MLS General Discussion

[Sammy Maudlin]

Los Angeles losing this final to a team, Real Salt Lake, which barely snuck into the playoffs, is a bit of payback isn't it for the Galaxy's last title won in 2005 when they were in Real Salt Lake's shoes, and got hot at the right time and won the MLS Cup.

[hobbes]

I think the way Americans crowns champions comes from a different perspective . . . they reward progress and evolution, whereas other countries reward consistency.

While it’s easy to say that over the course of the season Real Salt Lake wasn’t anywhere near being the best team in MLS, I don’t think you can take away how good they were at the end of the season. You can say they got hot, but they also progressed and got better as the year went on. They won in Columbus, the won in Chicago on penalties and beat Los Angeles.

Andy Williams only started seven regular season matches. It took them awhile to find the right combination up top with Movsisyan, Findley and Espondola. This is a good young team and I think it took them awhile to come together.

An unheralded side making a cap run happens everywhere, it’s just here there’s more importance placed on it than the league title.

With the salary cap, parity is also going to be a part of MLS. I don’t really have a problem with 8 of 15 making the playoffs. There were 19 points between the top and the bottom of the table.

I’d rather have a team with a losing record get in, rather than do away with ties (which should ensure every team in the playoffs has a winning record).

Speaking of Andy Williams . . . am I the only person who hears Nelson from the Simpsons excitedly exclaim “Andy Williams!” every time he’s mentioned? Probably.

cheers,
hobbes

[raconteur]

All good points hobbes, and for those outside of the US, Canada and Mexico where playoffs are common, the best comparison is to relate this system to a Cup competition and hobbes description of it as rewarding progress and evolution is I think a good one. In many ways playoffs are no different that the knockout rounds of the Champions League or Copa Libertadores, do the best teams also win those competitions? Maybe, maybe not but the winners are those clubs which grow as the competition goes on. Again hobbes is right to point out what Real Salt Lake did in order to win this MLS championship, they won home and away against Columbus the defending champion and team with the best regular season record this year, they beat Chicago away on penalties then on neutral ground defeated Los Angeles also via penalties. They did not have an easy route but beat 3 of MLS' 4 best teams on the way to their championship.

[MerlinTX]

Part of the problem with looking at a winning vs losing record is the fact that wins have been made to be worth 3 points for the last 15 years. This changing of the natural mathematical balance to encourage taking chances to win games has led to a change in the way that we must perceive records.

For instance:
W-T-L records of 9-13-8 vs. 12-5-13

The first record is a winning record, but the second record is worth more points. The first record is worth 40 points, while the second record is worth 41 points.

Just a thought. Personally, I don't have any issues with it, but it does make you pay less attention to it. As always, I think we should be giving far more importance to the Supporters Shield. I'd like to see a presentation to that winner during the pregame of MLS Cup. It would give the proper national stage for what most of us feel is the larger achievement. Particularly with a balanced schedule in 2010, this would be a great opportunity to raise the profile of what the rest of the world considers to be most important in a league.

[alabastergremlin]

You can't really take anything away from RSL, and I didn't intend to.

Nobody takes anything away from a hot wild card team that runs to a Super Bowl victory. Or the small market MLB team that puts together a long run in Octvember.

Absolutley not. They should get credit.

My issue with the MLS format is that they should just do away with conferences because the schedule itself make the divisions pointless. Considering that one team may play in the other divisions bracket for the playoffs, you take even more meaning out of having conferences.

[libero]

My issue with the MLS format is that they should just do away with conferences because the schedule itself make the divisions pointless. Considering that one team may play in the other divisions bracket for the playoffs, you take even more meaning out of having conferences.


Then you would lose the fun of Real Salt Lake being crowned eastern conference champions!

Next year with 16 teams, the league will play a balanced schedule, playing every team twice, home and away so we are getting closer to the day when MLS may just do away with the conference allignment all together.

Ben Olsen retired at 32 because of his contineud ankle troubles. he ahd a solid career and made the 2006 World Cup roster if I recall but he was never the same since he seriously injured his ankle while playing for Nottingham Forest early this decade.

[Sammy Maudlin]

Ben Olsen retired at 32 because of his contineud ankle troubles. he ahd a solid career and made the 2006 World Cup roster if I recall but he was never the same since he seriously injured his ankle while playing for Nottingham Forest early this decade.

I agree about Olson and he will be missed. Before his ankle problems he was a quick and elusive winger. With the injuries he lost his speed but he remade himself into a hard working central midfielder. A good example of a player who despite his physical limitations still built a pretty good career.

[Yogi]

An article about the coming collective bargaining agreement negotiations,

http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/news?slug=r...uters&type=lgns

Here was an interesting portion from the linked article,

This week FIFPro, the international players association representing professionals from 42 nations, urged soccer’s global governing body FIFA to tackle what it sees as discrepancies between its statutes and the operating rules of MLS.

“[MLS] ignores FIFA rules in several respects,” FIFPro said in a statement.

“There are players without a guaranteed contract, player contracts are routinely terminated by the league, MLS acts as a cartel, there is no freedom of movement for any MLS player and virtually any player can be transferred to another club in the league without his consent.

“[We] demand that FIFA take responsibility in these matters, take account of the views of the players and ensure that the (FIFA) regulations are enforced on a global basis, particularly in the USA”.

Garber said last week the union was wrong to say they were not in line with FIFA’s rules.

“I will say emphatically that we are operating in compliance with the FIFA regulations and the union is simply wrong on this point,” he said.

“We spent a lot of time creating the structure for MLS with tremendous legal support and financial commitment, they have reviewed the regulations and we are in fact abiding by them.”

FIFA said in a statement they would not interfere.

Not surprising that FIFA will not interfere, they want MLS to succeed. Plus FIFA have not been active in trying to prevent other non European leagues which do not permit Bosman like free transfers once a contract has ended.

About Ben Olson, I agree with the previous comments but his retirement was not a surprise has it has been obvious he's been troubled by a reoccurrence of his ankle problems.

[Sammy Maudlin]

Denis Hamlett is out as Chicago's coach. Like Preki at Chivas, a coach who won but did not win enough to please his bosses.

[MerlinTX]

Responding to Yogi's post, I'm not sure what legal standing FIFA would have in dealing with the MLS. The MLS players association lawsuit was already defeated here several years ago. That put the league back 5 years at least in terms of player development. If FIFA would interfere at this point, the impact on the league would be horrible.

That being said, FIFPro is correct in as much as the current contract is bad for the players. You have to wonder how much strength the players have in this bargaining process. I can't see a bunch of guys making about as much as Victoria Beckham's weekly dry cleaning bill having a lot of influence over people who can just close up shop and be none the worse for it. MLS just does not have the place in the American sports culture to be indispensable.