The United States has been trying to convince the World that they are an up-and-coming soccer nation destined to contend with the big boys on the international scene. If last Wednesday’s MLS All Star game was any indication of how far the United States still has to go, the US still has a ways to go.
The MLS All Star game is a twist on the usual conference vs. conference type of game. Rather the league took its top stars and faced them against the legendary Manchester United club.
This seemed like a good idea for many reasons.
First, the MLS is certainly lacking in star-power. Outside of Thierry Henry and David Beckham, the casual soccer fan would have had a hard time recognizing many of the players in the game. Adding another squad of MLS “stars” to have a face-off would have just been a match of anonymity.
And then of course you grab much interest by having Manchester United, the second best club in the world, coming to play in the US. Fans love the opportunity to see World-Class players such as Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, and Dimitir Berbatov.
All of this sounds great right? Well not exactly.
MLS players simply cannot compete with a team like Manchester United. It is a little unfair to say this, because the All Stars had not previously played together, and the core of Manchester United has been together for years. Still, the difference in the game was more than just chemistry issues.
Former Arsenal legend and current Red Bull striker Thierry Henry created quite the buzz when he came over from Europe to play for New York in 2010. However, after watching him match-up against defensemen like Ferdinand and Nemanja Vidic, it is clear why Henry left Europe for NY, and it has nothing to do with the bright lights. He is old and his skills have faded. Sadly, Henry was the worst player on the field for either squad and only played one half.
David Beckham was the biggest celebrity in the game, and proved he still had something left in the tank, but too many times players deferred to him. In the 7th minute, Mexican striker Omar Bravo had a great opportunity as he appeared in on goal, but instead chose to pass the ball backwards to Beckham, who shot wide.
The most alarming issue revolving around the game was the attitudes of those involved in American soccer. This includes MLS officials, event coordinators, and most of all fans.
Now this event was at Red Bull Arena and some crazy pre-game antics were expected.
Having two guys parachute out of an airplane into the stadium: cool.
Fireworks going off during the national anthem: somewhat cool.
Fireworks going off during the entire national anthem: borderline disrespectful.
Having two separate announcers give the starting lineups for each squad: starting to get annoying.
A juggling player to give the game ball: Now I'm bored
This wasn’t the Super Bowl, there were about 25,000 at the stadium, all of which wanted to watch soccer, “the beautiful game”, not all of these shenanigans.
Then we have fans chanting “USA, USA”. Meanwhile around half of the MLS All Stars were not even American. Fail. Fans seemed even more confused when a ball was booted into the crowd, and a fan threw the ball back onto the field after a new ball had already been put in play. And then to further distinguish the class of the American fan, fans chanted “You suck asshole” following goal kicks taken by Manchester United.
American fans constantly ask for the respect of the international community, yet we have certain fans mocking the world’s most popular game. Not a good way to garner respect.
US soccer is in a state of limbo, as it is not ready to take the step to an elite program, but is far from an afterthought. Despite the firing of Bob Bradley for a German, Jurgen Klinsmann, the country still has a ways to go.
As seen in the MLS All Star Game, most of the US’s top talent are not playing in our own league, and the few that are playing domestically looked drastically overmatched against top-tier talent.
The United States has the athletes and resources available to create an outstanding men’s soccer team, but it would require a change in culture. Our domestic league, although improving, is not up to par with that of Europe. Soccer is still far behind of football and basketball and baseball in popularity. In the end, the money isn’t there to attract top players and youths to pursue a career in American soccer.
Unfortunately that is what it comes down to. Klinsmann will improve the squad, players like Henry and Beckham will generate interest in the MLS, but until our soccer players are making big money, the US will not be able to compete for international competitions.
No comments:
Post a Comment