That thought crossed my mind as well. I hated watching TnT get hammered week after week. I think this is it in a nutshell.
That's the kind of crap I just can't stand. Going all the way back to day one in MLS, pretty much all the supporters recognized that it was a random act of geography that makes us support our teams. If we lived somewhere else, we'd be a fan of that team. Also, there was definitely a certain comraderie among fans, that if the Giants Stadium security thugs were abusing the ESC, that could very easily be (and in fact was) us. There was always a solidarity among fans, and the standard practice is that away fans are always welcome at a pre- and post-game tailgate, and they will get nothing harsher than good-natured ribbing. Unfortunately there are a different breed, the kind of idots who watched "Green Street Hooligans" too many times and think that they are being cool or edgy by hassling people whose only crime is to be a fan of a different team. I have no use for those kinds of idiots. Foreign fans are amazed that the overall culture of supporters is a very positive one, and the closest thing another culture has to it is the Scandinavian "Roligans." In most places you will see hardly any inter-mingling of fans, and for good reason.
I watched the DVR'ed Revs-DCU match for the second time yesterday after watching the US-Azerbaijan match. It was a striking contrast to watching USMNT and MLS back in the run-up to 2002 and 2006. In those days, I found the MLS matches, including the Revs, to be embarrassingly slow, technically poor and tactically unsophisticated compared to watching the Nats or good Euro leagues. It was striking how much space MLS players were given and how little they did with it in terms of ball movement, off the ball movement and passing accuracy. Yesterday, it was almost a reversal. Both the Revs and DCU maintained good defensive shape and, generally, very tight marking. Off the ball movement was better than the Nats and combination passing, while not perfect, was also a step up. It was a one off viewing, but I thought an impressive step up in the quality of MLS play. I'm not sure I agree with someone's earlier comment that the Revs would have beaten the Nats, but they would have certainly given them a better game than the one I saw.
To be honest, I think that should be the norm. It tells me that the level of play in MLS has finally gotten to that point (with some teams). For example, I think Man City would probably beat the English team (but then again, who doesn't!). Teams that actually are together, should be technically better than those that play together for a week here and there.
Agree completely. My point was that it didn't used to be this way. Just another data point showing the league's progress. The top EPL teams are probably a special case (excellent league with an overrated mediocre national team), but the same would probably hold true for most of the Euro teams.
It's a great point. And after watching Diego and Bunbury put on a clinic for "how to beat Yedlin" down the wing a few weeks ago, I'm really hoping Klinsmann takes measures to prevent that from happening in Brazil.
The flip side to this is that the USMNT is becoming more like other national sides, a part time collection of all-stars. We punched above our weight for a long time because the Nats functioned, in effect, more like a club side than other national sides. Bradenton. Tons of friendlies. Camp Cupcake. In large part that was due to the absence or weakness of MLS. So it's a two sided phenomenon. It's not just MLS getting better. The Nats are probably worse, relative to their potential.
Yeah, it's a good thing that we're becoming more and more like the good teams in the rest of the world. Donovan, or any aging star, would have been an automatic choice, despite declining form, a few cup cycles ago. Players need to be playing well for their club if they expect to be in the national team picture. In 1998, Eddie Pope was the only new player who cut his teeth in MLS, and the rest were 1994 guys who were largely there on reputation alone. Ironically, Tony Meola was the only class of 94 player who was actually a good MLS player and he was not in the Nats picture at that point.
Someone should send them a gift wrapped game film -- One measure would to be for JK and Yedlin to watch that game film a few times. And then tell Yedlin "Don't do that anymore".
For me, the most noticeable across-the-board improvement in MLS has been the number of players who get it re: first touch on the ball. The number of first-touch errors has decreased markedly, especially on the Revs. That has been probably the most painful thing to watch, the inability technically, or through lack of concentration, to control the ball upon receipt.
Excellent point - agreed 100%. We still have players with a questionable first touch (Alston, looking at you!) but in aggregate, the league wide improvement has been impressive the last 3-5 years especially.
Agree. In the first decade of MLS, the norm was for the defender to play ten yards off his mark. The ball comes in to the attacker (or somewhere in the neighborhood). First touch takes it at least five yards. Both attacker and defender dive in for the ball. Someone gets it. Everyone else on the pitch is watching to see what's going to happen. Rinse and repeat. Now the marking is tighter so the first touch is critical. If the ball is difficult to handle, there's a good chance the person receiving directs it to space so that someone in the triangle can move into an attacking position. The rest of the team expects this and is moving without the ball to create outlets and attacking chances. 'Tis a beautiful game.
Yep. Exactly what you're talking about was on display on our first goal. The MLS highlights don't show it, but the first goal was setup by a beautiful long ball out of the back that Tierney controlled perfectly.
This has been part of the difference in the last 5 or 6 games. We've been pushing around as much as we've been pushed around. As a fan of "the beautiful game," I personally don't like the physical play of MLS, but that style is necessary to win in this league.