Chip Young takes a stab at MLS in his Off the Wall column in the Providence Phoenix. NOT READY FREDDY Speaking of US sports that don’t make it, add Major League Soccer, our conflicted pro venture, which is an unmitigated disaster. MLS soccer is, in a word, unwatchable to anyone who has seen the real version of the sport. Slow, technically lacking, and over-hyped, it is the great media myth. Just because all the car ads show a bunch of kiddies with ill fitting and inappropriate soccer gear piling into Soccer Mom’s vehicle does not mean the sport has caught on in America. The attendance figures show this to be a lie. Yes, it has rabid fans — all three of them. Any knowledgeable soccer fan is off watching Fox Sports international matches, not the dire exercises being passed off as the full two bob by American networks. Beginning on June 12, Portugal will host the 2004 European championships. Anyone who wants to see what Pele called "jogo bonito" ("the beautiful game") will tune in. (Soccer also used to be called "the simplest game," but thanks to the egos of coaches that rival those found in the major sports, their contorted discussion of tactics attempt to make rocket science resemble playing kick the can. To no avail of course, but the media are too scared to confront this Wizard of Oz-like charade.) Players such as France’s Zinedine Zidane and Thierry Henry, Italy’s Francesco Totti, the Netherlands’ Ruud van Nistelrooy, and Portugal’s own Luis Figo, are so far superior to any American player that it is beyond comprehension. Even metrosexual David Beckham, England’s captain and arguably its best player, is a level below many of his peers in Europe. He just happens to be a male hottie married to Posh Spice, and along with the image-enhancing film, Bend It Like Beckham, he makes much better copy than a skilled mad dog such as sunglasses-wearing Dutch midfielder Edgar Davids, a personal favorite. America’s hope of the future via Ghana, highly publicized 14-year-old Freddy Adu, should not be allowed to play in the MLS. Not because of his age, just since it will stunt his growth faster than a three-pack-a-day habit. Yes, he may be a phenom. That is a good bet. But his staying and playing in the MLS to hone his skills would be the equivalent of sending 14-year-old version of Rocco Baldelli, the Tampa Bay Devil Rays star from Cumberland, to hone his baseball skills in Italy. Adu should be sent to Europe to learn from, and with the best. At home here, he risks getting injured by clumsy tackles by inept or vicious defenders. This is a pearls-before-swine scenario at its utmost. Under intelligent, restrained, and experienced tutelage, he may well evolve, as Pele has suggested, into an extraordinary player. The US national team players never made bigger strides in skills and performance than when they began going abroad to play with the best. Adu should be the next export. Otherwise, professional soccer in America will be nothing more than what it is today: a myth, only good for selling chi-chi minivans. Tune in Euro 2004 and see what I mean. Hockey takes the first shot and the complete article is here: http://www.providencephoenix.com/features/other_stories/documents/03903534.asp
There's more in the Boston Pheonix than the sex personal ads? MLS is overhyped? What kind of media myth is there about MLS, that it's a small niche league that has struggled to find traction in the mainstream mindset? That our teams aren't on par with the stellar European ones? Or is it that our club teams aren't on par with the best national teams in Europe? Who's to say.
- Chip Young Sounds like old Chip has a chip on his shoulder towards everything and everyone. Seriously, this guy is just super bitter about something. Sounds to me like he is eactly one of those woody sporting, inept, lily livered quad jocks he so nicely refers to. And this nimrod has a JOB writing this crap? LOL! What a joke.
I don't agree with it but I thought it was a good article. Thought provoking and passionate. He made a point and stuck with it. Good for him. He's a columnist and he's supposed to have opinions. Personally, I'd much rather have him take a constructed poke at the league - and let's face it, often the play in MLS IS pretty brutal and many of us have questioned whether this is the best place for Freddy so if us "within the soccer community" can do it, why can't he? - than ignore MLS altogether. He spelled MLS right and Adu right so I really can't fault him. For all the good ink Freddy has brought the league, surely none of you ever thought there wouldn't be bad ink, did you?
Sure there was bound to be bad press of some kind, espeically of the op ed variety. I agree with most of your points on the article, however this guy just sounds totally pissed, bitter, and disillusioned at everything under the sun, EVEN the two sports he supposedly has NO problems with. The thing I think I disagreed with most, is not necessarily his take on the level or type of play in MLS (and btw.. he did use "THE MLS"..) but his generalization about the fans, and how we should be watching euro 2004, and what not, and dis MLS. To me its just very narrow and short sighted for him to fail to realize that there are TONS of soccer fans here, and we accept our leages lower status, and are at least thankful that we have a professional soccer league to watch live, with teams to support. Gee, sounds alittle famillair to me... Sounds like EUROSNOBBERY at its finest!!! DING DING DING DING DING....... we have a winner! LOL! I mean seriously, how moronic and ignorant of him to think that MLS fans are fans of ONLY MLS and nothing else. Ignorant to even imply that we arent watching euro 04, or any other soccer. I dont know about you, but myself, and lots of other MLS fans I know are watching euro 04, WCQ, South American ball.. etc. He just comes off as being extremely high and mighty, even for an op ed peice, espeically from someone who is pretty much... well.. no one. Lets face it, Providence is a very small city that doesnt really rank up there in news makers, or pro sports even really. I guess maybe he is just alittle bitter about that? Who knows. But like you say... bad press is better than no press... so the jokes ultimately on him... no mater how stupid or bitter or angry he looks, sounds, reads etc... So in a way... a big fat sarcastic but meaningful... THANK YOU should be slung his way.
I would call "unmitigated disaster" pure hyperbole. But, hey, that's just me. Don't email him - you'll just give him a second column. He seems to be a pretty talentless writer, another one of those guys who seems to think the louder you shout, the more your opinion should matter. Here's another one of his missives: Wow. That's an angry young man right there. Hard to imagine why he's at a free weekly in Providence, Rhode Island, of all places.
I try not to take this stuff personally (as I should be used to it by now) But I do. And this guy should take a look back at the original aim of MLS-To develop and promote American players in a bid to be able to make a real attempt to win the WC in 2010. We're (as fans) aren't claiming to be as good as Euro teams, by why shouldn't we try and work towards it? It's only been 9 years for crying out loud. And our USMNT is rated #8 in the world. Where is England on that list?
I guess this guy doesnt care about facts much. How many MLS players were on the last world cup team that went to the quarterfinals? Guess he didn't think of that. Also, baseball has credibility? I guess he forgot about the steroid scandal that has managed to shred just about every offensive record in its over 100 year history. He just sounds like a bitter old fart.
Another stupid liberal with a poor grasp on reality. LOL The world needs ditch diggers too Johnny!! This guy hasnt seen a MLS game since 1997. LOL funny funny crap.
people always forget that MLS is only in it's 8th year as a prof league, do not compare it with EPL or serie A and so are the players don't compare our players with those who came from a country with a great soccer tradition.
i think MLS has been accomplished alot in only short period of time, we have developed players like Convey, Howard etc and our nat team finished in the big eight in the world thats amazing, i can immagine how good the MLS will be in 10 or 20 yrs to come...
But the guy's not really interested in a true comparison, because that's not his raison d'etre - he just wants to make his dick joke and get out, because soccer-bashing is guaranteed to get nods of heads in agreement. It doesn't require you to think. And I can assure you, the one thing this guy is not interested in doing is thinking.
I agree with him that some MLS matches are unwatchable but reset of the article is just too pessimistic.
What he is doing, however, is auditioning. I just don't understand how the Jay Mariotti, Bill Plaschke, Bill Conlin school of sportslinging is so popular. Some may want to liken them to modern day Ring Lardners, but they possess none of Lardner's wit, self-awareness or overall decency. Sure Lardner took swipes at most everybody from time to time, but that included himself. He also had a soul and usually a meaningful point that was punctuated by the quips and barbs contained in his writing. For these guys, any meaningful point they might have is hopelessly lost in a barrage of mean-spirited broadsides, and at the end all you're left with is the impression that the writer has equal amounts of bitterness and jealousy toward his subject. My complaint really has nothing to do with soccer, because they do it with every sport under the sun: they find a well worn target and they pound away with their invective. It's their right, of course, but I can't fathom their popularity.
Its always a fair comparison when you compare a domestic regular season to an International tournament held every 4 years. Is it not? I doubt he has seen more than 1 MLS game. EVER. And therefore can be ignored.
I thought that yelling the loudest was the best way to get your point across when it comes to sports, isn't that why that Around the Horn show is on TV? It doesn't matter if you make sense or not or have a well thought out opinion, just be more forceful and obnoxious and chances are you are right.