Its become not much more than an opportunity for the money guys in MLS to trot out phrases like "take it to the next level" and "raise the bar" and "showcase our brand" and skippity doo; euro teams saying the right things about the level of competition while making sure they brought the extra big bag of jerseys to peddle, before taking the big check and trotting out youngsters trying to make their roster; MLS players playing together for the first time a couple of days before the game, with the added attraction this year of watching 22 humans trot around at half speed while melting in late july in KC. go back to east v west would be better, at least more players get recognition that way. or just scrap it all together.
I like how hard the team is to make; and I like seeing those combinations of players you never otherwise get to see. It was a fun evening when it was in Colorado, and it is pretty harmless (especially now it is a weekday) to the overall season.
evidence soccer has a looooooooooooooooong way to go in this country. yea. i give you all permission to rep this post.
That might be. I personally have really enjoyed the MLS ASG specifically BECAUSE of the format. No other sports league has a format like that. I think it's probably the only ASG in the US that isn't downright boring, to me at least.
Hoping for the day it goes back to East vs West and maybe a skills competition a day before the game.
Does anyone care? Yes. Do I care? I care about the all-star game insofar as it's an opportunity for star players to get injured playing a meaningless mid-season friendly - and so I'd rather it didn't exist. Given that it does, I don't want any Sounders playing in it, ever. However, other teams? Knock yourselves out.
Another vote for East Vs. West. I don't mind if they bring in a genuine superpower, like Man U, to play against....but Roma? Really? I'm much more intrigued by the sides you could put together from each conference and see what that looks like.
Everton West Ham Doesn't have to be a superpower to be a good match I wouldn't mind a late All Star match in early September against USMNT as a warm-up for the September WCQs. It would never work because their is no way the European squads will let their players go for three matches when one of them is just a friendly.
No. It's dumb and it makes the league look second-rate. Come one, come all. Watch the best players in our league play incohesively while getting smacked around by a bunch of unenthusiastic, out-of-form players from one team in Europe.
I respectfully disagree with all the East verse West supporters here. One of the best things about the All-Star game is seeing unique combinations of players on the same team. Beckham, Henry, DiRosario, Donovan all on the same side was great. With East verse West you don't gain anything, those players are against each other when their clubs play, so the All-Star game provides nothing unique. Another point; I like how hard the MLS all-star team is to make. 20 or so players from 19 clubs is a good team, a team I want to watch. 20 players from 9 or 10 clubs is not. 3rd point; the foriegn team increases crowd and ticket demand, making for a better atmosphere and a better TV product. I'm glad to have Roma after several years of British teams. One concern the league can address is people read too much into the result. We know it is an unpracticed MLS team against Europeans who are still getting into season shape. The league needs to de-emphasice any meaning and just tell people to have fun with it. Which brings me to the final point, the game doesn't have to have earth shattering TV numbers or be your must see game of the season. As long as it makes a splash in the host city, and lets the league reward sponsors (now that the final is not in a preset site- a good change- the leagues needs a preplanned event more than ever); this even is fun, harmless uniquing North American thing. My only wish is that they not present a trophy at the end of it- that is stupid.
I like it too vs. a top European or SA team but let's not make Baseball's mistake and try to get a player from each team. Chivas nor Toronto deserve a player on the team. Result generally are players from most teams just by picking the best not 9 or 10. I want the best on the field not just each teams best player. Tell me that Gonzalez, Keane, and Donovan don't deserve to be on the team and people want to see them. I don't think people want to see Eric Avila and Darren O'dea. All other teams have the right to have a player or two selected for a 22 man roster.
The current set-up of the All-Star games makes me wonder if people see it the same way as they see Liverpool taking on the Singapore XI, or Real Madrid vs Malaysian All-Stars or whatever. It's basically the same concept. It's basically saying "the best of our league combined is about as good as one European powerhouse." Which is true. Teams like Chelsea, Barca, Real etc are basically international all-star teams with the talent they can acquire. But it's not a good look for the league. I'd like to see them do it NHL style. Fans vote for the All-Stars, and have the top two vote-getters be captains to draft their team. Team Keane vs Team Henry. Rather than East vs West where you're likely to see many of the same faces on the same side year after year. Or, if you need some international star power, get some individual players to be part of it. Like a Messi and Friends kinda deal. Have them be part of the draft and mix em up in the All-Star teams. Doesn't have to be a lot. Get like six guys to come over for charity.
Now that big clubs are coming to play exhibition matches against individual MLS clubs I think it's outlived its usefulness as a showcase for MLS. But I'm still glad I bought tickets and I'll still have fun going. Were it not in Kansas City, I'm sure I'd still watch it while hoping no Kansas City players play in it.
I have no interest in returning to an East v West game. It's MLS players against MLS players. Gee, if there was only some other way I could see that sometime between March and November... The MLS All-Star Game is a showcase event, but it's absolutely meaningless from a competition standpoint if it's all-MLS. There's no reason to do anything except try not to injure anyone. When it's MLS vs a foreign club, it's at least a chance to watch our guys play against some different competition once a year. But at the end of the day, since it's only an exhibition, and since the schedule is already longer and more congested as it is, I'd vote for it to just completely disappear if it was up to me.
I like the current format a lot more than East vs West. There is no "Conference Pride" in MLS. East vs West there is little effort and so much scoring it's not even soccer anymore. I like watching the "scrappy" MLS All-Stars try to take down the Euro giants, meaningless or not.
The way the All-Star game used to be was a joke. You had guys going to the bench and being able to come back. You had players play absolutely no defense whatsoever. You had Landon Donovan wearing a sports bra. Just idiotic things. Now the game is a bit more serious.
I had a blast at Reliant and have enjoyed watching the others on the tube. Keep it going the way it is. Great way to reward ($) players for their hard work during the 1st half of the season. I'm glad they finally moved away from the Isle for an opponent. Plenty of great teams out there to play against with rich histories (and payrolls).
I don't like the MLS All-Star Game, but at the same time, I dislike it the least among all ASGs because it has a different sort of intrigue. In other sports, the appeal is "Watch the best players in the world be real good at what they do, have fun with the game, and put tons of numbers on the scoreboard." That can get boring fast, but still works for those leagues. MLS can't use that angle, and so they use the "MLS Vs. The World" thing which brings in different audiences and has a more competitive edge to it. I'm not sure what benefit going back to East vs. West would have.