Swiss. Good news for the Swiss: They have Atlanta Beat prodigy Ramona Bachmann. Bad news: They lost their opener 4-0 to South Korea. ESPNU/ESPN3.com

4 p.m.: Soccer, San Jose-Tottenham. Really? This friendly is on TV while Philly-Toronto (3:30), Columbus-New York (7:30), Dallas-Salt Lake (8:30) and Colorado-Kansas City (9) are on Direct Kick and online? OK, then. Columbus-New York won’t feature Thierry Henry’s debut, but the Red Bulls could leap over the Crew into first in the East.  ESPN/ESPN Deportes

7:30 p.m.: Soccer, USA-Sweden women. Tale of two halves when these teams met earlier in the week. The USA dominated the first half and finally got a goal. Early in the second, Amy Rodriguez hit the crossbar, and Sweden scored on a counter. It finished 1-1, with Sweden looking better the rest of the way. That’s not normal for a home game and speaks to a possible depth problem. Fox Soccer Channel

SUNDAY

6 a.m.: Golf, British Open. All feeds live at the same time. ESPN/ESPN3.com

7:30 a.m.: Cycling, Tour de France, Stage 14. Versus

3 p.m.: Soccer, Seattle-Celtic. Again, huge game if you’re within driving/train-riding distance of Qwest Field. Or if you have a fierce Celtic tie. ESPN/ESPN Deportes

5 p.m.: Soccer, WPS, Boston-Washington. The Breakers are making a charge with two straight wins, while the goals have dried up for the Freedom. FSC

7:30 p.m.: Soccer, MLS, D.C. United-Los Angeles. Both teams looking to rebound from a loss. There, the similarities end. It’s worst vs. first at RFK. (Technically, D.C. is a point ahead of Philly, but the Union have three games in hand.) FSC

MORE MYRIAD

  • World Series of Poker: Main Event will be whittled down to 27 players on Friday and then down to the “November Nine” on Saturday.
  • Full soccer listings at Soccer America, including SuperLiga.
  • Selected weekend listings at USA TODAY
  • ESPN3: U-20 Women’s World Cup, Australian Rules football, CFL, NBA Summer League and a ton of golf.
  • Tennis Channel: Nothing live this weekend.
  • Universal Sports: Ironman, some Tour simulcasts and AVP Hermosa Beach.
  • More Olympic sports: U.S. championships in boxing and mountain bike.
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soccer

MLS: Still not sturdy enough to wish for another team’s demise

Posted on by Beau Dure

I often like to visit the visiting fans’ section at RFK Stadium. For one thing, it gets me out of the press sauna and out in the stands where the breezes offer some relief.

We're not superior -- RFK management just put us in the upper deck. Like the Open Cup replica?

It’s especially interesting when you have fervent fans who travel a great distance to see the recent expansion teams. They often offer insights on their teams’ successes and needs that you won’t get elsewhere. Tonight’s conversation with a Seattle supporter was no exception. Among the ground covered:

– If Adrian Hanauer were to stand today for re-election under the much-hyped promise to let fans retain or push out the GM, he’d have little trouble keeping his job. The Sounders aren’t matching last year’s results, but the good run last year didn’t give everyone unrealistic expectations.

– Freddie Ljungberg served the Sounders well in their first year, and there’s a certain amount of pride that the team’s medical staff fixed him up. But if it’s time for him to go elsewhere, so be it. The younger players could use more playing time, and the team can splurge on an even bigger designated player.

– Coach Sigi Schmid might be sticking with his old favorites (Peter Vagenas leaped to mind) a little too much.

– Players and fans need to get over their dislike of FieldTurf. World Cup qualifiers should be played at Qwest Field.

– The Seattle atmosphere is an awesome manifestation of civic pride.

And with that, he looked down (literally — visiting fans are in the upper deck) upon an unfilled lower bowl at RFK Stadium. He seemed surprised to learn that United fans, not too long ago, had filled that lower bowl on a regular basis. (Weeknights in traffic-choked, workaholic D.C. will always be tough, though.)

Continue reading →

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basketball, cycling, mind games, olympic sports, rugby, soccer, track and field

Monday Myriad: No soccer withdrawal here

Posted on by Beau Dure

Sixteen years ago, I felt a few pangs of withdrawal. I had been able to watch maybe half of the World Cup games on my little TV in my little living room in my little apartment. After that dreary final … nothing. No MLS. No regular European broadcasts. No women’s soccer.

Sunday, an hour after bidding farewell to the group of friends who came over to drink Dutch and (blech) Spanish beer while we gorged ourselves on food and watched a final that was a little less dreary, I went back into our HDTV room downstairs and flipped to Fox Soccer Channel. WPS — Washington Freedom vs. FC Gold Pride. And while the officiating was just as atrocious as the worst of what we saw from South Africa, I could rest assured that I was still watching soccer. As I’ve said elsewhere, U.S. soccer fans have been enabled. We can watch all weekend. And all week. Sorry, Tim Dahlberg, but we don’t need your permission.

And because we’re sports geeks who watch and comment on every competition shy of the foosball games downstairs (for the record, I was able to play an actual game against someone tall enough to see the table for once, and I won twice by a 10-2 count), we have much else to follow as well.

Women’s soccer: USA’s revenge over Ghana! The USA start play Tuesday in the U-20 Women’s World Cup, and it’ll be an upset to end all upsets if Ghana duplicates its 2006 and 2010 2-1 men’s victories. Dive all you want. Not going to happen.

Cycling: Lance Armstrong is now fourth in the Tour de France … on his own team. We can see if Team Radio Shack regroups to give Levi Leipheimer a push for the final podium, but more realistically, we’re looking at a Cadel Evans-Andy Schleck-Alberto Contador shootout.

Olympics (winter and summer): We’ve seen speedskaters take up cycling. Bobsledders recruit from football and track. So can skeleton veteran Katie Uhlaender make it back to the Olympics in weightlifting?

Volleyball: The U.S. men made a nice run at the World League final six, beating Russia in the first match of two in the final weekend. But the pool leaders came back for a 3-1 win in the finale, and the USA didn’t qualify as the “lucky loser” second-place team.

Basketball: Gold medal for USA U-17 men.

Track and field: Tyson Gay beat Asafa Powell in the highlight of the Diamond League’s stop in England.

Rowing: USA women’s eight still a powerhouse.

Poker: We’re down to 2,557 players in the World Series of Poker Main Event. Exiting gracefully on Day 2B were poker legend Doyle Brunson, baseball great Orel Hershiser, Seinfeld‘s Jason Alexander, Phil Ivey and Chris “Jesus” Ferguson.

Some of the names we’ll be watching on Day 3 (which is really Day 7, but they have four Day 1s and two Day 2s to accommodate the crowd):

– Bruce Buffer, UFC cage announcer
– Hank Azaria, Apu and many, many other Simpsons voices
– Johnny Chan, two-time Main Event winner
– Chris Moneymaker, 2003 surprise winner who helped start the poker boom
– Joe Cada, defending champion
– Daniel Negreanu, top poker pro and lively Twitter personality
– Allen Cunningham, like Negreanu a former WSOP Player of the Year
– Frank Kassela, sure to be this year’s Player of the Year
– Jennifer Harman, top poker pro
– Phil “Unabomber” Laak, one of the better nicknames among poker pros
– Vanessa Rousso, Duke grad like me but obviously much smarter
– Jack Ury, age 97
– Gabe Kaplan, Mr. Kotter

Sunday was a rest day at the WSOP, but they’ll be back on the Tour de France’s rest day Monday. Strange how that works.

Rugby: New Zealand sent what some in the U.S. media might call “a message,” dominating South Africa 32-12 in a Tri Nations matchup ahead of next year’s World Cup in New Zealand.

Cricket: Bangladesh beat England for the first time ever in a one-day international. Carrie Dunn captured some of the late drama.

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cycling, mind games, olympic sports, soccer, tennis, track and field

Friday Myriad: Up all night for Aussie Rules, MMA, Le Tour

Posted on by Beau Dure

No, I didn’t forget. Today was a last-ditch effort to get some progress on two nagging free-lance assignments.

Which reminds me — if you or someone you know is a male caregiver for a spouse or loved one who has breast cancer AND you’ve done the Komen 3-day walk, could you please, please get in touch with me?

On to the weekend (all times ET):

SATURDAY

12:01 a.m.: Australian football, Geelong-Hawthorn. Nice to see this sport making a comeback on U.S. airwaves. Still have no idea how anyone has the stamina to run for two hours while being pummeled every time the ball is nearby. ESPN2

3 a.m.: MMA, Dream 15, lightweight title fight, Shinya Aoki-Tatsuya Kawajiri. Also in action: Gegard Mousasi, Melvin Manhoef, Gesias Cavalcante. If you can’t watch live, check recaps from my colleague Sergio Non. HDNet

7:30 a.m.: Tour de France, Stage 7. To the mountains we go! Well, sort of. Just a couple of category-2 climbs today. The Alpine stages this year aren’t quite as torturous as usual, with most of the massive climbs coming in the Pyrenees in the third week. Versus

8 a.m.: Davis-Cup, quarterfinals, France-Spain, doubles. France leads 2-0. They’re playing without Jo-Wilfried Tsonga, but Spain is playing without someone named Nadal. Gael Monfils outlasted David Ferrer in a five-setter Friday. Tennis Channel

Noon: MLS, Toronto-Colorado. In case you need a warm-up for the big one. Some of CONCACAF’s best attacking talent is on display in this one, even if one of the defenses tends to play with what Bob Dylan called “a little too much force.” Direct Kick/MLSSoccer.com

2:30 p.m.: World Cup third-place game, Uruguay-Germany. These games are often entertaining. Near the end of a World Cup that has brought some excellent games but quite a few dreary efforts, can that be so bad? ABC/Univision

3:30 p.m.: Women’s basketball, WNBA All-Stars vs. U.S. National Team. Really? You couldn’t have waited another hour, when the Cup final would likely be over? ESPN

6 p.m.: MLS, Philadelphia-San Jose. The Earthquakes could be interesting this season. Fox Soccer Channel

7:30 p.m.-8:30 p.m.: MLS, the rest of the Saturday games (four), with the New York-D.C. United rivalry among the highlights. Direct Kick/MLSSoccer.com

SUNDAY

7 a.m.: Davis-Cup, quarterfinals, France-Spain, singles. Tennis Channel

7:30 a.m.: Tour de France, Stage 8. Two category-1 climbs, including one at the finish. That’s more like it. Will we see the virtual end of Lance Armstrong’s career here? Versus

2:30 p.m.: World Cup, final, Netherlands-Spain. I picked Spain over Brazil in the final, and I’m sticking with the team that never loses possession of the ball. ABC/Univision

6 p.m.: WPS, Gold Pride-Washington. Wonder how the Freedom will adjust after practicing all week in 100-degree temperatures. I went out to practice today, and the artificial turf field felt like a frying pan. FSC

10:30 p.m.: MLS, Seattle-Dallas. I don’t usually list all the Direct Kick games, but if you’re going into withdrawal just six hours after the end of the Cup, here you go. Direct Kick/MLSSoccer.com

MORE MYRIAD

  • World Series of Poker: Main Event runs all weekend.
  • Full soccer listings at Soccer America.
  • Selected weekend listings at USA TODAY
  • ESPN3: Australian Rules football, CFL, NBA Summer League and lacrosse.
  • Tennis Channel: A few re-runs and the France-Spain Davis Cup match.
  • Universal Sports: Beach volleyball (FIVB Grand Slam), track and field (Diamond League, British Grand Prix) live online, delayed on TV. Swimming (Grand Prix season finale, Los Angeles) online-only. In beach volleyball, the top U.S. teams were upset in pool play, which doesn’t happen often, but still advanced.
  • More Olympic sports: Why is no one Webcasting the last weekend of World League volleyball pool play? U.S. men hosting Russia in Wichita. Wait a few weeks, and you can watch (see PDF).
  • Rugby: Tri-Nations (Southern Hemisphere) gets underway this weekend, just in case South African sports attention can be diverted for a moment.

HEADLINES

Chess/poker: Chessboxing just seems strange, but chesspoker has possibilities. Jennifer Shahade takes us through a matchup.

Soccer: 3rd Degree is basically the grandfather of independent MLS sites, so it’s nice to see Buzz Carrick take the operation into ESPNDallas.com. Could also bode well for ESPN’s MLS Draft coverage? Maybe?

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