But MLS is in your own backyard. If the free market explained everything as "we only buy the best," then there would be no promotion/relegation because there would be no lower leagues anywhere. I watch foreign leagues and I understand the addiction. But people do get addicted to their own backyards, too.
oh sweet moses, give me a break with this tired bull**** NEWSFLASH: most of your so-called "eurosnobs" were supporting the USMNT long before many of your precious MLS finger pointers has it never occured to any of you that the clubs of the evil premiership, serie a, bundesliga, eredivisie, turkish super ligi, etc. predate MLS? has it never occured to you that america is a world melting pot, with families handing down love for parents' native clubs? has it never occured to any of you to see a therapist about your raging inferiority complexes? you all want to go on and on about how "eurosnobs" keep the USMNT down, then you lay out a bunch of restrictive rules and force people to meet your whiny, selfish, irrelevant demands to qualify as "real USMNT supporters"... unintentional humor much? what club i support has zero to do with how meaningful my USMNT support is, except that both come from the heart - i have one club, it has always been my club and its status as my club easily predates the birth of MLS i don't see why i should compromise my personal club allegiance to be considered a "legit USMNT supporter"... and if i do, well then f*** a bunch of you oh, and hansel... as for the "new unwritten law around here" (translation: your warped idea from this morning), go piss up a rope - let me know when you walk across town at 3 in the morning to pay 15 euro to see the US play when you have to work early in the morning asshat
well, i last lived in birmingham... so no, but i watched and followed - had i lived anywhere near an MLS city, then yeah, i probably would have gone to games i did and do not, however, have an MLS "team" (although i like to see KC do well) - i have one club that was determined well before MLS, and i will never have another as long as i live
pffft, you're waaaaaaaaaaaaaay worse than any "eurosnob" could ever be: a diehard MLS fan who couldn't care less about the USMNT i've seen you root against the nats' to suit your metrostars wants, so you have absolutely no business handing down ultimatums to people in this thread as for running with human nature, are we supposed to be impressed that you cop to it so meekly? try rising above it for once, it's very fulfilling
My loyalties lie between the national team and MLS, and am able to pick one or the other so that it would benefit American soccer. I'm sure I would be just as able to find some statements of yours that betrays both. Don't blame any of us if you've opened yourself up to accusations of less than unwavering support to US soccer.
Here! Here! I have relatives who get under my skin when all they talk about is Italian and Spanish footie. Sure they know their stuff and admittedly it's a different style of play than the MLS. But as one who sweats out 100% humidity at RFK along with a ton of other regulars I take offense to the representation of MLS not being good soccer. I've watched plenty of great matches and players with good skills. God it's exciting. I believe Bruce is telling those Euro-dandies to rethink their definition of good soccer. Is it snobbery or the "love of the game" they espouse? Look who dominates the 6th ranked MNT in the world -- MLSers. Most of the best Yanks Abroad are former MLSers. Last year the guys from Fox Football Friday said that the MLS has become a cog in the greater machine called World Football. Bruce just called these MLS naysayers out. That's all.
bull. ****. 1-feel perfectly free to search for posts where i rooted against the USMNT to benefit AJAX... or you could stop trying to pass your deficiencies on to others 2-there is no "one or the other" when you have team in your heart and soul; either you root for them with all you got, or you don't you have made it perfectly clear time and time again that you are no USMNT fan - time to step down from the soapbox because it does not belong to you, of all people
Calm down, man. I'm not talking about you, and I suspect most others aren't, either. You're not my definition of a Eurosnob. Yes, you're American, but you've been supporting Ajax since before MLS was around? Fine, no problem. Not only that, but you LIVE in Holland, so we can't exactly expect you to have Wizards season tickets, now can we? My beef, and I suspect Bruce's beef, is with people who are johnny-come-latelys to soccer fandom, people who saw some of the '02 WC and decided they were Brazil fans or England fans, or people who have their FSC so they can watch endless Premiership games, and completely ignore the homegrown product. People who picked Manchester United or Real Madrid as their "favorite team" just because they're gloryhunters. People who refuse to watch MLS because they think it's beneath them, unworthy of their attention. Stuck up Eurosnobs, ya know? You're not one of them.
The message I get from him is that they should PLAY, whatever team they are on, in whatever league. They should be in the first 11, and leaders on the field and in the locker room.
I've been telling a lot of friends who don't like soccer to, at least try watching some US games (or Eropean leagues matches) on TV and so far i've been very succesful, some of them trying to continue observing and most of them have already been fans of the sport. They mostly stepped on the wrong foot, they watched girls and kids play, so they think the sport sucks but, once they caught great games, they changed the way they think about it.
Here is what I have "in my heart": the vision of the national team must include service to MLS, which in turn benefits the national team right back. No US team will ever win a World Cup without MLS as the centerpiece as its success. Anything less than complete support behind this vision is outright betrayal of the American game. So yes, I am willing to sacrifice the national team if it is beneficial to MLS, beacuse it will one day return the favor. My position is unassailable. You talk about the history of European leagues; let's now build a history on the true growth of the game in the US. Unless you're too busy supporting Ajax.
Nah, not really. What Bruce is saying is that US fans can (and should) take an active role in developing US soccer. He thinks fan support will drive the market to take more notice of MLS. He's right, in a way, because higher fan participation will drive up ratings, which will drive up advertising revenue and help MLS climb up the ladder. The problem with this approach is that it releaves MLS of some of the burden of improving its product. Bruce wants us all to give MLS an excess return, above what the market has determined is the value of its product. He thinks MLS will invest this extra value into a better product-- better coaches, better stadiums, better players and (we can only pray) better refs. I'm not so sure that I've seen such a level of competence from MLS that I trust them to do this, but it may be a bit a short-cut to a better league. At the bottom line, Bruce is telling all of us that we are choosing to be helpless bystanders while soccer gets screwed over by ESPN (et al) and there are steps we can take to help. So, next time you want to bitch about soccer coverage in the US, go subscribed to FSC and buy MLS season tickets instead. Vote for soccer the only way that the market care about- with your dollars.
I've gotten stick at DC United games because I arrived at RFK after watching a Manchester United game at the pub and still had my kit on. Here I am, supporting the local team and still getting abused. Ah well, when my parents were taking me to NASL San Jose Earthquake games when I was a kid, little did I know that people would be pointing fingers at me accusing me of being a Euro-snob or whatever 25 years later... even after going to Clash, Galaxy, US Men's and Women's Nat games, and DC United games over the years. Hell, I even went to some Washington Freedom games! So be careful who you point those fingers at people... (not you specifically sachsen) Oh, yeah, looking forward to watching us thrash Mexico in Columbus - from the Sam's Army section, again.
in friendly game: tie no win, no lose..diplomatic in the WC: I wish not to have you in the group... the ideal we meet in Finale and Germany win...second place for the US team would be great as well but if we play in the same group..hm..my heart will get broken.. it is hard..very hard....as a German I support my team..but I like the US team as well... the US should win every game, except these against Germany What should I do?..Can we not meet in Finale next WC? and do tie in friendly game? Hm? Bltleo
That's cool, but would it kill you to buy some KC apparel just to support the league? You don't have to give your life up, but $50 isn't too much to ask.
I find that interesting - how can you look at someone who is there, in the stadium, paying good money and rooting for the home team, and accuse them of not supporting MLS? I mean, unless you're sitting htere with a sour look on your face and saying, "MLS is shite", it sounds to me like you're doing both. Il Bruce is talking to the fans of soccer in the US who watch only soccer from outside the US instead of both. I certainly don't think he is saying that MLS is better than the EPL or that the US is better than England. That would be silly. And Bruce is many things - but silly isn't one of them.
The point that Bruce is making is this - no, it isn't as good as the EPL, but if you want it to grow, it has to have support. Consider it an investment, not the purchase of a product. I doubt anyone in the US would even attempt to argue that MLS atmosphere is better than anything in the EPL - we have a FEW things that come close, but the average MLS game is shite compared to the average EPL game. That isn't the point. The point is that without the active support of people who have a vested interest in the sport growing, it won't grow very fast, and might not grow enough. Remember, the NASL died in large part because the President of the league died and no one had the confidence to pull it all together. What if Anshutz should pass on? So to those who would want to see MLS become a viable, fully functional Major Soccer/Football League at some point in the future - to those who want to see the US MNT games be the Sporting Event that it can be, the time is now to watch and support both.
In the USA-Mexico games in Texas (Houston in '03, Dallas in '04), there were a lot of bifurcated families - parents rooting for Mexico, kids rooting for the US. And there are a lot of other Hispanic (non-Mexican) families in the same boat. A big part of it is this - the team has to overcome years of the perception that the US wasn't any good. Every win we get over them and the other CONCACAF teams changes that perception a bit. Are there some who are "thou shalt not cheer for Los Gringos!"? Sure. But there are also those who appreciate being in the US and appreciate cheering for the US.