OK, fair point, they aren't minnows. That doesn't make a game involving them and Barca/Real much more enjoyable. Generally I haven't gotten into La Liga (other than the one year Tenerife was promoted) but I will watch EPL games outside of the top teams or between the top teams because of the competitiveness. I'd love to see the Bundesliga move to a network that's easier to get so I could watch it. But don't try to tell me that to consider myself a fan of a sport I have to sit through the no-drama drubbings Barca/Real (or Man U/City) put on the lesser teams in their leagues.
Well La Liga games outside the top 2 (3 this year) can also be competitive (less than the others probably). But the style of play can turn people off a little, lot of passing around in the midfield, think Barcelona with out the scoring opportunities. But the first touch and passing accuracy is pretty good.
And again, you are ignoring my point. If you watch Barca vs. any Spanish team other than Real and maybe Atletico, is the result practically pre-determined? Yes? Then I'm not interested. It doesn't matter that the team that Barca is about to devour would beat most other opposition in the league, or even in Europe. What matters is that the game is going to suck. Unless you like one-sided games, which I'm beginning to think a lot of folks do. ------RM
Well, to be honest, I'd enjoy seeing DC United drub their opposition 5-0 every once in a while. But, if MLS became like la Liga where 2-3 teams were head and shoulders above the rest, I'd probably stop watching.
I would say anyone watching La Liga games outside of the top 2 or 3 is a very knowledgable fan who knows his sh*t. And if he looks down on MLS, well, I'd disagree but respect his opinion. My problem is with those who spit on MLS, because they'd rather watch Barcelona vs. Who Cares Dude BARCAAAAA! ------RM
That is a better point but it is not a Globetrotter vs. Generals. You do not care about great soccer if it is not competitive, I get that and that is a fair opinion. You are probably not a fan of the CCL since we know what league will win before it even starts. Well most La Liga games are over by 4 pm central time, so most weekends (specially summer) people should not have the excuse of missing a MLS/NASL/USLPRO game because they are watching Barca (well USL may play a few games early, I am not sure). Now I understand this more of fans of Liga MX, it is a superrior product, it is competitive enoght and it is usually on at the same time, but European soccer fans, not so much. I know the type of people you talk about, I was invited by my sisters boyfriend to go watch some soccer Saturday morning, one of his friends is a fan of some German team Wolfsomething. He has never been to a FIRE game. Obviously I invited him to come watch at least one this year, we will see if he does. Now some of them will go to the game and nick pick any bad play, pass, shot, ref call, etc and use that as an excuse to not come back, hopefully this dude has an open mind and he can see past the lower level of play and can enjoy the opportunity of a live match and see that this league regardless of lower level soccer being played can be very fun to watch/follow. Now I am a FIRE season ticket holder and Red Stars ticket holder, so I will miss games on TV to go to the live game for sure. I will even miss FIRE away games (and Tiburones games) if the Red Stars are playing home. So maybe I over rate the Live part of this, but we will see.
Massive number of posts may be rendered moot. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jan/23/catalonian-parliament-referendum-independence-spain
Barcelona (as well as other local clubs like Espanyol) will still play in La Liga. (but good for them to split administratively from Madrid) In any case, this is another "MLS Fans vs. the World" thread. I'll just mention that in the olden days - 60's-70's - top tier international competitions were rare and each game was a huge event. When one watched, as an example, Brazil'70 with Pele, Tostão, Rivelino, Jairzinho, Carlos Alberto, et al., he was watching a unique exhibition of football greatness and, if you told any fan anywhere in the world, that you weren't interested in that Brazil team because they were "too good", you'd be laughed out of the room. Not to love Barcelona is a perversion that seems to overcome only the home grown American MLS fans. It's a sad, sad case.
Barca is just simply beautiful soccer. its beautiful to watch. it doesnt mean I dont enjoy an MLS game. I do. I love the game not a brand.
The best thing about Barca games is that they play beautiful, brilliant soccer... and I always know who to root for. Any team that has any slight chance of knocking points off those smug, crafty walking-ball elite. Celtic may strangle their own league in an unholy, predatory fashion, but I will forever love them for the massive, perfectly-timed upset in the Champions League this year.
MLS's gain of respect is going to be gradual, fans have to accept it. IMHO, It's partially due to the problems the US has had in it's approach to the game relative to Europe as far as developing players and therefore interesting soccer stars. Of course this has changed in the past few years and promises to get better when more academies come online. Still, Soccernomics pointed out a great point. Despite the religious nature of soccer fanbases, I don't think you can count EVERY fan on that level. Especially here in America. Soccer on TV is really just another form of entertainment. If people think they can get more bang for their buck from the Premier League, La Liga or what have you, you can't really blame them. Not everyone is going to approach soccer as a "way of life" type fandom, they damn sure don't in the NFL nor even college ball (although the number of hardcores are higher) I have grown to like soccer and admit that Europe is head over heels better than us. Heck, we can't beat Mexican teams in our CCL! But I am picking up DC United as it's a local team and you can't deny local importance in fandom. I think the Premier League will always be on top due to it's brilliant stars thanks to a money making machine fueled by a soccer mad home country. But MLS can even the score. When will it pass the "smell test"? That's likely going to depend on who you ask as this seems highly subjective. I think one thing that will help perception is winning important contests, therefore kicking Mexican club ass in the CCL is important as it will lead to the perception that we are "catching up" to a soccer mad country in performance. That along with more exporting of American players. Short term I think we will have to rely on DPs and foriegners to really shake things up as our talent pool still doesn't seem deep enough for it's own good. (That's a much larger issue to address). MLS is 16 now right? Let's see how we look on our 20th anniversary, give academies a few years to grow and see where expansion takes us. Then take stock of how far we came and continue to reevaluate over 5-10 year periods
MLS already has soccer fans respect in the US> The issue seems to be that many of MLS soccer fans just hate european soccer which is insanity. They think it is terrible or bad or worse than MLS for some reason. pure madness. I think you have an honest appraisal of MLS. its a league that is trying to grow under difficult circumstances.
...and there are many Euros who think MLS is still a rec league no matter what strides have been made. What's your point? It's the nature of certain parts of fan bases. I am ecstatic that there is enough passion here where we have fan bases who feel so protective about our league. That is a great sign quite honestly. Read several things this morning that made me LOL and shake my head all at the same time...and those were US fans...and I'm not just talking about SFS and his old and tired spiel. It's madness to not understand this works both ways. I can barely read YA sometimes when I see the complete ignorance of many US posters there with regards to our league, it's policies, set up, etc. To way street chum.
Any euro that says that MLS is a rec league is a moron. I have been to games of the MLS and have enjoyed it a lot. it isnt the top level but it is fun in its own right. Any euro fan who says that is the same as any MLS fan. I am a SOCCER fan. A strictly euro fan is a brand of soccer fan. Fine. nothing wrong with it. But the title of this article is when will MLS get respect from SOCCER fans. It already does. It doesnt have respect of EURO BRAND soccer fans ONLY. Big deal...those people are just as idiotic as MLS BRAND soccer fans ONLY. Its a ridiculous stance.
I swear to god, posting in this thread is like talking to a brick wall. Many people have explained, multiple times, that they enjoy watching teams like Barca play games against strong opponents -- they just aren't interested in watching Barca walk all over an unworthy team. But the latest responses are still along the lines of "Y U NO LIKE BARCA?!?!?!" Bullcrap like accusing us of not wanting to watch a team because they're "too good", being biased against superclubs, or not appreciating the "beautiful soccer" that supposedly happens when Barca demolishes some side that never had a chance. I give up. If I can't make clear the difference in entertainment value between Barca vs. Man U and Barca vs. Celta Vigo, then I need to pack it in. ------RM
The greatest moments in the sport happen when a minnow beats a shark. When Celtic beat Barca, people were crying in that stands and it made news worldwide. The match would have had very little impact if both teams were evenly matched. The parity snobs miss out on the best moments of the game.
No, the greatest moments in the sport don't come from fluke wins that buck the expectation, they come from two evenly matched sides throwing everything but the kitchen sink at each other, they come from the teams pulling ahead and then being matched by the other, it comes when the game falls down to the wire, and it comes when you can feel the tension in your body as one side holds on to a narrow lead in the waning moments of the game, and it comes from the same tension in your body that explodes out of you when one side scores in stoppage time. Sure, that can sometimes happen when a minnow plays a shark, usually the minnow gets eaten very quickly though.
Preferably, one beer at a time. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/free-beer-movement-aims-spread-soccer-stateside
I can watch Fulham and Everton play a great, evenly matched game. It won't qualify as a great moment (for me) because the stakes aren't high. I understand people who prefer parity, but dynasties have generally been good for most sports leagues. Ratings don't go down in MLB when the Yankees are winning titles. Because the chance to see greatness confirmed or greatness defied adds drama. It raises the stakes. It's not snobbery to prefer competitive games or to prefer to see the greatest teams and players. It's just a personal preference.