MLS Schedule mess

MLS finally released their schedule for the 2008 season this week. Only a few weeks before the season starts. We keep hearing talk from the league chiefs about all their scheduling headaches and why they still have to play matches on FIFA International Dates. So, we fans get screwed and offered an inferior produce those matches. God forbid that ever happen in the UK. I know I, and most other MLS fans, have been voicing their concerns about this for years. Now, it’s nice to see media types take up the call this year.

I know MLS keeps claiming that it’s tough to schedule stadiums. Maybe it’s me but weren’t we told that wouldn’t be a problem when teams started getting their own stadiums…guess that’s changed now.

MLS plays a 30 game season plus a couple Open Cup matches, Champs Cup and some ‘invented’ competitions.

EPL clubs play a 38 game season plus a much larger FA Cup and League Cup competition. Add in Euro matches and you have a much busier schedule. But of course, they have their own stadiums.

Personally, I don’t buy the leagues arguement. It all use to sound good but I’m sure theres more to this which they aren’t telling us. After all, close to half the teams now have their own stadium but the problem hasn’t imporved at all. In fact, from my point of view the problem hasn’t improved at all. However, they were able to adjust create a schedule for LA last season which got LA to ever MLS team after he arrived. Shows where their priorities are.

This bothers me. We all know MLS isn’t the EPL, La Liga or Serie A. We know that we MLS fans aren’t getting the best league in the world. However, to knowingly offer matches as part of season tickets which everyone knows before had won’t include the best players doesn’t help that fact.

My honest feeling is that the only way to end matches on FIFA Dates is for fans to force the action. I don’t know how feasible a fan action is but that’s what we need to do. However, for the league to change, fans need to hit them where in counts, in the pocket. I wonder how possible it would be for MLS fans to stage a strike? Would enough be willing to not use tickets for a specific FIFA Date match? Would enough be willing to not watch the ESPN2, FSC or local broadcasts of match on that weekend? Can we do it? Should we do it? If we can, will MLS/SUM/ESPN/FSC notice?

It’s not just me…

…it’s only taken 12 years for me to see someone with more readers-a lot more-to write it.

Catching up on some stuff

It’s been an interesting week on the MLS Coaching front.  Of course, LA now have a Dutch coach….a coach who I idolized as a player.  The guy was awesome.  My hope is that he can introduce Total Football to the HDC.

I was fortunate enough to group up in the Total Football heyday.  While I lived on the other side of the North Sea, Bobby Robson had brought a taste of Total Football to Suffolk in the late 80’s when he signed Arnold Murhen and Franz Thijssen.  The think of love about the style isn’t the obvious, ball movement, it’s the player movement.  Players off the ball finding and creating space so the player with the ball can use them.  That’s what gave me goosebumps when done well.

How will it work in LA?  I don’t know.  I do remember (fuzzy memory again here) back in the Rose Bowl days when LA were getting pretty close there.  I don’t remember if Zambrano or Schmid were in charge at the time.  It may have been ’98.  Anyway, I hope he can bring some of it to LA.  Sampson killed anything entertaining and Yallop was never given the chance to develop it.

Pele has been getting in the news while watching Ipswich go down to Sheffield Utd.  He claims that MLS sold Becks as a goal scorer.  Um, I know I’m getting old (another birthday this week) but I honestly don’t recall anyone saying that.  In fact, I seem to recall everyone explaining to those who aren’t as familiar with the sport that he is a midfielder and is a great passer and freekick taker.  Nothing about goals.  Granted, there were many who made comments about his productivity in terms of stats when assessing his impact on the field this season.  But then again, I’m not sure the average American sports writer can write anything without citing some type of stats.  For me, I saw a different team when he was on the field.  LA were much more organized and seemed to have more direction and flow when Beckham was getting touches.   But what do I know?  I’m sure Pele saw all the matches he played for LA and is more an expert on those things than I.  Beckham, for his part, only said great things about Pele when asked to respond.  What a class act.

Speaking of Ipswich, I loved this result.

Is it me, or are things in NY (ok, NJ) at a standstill?  (Insert 60-90 day’s joke here.)  Is Red Bull going to pull something amazing out of the hat?  Firing Arena (yeah, I read the statement) just seems a bit drastic.  Now they are making changes to the stadium plan…well, according to Ives who is one of the more reliable reporters–ad the stadium probably won’t be ready until 2010!!!  Now, I’ve sat on this for a few hours and given it some thought.  My conclusion is, this may not be a bad thing.  Granted, there are things in Red Bull Land which need to be addressed.  However, I think this shows a long-term commitment to the team and the league.  Also, I’ve a feeling that Red Bull–who don’t do things half-way–are going to create one heck of a sweet stadium.  I just wonder how much longer the Red Bull loyal can wait?

So, Seattle will have an MLS team sometime in the future–possibly before Red Bull moves outta the Meadowlands.  Drew Carey will probably now get grief from my buddies in LARS but I guess I don’t really blame him.  What’s interesting is where I read something along the lines of the team having fans buy shares of the club and allow them to vote on things.  With Red Bull in NY, Chivas in…err, Chivas, Toronto doing something no other MLS team can–like selling 16,000 season tickets before the previous season is finished.   Back to my point, there’s more investment from people who arefamiliar with how the game is run in other countries coming into the league.  The league isn’t anything like it was in ‘96–and I’m not just talking quality of play.  I’m just surprised it’s taken so long for the owners to realize things things.  Maybe I’m not seeing the right picture but things do seem to be headed in that direction.  I just wonder how much longer we’ll have to put up with matches on FIFA International dates?

Anyway, enough rambling for today.  I’ve not been good about writing much lately…I’m blaming school.  However, if you are interested in random comments and the occasional live match comments, check out my Twitter.

Sorry, but the guy with the sign is an idiot

It’s a sporting event. Players get injured. Just cuz you bought a ticket, doesn’t mean that player won’t get injured. Don’t you think Yallop would have preferred to have Beckham’s experience and poise on the pitch last night? They sure could have used it.

Of course, I’ve been saying for years that the league should be promoting teams rather than players. If you’re a regular reader of my blog, I’m sure you’ve heard it before. But the bottom line is, players come and go…but the team (unless they are in Florida or No Cal) are there forever. We as fans cheer for the team colors (whatever they are this month) and not the players.

Think of it this way. If Dallas hadn’t made such a big deal about this match being Beckham’s one ‘appearance’ in Dallas this year, they wouldn’t have had to make the special offer to appease unhappy fans.

Remember, pimp the player match ups seems to be the credo of MLS marketing. Anyone remember how silly that was during the WC last summer?

But what do I know? I’m just a fan who wants to see things run right. After all, it’s not my money on the line…just my entertainment…for which I do spend my hard earned money on.

Oh, and speaking of idiots, it seem the Brit media doesn’t know the difference between LA and Dallas fans. If the guy is wearing a Dallas jersey, why would the print that he’s an LA fan? Jeez, when I lived in England, the education system was pretty good. Guess things have gone downhill the last 20 years.

What’s most important?

The other day I asked…

I’ve waited over 11 years so far, how much longer will I need to wait until winning the MLS Cup is more important than making money?

It’s nice to see I’m not the only person asking that question…

Apparently, protecting the integrity of the MLS regular season is beneath the notice of decision makers at AEG and the league office. Unbalancing the league schedule of one of its clubs, the putative “Jewel of MLS“, in fact, appears to be a small price to pay to secure a couple of ticket-window windfalls. One can only wonder whether the possibility of a split-season schedule was ever seriously considered in the league office, because the Galaxy’s schedule would fit almost perfectly into such a format: league, Open Cup, and CONCACAF Cup matches in April-June, July off, then league matches from August until November. Thirteen teams, 12 matches per season, home and away, less fixture congestion, MLS Cup at the end of November between the two champions of each split-season, or playoffs, if you must, between the top four sides.

Urban goes on to ask…

Should the Galaxy fail to make the playoffs, will the blame be laid at coach Frank Yallop’s feet? Will Alexi Lalas be the fall guy for galactic failure?

Or will blame be properly laid at the door of those who placed commercial interests ahead of more mundane considerations like a fair and balanced league schedule?

Great question. LA fans should be demanding more. I thought something was up when the schedule finally came out and every MLS side was going to have a chance to see Beckham. It mean that roughly 2/3rds of their road games would be played in the second half of the season.

I really want the sport in this country and MLS to succeed. However, how are we the fans supposed to take the league seriously when those bringing us the league don’t? More time has been spent promoting individual players than promoting any individual team. Outside of Cobi Jones, no team has any player they had in ‘96. Attendance hasn’t changed much since then. All these games against money-spinning teams and the signing of big names (except Beckham) hasn’t exactly brought in more than single match ticket sales.

I’ve been saying it for going on 12 years now, until the league and the teams focus on putting the best possible team on the pitch that has a sole focus on winning championships both domestically (MLS Cup, Open Cup and maybe Supporters Shield) and internationally (I’m still waiting for an MLS side to knock a Mexican side out of the Champions Cup) they aren’t providing the fans with the best possible product. Give the fans of each MLS town something to be proud of and to want to support rather than providing two hours of entertainment and hoping they’ll come back.

On a related note, I’ve said for some time that I don’t care when the season is played, as long as no matches conflict with International Dates–AKA MLS matches where the big name stars won’t be present. Brucio over at the always great du Nord has what I think is an interesting idea. Move the season up a few weeks. There’s a lot of positives to this idea. MLS teams playing in the Champions Cup will be better prepared. The season would end before the North American Championship of Baseball (not to be confused with the famous “World Series”) Also, any team sharing their stadium with a football team won’t have as many date conflicts. It’s not like all the teams haven’t been in LA or Texas or Florida or something the last few weeks. Open the season at southern locations for a few weeks before teams in the cooler climates have their openers. But I’m sure there’s some explanation why this wouldn’t work.

OK, enough rant. We all know the most important thing is financial survival (profit?) for the teams/league etc. But I’m still entitled to my opinion.

Good luck to Houston and DC tonight.

First there was Old Spice…now there’s…

Did they consider the name “Beckham Spice”?

My son wasn’t feeling well last night. So, being the good daddy I am I went out in the snow (yeah, it was snowing here last night) and made a visit to the local drug store to get him something to help him with his illness. I walk into the place and right there in front of my on the first group of shelves was a cardboard ad for Beckham’s fragrance.

It’s only been a couple of months since the announcement that Beckham will be heading to LA. The marketers are already trying to get money out of this move. I’ve a feeling we are going to seem Beckham all over the place by Christmas. This is only the beginning.

Bottom line, if it sells more match tickets and merchandise, I’m still thinking this will be a good thing.

Big Changes

I’m not over it, probably never will be, but I’m now getting used to the idea that I’ll never see this seasons MLS Cup Final. However, the Final itself was almost secondary to all the announcements the league made this weekend. Some are pretty darn big.

The owners have finally decided to open their checkbooks. Yeah! I’ve read/heard numerous opinions on this. Here’s my take…this is nothing more than a marketing move. Seriously, Becks is a decent player for someone with only one foot. His left peg is only good for standing on. In my opinion, he won’t be improving the level of play in the league. Heck, no one person can do that. However, he’ll sell a ton of shirts and that alone should make signing him worth the money. We’ll see if it happens sooner rather than later.

I was watch American Soccer on GolTV last night. Towards the end of the show they read this email from a viewer on a rant about how the Supporters Shield winner is the true champion. While I agree that a true champion proves it over the course of an entire season, I don’t buy the argument that the Supporters Shield winner is the best team over the course of the season. The unbalanced schedule makes it possible for a team in a weaker conference to do better than they would with a balanced schedule because playing weaker teams more often inflates your record. Next season it gets even worse as teams in the same conference won’t even play each other the same number of times…or something like that. I still don’t completely understand how they are going to get 30 matches out of 13 teams.

On top of that, they reduce the season by two matches because of the Copa Oro/America. However, they then add midweek Champions Cupish matches against Mexican clubs. Mmm, seems like there will actually be more matches next season…and the leagues best will be gone for two months. I’m still not convinced of the value for money proposition when matches that count are played while the best are with their national team.

It’s only taken 11 years for those in power to realize that developing local youngsters is the only way to improve the quality of the league…and that forcing those players to then be entered in the draft only gives teams a disincentive to actually find the best youngsters and give them the guidance they need to reach their potential. (I could probably use more punctuation in that sentence…but I can’t be bothered)

Probably the announcement I’m most excited about is FSC’s announcement on their MLS broadcast plans for next summer. Every match will be scheduled for a 3 hour time block. This will give a half hour before and as much as 45 minutes post-game for analysis and interviews. Of course, with the added content keeping us views in front of the box, they can slide in a bunch of advertisement breaks. To be honest, I’ve always hated the way broadcasts have always cut away to something else as players walk off the pitch. I know, they do the same for NFL and other sports here. Personally, I can’t wait for those broadcasts.

Also, FSC will be broadcasting the Gold Cup next summer. I wonder how much better the matches will look if they do 3 hour blocks for each match there…or double headers with studio comments in between. Either way, the coverage of both the Gold Cup and MLS on FSC will be better than we’ve seen in the past.

Well, my over/under on when the new US coach will be announced just moved into the over. I was certain Klinsman would be announced by November 15. Oh well, will they get it in before Thanksgiving? Anyone else noticed that Canada and Mexico are also still looking for a coach?

Hey, RSL changed their name to XanGo. Oh, that’s a sports drink who have paid $1 million/year for the honor. Good deal. Now we’ve got two (Red Bull being the first) teams with corporate sponsored shirts. Money is money. Take it however you can.

Is it just me, or is the league slowly moving away from the Americanized version of the league and taking on more of a global image?