Thanks to the viewership of a massive Spanish-speaking audience, Wednesday’s friendly between the U.S. and Mexico was the top rated show on U.S. television among a few key demographics, according to TV by the Numbers.  Univision Communication’s coverage of the match was seen by 9.4 million viewers who tuned in to part or all of the broadcast as well as 25,000 devices that streamed the match through the company’s website.

Univision, the “leading media company serving Hispanic America”, scored big-time in the so-called key demographics for advertisers on the night.  The match was the #1 show in primetime and made Univision the #1 network in primetime among Adults 18-34, Men 18-34, Men 18-49, and Persons 12-34.  Some of the shows the match received higher ratings than included “America’s Got Talent”, “Big Brother 13″, and “So You Think You Can Dance”.

While the level of support for the Mexican national team in the U.S. has been well documented, these numbers again reinforce the idea that soccer is a huge driver of viewers for networks.  Many of these viewers would have been watching Telefutura or Galavision, which come only in cable packages and not broadcast networks.  Combined with the large number of viewers for other major soccer matches like the UEFA Champions League, you can expect to see broadcast networks begin to vie for matches in the future which they can cross promote or show on their Spanish language counterparts.

Of course this news comes in tandem with the criticism on ESPN’s coverage of the match, which saw them run a Little League World Series game over its time slot and bump the first twenty minutes of the friendly onto ESPN News.  Numbers haven’t been released for the ESPN broadcast but we will share as soon as they come across our desk.

MLS Talk has been buzzing all week about the proposed changes to the 2011 season and the reaction to the most recent playoffs.  Some of this is spurred by Don Garber’s press conference and MLS Cup halftime show; some by the abysmal TV ratings and odd playoff pairings; and some by simmering tension over format and style in the US soccer community.

We’ve said our piece on a number of these issues (and you have reacted), and now it’s your turn to be the boss of MLS.

Below are the changes that Don Garber discussed over the past two weeks.  Let’s pretend YOU were named MLS commissioner today, and the board allowed you to adopt one change to MLS for the upcoming year.  You can choose from any of the changes announced in the past two weeks, as well as any considered or debated changes announced the past two weeks.  The board has only said that your goal is to “improve MLS”.  So……

(Please note – this is an unscientific study of what are the most pressing issues for our readership, so take it for what it’s worth).

With the release of the United Soccer Leagues 2009 D1 schedule and accompanying Fox Soccer Channel tv schedule, USL shows once again that MLS is not the only game in town.  USL proves again that it carries a lot of weight when it comes to professional soccer in the U.S.  The USL infrastructure is strong enough to continue to be a thorn in the side of MLS.  It has major partnerships with European clubs, its own youth and development leagues and a Women’s league.  

Unfortunately, the USL at the professional soccer level, has a lack of innovation and leadership.  There’s no backbone and no guts.  It has the same losing business model as MLS.  It suffers from an identity crisis, just as MLS does.

The key statistics to follow this year will be the same as it has been for every year that MLS and USL have been existence, attendance and television ratings.  The next significant key statistic to follow is how many goals are scored per game (Offense brings sports fans in the U.S.).

In order for one of the leagues to stand out and become mainstream, they must solve the puzzle.  It is the greatest sports conundrum in the history of modern American sports, why can’t soccer make it in America? 

The pot of gold is out there, it is buried at the end of the rainbow, but the rainbow is multi-layered and multi-dimensional.  MLS and USL will never be able to count on what’s happening with soccer leagues everywhere else around the world to be able to discover the treasure.  They must figure out how to market soccer, the beautiful game, to American sports fans and not just soccer purists and/or soccer enthusiasts.

The most interesting stories to follow from USL and MLS are its business dealings.  Both leagues are so lost in what direction they want to go.  There is intrigue involved at every corner of every new stadium being built, both the small ones and the bigger ones.  Sometimes, the strategies involved with play calling, coaching and watching games does not match the intrigue and strategies involved with which developing soccer areas of D2 and Premier of USL are next to breakout and become new soccer havens. 

Who will be this year’s Cleveland City? and What will be the next small city to emerge as having the label of a pro soccer city, like Austin?

To its credit, the USL’s D1 is hanging around.  Even as it struggles for its survival, it deserves to get attention when it makes news.  Today it made news and showed all of the U.S. soccer fans that it will maintain an appropriate schedule.  With its organizational strength, the USL is indicating a commitment to provide a high level of pro soccer for fans in North America and the Carribean to enjoy. 

USL and its teams have worked hard in recent years to gather business sponsorships and marketing parterships with major and minor companies.  It has also made tremendous leaps on the international stage and in the U.S. through its participation in sanctioned pro and open league tournaments. 

USL has earned a right to be mentioned in the same breath as MLS.  It’s too bad that what USL is inhaling is the same kind of poison that MLS is swallowing.  The lifespan of these leagues is hanging in the balance. 

USL is trying to put a veil over the real issues, just as MLS is doing.  New ideas must replace the stale ones if soccer wants the big piece of the sports action in the U.S.