MLS Kick-Off

So Major League Soccer kicks off it's 14th season tonight, 9 p.m. here on the East Coast with the expansion Seattle Sounders hosting finalists from last year, the New York Red Bulls.

A lot of people ask me what I think about the MLS when they find out I am a huge soccer fan. Honestly I have mixed feelings. I think it's natural for the U.S. to have a league and ultimately no matter what the quality of the league, it's good for soccer in America. It builds the sports' profile here with young people and is an OK venue for some home-grown talent to emerge.

By the same token, the quality of the league is still not to the point that it can retain it's top talent, even the U.S. based players. Sure there are exceptions (Landon Donovan, Brian Ching) but most Americans who really want to hit it big eventually ply their trade elsewhere. Soccer in the US has the unenviable task of competing with already established sports like baseball, basketball, and football. In other countries it's soccer first with those other sports developing later, if developing at all. So the main problem for MLS naturally seems to be interest, and thus revenue.

While the US might be the biggest market of all, the MLS is mighty poor in comparison to other domestic leagues. In order to combat this the MLS needs to find ways to appeal to fans.

In the early years I thought the MLS was completely inept at this. They were gimmicky, tried to be too flashy, and screwed around with their own rules (There were originally no ties. Every tie game ended in a shootout, and not a PK shootout. Think about the shootouts the NHL has these days and that's basically what you had. Lunacy.) This was all done in the hopes that it would make soccer more appealing to the average American sports fan.

What I really think they need to do is cater primarily to people that are already fans of soccer. People that are already fans of the sport just want to see quality soccer and they want to see facets of the formats that work so well overseas. Soccer as a sport already has a big fanbase in the US as exhibited by surges in ratings for international tournaments and European leagues and cups. The MLS doesn't need to convert people, it needs to bring in people who already love soccer. I think the current administration is doing a good job. Things like the increase of soccer specific stadiums, partnerships with other international clubs, participating in more cup tournaments (such as the CONCACAF Champions League), and a focus on bringing in more foreign talent have all greatly helped the game in the states. The fact that expansion continues to occur is also an encouraging sign.

So what next? Like I said more needs to be done to raise the profile of the league among already die-hard soccer fans. The atmosphere at new stadiums needs to continue to improve and I think as rivalries develop this will also. Something more concrete that I would like to see is to get rid of the very American notion of conferences and playoffs. The MLS should adopt the table format used in most other leagues with each team playing a home and home against the others and the points leader taking the cup. It's definitely a foreign concept but there is a reason it works: every single game is important.

I pledge to do my part and support the MLS more than I have. I rooted for the Red Bulls (god what a bad name though) back when they were the MetroStars and my interest has renewed over the last few years. They fielded a good squad last year and obviously made a deep playoff run. Also, with the prices for sporting events skyrocketing MLS games are still pretty cheap and I have been had a good time with a few (many) drinks and friends at New England Revolution matches since my relocation to Boston. So go to a game, see the ever-changing face of MLS and show your support if you are a true soccer fan.

It'd be cool if the expansion team could get its first win in its first home game. But I'll never root against NY. Go Energy Drinks.