Just read on Real Madrid's website that this years Trofeo Santiago Bernabeu will be played between RM and an MLS All-Star team. Not bad news. None the less, I hate Real Madrid Paul
http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_y...0aA--?slug=reu-realmls&prov=reuters&type=lgns Pumas won the Santiago Bernabeu Trophy last year. Apparently, this game has been going on since 1979. I am surprised MLS didnt make a big deal out of this. This match is on a monday.
Jeekers, that's an ugly trophy. Is it just me or does that picture look like a deleted scene from The Fantastic Four, where the Human Torch is impishly turning his dotty old aunt's favorite silver punch bowl into a pool of molten slag?
Can this be explained a little more? How is the game Monday I thought Real Madrid just landed in China for a tour.
The game is Aug, 23rd vs. MLS All-Stars. (not to be confused with the MLS All-Star game) http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news;_y...0aA--?slug=reu-realmls&prov=reuters&type=lgns
Here's an idea for this game. The players vote on a captain for this team. That guy then picks an 18 man roster to go to Spain. Crazy? No
I read this in Marca (Spanish newspaper dedicated to sports)...I think this is great news! It gives Spain more exposure to the MLS...and that's great for the league.
How will MLS coaches feel about losing their best players for another week? Will Sampson be happy losing Landon for another game in their hunt for the playoffs, etc.? How many games can Colorado afford Mastroeni to miss with them? Will it be the same team that takes on Fulham? I say we take an all-American team over. However, are the best players in MLS starting to play too many games. With our WCQ games, these all-star games, US Open Cup, CCC, international friendlies with both club and country, etc. I know the answer is probably no, but it's worth thinking about.
On MLS players getting too many games... There was an article on DaMarcus Beasley the other day saying that he played somewhere around 60 games during his time at PSV (however his time frame ran from August to April/May). This is where I think MLS should look at starting the seasons up in February and allowing time off a week or so at a time during the summer months. This time would allow MLS players to recover from summer heat and allow others to play in exhibitions and national team contests w/o sacrificing time from MLS. And instead of MLS changing to FIFA's calendar...why not muscle up to FIFA and get them to recognize the MLS Calendar and allow the summer transfer period to start sooner (around the middle of MLS). Starting the season earlier would allow MLS to pull some talent from disappointing teams elsewhere. This could cause the shift that a lot the MLS Brass would like to see. (IMO switching to align with FIFA's calendar puts MLS in FAR too saturated a situation....maybe if MLS started pulling decent ratings and could compete with NCAA Football/basketball, NFL, NASCAR, NBA, NHL, end of MLB)
I hope MLS puts a bunch of Chicago Fire players on the roster vs Real Madrid. Hopefully that'll cut down on the whining and complaining from Fire fans and their front office about how it's so unfair that a 1st place team had no players selected for the MLS All-Star game vs Fulham.
It is simply extraordinary that MLS has agreed to this in mid-season, and in the home stretch no less. Presumably, in order to make a respectable showing, the players would have to train together for a week or so before flying over. At the very least, MLS teams would lose their best players, yet again, for one match. While I'm all for raising the profile of MLS overseas, I don't know if this is a good idea or not. I'm wondering if anyone in Madrid will care enough to show up to the game, and I wonder if RM will field their best players for this one. Nor do I know why RM would agree to something like this. Maybe they're just trying to makeup for their last-minute all-star game cancellation last year. Maybe they want the opportunity to scout out MLS's best players to see if they can poach any bargains. Or maybe they were just so utterly dazzled by their recent experience in the US that they're as interested in a relationship withe MLS as MLS is with them (right). OR, maybe the rumblings we've been hearing from time to time about vague "relationships" with RM are really true and coming to fruition...
If you actually pay attention to the boards, you'd realize that most Fire fans don't care that we have no all-stars, and actually consider it a good thing because we have no real standout stars and also gives our guys more rest. Have fun taking six of your shltheads to Spain.
I do have to say that I'm actually in agreement with Guavaguy on this one. I love it when MLS teams play friendlies against big clubs, but this is ridiculous. It's at this time of the year that the teams are going to be needing their top players to push for playoff spots and furthermore we still won't be out of the clear in regards to World Cup qualifying. We already got Real Madrid, and AC Milan, Chelsea, and Fulham will all be here next week. We've proved our point now...so can we move on? We have some MLS to play and we really need to get our star players back.
Invitation is nice, but I'd just assume have MLS decline: too many important fixtures (both MLS and international) around that date.
I truly believe that Real Madrid is very interested in putting a team in MLS. I personally don't have a problem with our MLS players going over to Madrid to play in the Bernabeu, although I certainly can't argue with people who do have a problem with it. Yes there will be key players missing during the stretch run, but we have to think long term here. If Real is serious about forming a true partnership with our league then I'm all for it. Its only for a game so I don't think its that big a deal.
NO!!!!! I can't believe they're doing this. Oh well, guess the Revs should just forfeit the Open Cup match on the 3rd. Even if they were to beat the Fire, they'd be playing the Mutts/Rhinos with their 5 best players missing. Yeah ... this is a great idea.
Maybe instead of sending the actual MLS all-stars, the league could send the players who would normally come off the bench for their clubs when the actual all-stars are missing. From the Revs we could send along Andy Dorman, Khano Smith, Doug Warren, Connally Edozien, etc. That way the level of play in MLS wouldn't suffer. And in a way, MLS would show that it's on equal footing with the world's great teams, not by proving it on the field, but rather by having the brass to snub them in deference to their own league. Sounds like a plan. What do you think?
If the game is on Tuesday, the Saturday MLS games can go on as scheduled with the All-Star team flying out to Europe on Sunday, arriving in Madrid Monday morning, playing Tuesday night and then flying back immediately after the game. This is no big deal. The UEFA Champions League has a similar schedule.