I purposely put "soccer" in lower case. I know this has nothing to do with the U.S. Soccer Federation but I think it makes soccer in the U.S. look bad when teams come here with reduced lineups due to visa problems. On a completely rational level it should not since soccer organizations are not in charge of issuing visas but the impression still lingers that when international teams come here the playing field is not level.
No. MLS would have dearly loved for this to have happened to MLS teams. It would have given MLS teams a legitimate excuse for its putrid away phase (0-4-4) in the tournament. MLS could also have tried to use this excuse for its equally lame 1-5-1 record at home. As it is, MLS has to blame the phases of the moon and other less believable excuses for its poor performance both home and away.
These constant visa issues also complicate any potential Libertadores invitation. A small club like LA Firpo may not put up a fight, but I don't see the bigger clubs in CONMEBOL putting up with this treatment. After all is said and done it simply skews the competition. In the end there should be some flexibility with artists and athletes. I remember a certain Amy Winehouse getting a visa for her U.S. tour after being rejected at first.
To top it all off for Firpo, one of their massage therapists was held at the airport because his name matched one of the entries on the most wanted list: Source: http://www.elsalvador.com/mwedh/nota/nota_completa.asp?idCat=6429&idArt=3064600
People talk about lack of depth. You mean lack enough quality players to play matches midweek. Playing midweek is part of life. All the other teams also have midweek matches. MLS starters can do okay against Mexico, but "compete" does not mean only winning 40% at home (usually with some dodgy refs). That's all MLS seems to manage in stuff like Superliga.
Not because the visa was denied, but back in 2002 Wizards forward Igor Simutenkov didn't get his visa to travel with the Wizards down to Mexico because Morelia did not submit the proper Visa paperwork to the Mexican immigration office. https://www.bigsoccer.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-5694.html
Finally, we have a ref that actually calls fouls! All the hacking Houston get away with with MLS refs isn't gonna fly
Yeah uhm...can you explain the record of the Dynamo reserves in this competition...especially the three away games. How bad were the Dynamo reserves?
MLS Matchtracker has the fouls at 22 - 6, Houston!!! You'd think that the Dynamo were hacking away, but I'd put this down to the Mexican ref calling them one way a lot more than the other.
Houston has been hacking like crazy IMHO, some real thuggery. Just as I said that, a red to Robinson.