MLS is here, and it isn't going anywhere. 12 out of 19 teams now have their own stadiums and Houston is breaking ground on their new stadium. If it is true that you are judged by the quality of your competition, then MLS is in good shape. MLS was has been recently linked with players such as Robbie Keane (who instead joined West Ham) and, even more recently, Nicholas Anelka, then MLS is doing something right.
Will Anelka sign? Maybe in a year or two. The problem is that there is no middle class in Major League Soccer. By middle class I mean players who aren't there to fill the stadiums but who are also not fighting for their contractual lives every day. To contradict myself and give an example, players like Logan Pause, who are blue-collar, single-digit capped players. The other example I would give is Kyle Beckerman. MLS could certainly use players like Keane and Anelka, but the future of the league lays in the ability for MLS to hold on to players like Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark who both walked away from the Houston Dynamo for free. To keep these guys around, MLS needs to start paying deserving players. Much like Holden and Clark, MLS just lost two national team players in Robbie Findley (Nottingham Forest- English Championship) and Jonathan Bornstein (UANL Tigres- Mexican First Division. MLS won't be considered a good league until players only leave when MLS makes money. The American top flight gains nothing when they allow players like Holden, Findley, Clark, Bornstein, and many others walk away with nothing to show for it.
The future of MLS depends on the profitability of the league. Ticket sales, TV deals, and sponsorships are, on occasion, hard things for MLS clubs to come by. So when players are allowed to leave for nothing, these clubs suffer. The Houston Dynamo lost Stuart Holden (Bolton) and Ricardo Clark (Eintracht Franfurt). Instead of receiving transfer fees for the two of them, the Dynamo are left without a central midfield. This leads to a rebuilding of the product, and a lot of unhappy fans. The quality of the league needs to be progressing, not regressing.
Instead of letting American National Team players walk away for free, MLS needs to (1) sign them to longer-term contracts (assuming that they will actually sign these deals) and (2) be open to negotiating with other clubs for the purchase of MLS players. These players certainly wouldn't disagree to larger contracts knowing that if they perform they will be paid better by MLS, and that if they attract interest from foreign clubs the league will allow them to leave for a reasonable price.
This model will allow the league a better bottom line, a better reputation among foreign leagues, and happier players.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Thursday, February 10, 2011
The US Men's National Team
With the game against Egypt canceled, the United States Men's National team are looking ahead to their match with Argentina on March 26, 2011. Having recently played Chile with a roster filled with young players, one wonders who Bald Bob will bring in for the Argentina and Paraguay matches (Paraguay will be played on the 29th of March and will probably have a completely different lineup).
One can expect the likes of Sporting Kansas City break out striker Teal Bunbury, who some argue could steal the number 9 shirt from Charlie Davies if he doesn't find fitness after a life threatening car accident last year, and Juan Agudelo, the teenage sensation that plies his trade for the Red Bulls of New York. But who else should we see? Mikkael Diskerud is a player that has my interest peaked. He is a Norwegian-born American player who plays for Norwegian club Stabaek and the USA. I got to see him play last year on TV and the kid stole the show. He facilitated play showing a creative spark that the defense of South Africa couldn't handle. He eventually delivered the assist on the winning goal from none other than the previously mentioned Juan Agudelo.
Midfielder Brek Shea and defenders Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez also seem to be the future of the national team. This trio showed MLS fans last year that they are more than capable of playing on the professional level in the United States, and every player mentioned thus far is under the age of 24. Now consider Jozy Altidore stepping into this mix. The target striker has the capability of holding on to the ball as well as scoring the occasional goal for his teams. He recently moved to Turkey to help the defending champions, Bursaspor, claim yet another title.
The player I want to bring up next has fallen off over the past 3 years. After a move to Benfica, Freddy Adu seemed to be on the right track. However, after 11 appearances and 2 goals scored, Adu has since played in France, Greece, another club in Portugal, and now the second division of Turkey with Rizespor. This kid had potential. So what happened? No one is really sure. Adu had the technical ability to play, as well as the energy. Maybe all the hype that has surrounded him since he was 14 has led him to believe that he is entitled to play regardless of his work ethic. Consider Ronaldinho, who plays a similar position. He moved from Barcelona to Milan because the Spanish club felt that he wasn't working hard enough to realize his potential. He left Milan last month because the coach felt that the once World Player of the Year wasn't good enough to break into the starting XI. He has since returned to Brazil where no one will see him play ever again. And some people wonder if they will ever see Freddy Adu again. He has rejected moves back to MLS, probably because he sees that step as a failure. The truth is that Freddy won't regain his form until he starts earning match time. He needs to come back to the US and play for a club that will utilize his talents. Bald Bob Bradley would be able to watch his progress and if, this is a big if, Freddy earns another chance, Bald Bob just might give it to him.
My 2014 World Cup Starting XI:
GK: Guzan
D: Lichaj, Gonzalez, Ream, Bornstein
M: Bradley, Jones, Dempsey, Donovan, Holden
F: Altidore
One can expect the likes of Sporting Kansas City break out striker Teal Bunbury, who some argue could steal the number 9 shirt from Charlie Davies if he doesn't find fitness after a life threatening car accident last year, and Juan Agudelo, the teenage sensation that plies his trade for the Red Bulls of New York. But who else should we see? Mikkael Diskerud is a player that has my interest peaked. He is a Norwegian-born American player who plays for Norwegian club Stabaek and the USA. I got to see him play last year on TV and the kid stole the show. He facilitated play showing a creative spark that the defense of South Africa couldn't handle. He eventually delivered the assist on the winning goal from none other than the previously mentioned Juan Agudelo.
Midfielder Brek Shea and defenders Tim Ream and Omar Gonzalez also seem to be the future of the national team. This trio showed MLS fans last year that they are more than capable of playing on the professional level in the United States, and every player mentioned thus far is under the age of 24. Now consider Jozy Altidore stepping into this mix. The target striker has the capability of holding on to the ball as well as scoring the occasional goal for his teams. He recently moved to Turkey to help the defending champions, Bursaspor, claim yet another title.
The player I want to bring up next has fallen off over the past 3 years. After a move to Benfica, Freddy Adu seemed to be on the right track. However, after 11 appearances and 2 goals scored, Adu has since played in France, Greece, another club in Portugal, and now the second division of Turkey with Rizespor. This kid had potential. So what happened? No one is really sure. Adu had the technical ability to play, as well as the energy. Maybe all the hype that has surrounded him since he was 14 has led him to believe that he is entitled to play regardless of his work ethic. Consider Ronaldinho, who plays a similar position. He moved from Barcelona to Milan because the Spanish club felt that he wasn't working hard enough to realize his potential. He left Milan last month because the coach felt that the once World Player of the Year wasn't good enough to break into the starting XI. He has since returned to Brazil where no one will see him play ever again. And some people wonder if they will ever see Freddy Adu again. He has rejected moves back to MLS, probably because he sees that step as a failure. The truth is that Freddy won't regain his form until he starts earning match time. He needs to come back to the US and play for a club that will utilize his talents. Bald Bob Bradley would be able to watch his progress and if, this is a big if, Freddy earns another chance, Bald Bob just might give it to him.
My 2014 World Cup Starting XI:
GK: Guzan
D: Lichaj, Gonzalez, Ream, Bornstein
M: Bradley, Jones, Dempsey, Donovan, Holden
F: Altidore
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
Welcome
The first post on this blog should consider none other than the transfers that happened last month. We saw a number of American players shift clubs abroad. Freddy Adu and Jozy Altidore will need to learn to speak Turkish, Michael Bradley finally moved to a relevant club, Eddie Johnson has learned that his home is in the Championship, and I still don't know which club will offer me a management position. The biggest surprise to me, as far as Americans are concerned, is that Clint Dempsey will still wear a Fulham shirt. Arguably the most successful American player abroad right now and maybe ever, Clint still plays for a middle-of-the-table English team. Rumors have swirled about Dempsey following Oguchi Onyewu to Milan (though Onyewu recently left the fashion capital in search of more playing time in the Netherlands with FC Twente), as well as repeated interest from Liverpool even after Roy Hodgson got the sack.
The most interesting move has to be Fernando Torres' abandonment of Liverpool. Torres, a regular for Spain and Liverpool, decided that a move to London was his best chance to earn a Champion's League Trophy. This comes just a year and a half after Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid. In light of the Fernando Torres move, Liverpool fans should be shocked and angered to hear that longtime goalkeeper Pepe Reina has opened the door to a Manchester United move. Thinking back a few years, Manchester United wouldn't dare allow Gabriel Heinze move to Liverpool, so why should Liverpool allow United to lure their players from Merseyside?
David Beckham has, yet again, made it clear to the Galaxy that they aren't his top priority. Beckham recently extended his training sessions Tottenham Hotspur and will not return to the States until he feels like it (HAHA just kidding). This makes me wonder whether or not Beckham should have come to the United States in the first place, and it also makes me wonder if he chose the right MLS club to play for. Beckham probably chose LA because it is flashy, and the club is about as high profile as MLS clubs come. What he failed to realize is that the Galaxy are Landon Donovan's team. Had Beckham been able to play for another club he may have been happier, and a bigger star. Consider this, Robert Kraft and the Hunt Family have plenty of cash laying around from their NFL clubs. Why not save a bit of cash for a crafty right winger? Beckham in New England would have probably been hilarious knowing that Steve Nicol is a former Liverpool player (further establishing the hatred between the clubs) and Nicol loves to sign the obscure player. But consider Beckham playing in Dallas. Dallas is a huge market with a growing brand. They just made the MLS Cup Final, something Beckham's Galaxy failed to do. The city is huge, and Beckham could have helped shape the club, further establishing MLS and probably attracting a huge sponsor for FC Dallas. Though this would have been a long shot and Beckham would still only consenst to playing for a handful of MLS clubs- namely Seattle, Vancouver, or New York, Beckham could have thrived in a fledgling market and given the club and the league better identity.
The most interesting move has to be Fernando Torres' abandonment of Liverpool. Torres, a regular for Spain and Liverpool, decided that a move to London was his best chance to earn a Champion's League Trophy. This comes just a year and a half after Xabi Alonso left for Real Madrid. In light of the Fernando Torres move, Liverpool fans should be shocked and angered to hear that longtime goalkeeper Pepe Reina has opened the door to a Manchester United move. Thinking back a few years, Manchester United wouldn't dare allow Gabriel Heinze move to Liverpool, so why should Liverpool allow United to lure their players from Merseyside?
David Beckham has, yet again, made it clear to the Galaxy that they aren't his top priority. Beckham recently extended his training sessions Tottenham Hotspur and will not return to the States until he feels like it (HAHA just kidding). This makes me wonder whether or not Beckham should have come to the United States in the first place, and it also makes me wonder if he chose the right MLS club to play for. Beckham probably chose LA because it is flashy, and the club is about as high profile as MLS clubs come. What he failed to realize is that the Galaxy are Landon Donovan's team. Had Beckham been able to play for another club he may have been happier, and a bigger star. Consider this, Robert Kraft and the Hunt Family have plenty of cash laying around from their NFL clubs. Why not save a bit of cash for a crafty right winger? Beckham in New England would have probably been hilarious knowing that Steve Nicol is a former Liverpool player (further establishing the hatred between the clubs) and Nicol loves to sign the obscure player. But consider Beckham playing in Dallas. Dallas is a huge market with a growing brand. They just made the MLS Cup Final, something Beckham's Galaxy failed to do. The city is huge, and Beckham could have helped shape the club, further establishing MLS and probably attracting a huge sponsor for FC Dallas. Though this would have been a long shot and Beckham would still only consenst to playing for a handful of MLS clubs- namely Seattle, Vancouver, or New York, Beckham could have thrived in a fledgling market and given the club and the league better identity.
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