Comments on: Monday Musings

By: chuck

chuck — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:46:20 +0000

I’m really rooting for the TOA. Actually I’m rooting for any group that will form a “real” soccer league in this country. Not a monolithic, single entity, communistic, all-of-our-teams-are-equally-mediocre, no-team-really-fails-because-there-is-no-relegation, we-have-no-commitment-to-youth-development league. Or a corporate run, ponzi-schemed, play-soccer-on-a-gridiron, centrally-controlled and mismanaged league.

TOA: Call your league the North American Premier League. Ban gridirons. Plan for promotion and relegation. Do a single table (really your only option with 7 teams) with no playoffs except the Open Cup. Don’t let in any club with a stupid name or logo (by forming an Anti-Stupid Marketing Committee, of course!). Have revenue sharing and other wealth distributive factors if you wish, but no salary cap — the richest, best supported clubs should get the best players to watch. Base growth NOT on massive expansion fees but on teams working their way up from a lower league. Grow the lower league by only allowing in teams with ‘X’ number of season ticket holders, or have teams owned by their supporters groups.

MLS wants to attract all us soccer fans who live here but follow foreign teams. To do that it needs to end the charade. MLS is NOT a league of teams. It is one big team. All the owners pretend to be interested in their team, but their only real interest is the league. LA and RSL are the same team! They are owned by the same owner. They are part and parcel of the same entity. This is just the left hand thumb wrestling the right. That isn’t sport. That isn’t competition. That is a charade, and it is lame. All the teams have nearly the same record because all the teams are equally mediocre. Every city except the new city, Seattle (and they’ll catch on), is beginning to realize that every year is the same mediocre product as the last. That is why ticket sales are dropping in every market – there is nothing exciting to look forward to. No big signing, no big transfer, no chance at relegation, no chance at promotion. All the excitement has nothing to do with the product, it is the new stadiums and the new markets that generate the buzz because there is no buzz-generating play. Teams just play all season to be as mediocre as everyone else so that you can make the play offs where everyone has an equal chance to win and there are no upsets because every team is the same.

There is no excellence in MLS. There was no excellence in USL. We watch other leagues to catch glimpses of excellence. Any owners group that is committed to taking the steps necessary that will lead to excellence deserve 100% support.

By: Jason

Jason — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 06:06:19 +0000

I am very happy for New Zealand. Never been there but I always cheer for the English speaking nations. USA of course, but also England, Australia, and New Zealand. Behind the English Premier Leauge, the Australian A League is the football I watch the most (MLS is 3rd).

By: Jason Toon

Jason Toon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:53:07 +0000

Ibisevic wasn’t even “average in college ball”, either. He scored 18 goals in his one season at SLU and was immediately snapped up by Paris St. Germain. He could have his pick of jobs in MLS. (Oh, and nobody ever asked him to play for the USMNT…)

By: dan

dan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:47:33 +0000

The Galaxy are like the Yankees to me the team you love to hate. Besides i still prefer to call them the fakes.

By: ERic

ERic — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:36:35 +0000

“Also, Rochester who was previously thought to be ironclad in USL’s camp has begun making noises about the TOA, according to multiple internet reports.” Really? Can you point out one? I haven’t seen any at all, and people are usually pretty up on this stuff. I mean, at the very least, I’d think that WhiteStar Warrior would’ve found one of them since he seems to find any and all USL/TOA related blog posts.

By: free bet

free bet — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:26:11 +0000

Im glad they beat Dynamo, just goes to show that they are getting better overall

By: dan

dan — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:28:52 +0000

the reason the rsl/chicago game was better atleast there wasn’t any phantom calls.

By: ELAC

ELAC — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 19:09:36 +0000

Galaxy game tainted? Really? No way.

By: Bobby Brandon

Bobby Brandon — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 17:02:10 +0000

Ignore him, he’s one of those American gymrats that don’t believe players can improve after they hit the age of 20. To them, if you’re average in “college ball”, you’re average forever.

Don’t forget, 40 times and bench press reps are the gospel.

By: Charles

Charles — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 16:51:37 +0000

Good comment Brian,

Also, some think that South America is very strong.

I guess the games in 2010 will bare all. Hopefully they tell the tale of a US that was the most underrated team ever to win it all.