The Beautiful Game
There is something that is very unique about soccer in the United States in the fact that we run off of a franchise model where you buy a team in the
Top Tier and that is where your team will stay until the end of time. This is
the case with all sports in the US, but it is so different the world around. In
other parts of the world, especially in the big leagues like La Liga and the
Premier League, Teams that finish at the top of the league at the end of the
season find themselves being “promoted” (or moved up) to a higher league,
whereas the teams that finish at the bottom of the league find themselves being
“relegated” (pushed down) to a lower league. It is common for teams to be
influx between the first, second, third and even fourth league, whereas here in
America it would be unheard of for the Chicago Bulls, after a bad season, to be
moved from the NBA to the D-League.
I would argue that due to
the fact that teams are solidified in their place there is more of an increased
completion between all the teams in the league. Clubs in the
promotion/relegation race yes have more of a sense of urgency about them but in
this structure there is more of an equality of completion in the US league.
There is always a chance of the lowest level team in the league making a run
ath the cup or going toe to toe with the top clubs. In European leagues it
would be extremely out of place for the bottom feeder of La Liga (a top tier)
Real Valladolid to stun the power house Barcelona in a 2-0 stunner, whereas
this is exactly what happens in the MLS like on the 21st of October when the
cellar dweller of the Western Conference Colorado Rapids took down the U.S.
Open Cup Champions Sporting Kansas City in a 2-0 stunner.
3,900 kilometers, this is a
very important distance. In the UEFA Champions League this is one of the
furthest distances most teams will ever have to travel. This is the distance
from England to Turkey, a pretty far trip that thankfully these clubs only have
to make every once and a while. This is also the distance from Montreal to Los
Angles that teams in MLS travel regularly. MLS is based in a very large
country, so some things in other leagues are sometimes just not possible in
this one. In our own CONCACAF Champions League some teams have to travel 7,500
kilometers such as the Vancouver Whitecaps facing any Costa Rican team (which
happens often) This makes a “Championship play” in America very necessary to
maintain that “Super Cup” feel that is felt the world around.
That brings me to my
favorite part about Major League Soccer, playoffs. The playoffs for me let me
live my emotions by that “red line”. In MLS in 2015 the top six teams in each
conference move on to the playoffs with the top seeded teams getting first
round byes. This is do-or-die for many teams with an aggregate style of play
and away goals breaking hearts. This is what the game is for and with the big
name stars this year and with so much at stake I can’t wait to see how this
season unfolds.
There is something that is very unique about soccer in the United States in the fact that we run off of a franchise model where you buy a team in the
Top Tier and that is where your team will stay until the end of time. This is
the case with all sports in the US, but it is so different the world around. In
other parts of the world, especially in the big leagues like La Liga and the
Premier League, Teams that finish at the top of the league at the end of the
season find themselves being “promoted” (or moved up) to a higher league,
whereas the teams that finish at the bottom of the league find themselves being
“relegated” (pushed down) to a lower league. It is common for teams to be
influx between the first, second, third and even fourth league, whereas here in
America it would be unheard of for the Chicago Bulls, after a bad season, to be
moved from the NBA to the D-League.
I would argue that due to
the fact that teams are solidified in their place there is more of an increased
completion between all the teams in the league. Clubs in the
promotion/relegation race yes have more of a sense of urgency about them but in
this structure there is more of an equality of completion in the US league.
There is always a chance of the lowest level team in the league making a run
ath the cup or going toe to toe with the top clubs. In European leagues it
would be extremely out of place for the bottom feeder of La Liga (a top tier)
Real Valladolid to stun the power house Barcelona in a 2-0 stunner, whereas
this is exactly what happens in the MLS like on the 21st of October when the
cellar dweller of the Western Conference Colorado Rapids took down the U.S.
Open Cup Champions Sporting Kansas City in a 2-0 stunner.
3,900 kilometers, this is a
very important distance. In the UEFA Champions League this is one of the
furthest distances most teams will ever have to travel. This is the distance
from England to Turkey, a pretty far trip that thankfully these clubs only have
to make every once and a while. This is also the distance from Montreal to Los
Angles that teams in MLS travel regularly. MLS is based in a very large
country, so some things in other leagues are sometimes just not possible in
this one. In our own CONCACAF Champions League some teams have to travel 7,500
kilometers such as the Vancouver Whitecaps facing any Costa Rican team (which
happens often) This makes a “Championship play” in America very necessary to
maintain that “Super Cup” feel that is felt the world around.
That brings me to my
favorite part about Major League Soccer, playoffs. The playoffs for me let me
live my emotions by that “red line”. In MLS in 2015 the top six teams in each
conference move on to the playoffs with the top seeded teams getting first
round byes. This is do-or-die for many teams with an aggregate style of play
and away goals breaking hearts. This is what the game is for and with the big
name stars this year and with so much at stake I can’t wait to see how this
season unfolds.
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