2015 Opinions

Hello, it has been a while but I am now ready to start blogging again and this time I am revamping everything from what I write about to the layout of the page, get ready for blog 2.0.This 2015 season for Major League Soccer (MLS) has been probably the most exciting and tumultuous season to date. On the eve of Decision Day (the last day of the MLS regular season) so much is at stake. There is currently a tie between two teams for the supporters shield race, and there are several spots that are up for grabs in the Eastern and Western Conference. This Sunday is a nail biter and it has been building on so much. Over this post I will touch upon several things that have made this season great and have up kept the reputation of MLS as one of most competitive and unique soccer leagues in the world.

“When people say 'American soccer,' they think of the U.S. national team. But American soccer also includes Major League Soccer, and until we have a league that produces players at the rate other leagues around the world do, I don't believe we'll ever get to where we want to be.” -Landon Donovan

The rise of awareness in soccer, or as the world calls it “football”, is felt all around. This is the most popular to college age people and the youth of this nation. The awareness was rising. I know for me I fell in love with the sport following the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and I couldn’t get enough, and for a lot of Americans that year was how they fell in love with it too. Then we had the 2015 Women’s World Cup really close to home in Canada, and then (a rather disappointing) Gold Cup. Then for the actual introduction to MLS our very own little engine that could (in 2014, in 2015 they are a powerhouse) the Impact de Montreal made it all the way up to the CONCACAF Champions League Final. Soccer is growing in the US and the passion can be felt.

This Year Major League Soccer has seen many changes; one of the biggest changes it has seen is the inclusion of big name stars. Now I am not talking about the stars of last year. Those stars were either in the waxing phase of their careers (i.e. Therry Henry, Landon Donovan, Damarcus Beasley, DeRosario) or were just “bloody awful” (looking at you Jermaine DeFoe). 2015 has brought many stars right here into the American league. A big hit has been bringing the star players from the U.S. Men’s National Team here into the league. Such stars like Jozy Altidore, Clint Dempsey, Jermaine Jones (and hopefully soon Darlington Nagbe). This brings a lot of attention to MLS but not nearly the way that bringing the world’s stars and legends into the league. With legends such as Drogba, Kaka, Gerrard and David Villa playing the world’s game here in America is breathtaking to see. The stars that are choosing, what I would call the prime of their career to play here in the states are players such as Sebastian Giovinco and Robbie Keene. I can only hope that more stars keep coming to the states (looking at you Ronaldinho and Ronaldo) Even though the big name stars are great I am beyond excited to see players that are growing up in the soccer system that took roots in 1996 and seeing them now being some of the leagues’ standout players. Such players as Cyle Larin and Khiry Shelton are making a mark for their teams Soccer (Futbol) is roaring up here in the states, I am excited to be a part of it.

Now comes my own personal favorite part of having a blog and that is my own opinions. I love MLS and what it is doing here in America, but I would really like it if they were able to fix all their bugs and be perfect, but no system is perfect, so I will just enjoy the ride. Anyways, here are the opinions that I have gathered after the 2015 MLS Season.

Portland- First of all, I am a huge Portland Timbers fan. I am RCTID and proud of it, I love getting rowdy in Providence and showing “No Pity”. That being said, Portland is a solid program with an even solider fan base. That is just the problem though. There are too many fans. The Timbers have sold out every home game ticket since they joined MLS in 2011. I love the downtown stadium feel that Don Garber is going for, but the Timbers are arguably the most popular thing in Oregon (behind the Blazers) speaking as a native Oregonian and an avid hater of Portland traffic (yes, Oregon is a state with a total population of 3 million, large cities are not a thing here) I would love if they got a new, bigger stadium. I would bet anything if the people up in Portland built a 45,000 seat stadium in the surrounding neighborhood (Beaverton, Gresham, or even Aloha) the Timbers Army would fill it (and make it pretty loud to boot) and give the Seattle Flounders an honest run for the attendance record. (Especially with the teams so close to each other the attendance of those games in Seattle are at 67,385,whereas the games in Portland are always at the FULL 21,444. Come on Rose City; give the Timbers a bigger home!

Montreal- This team has a soft spot in my heart. I follow them every now and then and I almost pitied them at the end of the 2014 campaign. Now they are a powerhouse in their own rights, CONCACAF Runners-up, owners of a very goal hungry Drogba, and now very serious playoff contenders with an amazing game coming up with Toronto on Decision Day. The one thing I wish for Montreal and these matters to me (like a lot!) is their kits (or jersey). They have the best third kit in the league, yet they choose to have their home kit be a plain blue kit. I love the black and blue stripes! They have the only stripped kit in the league and it looks so sharp. This needs to happen. Everyone in Québec please hear this! Embrace the stripes.

Miami/Expanison Teams- The thing about Miami that bothers me is the same thing, the stadium. The announcement for Miami MLS came out at roughly the same time as Orlando City, New York City, and Atlanta United came out. None of these teams have a soccer specific stadium and that is one of the criteria for founding an expansion team. (1) A committed, financially potent ownership with the proper business model (2) A stadium (preferably soccer specific) or approved plans for a stadium where ownership controls venue, in (3) A proper soccer market (geographic location, demographics, support from sponsors, TV interest) (4) An established fan base. I would argue that none of the teams in recent years have this except for Orlando City (and they were “promoted” from NASL  to where they are now) I have no idea why Don is being so hard line with Miami when he gave NYCFC a team without an established plan and Atlanta a team without a fan base or a soccer specific stadium (even though it is new and shiny) I have wanted to see Inter Miami be a thing for so long, It is so close I can taste it.

All-Star Game- Now as this game is currently formatted; roughly 22 of the MLS’s best stars join one team where they face a European powerhouse like Tottnham or Bayern Munich. This is a fun format that brings the MLS to the global eye. It is fun, but in all honesty unless this game is where I live (Portland 2014) I could give a rip. I missed the All-Star game in 2015 because I didn’t care. The game held no bearing on my life or on what the season holds. It was just a thing that took players from my team’s roster and was an opportunity for them to get hurt. I don’t see a reason why we have to abandon this game, I would still like to see it, but probably a MLS Best XI game, not all the stars that are pulled away for it. I am definitely a fan of the East/West All Star game. For years now people have been talking about how the West is better than the East and vice versa. Why not give our players a chance to prove it? Let’s make it count to. Each team will be managed by last year’s conference champion’s manager, respectively. To add more pressure to the game, let’s let the champion conference host the MLS cup. This would definitely grab my interest because I get to see players I care about playing for something that really matters.

NYC Red/Blue (Hudson River Darby)- I love this, the big city is finally getting in on the game. There are a couple things that I would like to see come out of this. Yes, this was NYCFC’s first season, so nobody expected to see them take first in the league. But I would have liked to have seen them do better than they did spending the kind of money that they were spending. Also I would like it if Adidas would have coordinated their kits so the completion could literally be classified as Red v. Blue as they market it. Another aspect of this rivalry that I am not too keen on is that it is so painfully obvious that they are ran by overseas companies. (Chivas USA…what!?) I really don’t like how commercial the New York Red Bulls are. Their name is a product. I feel, especially since we are trying to sell heart and team passion in this next gen MLS. #bringbackthemetrostars

LAFC- First of all let me beg you to not make a circular badge. It is too easy and cheap to make. NYCFC have done it, Atlanta United has done it, Philadelphia Union has been doing it, and Columbus Crew SC just did it. Please don’t do it, its boring. Now the hurdles facing this team are going to be huge. They have gotten over the first hurdle which is having separate stadiums. You need to fight the identity of the star studded Galaxy as much as you can. Knowing the Galaxy, this is going to be difficult. They have already “killed” another Los Angeles team. The departed Chivas USA, they won’t be missed. (It was a poorly managed club with no organic base) The Galaxy have 5 MLS Cups, the legends to their name the likes of David Beckaham and Landon Donovan. They also have the current powerhouse roster of the following amazing players: Gordon, Zardes, dos Santos, Gerrard, and Keene, just to name a few. LAFC has…Magic Johnson and Mia Hamm. Awesome. You can do it LAFC, just don’t suck, and bring in big names. #dontbeChivas

The Kits- For a couple years now the league has been entirely put on by Adidas. Everything is Adidas. Something I would personally like to see is that each club negotiates their own kit deal like the world around does, especially with a big name clothing producer home to American soil, and in Oregon’s backyard, Nike. Nike has lately been pretty lazy with their design game, doing neon series of every team. But each team wants to get their brand out there to the public, why not give them the option to push the brand that will make the most money. Granted Adidas gives a lot of security and world recognition as a global soccer brand, but I really feel like there are better options out there.

New England- Get a new logo and an actual soccer stadium, fix it Mr. Kraft. End of rant.