BY KARTIK KRISHNAIYER
MAJORLEAGUESOCCERTALK.COM

MLS begins its fourteenth season tonight amid the usual marketing prowess that has typified almost everything the league has done since day one. The league is unusually good at promoting itself among the soccer intelligentsia in the country. But the bottom line is that despite MLS' numerous successes, it has failed to reach the lofty heights the league and its promoters have sold to the public.
 
Part of MLS' credibility with many reporters who cover the game and fans stems from the over-selling of the league on Disney's networks. Since day one of MLS, ESPN and its family of broadcast and cable channels have presented the league as a major player in world football, and have exaggerated the quality of its teams and players. ESPN has also been largely responsible for the over selling to the public the quality of the US National Team and of any player who has ever suited up for an MLS club.
 
The recent success of USL clubs in CONCACAF competition has soured many on the view that MLS is a legitimate power in regional football. SI.com's Luis Bueno has dissected the differing results of USL and MLS here.
 
 Much of the perception that MLS was a regional superpower was developed by the media, which for years ignored USL while it was producing a respectable product thanks in large measure to MLS' restrictive squad and salary limits, and out of hubris.
 
Much of the hubris of MLS was inspired by the continued success of international football on American TV. Fox Soccer Channel became Nielsen rated in October of 2008 and has reported remarkably high ratings for the English based Barclays Premier League. Mexican League telecasts also do very well on Univision, NBC Universal owned Telemundo and Univision owned Telefutura.
 
So MLS sold itself as a big time league. High profile foreign signings like David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel increased the league's profile but were squandered one way or another. (I would argue Angel was the more marketable footballer for sophisticated soccer audiences.) The league backed by ESPN and many reporters openly discussed MLS' role in the world game and compared the league favorably to far superior international league. When MLS was exposed in recent CONCACAF competitions, unnecessary shockwaves were felt throughout the US Soccer community, in the same way (but on a smaller scale) as the very predictable collapse of US National Team at Germany 2006 affected this same small group.
 
ESPN finally admitted a measure of defeat in January when it booted MLS from Thursday nights.  But this may actually be good for the league as a whole. In my view MLS critical role has been to develop young American talent in a way that has allowed the US National Team to continue to dominate CONCACAF, and has promoted the game in critical local markets. MLS can refocus on this aspect of its business rather than signing high priced, over aged foreign players since its matches will no longer be broadcast in a lucrative time slot.

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LIVE SOCCER ON TV TODAY:

UEFA Cup:  AaB-Manchester City, 3:45 PM ET Setanta
MLS: Seattle Sounders FC-Red Bull NY, 9:00 PM ET  ESPN 2