Well, well, well … what a first weekend that was. After an offseason dominated by the stories of a player who wanted to leave MLS, the league's 14th year kicked off with some emphatic statements regarding its strength, both on and off the field. David who?
Before a ball was kicked in Seattle this past Thursday, the feel-good factor in the Pacific Northwest was extended into Vancouver, which was officially granted Canada's second MLS franchise. Two days later, it was Portland's turn to join the party. Congratulations to both markets, and here's hoping that in 2011 they can emulate the scenes we saw at Qwest Field.
After Seattle's emphatic start (helped by New York's effort, which was pathetic by comparison), Saturday's games featured plenty of goals and excitement. A day later, thanks to some questionable defending and refereeing, Los Angeles and DC United concluded the first round of games with another watchable encounter.
Aside from the results, two things stood out for me as I watched. First, the league's stars really hit the ground running. Reigning league MVP Guillermo Barros Schelotto and Golden Boot holder Landon Donovan both had their scoring boots on, as did past MVPs Christian Gomez and Amado Guevara.
Furthermore, Chicago's talismen both netted, with Cuauhtemoc Blanco and Brian McBride on target, while two of Team USA's forwards -- Brian Ching and Kenny Cooper -- also got into the goal-scoring festivities. The displays of these stars contributed to a total of 22 goals scored in six games.
Enjoying the action was a total of 119,667 fans, which works out to an average of approximately 17,095 per game. Of course, Seattle's attendance was almost double that of the next-highest gate, but none of the seven games played were watched by under 10,000. Given the fact three games were shown nationally and the NCAA tournament was a major viewing alternative, those numbers set an impressive benchmark for the season to come.
Team USA faces key qualifiers
Though MLS continues to ignore the rest of the world and stages games on an international weekend, Team USA faces a pair of key qualifiers over the next week, maximum points from which will result in the folks at U.S. Soccer starting to make hotel reservations in South Africa.
However, although Bob Bradley's side enters the games against El Salvador and Trinidad and Tobago as favorites, two wins are not an entirely foregone conclusion. In particular, Saturday's trip to the Estadio Cuscatlán could be a daunting prospect.
Naturally, the U.S. can expect a hostile atmosphere in San Salvador, a city in which it has won just two of five previous matches. The last victory came in 2004, when goals from McBride and substitute Eddie Johnson clinched three qualifying points. A similar scoreline would be most acceptable Saturday.
It will not be easy. In terms of experience playing in El Salvador, aside from Johnson, the only current squad members who started five years ago are Frankie Hejduk, DaMarcus Beasley and Donovan (although Oguchi Onyewu, Pablo Mastroeni and Tim Howard were unused substitutes).
Howard, of course, is unavailable this weekend because of a suspension, meaning Brad Guzan will be thrust into the limelight. It is imperative the Aston Villa man is able to communicate effectively with and competently organize his defense, something that was in question the last time he took the field in a World Cup qualifier on the road, against Trinidad and Tobago in October. Having a first-rate backline, as opposed to the inexperienced one he anchored in Port of Spain, should help with that.
The first goal in the game could be crucial. If Team USA gets it, the squad's greater ability should see it through. However, if the hosts take the initial lead, it could be a long night and a good test of where the Americans are in terms of development, just more than a year away from the World Cup.
A thing that made me go hmmm …
So MLS will be an 18-team league by 2011 and could have twenty participants shortly after that? The news is fantastic and, frankly, given the economic slump in which the world finds itself, somewhat remarkable. Could any other sport increase as rapidly as soccer has in recent times?
Although the identity of teams No. 19 and 20 will remain unknown for the foreseeable future, one thing is certain, no matter where the new franchises are located: The league has some serious thinking to do regarding its competition structure. Clearly, the playoffs are here to stay, but the route to the postseason will almost certainly change.
On Wednesday, Don Garber floated the idea of creating three six-team conferences when Portland and Vancouver join the league. I wonder what the makeup of the regular season would be, should that idea become reality. For example, if each team plays its division opponents three times in a season, that equals 15 games. Add in one game against each of the other 12 members of the league, and you have a schedule of 27 matches.
That number does not seem high enough, though it is significantly lower than some other permutations. Using the same idea for in-division matches but playing the rest of the league home and away creates a 39-game schedule, which is far too extensive for MLS rosters to handle, especially with cup competitions to consider.
Expansion has also increased the clamor for a single-table format. In terms of fair competition, I think this is the best structure, but having 20 teams play each other home and away translates to a 38-game regular season. Given the squad sizes, as well as the travel and overall expense involved, is this sustainable for a league that must always be wary of its economic position?
The fact this discussion is taking place is a great thing. The league continues to get stronger by the year, and there appears to be more and more interest from potential investors. However, what happens next has to be positive on two different levels.
First, expansion should not be made for expansion's sake, and entering new markets must continue to be seen as beneficial for the greater good of the league, as opposed to simply stockpiling. For example, it is important that the quality of play isn't negatively affected by an increased number of teams. There are only so many expansion drafts a league can have before the talent level is severely diluted.
Second, the integrity of the competition must remain. As big a fan as I am of the NFL, one thing it misses out on is not having more teams playing each other. Perhaps it is my bias as a soccer traditionalist, but I enjoy the fact every team can have a shot at beating every other member of the league. MLS needs to make sure this remains a key component, whatever happens next.
Well played, young men
Where do you start? Fredy Montero, Kevin Alston and Chris Pontius were just three newcomers who used the opening weekend of the season to showcase their abilities.
Montero's was the most eye-catching, and the ease with which he appears to have settled into MLS suggests that Seattle will not have the goal-scoring issues that have blighted previous expansion sides. Now that the cat is out of the bag, as it were, the Sounders might already have a fight on their hands to keep the young Colombian.
Shortly after the draft, New England assistant coach Paul Mariner told me that Alston was capable of creating an instant impact in the league, and nothing the rookie defender did against San Jose on Saturday suggests otherwise. Also impressive in the Revs' backline was Darrius Barnes, a third-round pick in January.
Pontius emerged at the combine as an eye-catching player and continued that happy habit after linking up with fellow freshman Rodney Wallace against Los Angeles. DC United fans will be hoping the spectacular goal was a sign of things to come, for the club desperately needs to bring some youngsters through. Sure, the team was hindered by an awful penalty decision, but the players' aging legs noticeably slowed in the final 20 minutes at the Home Depot Center.
Andrew Hush
