MLS All Star Game Format

It's a pretty good idea if what you want is for the MLS all-stars to lose every year.

It's not that these teams are necessarily more talented than the MLS all-star team (although when you're talking about BL and MU, I think it's safe to say that they are), but they are teams who practice together daily and, in many cases, have years of experience playing with one another. Compare that to the MLS all-stars: a bunch of guys who don't play together much if at all, and who got together three days before the event to practice.

I just can't see this being the kind of "marquee event" that an MLS fan would actually want to see each year.

Charlie in New Jersey

 

Sorry, but aside from us soccerfans that are relatively knowledgeable about the sport most Joe Bloe Americans would care-less about Man U or Bayer... it just wouldn't be a markee even except for fans of the game... it certainly would have litte marketability for ABC/television. Besides, what makes you think Man U or any other world class team would take any interest in playing with any vitality... for a game in mid-summer U.S.

So nice thought, but frankly I don't think it would pan out either way.

Personally, I just hope they find a way of doing away with this dumb Allstar game altogether. Leave the Allstar game for Baseball. Maybe they should have Mid-summer "breaks". Thus allowing time for International competitions... such as next year's Gold Cup, the following year's Copa America(2004), and maybe after that a Confedrations Cup/or Qualifier(in 2005) and then WC 2006. Those competitions are much more important and can have an impact on the US game and MLS much more than this dumb ever changing All-star game. I rather have the US nats and MLS fully concentrated on such events than having them miss a tournament such as the Copa America and/or having MLS running while the World Cup is going on simultaneously. The latter is truely something assenine. Could you ever imagine watching ML Baseball running while all its all-stars where out and a bunch of minor leaguers playing for them in mid-summer. That concept obviuosly came from soccer ignorant MLS adminstrators who thought/thinks people couldn't diffentiate between MLS stars and A-league minor leaguers.

 

Addendum,

At some point MLS administrators must realize the ridiculousness of having MLS continue while World Cups are being played.

At some point they will have to realize that US/MLS fans aren't so dumb and that the Fifa WC is only complementary to MLS. Also, having their own MLS teams playing with minorleaguers while MLS stars are away is only counter-productive to overall league goals. MLS games played by minorleague replacements and having those games count in overall league standings is nothing less than a farce any whay you look at it.

 

Mike,

Correct me if I'm wrong about this, please. You sound as though you would be okay with MLS continuing during the WC if the US doesn't qualify.

Personally, I don't think MLS has any choice. They are caught between a rock and a hard place when it comes to the World Cup. It doesn't make a lot of sense to play while the Cup is on, but what can they do? Should they cancel every fourth season? Maybe they should put an asterisk next to each World Cup season in the record books?

As it stands now, stopping the MLS season for the World Cup means losing a month from the middle of the season. And that's if you're just stopping it during the period the Cup is actually being played. If, as I suspect you would prefer, they were to pause the season for the entire period that the U.S. National Team players are away from the league, then we're talking two months. How is that going to work? MLS--not the richest sports organization in the world--makes no money during that two-month period and have no realistic way of making up the games lost. They have to play for both financial reasons and to maintain the integrity of their season.

Charlie in New Jersey

 

Hockey tried a World vs North America format when NHL stars were playing in the Olympics. Alot of Canadians laughed at the idea because


1. Most of the North American team had Canadians on the team.

2. They belittled Gary Bettmen(sp) because they thought the format change was to make hockey popular in America. * most of time I ignore Canadian hockey analysts because they want to see a Canadian run hockey*

I like the idea of East vs West. You get to showcase all of the players. MLS -All Stars vs a club team should not replace the current format. MLS should showcase MLS players. Let a MLS team play against a club once a year. That would be okay for special occasions.

 

Best reason not to do that is that only 18 or so players from MLS would make the All-Star game. Even in the current format, MLS gets 36 players to the game. Picking just 18 might leave out worthy players (assuming the All-Star game is worth something, that is).

 

So you would stop the whole season for a loss of eleven players. How many players does Chicago have injured? Should we stop the season for that, too? I enjoyed having the MLS going while the WC was on. It made for an awesome month of soccer. Several players stepped up. Look at Twellman, Martino, Carrieri.

 

The following are responses to statements above:

I would call it a mid-season break, 1 month entirely. Start the season 2 weeks earlier and end it 2 weeks later (MLS has already started its season in mid-March and ended in mid to late November previously... so a MLS Cup in early Nov. wouldn't be too bad...not to mention the W. Seris is already over by then.)

Regardling the comment that they are "only 11" players its rather poor. Those are 11, possibly more, "STAR" players from the US alone(which IS rather significant alone) not to mention those from other qualifying nations.

Pre-cup training may be somewhat of a problem... however the effect is rather minimized.

As far as, this occuring only once ever 4 years... No this would happen every year as I said the other years this time can be spent playing 1. the Gold Cup(2003) 2. Copa America(2004) and 3. Confed Cup/Gold Cup and/or WC Qualifiers(2005) in each subsequent years. Maybe they won't need 4 weeks... it could be cut down by one week... no biggy, a 3 to 4 week break.

Lastly, financially speaking, you have to look at it from a separate perspective. Isn't the league dicrediting itself by pretending to play games without many of their "star" players. Also, don't forget they are also in direct competion with the World Cup as if playing with minor league replacements wasn't enough to turn you away. I'm sorry pal, but I could care-less about a weekly MLS match if the US nats are playing a WC match not to mention all the other international MLS fans and their national loyalties.

 

So you're saying that what you want to do to improve the league is to force it to compete even more directly with the NFL than they already do? Sorry, I can't see it.

No, "only 11" is very significant. It tears the heart out of your argument. Oh, and name a few of those non-US MLS stars from other qualifying nations, would you?

Ah, of course! That explains everything!

Oh, wait, I'm sorry. That doesn't explain anything. If losing these players for a month in July is so devastating that you feel we should shut the league down, how is losing the same players for a nearly equal length of time in June "rather minimized?"

Yeah, right. No biggie. Let's stop playing for a month or two right in the middle of the season. Let's not have any games on July 4th (remember this year's World Cup was played early). At this point, I'm forced to assume that you actually want the league to fail (and I'm not even going to comment on the idea that WC Qualifiers could be taken care of in 3 weeks).

Financially speaking, I think you pretty much have to look at it from a financial perspective. The problem is that from a financial perspective, there is no upside to putting an entire league on vacation for a month or two in the middle of the season.

Um, no. I think you'll find that most of the MLS' star players were still playing in MLS.

Yeah, whatever. Diallo, Pineda-Chacon, Ruiz, Kreis, Razov, Graziani, Etcheverry, Moreno, Ralston, Twellman, Preki, Spencer, Williams and Convey are all "minor league" players.

That you couldn't care less about the MLS is apparent. That's your perogative, of course. Oh, and I'm not your pal. Thanks.

Charlie in South Jersey

 

Sorry Charlie,

I guess you don't like my ideas. However, I truly believe all I stated would be in the best interest of the game in the US, sincerely.

Though some of my ideas sound unorthodox in US sports they are not necessarily that uncommon in international circles. I think you've got to get rid of your old American "ISOLATIONIST" way of thought, and be more open to different ways. In Europe there are several leagues that have a "winter" break, even the German Bundesliga, I believe. This "summer" break would not only be shorter but would allow for the US nats to participate in major World tournaments without harming resepective MLS clubs that usualy lose paid stars and replace them minor leaguers.

Your "isolationist" views are rather sigificant. Don't you understand that there are thousands of MLS and soccer fans in general, that do, ALSO , appreiciate the Copa America and other major international tournaments that occur in mid-summer. Its aggrivating to me, the US could not participate in 2 Copa America's they were invited to, after they had reached that tournament's semis in 1995, due to "comitment to" MLS.

Which leads me to your last response

NO, not quite, I'm just aware of the world around me and realize that the US is missing out and MLS is disregarding thousands of their own fans respect for some of the world's most prestegous international tournaments. I can tell in all honesty, I will be estatic when the day comes were all MLS clubs have their own stadium with over 30k in the stands regularly as it become's one of the world's elitiest leagues, I was a Fusion season ticket holder and am still mourning the loss. However, you only kid yourself if you truly can tell me you rather watch an MLS match that you watch every week than watch a US world cup match(with all its MLS stars) that you can catch but only once every 4 years(assuming they qualify every time.)

replies to other quotes:

No Charlie, I'm just picking the better of an already tough situation. I think just 2 more weeks of NFL/MLS weekends is acceptable to NFL/MLS/World Series weekends/Championships. There is no real good answer either way... its really a better of two evils. I choose two more weeks due to what it alows for in mid-summer and it takes away the World Series factor for the most important last 2 to 3 MLS playoff matches and championship.

I'm not sure what you mean by your second sentence, however, to me, eleven star player is pleanty even though there would still be notable players still playing for their respective clubs. Also, and probably more important, you are making a huge assumption, that that number (11 ) will average out in WC's to come. If US Soccer and particularly, MLS, continue to succeed the likelyhood of even more MLS players contributing to the national team will surely rise, leaving only highly elitist US players to players for foreign clubs.

As for the second part of your question "name a few of those non-US MLS stars from other qualifying nations, would you? " you, again, are making asumptions. This year their were few, if any, non-US players,that, participated in the WC... however, I just need to go to WC 1998 and other Copa Americas, to give you good examples. For both these tournaments, in the past, MLS lost players such as Carlos Valderama, Jaime Moreno, Echeverry to name a few... and durring their MLS heyday non-the-less. In the future, if MLS, is to be a successful league, the number of higher cost $$$ international MLS stars leaving for "Copa America", the Euro Cup, and the World Cup(all during mid-summer) WILL most surely rise.


Regarding your answer to my quote, ".Pre-cup training may be somewhat of a problem... however the effect is rather minimized."

All I have to say is... I do believe you are minimizing things when you are cutting them down by 50% or more.

PHEW!!! that was a looong one.

 

This year's setup is my favorite.

I hope it turns out to be a competitive game.

If it does maybe they should have it every year.

 

Charlie Armstrong has made MANY good points in this thread, my advice to many of you is to go back and read them again.