Comments on: Montero Called Up: Big News for MLS

By: Oscar

Oscar — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 02:53:35 +0000

Whenever he scores at Qwest Field, a common cheer that goes up is “Rufio, Rufio, Ru-fee-OHHHHH!!” because he looks so much like Rufio from the movie Hook.

Great player. When he’s not doing the scoring, at the least he’s a tackle magnet that makes opportunities for the other players.

I heard a rumor he’d be heading to a European team next year, on account of the MLS salary cap. Anyone know if there’s any truth to that?

By: Rex

Rex — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 20:13:18 +0000

I think entertainment quality of MLS suffers for two reasons. Turf and the defensive road tactics employed by many coaches.

The conservative road tactics may not be bad soccer for traditional, high soccer IQ fans, but that is not what we have in America. MLS needs to worry about the entertainment of the game rather than wins and losses. Kevin Payne of DC United has stated as much, challenging other teams to worry about entertainment just as much as winning.

Winning is worth sacrificing the entertainment value only when you have a fan base that lives for their team. The team that they watch as a kid, the team that their dads watched as a kid. MLS does not have this, so entertainment, not just winning, should be a high priority.

As for the turf, its just sucks. The ball just bounces around everywhere. It makes for very sloppy games.

By: RaiderRich2001

RaiderRich2001 — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 17:10:45 +0000

FYI Kartik:

Cooper to 1860: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/07/31/kenny-cooper/index.html?eref=sircrc

By: peter osgood

peter osgood — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 14:42:33 +0000

kartik, great post – what in your mind is the structural reason that MLS has regressed tactically and technically since the late 9O’s?

By: Kartik Krishnaiyer

Kartik Krishnaiyer — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 13:44:23 +0000

I hate to say it but Yankee Hooligan is at the very least partly right. I do know that was the initial reason MLS wasn’t able to replace the founding generation of international stars nor the later arrivals like Nowak, Stoichkov, etc with comparable players.

By: Yankeehooligan

Yankeehooligan — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 12:46:02 +0000

Jack, I was kidding about GWB, although he certainly didn’t make a lot of friends internationally. But there were many international stars that didn’t want to play in the U.S. following 9-11; that’s pretty well documented. Who was talking about national team coaches?

By: Jack(Vegas)

Jack(Vegas) — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 05:38:15 +0000

It is ridiculous to blame the state of MLS on G. W. Bush. Is he also to blame for the struggles of the NHL as well? If my car doesn’t start tomorrow is it his fault? The list of reasons why MLS has seen its quality drop is/has been discussed and G. W. Bush is not a valid reason.

National team managers need to grow up a little bit. They should select the best team they can from whatever leagues their best players play in. If they choose not to do so then they are only harming their own national team with their own stupidity.

By: Glubber

Glubber — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:37:29 +0000

Well, I doubt the MLS salary cap has increased at a rate equivalent to the rise in player salaries over the years. So from that perspective it is only logical that quality would have decreased.

By: Joey Clams

Joey Clams — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 03:06:50 +0000

Kartik, all due respect, since when does MLS have anything to do with South America? I’ve lived in South America. It’s not what you think, neither negatively nor positively.

By: Yankeehooligan

Yankeehooligan — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 00:30:44 +0000

Even a MLS sycophant (wink, wink) like me will admit that the days of DC’s Magic Triangle have yet to be replicated by any MLS team in the 21st Century. But I disagree that international signings and callups should be the barometer of quality. Especially in a league that is designed for leagues to feature one or two stars and then fill their rosters with unproven (read: cheap) youngsters. The formula wasn’t different in 1998. DC United had Marco Etcheverry as their main guy and it just so happened that they could still afford Jaime Moreno and Raul Diaz Arce (check out the rest of the that roster). And despite his play in 1998-2000, the Bolivian national team ignored Moreno. Plus, many foreign nationals changed their mind about playing in the U.S. after 9-11. And Bush didn’t make any fans in South America during his tenure. Am I blaming Bush for the lack of quality signings in MLS from 2000-08? Why not? Everything else was his fault. If you really did compare taped matches from the different eras, that’s valid, but number crunching callups tells you little given single-entity economics.