MLS – A League For The Future
I have not written for Soccerlens before, but I did notice a general lack of posts about Major League Soccer. Although the MLS is generally acknowledged to be in the Special Olympics category of soccer leagues, I believe that reputation will change with time.
I am qualified to talk authoritatively about the future of the MLS because I am their future; a young player just entering college soccer, looking to move up in the American soccer pyramid. And with this qualification comes the responsibility to show people that the MLS will be a compelling and competitive league to watch in the future IF:
- They continue their recent expansion
- They standardize the league’s rules to more closely match other leagues
- They begin attracting more talent from other leagues
Expansion
The MLS has recently announced that they will be expanding to Seattle in 2009 and Philadelphia in 2010. There are probably more upcoming announcements for 2010, as soon as they are ironed out. Wherever the MLS decides to expand next, they have made great choices in Seattle and Philadelphia because these cities are major soccer markets, mainly at the grassroots level.
Seattle is widely acknowledged to be a soccer town. That’s why I am moving there to play college soccer. There are three major college teams in town, two more in Tacoma, and a handful of junior colleges (two year schools) that all have soccer teams. Along with the colleges, there are three semi-professional clubs in the northwest Washington area that can help provide a constant flow of quality players to the club.
Philadelphia would not have a team if it were not for the grassroots movement in the city to bring MLS to town. A fan-based group known as the “Sons of Ben” (referring to Benjamin Franklin, who lived in Philadelphia) wrote letter after letter and petitioned the MLS head office to get an expansion club there. I would be surprised if they fail to fill their brand new 20,000 seat Chester Stadium on a weekly basis.
Attracting Talent
One of the major drawbacks of the current Major League Soccer system is that all of the good American players leave as soon as possible. The traditional ladder to soccer success in America looks something like this:
- A player will play for a college team
- They play for a non-paying, semi-professional team in the summer
- They get drafted or otherwise sign with an MLS team
- They gain experience and advance their game
- They move on to a club in a big overseas league
This tradition of moving our best players on will not change too drastically. Every young player dreams of playing in a high-paying league with lots of fans. The truth is, America has neither of these. To some extent, American soccer cannot and will not ever be as powerful as European soccer because of the fundamental reality that soccer is not the biggest sport here. I don’t care what hopeful people say — it never will be.
However, until at least half of the players that contribute to the national team in meaningful matches — not friendlies at home and qualification matches against St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but World Cups and friendlies against major opposition — play their club football at home, the league will never be talented enough to be entertaining.
At the current moment, out of 23 of these important contributors, fifteen play abroad and eight play at home. Compared to Fabio Capello’s all-English club squad of 23 against Switzerland, this is pathetic. Sure, Capello wasn’t looking abroad, but the fact that he could make a competitive squad out of just players playing in England is amazing. At the moment, the United States could not do that.
The stars that do come over all end up performing inconsistently at best. David Beckham has thus far appeared five times for Los Angeles. Guillermo Barros Schelotto, formerly of Boca Juniors, has only five goals in 22 appearances for Columbus. Cuahtemoc Blanco has only four goals in seventeen appearances for Chicago.
Changing The Rules
The MLS expansion has to continue until there are at least twenty teams in the league. They need at least twenty teams to be able to standardize the league rules to better coincide with other major soccer leagues around the world.
Fans will never respect a league with two tables and a playoff system that makes the whole season virtually inconsequential. Yes, the United States is a big country and a flight from New York to Los Angeles is a five and a half to six hour ordeal, but Arsenal flew to and from Bucharest for Champions League matches this winter, which is about a four hour flight. It can be done.
My Vision
This is my (bulleted) version of Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, twisted to incorporate my rule changes for MLS:
- One day, Major League Soccer will have only one table
- The clubs will play every other club twice, home and away
- And finally, the United States Soccer Federation will enforce a rule to make the MLS stop play during the World Cup
Conclusion
The thing that I want people to take away from reading my piece is that Major League Soccer can be a successful league. Soccer in America can work. It will take time and patience and the fans must learn to accept that. It is still a fairly new league. Although the Football League has been running since the late 1800s, Major League Soccer was conceived in the 1990s.
The times of the North American Soccer League have been long forgotten. Stars such as Pele and Franz Beckenbauer once graced American fields and touched many American soccer fans. This league was as successful as a league in America could be, but with the new expansion and new hope for a resurgence of soccer in the American market, those times can come again.
Topics: MLS
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You’re right: if those three things happen, combined with a decent World Cup showing, football has a real chance in the US.
One thing, though. The 23-man squad of English players playing in England isn’t really a good thing. Depending on who you listen to it’s because few English players want to leave England, no clubs think English players can succeed outside of England, English players are horribly overpriced or the ‘passion’ and ‘drive’ that get you so far in the Premiership aren’t enough to cut it in Italy or Spain.
Good article.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 10:17Nice balanced article. My comment is that you were too one-sides on the qulaity of players that MLS brought in. Yes David Beckham was a bust on the field (not at the ticket counter or selling shirts) but both Blanco and Schelotto are quality players and had fantastic seasons and were major upgrades to their teams. You list their goal tallies for the season. The problem with many Americans is that we get too caught up in statistics. The abilities of those 2 players to set up their teammates and make the game changing pass aren’t things that can be measured by stats. They were both excellent on the field.
You also curiously left out some of the most obviously talented imported players. Juan Pablo Angel and Emilio were both lethal strikers who were arguably the two best players in MLS last year, their first in the league.
I think the main thing needed for the MLS to improve is to raise the salary cap. It serves a purpose by keeping the costs of the league in line and allowing it to grow. Now that the majority of the teams have a soccer-specific stadium to play in, and the ones that don’t all have some sort of plan in the works to get one, they need to increase the cap. Unlike other American sports, with the limited exception of basketball, soccer competes for players on a global stage. MLS is both an importer and exporter of talent as a mid-level league. It is really pretty simple, if MLS wants to have more quality on the field they need to have higher quality players on the field. That will happen when they can pay the good home-grown talent more to stay and when they can attract more talent as well. This should happen when the collective bargaining agreement with the players union negotiations starts next year.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 12:53I was exposed to the MLS for a short while and watched it regularly and was disappointed with the standards. But that was to be expected. The amazing thing was the support for the game. There was a good size of people watching the EPL, Seria A and the South American leagues. There were a lot of kids playing for their colleges and schools. I read in an article in Newsweek that there were more kids following ‘Soccer’ than ‘Football’ and Baseball. I odnt know how much this is true but if the MLS manages in sustaining this enthusiasm, there is no reason why it shouldnt prosper.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 13:07Nice job, our league in the States doesn’t get enough credit
March 2nd, 2008 @ 14:27I’m glad you all enjoyed reading this. Michael, the fact that no English players want to go abroad is what is missing from the American game. ALL good American players want to leave, but until we get a few that want to stay and can make an impact on our league (like Landon Donovan), our league will not grow as much as it could.
GC, I did leave out Juan Pablo Angel, but my main point was that in general, the players that come over don’t perform as well as they should. There are a few that come over and dazzle, but looking at some players, such as Djorkaeff when he was here, it seems more like a glorified vacation for them. I do agree that the salary cap has to go.
And finally, for ignadirshah, that’s why I believe that the MLS will grow in the future. The players of my generation, just entering college and younger, are the heart of American soccer. There are more youth players in soccer than there are in baseball, basketball, and pointy football COMBINED. And I think that fact is not celebrated enough.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 20:24>Fans will never respect a league with two tables and a playoff system that makes the whole season virtually inconsequential.
Mexico splits into groups, has a split season, AND has playoffs after each of those split seasons. Yet I think the Mexican league is quite well respected. Likewise with Chile. And Colombia.
Point is, just because Europe (or more accurately, the big five) organizes their leagues in a certain way, that doesn’t mean it’s the “correct” way.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 20:26Interesting points made here mate. The time difference across America though is the main problem in the cross country travelling. London-Bucharest is only an hour and a half I think, whereas LA-NY is five or six.
The main problem that Americans have with Soccer is the fact that scoring is infrequent. For example the coverage we got of fans on Beckham over here was basically everyone saying ‘He’s gonna get 4 on his first game’. Not really the case, he’s really good at playing a diagonal ball and you’ve got a pacey front man, there’s every chance that he may get a shot in. Although I’m not saying football is boring, America’s 2 main sports, NFL and NBA, require points in double figures, and that doesn’t happen in football, and that’s why it hasn;t really taken off.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 21:43Jason, those are valid points, but I still don’t think those leagues are as well respected as the European leagues.
Shaun, I definitely agree that Americans are score-happy. NBA games frequently end in triple figures for both sides. However, you’re just a bit off on the time differences. London and Bucharest are two hours apart (I’ve made that trip plenty of times) and New York and Los Angeles are three hours apart. Alaska and New York are four hours apart and Hawaii and New York are five hours apart, but sadly, there are no MLS teams in either of these states.
March 2nd, 2008 @ 22:26One other thing that I wish the MLS would do, however, I seriously doubt that it will ever happen is move the season to be congruent with other big leagues in the world. I know that MLS doesn’t want to go head to head with the NFL – but as a soccer coach and fan I would love to see MLS played in the fall/winter/spring.
March 3rd, 2008 @ 00:00The problem with that is certain climates definitely do not allow for it. New York, for instance, would have to play in extremely cold weather and snow at home. Toronto is another place that would be affected be the adverse conditions.
March 3rd, 2008 @ 03:18Better scheduling
March 3rd, 2008 @ 06:57Promotion/Relegation
No Salary Cap
Then we’ll start talking
Juv3ntus466, I agree with the better scheduling, but No Salary Cap would make this league go broke too quickly. Incorporating rules such as the “Beckham Rule” where teams are allowed to sign 2 players to any desired amount is plenty for the league right now.
March 4th, 2008 @ 13:53As for promotion and relegation, I’ve thought about this and it’s just not possible in today’s game here. There is no way that a USL 2 team can afford to play teams such as the LA Galaxy. Then what do you do when Beckham comes to town and your stadium, and I use that term loosely, only holds 5,000 people? You have to pay rent for a larger stadium, which costs money, that you do not have. It can work, and will work, but not yet.
From what I’ve seen (very little), I don’t think that college soccer in the US is at a level where it can contribute to the League on a productive basis. Again, correct me if I’m wrong, but from what I’ve seen, college players spend way too much time on the ball for a league as fast paced (but not very technically sound) as the MLS. Additionally, it seems that they want to take on their defenders, even in tight situations down the sideline instead of passing. That’s from what little i’ve observed. From what i’ve read, American-grown players are at a superior physical and athletic level, but are lacking in technical abilities. Some of these players don’t even seem to understand the importance of a good first touch. Maybe an academy system for the MLS clubs will do the trick, if they are willing to invest in good youth coaches. In this way, clubs can find the homegrown local kid to play for them for a few years at a cheap price. Who knows, maybe in a few decades, a MLS club will have academy reputation like West Ham’s.
I personally wish that the schedule could be more “European” so there can be breaks for World Cups… I don’t think MLS even respects FIFA international dates. The climate issue is a problem but hopefully the game gets to a stage where fans will attend a game in horrible weather. In the same vein, you can’t rule out the possibility of promotion/relegation if the demand for more soccer past 20 franchises arise. I’m not saying this will happen overnight or even soon, but it is a possibility.
Finally, I don’t think MLS can ever match the prestige of UEFA clubs just for the simple reason that they cannot manufacture a history (well not quickly). The possibility of playing in the Champions League drives some players even in Europe to move on to bigger clubs (e.g. Berbatov, Anelka). I think if the rumored Euroleague happens, MLS is in big trouble.
March 5th, 2008 @ 22:20most things i can see here is: 1) please try to change the MLS season so that it can accommodate with the other leagues and international games in the world. if playing in cold weather is the main issue here, then just think about the other players who play in Russia, Crotia, Scotland etc, etc during winter. they’re feeling as cold as you! who knows, maybe someday the MLS can play in much more Championship games alongside the rest of the world, and the players’ trades will be more easier.
2) i agree with YKK in saying that MLS doesn’t seem to respect FIFA international dates at all. MLS plans to bring more quality players (especially from Europe) into their league in order to help MLS being more competitive. however, if they don’t change their playing schedule sooner, MLS will go nowhere as these quality players will be going back to their country to play international games. surely you don’t want only RETIRED, 35-40+ years old “great” players to play in your league? honestly, i’m from asia n i’ve never followed MLS before Beckham went over there (so, you Americans should be greatfull to him ;>), and i found that the current MLS schedule is actually quite a big problem for MLS – especially when they put playing dates side by side or clash with the international dates. do MLS really not care that much? it is bad enough that, unlike the rest of the world, Americans (not all of you here) don’t care about soccer/football at all, but please don’t alienate yourself, MLS, from them. from us.
3) lastly, if you don’t want to “delete” the salary cap, raise it. especially to those talented American players in order to prevent them moving to Europe easily. well..some ppl playing football/soccer for the money and food you know!
March 6th, 2008 @ 07:17Russia’s season starts in March… it’s way too cold there.
March 6th, 2008 @ 16:58I think the bottom line is it’s going to take a few generations to build the fan support and create a soccer culture in the US that would make the League competitive with top European leagues
All valid points. I agree that the NCAA (college soccer system) is GENERALLY not a good avenue for players. I will not be playing in the NCAA, but that’s because I’m going to a much smaller school. But it remains one of the best ways, even if it’s not the only way, to get noticed by professional sports organizations in any sport.
In terms of the cold weather, it can get down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit (that’s -20 Celsius) in the middle of the winter in New York and Toronto. I don’t think even European fans would turn up in that weather. Add a little wind and playing is miserable.
The MLS does need to start observing FIFA’s calendar for many reasons. Nobody will argue against that.
The one thing that people do not realize is that the American system is different, and probably always will be. It’s more of the country’s mentality than anything else. Americans believe that they live in the best country in the world and they don’t need to change anything. While this is far from the truth, it still plays a role in everything we do business-wise. And no matter what the old-timers will say, football is a business.
March 8th, 2008 @ 20:12Good article and good comments. Bottom line is, MLS is on a path of slow progress. Remember, it is only 13 years young and the room for growth is limitless. Give it another 20 years, and then I believe the league will reach its full potential. Ticket sales, interest, and even awareness about the league is up in the country. Quality of play is getting better by the year. Once they get rid of the salary cap, move to one table, and have relegation in the picture, things will be even better. Be patient and continue to support MLS.
March 12th, 2008 @ 20:18