Why the MLS needs to improve - fast
In my previous Soccerlens column, I touched on the quality of soccer/football in the top domestic US league called MLS (Major League Soccer). Clearly, the subject isn’t an entirely comfortable one for the fans of the league and most home grown American soccer fans do tend to follow it.
I follow it as well, sometimes with excitement, sometimes in bewilderment, occasionally in shame. While can provide glimpses of delightful football, it can also be the ugliest soccer on the planet.
But, if beauty is in the eye of the beholder, then what makes the American soccer such a frequently tepid affair? In this piece, I tend to touch on some contentious subjects that hopefully will stimulate further debate. I hope that I can be critical and fair without using the British tabloid dismissive of the 2007 LA Galaxy as a “pub team”.
Disclaimer One - These are generalities. There are indeed thumping shots, incisive passes and cheeky dribbles in the league. But an average player on an average day is what I am writing about.
Disclaimer Two - MLS is an extremely fast league, whose refereeing is usually very lax. That adds to the chaotic nature of the games. When faced against smaller, slower competitors with a lot more space on the pitch, MLS teams have been known to show reasonable brand of soccer. But this is about the MLS itself, not as it plays against other teams in various official and unofficial events.
And so, as it appears to a naked eye, these are some of the things that MLS teams don’t do as well as they should be done and as they are taught by the top tier European, African and South American teams.
Technical Skills
Ball Control
Perhaps the most obvious personal failure of a general American soccer upbringing is its lack of emphasis on the work with the ball. That produces an appalling quality from even the experienced MLS players in their 20’s. Instead of being able to settle or trap the ball with one’s foot, chest, thigh or head, the ball ricochets five to ten yards away from the player and leaves him with few options from that moment on.
Dribbling
One may well continue from above. Simply put, the US doesn’t produce any dribblers worth a farthing. The only exception is Chicago Fire’s Justin Mapp. Ask a US forward - forget about a fullback or a winger - to take his marker off the dribble or turn him around for a shot in a tight space and you will likely to get a blank stare in return. Forget Cristiano Ronaldo’s blazing runs. Forget Gerd Müller’s “turn inside four men in a phone booth”. Forget Raul’s sidewinders. When the US forward gets into a one-on-one situation, he will do one thing more than others - he will pass back.
“He’ll do what?”, a football fan will shriek in horror. Pass back? Without a dribble? Without taking a shot?
And this brings us to -
Shooting
Yes, another blank stare. The US players don’t shoot on goal. Maybe they can and choose not to. But they don’t. They - you guessed it - will pass back. In the 2006 World Cup, the US national team had three (!!!) shots on goal. Not in one half. Not in one match. In the entire tournament.
By comparison, I recall Louis Saha putting nine shots on goal all by himself in last year’s Manchester United Champions League match against FC Copenhagen. And that was before Alex Ferguson subbed him out of the game.
These statistics are not incidental. They are symptomatic of the US approach to the game.
Crossing
Virtually regardless whether off the run of play or set pieces, American players have an amazing difficulty delivering a precise cross to a desired spot with pace and accuracy. The ironic part of this shortcoming is that MLS has perhaps the best crosser in the world in David Beckham. The gap between his serves and that of an average MLS “specialist” is a gap between a hot-dog vendor and a four-star restaurant in Paris.
Tactical Nightmares
Faced with what would be considered incompetence by any European league higher than pub, the MLS coaches reacted appropriately - they dumbed down their game plans, so a player without a dribbling/shooting/passing/crossing ability would fit right in.
The first thing they did was to make sure that each MLS player could run. And run they can. They can run fast and they can run long. They do it so well, it took AC Milan’s Carlo Ancelotti well into second half to figure out what to do with a trifling Chicago Fire squad during a friendly several summers ago because Milan was getting overrun on pure speed.
But the dumbing down of American soccer has negative effects. Players who end up auditioning with European clubs are often ridiculed for their tactical naivete.
And this is why:
Passing
On the whole, MLS passes are short and lateral and, if long and vertical, they are often off target. Most MLS coaches loathe long passes. If you saw them land in the fifth row, you would too. But slow lateral safe passes don’t exactly make a European scout salivate.
Decision-making
When one’s second option on every play is to pass the ball backward, most of the daring factor has been taken out of an MLS game. Sometimes this gets comical results when a forward retrieves the ball in the deep offensive zone toward, only to stop and pass it forty yards back to one of his fullbacks … who then promptly turns around and passes it back to his own goalkeeper. With his team trailing by two goals late in the game.
Off-the-ball movement
It doesn’t exist. When a player has the ball, his team mates make an eye contact and wait for a pass. Whoever is open gets that pass. Naturally, the only person open for a pass is behind the play. A tic-tac-toe movement that copies Arsenal or Brazil is not something that an MLS coach ever saw and liked.
Transition game
You may see Tottenham or Everton go from a deep turnover near own penalty box to the other box in 8-10 seconds. A quick outlet pass from a defender to a midfielder that is followed by a long pass to a forward in space is virtually an unheard of practice in MLS. Often an MLS team will take half a minute to cross a half-field line … a top MLS team.
Switch of play
Another tactics that MLS teams simply don’t do. You often see players locked in a semi-circle make short passes into traffic while their teammate is open 40 yards away to no avail.
After reading all this, a reader may ask himself - but how do these guys score? I’ve seen the results on the Internet. MLS games don’t all end in scoreless draws.
And the simplest reply is that way too many MLS goals are scored off someone’s mistake. Often it’s mental - an inability to track a runner or to take a proper position. Sometimes, it’s physical - a bungled cross, a fumbled save, a typical garbage goal.
Of course, MLS is not all skill bereft. Its owners are importing an occasional quality player and nowadays some quality coaches. Better American players learn from these imports, be they Juan Pablo Angel, Guillermo Barros Schelotto or David Beckham. But the rank-n-file does not.
And the above factors often turn MLS into a gang that couldn’t shoot - or cross - straight.
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Discussion - 19 Responses
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Very interesting article.
Just wondering, how does DC United fare within these parameters? From my limited understanding of the MLS they are the shizznit aren’t they? And have been for the past few seasons.
Spiral:
Everything from DC is the “shizznit.”
Jokes aside, DC United has a tremendous fan base, experienced back room staff, and a history of results on the pitch. Back in 1998, they beat Vasco da Gama of Brasil for the Continental Club Championship (or something along those lines) becoming the first US club side to win an international honor. DCU is the most Latin American team of MLS. Hence, their playing style is somewhat different. I find it to be very entertaining, along with a good mix of talented Americans to complement the foreign players.
Liviu did a nice profile of them earlier this month. For more information, here is their web site:
http://dcunited.mlsnet.com/t103/index_no_ad.jsp
Earlier this year, they almost signed Juan Sebastian Veron, and seem to have a pipeline to Argentina. I would have preferred to see Schelotto (ex Boca Juniors) who Dan referenced playing here rather than in Columbus. But MLS owns the contracts of the players, and likes to spread the talent around.
I really enjoyed reading your article. However, I think there are plenty of positive things about the MLS and the American Soccer that nobody talks about.
I am South American, and I played at a high College level (came to the US under a full scholarship), and I was surprised with the level I found. I was in shock when I played my first against Notre Dame! Those kids were as good, if not better than the players I was playing with and against down in South America. Fast, skillful and extremely physical. I remember thinking: Who said “gringos” cannot play futbol?
Soccer in America is not as “pretty” as it is in Spain or Brazil. I agree. However, I don’t think the MLS is too far from what you see in countries like England or Scotland. Those players are no different than the ones we see here! The only reason we give the Premier League so much credit is because of their history.
Finally, just take a look at the results of the American National team in the last 15 years. They have improved so much that teams in Latin America are afraid of them. Just ask Mexicans! As you know, the MLS provides a great number of these players.
If you, as an American, don’t want to support and give your league the respect it deserves, I won’t be surprised if in a few years, the MLS is not around anymore.
Interesting article.
Soccer is the beautiful game. soccer may be different depending on the league and the local culture. The J league is different from the premiere league. The A league is different from MLS. World cup teams are different from local teams /leagues. However, no matter where soccer is played it remains the beautiful game. Soccer can unite people, countries, and the world. Soccer should be promoted not ripped apart. Yes, MLS is different, but soccer is still emerging in the U.S.A. as a major sport. There are things about MLS I like and things I dislike. I dislike everyone wanting or waiting for the league to fail. There are things about European soccer I like and dislike. Overall, no matter what teams play, I love soccer. Even if the players aren’t perfect they are still playing the beautiful game.
Generalizations….
Ricardo Clark has a hell of a shot from midfield.
Ben Olsen is a pretty good shot from distance and crosser of the ball.
Marc Burch is an excellent crosser of the ball.
This is a column by an observer who apparently doesn’t watch Dominic Kinnear’s Houston or DC United or who apparently never saw Frank Yallop’s San Jose team circa 2001-2003. There are other examples, but those are the first that come to mind.
Is every MLS game poetry in motion, of course not. But uninformed, dated, observations don’t help advance the debate.
With disclaimers in hand, I think this is a fair and unfortunate assessment.
If I were a coach in the MLS, I would copy this article and use it as my guide in training.
I would have to agree that the first MLS team to:
1-develop a fast transition
(2 passes to the front),
2-get a striker who can
move the ball at his feet and
remember to take a shot on goal
Will be a powerhouse MLS team.
Great observations. Mostly dead on, I’d say. It is certainly frustrating to see goals only after defensive errors occur…
I would ask for examples in each of these situations. I agree MLS isn’t the bees knees when it comes to attractive soccer, but it’s not nearly as inept as you make it sound. I can give counter examples to each of your criticisms fairly easily.
I hate how all you Eurosnobs compare the MLS to the Premier League, the MLS has only been in existence for 13 years. How can you expect it to compete with leagues that are celebrating 100 years in existence?
The MLS was created to strengthen out national team, and it has succeeded in doing that because we’ve qualified for every World Cup since it’s existence.
You guys bash the MLS until your team needs a goal keeper or midfielder then come over and steal our MLS grown talent.
MLS IS IMPROVING, and at a decent sustainable rate.
The list of criticisms are things that every team in any league could improve upon. What is flawed in your argument is that you use examples of the best teams/players from Europe and you use the average/worst teams/players as examples in MLS. Middle/bottom of the table matches in the best Euro leagues can all be very very ugly.
The speed and physicality of MLS is what will take it above other leagues. EPL is the best because it is the fastest. We need to embrace what we are best at, which in my opinion is running circles around everyone else. Then, we can continue to improve everything else (such as the things you mention above), which I think we are doing. The US, being the melting pot that it is, has tremendous potential to see the practical fusion of the best attributes of soccer from every nation.
And once the US sports economy gets behind MLS and we can pay salaries comparable to even NHL (average salary of $800K - $2.2 M), watch how the rest of the world comes banging on our doors. Also more and more American players will want to go pro and see it as a viable career option.
So what’s the rush. We have stadiums being built, growing fan bases, better TV coverage all the time, more sponsors, World Tours, etc. We need to do a better job of recognizing the positives associated with the careful, measured improvement and promoting the potential of a league that is definitely on the rise.
I’d like to thank all the people who chose to comment on my article.
Some disagreements are healthy.
Of course, I watch my (un) fair share of MLS games via subscription.
A few points :
DCU’s Kevin Payne is probably the best general manager in the league and has acquired enough talent - often Latin - to stay at the top. However, he and his coaching staffs have been less successful producing the international quality American players. Their most recent transfers were GK Troy Perkins to Valerenga (Norway) for $750K and an unused (but promising) midfielder Bryan Arquez to Hertha Berlin (Bundesliga) for $300K.
This isn’t exactly Internacional getting $25M for Alexandre Pato from AC Milan.
Come to think of it, the top fee MLS has ever received for a field player was ~ $3.0M it managed for Clint Dempsey.
In global terms, that’s pathetic.
As to MLS “age excuse” - it may be only 13 years old but it doesn’t take that long to develop a player if one knows how.
Heerenveen bought Michael Bradley from the old New York Metrostars (now Red Bull) for a song and will probably get in the region of $7M-$10M after having/coaching him for 2 1/2 years.
Considering that MLS gets dozens of top US talents each year, how many of them has it managed to sell for $7M-$10M over its 13 year existence?
I know. I gave away the answer a few paragraphs above.
None.
DL.
DL - they were nicer to you this team - who knows, they might even start agreeing with you
DL,
Did the MLS take away your birthday?
I guarantee this Freddy Adu will break the 10 mil mark, Micheal Bradley will break the 10 mil mark when he moves to England, and Jozy Altidore will break the 10 mil mark. But who cares? If you want a good quality player that will earn his check and can last 90 minutes the entire season go to the MLS. Just because someone doesn’t get a inflated pay-check like Ronaldinho who’s worth shit the morning after tearing up night clubs doesn’t mean they’re not a great player.
Also look at our recent call ups for our national team. Almost everyone is under 30, and we’ve made short work of teams like Poland, Mexico, and hold our ground against Brazil and Argentinia. I’ve read in a couple of your magazines that the English national team is having trouble with minnows like Croatia. What a laugh, we could even beat Croatia in the early 90’s when most of our players were still in college.
And another thing I support West Ham but the MLS every year since I have followed it is always more exciting than any European league. Who’s going to win the EPL this year? Man U, Chelsea, or Arsenal. Who will win it the year after that? Man U, Chelsea, or Arsenal. And the year after that? Man U, Chelsea, or Arsenal. And the year after . . .
I suppose if one was to criticise the EPL this way for being boring, the fans would respond the same way with some sort of argument about it being the best league in the world…
Steve - to paraphrase a memorable line:
“we forgive you, for you know not what you say…”
Croatia are far better than you give them credit for and Adu didn’t hack at his trial United even though he was brought in just to capture the US market (Dong Fangzhou and Park Ji-Sung managed to get contracts, that says a lot about that 10m price tag you’re putting on Adu).
The reason why Adu wasn’t allowed to leave the MLS for the Man U was he wasn’t given a work permit and the MLS wouldn’t let him leave. There’s alot of red tape involved when a American player leaves the MLS for Europe. Ferguson himself said that he was keeping tabs on Adu since he was 14, obviously that means he has some skill.
In a 11 appearances for Benefica he has had 3 goals, and he’s only 18.
Jozy Altidore has started a bidding war between Chelsea, Arsenal, Man U, Man City, Newcastle, and Real Madrid, and he is also only 18.
But I think Micheal Bradley will break the 10 mil mark before either of them.
To your point about the sales of foreign players. Yes, not enough Americans are attracting interest from abroad and when they do go it is almost always for a pittance, but the MLS clubs, as I understand, are not in a position to demand even $1million for a player, let alone $25million. Even if he is the next Ronaldo or Ruud or Raul.
But I think your point about ball control in the article is the answer here. Technically, the players just aren’t good enough. But if MLS becomes as exciting as it potentially can, gets a few semi-stars in from Europe who know how to score and keeps attendances and youth programmes growing at the current rates, then the youth will improve. They’ll have to, to keep up with the raised talent bar.
I hope the MLS can at least become a league comparable with Portugal, Soctland or Holland, although maybe with a higher overall standard but no dominant and superior teams as those leagues have. If it becomes a decent league where any season any team has a chance then it could become really interesting - I just hope Utd never have to fly there for a USA vs Europe Champions Super League fixture. It nearly killed Beckham.