I hope some lessons were learned

After Wednesday’s Pan Pacific matches in Hawaii, every report and commentary, weather traditional media or blogger, wrote off LA and were ready to give Houston the title.  I can’t wait to see what they are writing today.

You can’t judge a team my only one match.  Comparing the over all results, LA were the second best team on the islands…they only lost by one goal to Osaka while Houston were stuffed 6-1!!!  Of course, there’s a long way to go this season.  Who knows what the heck is gonna happen.

Bottom line for me is that Becks on the right is head and shoulders better than any other player in the league.  Those kids in the middle spent the two recent matches figuring out how to get on the end of those crosses and put them away.  The one kid (got the second goal) isn’t every going to forget how sweetly that strike came off his foot.

Like I Twitted (I think that’s the correct word…see the widget on the right) the other night, I’m not worried about Wednesdays performance.  It was the first preseason game.  Look how much improvement there was in just a couple of days.

I can’t wait for the season to start…and for LA to be at full strength.  LA will be better this season…I’m just not gonna predict how much better.

Too bad the matches couldn’t attract more fans.

The sky is falling

I love the British ‘Chicken Little’ syndrome.  I mean, everything that is a change may as well be the start of Armageddon.  I read the news this morning about the EPL looking to play games overseas with a bit of a smirk on my face.  I already knew what my friends in the UK were thinking.  It wasn’t long before I got emails and messages on Facebook about how awful this is, how it’s the beginning of the end.  How the Yanks are ruining the sport (well, the NFL did play a regular season game at Wembley last Fall).

So, with so many upset British friends on both sides of the pond, what does this Yank do?  I wind them up of course.  I point out how great it would be to see Ipswich play in Chicago (heck, I’d fly to NY or LA or where ever over here to see them) once they get promoted.  Of course, their take was, I was missing the whole point.  How this would ruin a perfectly good league (yeah, I’m not sure how perfect a league where only 3 or 4 out of 20 have a chance to win is either) by creating a circus environment.  I paraphrased there but you get the gist.

Of course, it would be all about the money.  Playing meaningless preseason matches in Japan or Dubai or LA just isn’t getting as much interest from fans because, well, would you pay $50+ to see only a handful of the star players?  Having a meaningful, competitive match would force the teams to play their best XI and the fans would get value for their dollar, yen etc.

What surprised me was how they would work this.  They’d add another game to the season and everyone would play one extra match in some faroff land.  So far, so good.  However, the top 5 would get seeded and not have to play each other.  Where’s the fun in that?  Seriously, you could fill any stadium in the world several times and massive prices if you had Arsenal, Man U, Liverpool or Chelsea play each other.   However, the report basically ruled that possibility out?

Here’s my idea on how to make this work.  At the end of 18 matches (mid-way point in the season) group the teams by position in the table.  Have the top six, middle eight and bottom six clubs in different pots.  Draw who plays who.  That way you’d have 10 meaningful, competitive matches:  how excited would you be to see Arsenal beat up on Reading?  There would be 3 clashes of top teams, 3 relegation battles and then four matches of teams either trying to make the UEFA Cup or avoiding a slip into danger.  Give the fans in the rest of the world some real value for their money.

Of course, the reason I had the smirk on my face reading the article was that I don’t think they are even close to making this happen.  I think the information was fed to the media simply as a ‘trial balloon’ to gage fan reaction.  Based on what I’ve read from the Chicken Little’s in the UK, they aren’t too keen on the idea.  I haven’t read much from fans like me no longer in the UK.  It’ll be interesting to see what happens…but I’m not gonna hold my breath waiting for the official announcement.

BTW, all my friends fell for my wind up.  I guess I’ll be buying all my own drinks next time I’m in the UK…but it was worth it.

File this one under, “no duh”

In 2000 Ipswich finally reached the EPL via the playoffs after several years heartbreak.  They did this under the guidance of George Burley who’d been in charge at Portman Road for over five years and a squad of players who reminded fairly much the same season-to-season by selling only a couple of players to bigger clubs (like Keiron Dyer to Newcastle) to insure the bills get paid.  Their first season back in the EPL Ipswich finished fifth and qualified for the UEFA Cup.  This again was done with much the same core of players on the squad.  That summer everyone in the media (and those the media asked) said there’s no way they can do anything without spending money….that the previous season had been a fluke.  So, Burley and co went out and spent money….and were promply relegated.

I’ve always said, soccer isn’t like other sports where you can just plug a new player in a slot.  The eleven on the pitch need to know each other and how to work with each other.  It takes time for a team to jell.   You can have the best eleven players in the world on a team, but if they don’t know the other ten very well, they won’t be as successful as a team of players who work together as a unit.

I’ve said all MLS season  that the reason LA weren’t preforming well wasn’t because they were bad or that Yallop didn’t know how to coach.  It was because there were far too many player movements.  Too many trades.  Yeah, the finger gets pointed at Lalas but I’m pretty sure he’s just a fall guy for the AEG brain trust.

So now it seems someone else is “getting it.” Well, Duh!!!  I’ve been saying it all summer.

We’ll see what happens in the expansion draft–my bet is that we lose Martino.  But after that, I’m hoping there isn’t too much player movement this off-season.  LA have a good squad of players.  They still just need more time together and more time with Gullit (though I wish AEG hadn’t run off Yallop)

The good news is that AEG has scheduled all kinds of money making friendlies.  I’ll be shocked if we don’t hear more scheduled for after the Christmas break.  But in the long run, if these matches are in the off-season, all it does if give the guys more time together which will hopefully prove beneficial once the season starts.

Ah, it’s Fall and the postseason complaints have started

Enough already!  I’m sorry, but if I read or hear one more person complain about the MLS Playoff format…well, I don’t know what I’m going to do but I’m tired of it already.

This is Year 12, and for twelve years people have complained about the format and that we have playoffs at all.  Get over it people.

If the owners wanted the top teams to win through to the finals, they would probably just do away with the first round….actually not a bad idea, but it won’t happen.  Besides, everyone loves an upset…remember the Smurf (errr..Quake) comeback a few years ago?  Yeah, I’ve tried to forget, but ya hafta love LA’s playoff run in ’05…ok, maybe that’s only a good example for Galaxy fans.

All the playoff teams get a playoff match at home.  Remember, it’s still about selling tickets.

Personally, I’d prefer the entire playoffs be over two legs like the first round…including the final.  But that’s not gonna happen.  So, I’m happy with what we have.  It works, it ain’t perfect but it’s what we have.  Teams have to plan for it.  It’s always been this way so no one is pulling surprises.

Now, if only the league would be a little more transparent about the qualification process for the Champs Cup and SuperLiga.  

Oh, and while I’m thinking about it, I’ve complained about all the money grabbing friendlys LA are playing.  I’ve used the argument that Man U wouldn’t fly thousands of miles in the middle of the season for a meaningless payday match.  Well, I guess I can’t use that argument any more.

I’m resisting a rant

Another meaningless mid-season payday for LA.

The whoring of the team is going to cost them by the playoffs. it’s all well and good that LAG and AEG are raking in the money needed to sign Beckham…however, what good is it if the team misses the playoffs again?

So, for the 1,638th time, put a team on the field which will win consistently, and the fans will show up. How much longer until AEG have gone to this well too many times?

Only a game?

I’m thinking there was more going on during the match that we’ll never hear about.