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Well improving CONCACAF will be a joint effort (I hear damning things about Jack Warner) but US has to make it self more attractive to audiences and advertisers. Because Mexico is the only other country you can expect to leverage for big money.
How do they do that? I don't know, but considering just the money and interest that would come from well funded and popular Mexican AND U.S. sides, it could very well work, OUTSIDE of the SuperLiga at that. (which many soccer fans I hear consider a joke).
How did Real Salt Lake not win that game. As someone said the ref did a good job. On another day i'm sure RSL would have got 3 or 4. Very nice goal by Monterry and congratulations to them.
WOuld have been interesting the difference if Kyle Beckerman was playing.
My thoughts EXACTLY. Beckerman brings a lot to the RSL squad and holds things together better than the other midfielders.
Still, Monterrey won fair and square. MLS needs to get Suazo up north; he tore up the Chilean league playing for Colo Colo and now scores a lot for Monterrey.
I am not a big fan of the UEFA Champions League BTW. It has been dominated by a few clubs which are spending silly money. Clubs formerly competitive in the old European Cup in smaller leagues just cannot compete anymore. Look at what is happening to the Dutch league: Ajax and Feyenoord just can't muster the financial muscle and lose their youth players to the silly money before they are ready. Even P$V, which is famous for NOT having a decent youth academy, is looking financial ruin the face for next season.
The Mexican league is a good one for the MLS squads to face off against. Playing against them will make our players so much better.
My thoughts EXACTLY. Beckerman brings a lot to the RSL squad and holds things together better than the other midfielders.
Still, Monterrey won fair and square. MLS needs to get Suazo up north; he tore up the Chilean league playing for Colo Colo and now scores a lot for Monterrey.
I am not a big fan of the UEFA Champions League BTW. It has been dominated by a few clubs which are spending silly money. Clubs formerly competitive in the old European Cup in smaller leagues just cannot compete anymore. Look at what is happening to the Dutch league: Ajax and Feyenoord just can't muster the financial muscle and lose their youth players to the silly money before they are ready. Even P$V, which is famous for NOT having a decent youth academy, is looking financial ruin the face for next season.
The Mexican league is a good one for the MLS squads to face off against. Playing against them will make our players so much better.
8 different teams from 5 different countries have won the champions league in the past decade hardly domination now is it lol its the best footballing competition in the world what's not to like?!
I love how every single confederation has their own Champions League (even Oceania!). It's not all about Europe. Of course the European champion is almost without doubt the best team in the world, but the only way we are going to continue to build this sport throughout the rest of the world is to have an event like this every year where all of the continental champions can play for a proper world title on the field.
Oh, and to comment on what somebody said a few pages ago about how the European champion just sends out its reserve team in the Club World Cup - that is absolutely false! I looked at Inter's starting lineup in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final and then again at who they played in the 2010 Club World Cup Final a few months later, and nine of the 11 starters were the same players.
In my opinion, Americans need to support their local teams (MLS, USL or otherwise) as well as the CONCACAF Champions League because that is the only way we are going to raise the quality of our soccer teams and players here. Not by simply watching the UEFA Champions League and helping increase the gap between Europe and elsewhere and, in the process, ignoring the continental competition that actually contains American teams.
I love how every single confederation has their own Champions League (even Oceania!). It's not all about Europe. Of course the European champion is almost without doubt the best team in the world, but the only way we are going to continue to build this sport throughout the rest of the world is to have an event like this every year where all of the continental champions can play for a proper world title on the field.
Oh, and to comment on what somebody said a few pages ago about how the European champion just sends out its reserve team in the Club World Cup - that is absolutely false! I looked at Inter's starting lineup in the 2010 UEFA Champions League Final and then again at who they played in the 2010 Club World Cup Final a few months later, and nine of the 11 starters were the same players.
In my opinion, Americans need to support their local teams (MLS, USL or otherwise) as well as the CONCACAF Champions League because that is the only way we are going to raise the quality of our soccer teams and players here. Not by simply watching the UEFA Champions League and helping increase the gap between Europe and elsewhere and, in the process, ignoring the continental competition that actually contains American teams.
never a truer word spoken on here! but i support my local team, and i mean support them through thick and thin! (really thin at the moment lol) and that doesn't mean i can't marvel in the quality that is the uefa champions league, its like watching the world cup you watch it because its entertaining, but thats entertainment, supporting a team is different, and i will always put my team before any other, if there was a dundee home game, it was pouring with rain, and the night of the champions league final, i would go and see dundee cause that's my team, other than that its ok to watch quality football from around the globe (if your in love with the game your in love with the game!) but always support your team above all others!
Although I am not a hard core fan like that, I am relatively loyal. Otherwise, I wouldn't choose Virginia as my college team.
Still I think most (american sports) fans who are loyal are a bit show me the money first.
The people who are following MLS now are the hard cores. US has development infrastructure issues to address before we can really make waves, despite all the progress we have made. Once we fix development problems, quality will continue to increase and so will interest. Then I think the cycle will perpetuate itself (at least to a certain level).
8 different teams from 5 different countries have won the champions league in the past decade hardly domination now is it lol its the best footballing competition in the world what's not to like?!
And those 5 countries are dominated by 1-3 teams year after year.
England:
Manchester United
Chelsea
Arsenal
Germany:
Bayern Munich
Spain:
Real "Black Hole" Madrid
Barcelona
Italy:
Inter Milan
Juventus
AC Milan
What was the fifth country? Portugal? Well, they are dropping if you haven't noticed, but do have 3 of the 4 semi-finalists in the Europa League (Benfica, Porto, Braga).
Frankly, I find the above leagues dreadfully boring except for Germany where a few other squads have taken the title in recent years (Wolfsburg, Dortmund, even Stuttgart). The issue, however, is the financial muscle of the big clubs and the Bosman ruling which stopped clubs that train up young players from reaping a benefit from that training.
Let's take a case study here. Royston Drenthe was an up-and-coming star in the Feyenoord Rotterdam (Netherlands) youth squad, who starred in an U-19 competition. Before Bosman, Feyenoord could have kept him until the age of 21, and then sold him on for a high price to a bigger club, earning a return on their investment. Instead, Real Madrid offered him (Drenthe) silly money to jump on a free transfer. Where is he now? Well, after failing to break through in the "Black Hole", he was playing for Hercules until they stopped paying their players' wages. In the end, it would have been better off for him to stay at Feyenoord and been a star there until older and wiser.
I like the MLS structure whereby the league handles the player transfers and in the end there is greater parity. You may be too young to remember the USA's first attempt at a national league, but it failed when the New York club ended up with all of the high-priced players and the league was dull and uncompetitive. Imagine the Dallas Cowboys winning every year.
BTW, I have all of the above leagues on the telly, so I do have a choice, and lately I have chosen to watch MLS matches instead. Otherwise, it is ManU against Chelsea for the UEFA CL, or was that the FA Cup, or the League Cup, or is it one of the Premier League matches? Snoring, boring...
But, of course, people come in all shapes, sizes, and opinions. There are plenty of ManU and Chelsea fans around the world. People love to back winners and jump on the bandwagon. All they need is cannon fodder for their "stars" to whack for entertainment. Me? I prefer to see competition.
I love how every single confederation has their own Champions League (even Oceania!). It's not all about Europe. Of course the European champion is almost without doubt the best team in the world, but the only way we are going to continue to build this sport throughout the rest of the world is to have an event like this every year where all of the continental champions can play for a proper world title on the field.
In my opinion, Americans need to support their local teams (MLS, USL or otherwise) as well as the CONCACAF Champions League because that is the only way we are going to raise the quality of our soccer teams and players here. Not by simply watching the UEFA Champions League and helping increase the gap between Europe and elsewhere and, in the process, ignoring the continental competition that actually contains American teams.
Well said!
While it is true that European clubs get the world's best players, a financial earthquake/tsunamis is coming their way since many clubs have refused to get their finances in order. In the end, the few really rich clubs are spoiling the competitive landscape and making it LESS competitive.
The latest UEFA CL match between Real Madrid and Barcelona was a farce! Fighting on the pitch and Big Mouth Mourinho getting sent to the stands and then he makes stupid remarks about how the ref threw the match to Barca because they have UNiCEF logos on their kit. This silliness ruins the game because BIG MONEY gives people motivation outside the norms of competitive sport.
No, best set of matches the past week were the two between Real Salt Lake and Monterrey. Great competition and no off-pitch cr@p.
I used to enjoy the Spanish league during the brief period when Real Madrid and Barcelona did not dominate. Valencia won the title twice, and Deportivo La Coruna once. But take a look at the table this year, it is absolutely ridiculous. Of course, those "fans" around the world who like to back only winners love to see their teams whack up on opponents. I prefer to see competitive matches.
While I largely agree about talent and money consolidation leading to somwehat less exciting soccer overall;
I just don't know if the "reckoning" will come. What will it look like.
After they don't operate on the more straight-buisness like franchise system. Particularly in Germany and Spain. Who is going to let a team out and out dissolve?
Also others will say; it's the best soccer in the World, who cares if it's the same people over and over. Especially if you are an observer from a distance.
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