I am the man Don Garber is seeking. I am an American soccer fan who spends more time and money following foreign leagues than I do my own domestic league, Major League Soccer. Remember when MLS first launched back in 1996 and MLS strongman Doug Logan’s strategy was to go after the mainstream sports fan? That gave us the clock that counted down (and stopped during play – remember the ref making an “X” with his arms to the scorekeeper?) and the shootout. Soccer fans in America were offended, and mainstream sports fans still didn’t care.
MLS got it right a few years ago when they realized there are plenty of soccer fans here in the states, and the key to the success of MLS is to capture those fans. The league has been trying to figure out why international exhibition games featuring teams from Europe or Mexico can sellout stadiums in the same markets where MLS teams struggle to draw over 10,000 people. The answer, of course, is quality.
I’d say 1 out of every 10 MLS games I’ve attended or watched has been a satisfying experience. Sure, I’m a gambling man, but Don Garber and his #2 Ivan Gazidis have to figure out how to better those odds in order to coax soccer fans like myself to attend or tune into MLS more often. Here’s some free consulting: the solution is to raise the salary cap (double it, at least). Soccer fans in the US are not unlike soccer fans the world over, in that they want to watch quality football. This is why we yanks pay big money for exhibitions featuring Club America or Barcelona, and watch the EPL, Serie A and Mexican League on TV, but don’t invest too much of our time in MLS.
The designated player rule is a nice first step, but teams also need cap room to build a quality roster around Beckham, Blanco or Angel. I caught one of the Galaxy's pre-season games, and it was a bit sad to watch Becks out there seemingly on his own. Hopefully when the real games start this weekend the Big Three in LA - Becks, Donovan and Ruiz - will be enough.
LA's other team, Chivas USA, has not broken through with the huge Mexican soccer fan base in LA as the league, and Chivas USA's owners, had originally hoped. Occassionally I'll chat up someone I see on the streets of LA wearing a Chivas hat. They speak passionately and enthusiastically about their team. Then I ask if they ever watch Chivas USA. Their reply, "Oh no, it's terrible." MLS obviously has a ways to go in building up credibility with soccer fans here in the US.
During the league's early years I used to give MLS quality a pass when the tickets were cheap. I remember attending a few DC United games in the 90’s for less than $20 a ticket. That was good value for a decent side. Etcheverry, Moreno, Diaz Arce, Harkes, Sanneh, Agoos, Pope… I can’t think of any present day MLS team who can field that much quality. Yet now the LA Galaxy is asking me to spend $40 to sit behind the goal or $80 to sit along the sidelines. Those are Major League prices. That’s what I’d pay to see an NHL or NBA game, where the best players in the world can be found. MLS cannot yet claim to have anything near the best player pool in the world, yet that’s what they’re charging... and that’s exactly why I’ve stopped attending.
Some may think it is a contradiction to demand a higher salary cap, but then lament rising ticket prices. Perhaps it is, but I do feel strongly that for $80 a ticket I should be seeing more than 1 or 2 world class players per team.
However, the salary cap is what it is for 2008. I am a US soccer fan and I do desperately want to see the league succeed. So I’m going to give MLS a chance this year. I’m going to dive into it with an open mind. I’m going to watch the match of the week on espn2 and Fox Soccer Channel, read the soccer blogs and play in an MLS fantasy league. Living in LA also comes with the benefit of two MLS franchises, so I'll attend Chivas USA and Galaxy games as a paid customer to see if it feels worthy of my investment.
My last in person MLS game experience really sapped my enthusiasm. To be fair, it was the "Expansion Derby" between Chivas and Real Salt Lake. Chivas, at least, has vastly improved since then.
But, I’m a forgiving man. I want MLS to succeed, I really do. I’m here for the courting Don Garber. Win me over.
MLS Opening Weekend
That’s right folks, I’m starting strong with a double-header in front of the TV on Saturday, including the FSC pre-game at 7:00. Let’s see how the boys look with the first MLS action of the 2008 season.
New England vs. Houston
Sat., Mar. 29, 7:30 p.m. (LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel)
This should be a nice season opener with a rematch of the championship game. Will Twellman be motivated after being denied a transfer to England? Have the Revs adequately replaced Pat Noonan? Does Houston have any strikers beyond Ching?
Colorado vs. Los Angeles
Sat., Mar. 29, 9:30 p.m. (LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel)
Another compelling match, I’ll be tuning in to watch the impact of three players. Can Christian Gomez make the difference for Colorado? For Los Angeles, will a healthy Beckham and a returning Carlos Ruiz be enough?
MLS Fantasy Challenge My captain for this week is Luciano Emilio. DC United’s been the best regular season team the past few years, and I would expect them to pick right up where they left off.
I believe I am the type of fan that MLS needs. Not me, but the millions like me. I live about 15 minutes outside of Seattle and I can't wait for the new team to arrive next season. The voting for the new team name is under way now (Seattle FC, Seattle Alliance, and Seattle Republic). I voted for Seattle FC. Anyway, I never played soccer as a kid and I don't really watch it now or know the rules. My favorite sports are baseball, football, basketball, and hockey. I do want to add soccer to that list, but I never really cared until I found out Seattle was getting a team. I always rooted for U.S. soccer in the Olympics and World Cup, but it never had that local connection. I'm glad the MLS is expanding and adding new teams because it will reach more people. Seattle has already sold thousands of season tickets. I hope to go to at least a few games during the expansion season. I think the average American sports fan would embrace the MLS over leagues in other countries. The product is good enough as long as it reaches a large enough audience.
That's great. MLS does need converts like yourself. Seattle is a fantastic city with a downtown stadium. I was there for the ManU - Celtic game a few years back and the whole experience (pre-game pubs, stadium, crowd) was incredible. Hopefully Seattle will generate a strong following... but those team names are horrible (Republic and Alliance?). I'd be down with keeping the Sounders or something else (I think Carey wanted Inter Seattle).
I'm glad to see you're giving MLS a shot, but hopefully you'll keep some things in mind while conducting this little experiment. Do you ever watch any college of high school sports? Those are not the best athletes in the world, yet most people watch because it is quality competition with intense rivalries. We care about our team.
The only reason we know MLS isn't the best is because we watch other leagues and want to compare. In many ways, MLS has a lot of quality. Watch them in practice, and you'll see that they can do things with the ball that the average person could never think about doing. We should not try to compare MLS to other leagues. The great thing about soccer is we get to enjoy leagues from around the world while still supporting our local teams. People all around the world passionately support their local teams while recognizing they could never compete with the Manchester Uniteds or AC Milans of the world. What is wrong with Americans that we cannot do the same?
Remember that players today are better than players 50 years ago, and players in 50 years will be better than players today. It is not just about the quality of player but the quality of the competition. You say to lower the price of tickets and buy better players, yet the league continues to lose money each year. Until the "Eurosnob" fans start supporting MLS, the league will never be able to bring in more than a handful of the world's best players.
Holy ####!!!
I just had to fight a bear. The key is to not be too rough and make sure the bear thinks you are playing. If the bear thinks you are really fighting they get very aggressive. Their heads are even bigger than you would think and they don't smell as bad as you would imagine. Do you think that an MLS team would ever let a bear be the goalie as a publicity stunt?
MLS rules.
I am an American soccer fan who passionately follows the world's game. However, MLS has not yet captured my imagination. So this year I'm going to give it a go, with a full MLS immersion program. I'll attend matches, watch on TV, play Fantasy MLS and surf the MLS blogosphere. We shall see if I'm a convert by season's end.
