With all this talent the Burn has acquired it would be nice to see what they could do in some International Club Tournament. A problem in the CONCACAF club tournaments is that the US teams seem to get scewed by the referees on the road in Mexico or Central America. Maybe that isn't the case but it sure seems to be. It would be nice if they could play in a small local pro club tournament in another country. Europe, Asia etc.
Time and travel expenses dictate now, but I'd like to see a MLS/South American tourney, instead of the 'damaged' CONCACAF relationship. IF FIFA sponsored it, the questionable stuff might disappear. Maybe.
Maybe we should win something at home first - before we take the show on the road. Talent is nice. Winning is even better.
Right. The team has not yet won anything with Jeffries, and until he can correct the traditional late season collapse (we can expect it this year as well), the team never will. With all the talent...the Burn still need a striker.
I second this, unfortunetly there is a reason we aren't in a CONCACAF Champions Cup, I mean Columbus got in for god sakes....
yea, it's just been bad luck not to have returned to international play since they won the US Open Cup. But, MLS Cup this year will earn us the bid we've been waiting for. As for CONCACAF, go check out the folder for something interesting on the current tournament.
MLS Cup this year? That thin, polluted air getting to you, Viking? I lived in Los Lomas, but I never succomed to fantasies so divorced from reality.
Scipio, I enjoy your predicitons, because the exact opposite happens. Last year, you predicted bottom of the barrell and no playoffs. This year, you predict MLS Cup is the opposite of reality, meaning the opposite of your prediction is an MLS Cup appearance. Now I'm psyched!
Alex, you misread me. The prediction of the Burn in last was from Soccer Digest. All I did was defend the methodology of the prediction. I picked the Burn in fifth place (pretty close) and a first round out. Soccer Digest's predictions this year are much more in line with what I am actaully thinking, which will be posted soon. I have no problems with being the Voice of Doom (Vox Fatum) or the Voice of Caution (Vox Cautio). While other teams take huge strides forward, the Burn does not. Someone has to point out out that for all the talent the Burn has, they still sometimes just go through the motions and NEVER play to their potential and have a hard stringing a few quality results together in a tough stretch. Guess what this comes down to? Until these problems are rectified, the Burn has no business in an International tournament, and I am not telling you anything you do not already know, Alex. I beleive the Burn would win a few games against the smaller nations, but would be easily outclassed by the Mexican clubs. I freely admit, however, that someone could know something about a huge addition for the SI spot I do not.
ok, ok, I got confused with your prediction and Soccer Digest's prediction from last year. What are they predicting this year?
No, we don't have to win first place in the cup or league to play in an International tournament. By International, I mean teams from other countries. If some of you want to punish yourself (because we did not win Open or MLS cup) by pretending such games are not going on, so be it. Some of us would enjoy seeing how the Burn would do against, for example, a team from Scotland, a team from Finland, a team from Japan, a team from Spain etc etc. A club tournament for good 1st divisions that are not in the Euro Cup etc. These would not be friendlies. They would be for a cup. This way the Burn would get to play competitive games against first team players playing on first division teams. One of the MLS teams played a tournament in Spain this year similar to what I'm talking about. They played a couple of teams from Finland and a game against a team from Russia and someone else.
That La Manga Cup may be played for an actual cup - but its just a pre-season tournament and they are played like friendlies no matter what the name. I doubt the experience was too much different than spending 2 weeks in Chile playing various teams - at leats in terms of prepping for the season. Hey I wish LA had beaten Columbus in the US Open Cup so we could test ourselves in a real competition, but as far as fabricated pre-season tournaments, I woudl be interested but noi more so than a 2 week Chile training camp.
That is a great idea. Of course, Ajax will not be inviting us to thier triangle tournament, but if the Burn could find such a tournaemnt and get an invite, it wold certainly help the team. Hell, the novelty of an American team might bring more folks in to watch. I am sure that inquries into playing in such a tournamnet would create interest with some team. Maybe not Celtic (2) or Liverpool (0), but surely some teams worth playing. Teams just relegated or promoted are alwasy looking for cash!