How can 2 of the leagues best teams be out of CL?

[NateDoGG]

Champions League debacle hurts image of MLS



How can two of the league's best teams be knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League by what are essentially a group of semiprofessionals from countries with a combined population less than that of Massachusetts?
The demise of Chivas USA (a 3-1 aggregate loser to Tauro FC of Panama) and the New England Revolution (a 6-1 elimination by Joe Public FC of Trinidad & Tobago) is not good for the credibility of MLS. There are many explanations for the defeats -- injuries, lack of depth, overscheduling -- and all indicate the league is not putting its teams in a position to succeed on the international stage.
This is nothing new.
D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy ran into similar difficulties in the early years of MLS. And that was without a SuperLiga or the current expanded Champions League format, and when navigating through the regular season was easier than it is now.
The essence of the problem is that successful MLS teams are penalized by the system. Instead of being reinforced for the outside competitions, the league's top teams must operate within the same salary cap as everyone else. So they take on extra burdens without being sufficiently prepared.
MLS teams simply do not have rosters deep enough to perform in as many competitions as the league has set up. Houston could yet play 50-some games from March through November; the Dynamo and D.C. United will be crowding in Champions League group-play matches during the final weeks of the regular season.
The Revolution almost seemed relieved to have been eliminated from the Champions Cup, because now they will be able to concentrate on league play. They won't have to make trips to Honduras and Mexico just when the MLS season is at its most important stage.
Playing without a regular striker and with three minimum-salary players in the starting lineup, the Revolution struggled mightily in a 4-0 home loss to Joe Public on Tuesday night. The difference in the game was provided by Guyana striker Gregory Richardson, who scored thrice and set up Reon Nelson for a goal.
Give the Revolution Richardson and they might have won. (Two MLS teams called an agent regarding Richardson after the match, and Richardson said he has been in contact with the Columbus Crew.) But the fact is, the Revolution performed like a team with a $20,000-per-month payroll (equivalent to the salaries of top teams in Trinidad), partly because they were depleted by excessive games and injuries.
This was the first time a Caribbean club eliminated an MLS team from the Champions tournament and the first time an MLS team surrendered more than two goals to the Caribbeans in the competition. If red flags haven't been waving around MLS headquarters before, they should be now.
MLS teams have proven over time to be more organized than Caribbean clubs but do not present as much flat-out quickness and speed as Jamaicans and Trinidadians. If a team is exhausted, as the Revolution clearly seem to be, a pacey group can make them look even slower than they are.
Once a few of an MLS team's top players are eliminated, the performance level can drop drastically. MLS is set up to encourage parity, so within the league such a drop-off can be expected. But sending MLS teams into the world without the means to succeed hurts the image of the league. The Joe Public and Tauro teams which defeated their MLS counterparts fully deserved to move on to group play in the Champions League.
Unfortunately, there are as many incentives for MLS teams to fail (higher draft picks, etc.) than there are for them to succeed during the league season. And if MLS teams hope to do well in outside competitions, they are going to need more reinforcements than are possible under the current salary cap.
Frank Dell'Apa is a soccer columnist for The Boston Globe and ESPN.com.

[trane]

This League Sucks.

[giambac]

This League Sucks.

It would put it on par or about equiavelent to a street league or maybe a 6-7 division league in Italy.

[invictusTFC]

This league is its own worst enemy. How can teams compete in several competitions with an 18-man senior roster. Factor in FIFA internationals and injuries and it becomes a recipe for disaster.

[giambac]

This league is its own worst enemy. How can teams compete in several competitions with an 18-man senior roster. Factor in FIFA internationals and injuries and it becomes a recipe for disaster.

My sons rep team has 18 players on the roster and they only travel as far as Barrie, Orillia to play.

MLS is a bush league.

[invictusTFC]

My sons rep team has 18 players on the roster and they only travel as far as Barrie, Orillia to play.

MLS is a bush league.

and your first point is?

I'll agree with your second point!!!

[Heathen]

My sons rep team has 18 players on the roster and they only travel as far as Barrie, Orillia to play.

MLS is a bush league.

how many do the Vaughan Azzurri have in their roster

[OneLoveOneEric]

The league isn't very good. The signs are very clear.

[Cashcleaner]

This league is its own worst enemy. How can teams compete in several competitions with an 18-man senior roster. Factor in FIFA internationals and injuries and it becomes a recipe for disaster.

Excellent analogy. Too many policies that the higher-ups believe are neccesary, actually hold a lot of teams back.

The more egg on the face of Garber and his cronies, the better. It gives them all that more initiative to change their ridiculous operating schemes.

[OneLoveOneEric]

^^^I think the league will fold before enough changes occur. I don't think the current management people have it in them to totally re-vamp the league in time to stave off disaster.

[giambac]

and your first point is?

I'll agree with your second point!!!

I'm making a comparison.

If my son's rep team has 18,

Then the MLS roster should be in the twebties say 23-25 at least

[giambac]

^^^I think the league will fold before enough changes occur. I don't think the current management people have it in them to totally re-vamp the league in time to stave off disaster.

the league will last no mre than 5 more years.

My prediction....

[OneLoveOneEric]

^^^I fear you might be right. Virtually everyone is in agreement that the salary cap has to raise, and rosters have to be made bigger for the league to develop. But I seriously question whether or not the fans will absorb the increased prices that will come along with those changes over the long term. Teams are building stadiums and buying players, and will need to recoup funds somehow -- and that will be through us. Right now, whether people here want to admit it or not -- demand for TFC tickets is hugely inflated by people who want in because it is supposed to be a good time and a place to party. That's not sustainable, IMO.

[Beach_Red]

the league will last no mre than 5 more years.

My prediction....

It certainly won't last as it five more years. Will it move up to the next level is the question.

To answer that I guess it depends on how much faith you have in soccer. Can it compete with the NFL, NBA and baseball? Let's face it, there aren't club teams in any other country that could compete in a champions-type league with US teams in those sports (maybe someday basketball) - or hockey.

I still think in five years, when the league has twenty teams with their own stadiums and a good TV deal it will make a huge jump to another level. Five years after that it may be able to compete with big European teams for players and then people will be pissed off that America got into soccer.

But if it tried to get there too quickly, wildly increased the salary cap or something like that, then yes, it would fold like NASL did.

[invictusTFC]

I'm making a comparison.

If my son's rep team has 18,

Then the MLS roster should be in the twenties say 23-25 at least

I completely agree with you there. But teams should be allowed to fill those spots with capable players who can add depth or quality to the team not a bunch of kids or journeymen earning $40 thousand and below. Therefore they have to raise the salary cap by another 2 or 3 million at least.

[werewolf]

hopefully for our sake the big names players and growing legitimacy of the league through new stadiums might increase TV deals and Ad dollars. I doubt it would be enough, but there is hope. Two years of last place and prices are going up for no good reason, just wait until the salary cap increases

[NF-FC]

I completely agree with you there. But teams should be allowed to fill those spots with capable players who can add depth or quality to the team not a bunch of kids or journeymen earning $40 thousand and below. Therefore they have to raise the salary cap by another 2 or 3 million at least.

I don't even think it would take that much. If they add 4 roster spots and 1 million to the cap that's four 250K players, quality players, that would help greatly with depth.

[OneLoveOneEric]

^^^ I think that four 250K players would take the situation out of the emergency zone, but won't take it to a higher level overall on the field. I think it would be a great step to removing a bunch of players from the league that don't belong, but at the end of the day I think clubs would need those 4 players, pus at least one players that's worth about $1 million.

[Fort York Redcoat]

The teams aren't playing like its for champions league. It's just more games for basically the same pay for them. It's unfortunate since it's the most meaningful competition this region has.

[denime]

Easy,all they have to do is play like shit and underestimate opponent,they managed to do both in 1st round,so they are out,so much about MLS being strong as European 2nd divisions,yeah right.

[denime]

Easy,all they have to do is play like shit and underestimate opponent,they managed to do both in 1st round,so they are out,so much about MLS being strong as European 2nd divisions,yeah right.

[NateDoGG]

the mls allstar team could be a first league team
but thats it
our clubs are d2 at best if we were to compare everything as a hole

[ag futbol]

They should be looking at re-negotiating the CBA this off-season rather than waiting until the last minute. First reason being the league can not afford a strike and second being that this issue is really boiling over with the players.

The rules as they are now were made in an environment where the league was having meetings about possibly folding were as now they are charging upward of 30M dollars for a franchise.

It's time for the league to open it's wallet:

- Expasion is coming, talent is going to get more diluted without more money
- You can't wait for every team in the league to be profitable in order to start raising the quality of play. MLS has (at least somewhat) of a spotlight on it right now. If they fail to capitalize it's always going to be 4th rate.

[gtaguy]

was rome built overnight ??
did they give themselves 5 years to fold ..??

MLS was nothing until toronto came into the picture and gave it more life then it ever had in the past 12 years.!!!

for the sake of the sport ppl be positive things will change and who gives a rats ass those second tier clubs and players will be the future stars of the mls .. Its a huge eye opener and a real sore on the league itself .. Im pretty sure that MLS is watching and taking count of the ongoings.. Its there move lets see what they decide to do. but counting this league out only counts tfc out aswell......

forgot to mention the USL has been around far longer then the MLS.. they deserve the credit when it comes to scouting and finding quality players... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_Soccer_League

[Cashcleaner]

I completely agree with you there. But teams should be allowed to fill those spots with capable players who can add depth or quality to the team not a bunch of kids or journeymen earning $40 thousand and below. Therefore they have to raise the salary cap by another 2 or 3 million at least.

I like the oft-overlooked concept of a 22-man roster with each starting player having one potential substitute.

[RPB_Brantford_08]

Champions League debacle hurts image of MLS



How can two of the league's best teams be knocked out of the CONCACAF Champions League by what are essentially a group of semiprofessionals from countries with a combined population less than that of Massachusetts?
The demise of Chivas USA (a 3-1 aggregate loser to Tauro FC of Panama) and the New England Revolution (a 6-1 elimination by Joe Public FC of Trinidad & Tobago) is not good for the credibility of MLS. There are many explanations for the defeats -- injuries, lack of depth, overscheduling -- and all indicate the league is not putting its teams in a position to succeed on the international stage.
This is nothing new.
D.C. United and the Los Angeles Galaxy ran into similar difficulties in the early years of MLS. And that was without a SuperLiga or the current expanded Champions League format, and when navigating through the regular season was easier than it is now.
The essence of the problem is that successful MLS teams are penalized by the system. Instead of being reinforced for the outside competitions, the league's top teams must operate within the same salary cap as everyone else. So they take on extra burdens without being sufficiently prepared.
MLS teams simply do not have rosters deep enough to perform in as many competitions as the league has set up. Houston could yet play 50-some games from March through November; the Dynamo and D.C. United will be crowding in Champions League group-play matches during the final weeks of the regular season.
The Revolution almost seemed relieved to have been eliminated from the Champions Cup, because now they will be able to concentrate on league play. They won't have to make trips to Honduras and Mexico just when the MLS season is at its most important stage.
Playing without a regular striker and with three minimum-salary players in the starting lineup, the Revolution struggled mightily in a 4-0 home loss to Joe Public on Tuesday night. The difference in the game was provided by Guyana striker Gregory Richardson, who scored thrice and set up Reon Nelson for a goal.
Give the Revolution Richardson and they might have won. (Two MLS teams called an agent regarding Richardson after the match, and Richardson said he has been in contact with the Columbus Crew.) But the fact is, the Revolution performed like a team with a $20,000-per-month payroll (equivalent to the salaries of top teams in Trinidad), partly because they were depleted by excessive games and injuries.
This was the first time a Caribbean club eliminated an MLS team from the Champions tournament and the first time an MLS team surrendered more than two goals to the Caribbeans in the competition. If red flags haven't been waving around MLS headquarters before, they should be now.
MLS teams have proven over time to be more organized than Caribbean clubs but do not present as much flat-out quickness and speed as Jamaicans and Trinidadians. If a team is exhausted, as the Revolution clearly seem to be, a pacey group can make them look even slower than they are.
Once a few of an MLS team's top players are eliminated, the performance level can drop drastically. MLS is set up to encourage parity, so within the league such a drop-off can be expected. But sending MLS teams into the world without the means to succeed hurts the image of the league. The Joe Public and Tauro teams which defeated their MLS counterparts fully deserved to move on to group play in the Champions League.
Unfortunately, there are as many incentives for MLS teams to fail (higher draft picks, etc.) than there are for them to succeed during the league season. And if MLS teams hope to do well in outside competitions, they are going to need more reinforcements than are possible under the current salary cap.
Frank Dell'Apa is a soccer columnist for The Boston Globe and ESPN.com.

its a cup competition...thats what so great about cup games small can beat the big. this Dell"Apa has no clue. MlS needed a ego kick in the ass
and they got it...now lets see how they deal with intl club competitions.

[profit89]

A lot of people on BigSoccer say CCL is not a big deal. The losses won't affect MLS. Look at the attendance numbers blah blah blah

The problem with that is to equate importance with attendance. If the leagues in your own region see you as inferior to them (and you can bet the Mexicans will have a field day if these results continue), then it will only be a matter of time before the European leagues think the same way, and they'll stop paying those nice transfer fees.

[Baggio2TFC]

I promise you, in 5 years this league will collapes. Beckham will leave next year if they don't increase the salary cap and no big name players will come to this side of the pond.

With the purchase of Man City and the amount of money these guys are willing to spend, it is just going to inflate salaries and MLS will fall to far behind with $2.5Mil!

WAKE UP MLS, WAKE UP!!!!

[NF-FC]

A lot of people on BigSoccer say CCL is not a big deal. The losses won't affect MLS. Look at the attendance numbers blah blah blah

That's a big problem. The Champions League should be your biggest matches of the year. You are competing to be the best time in CONCACAF! How can you not be excited about that. This is the only league in the world where attendance gets worse in the playoffs, and the national cup (USOC) is meaningless. I really don't get it

[billyfly]

We are all coming from a diiferent headspace than MLS. Toronto FC is a diffirent animal from the rest of the league. We want a football team run like those in Europe, South America etc but that is not what this league is.

I dont think MLS will die in 5 years as predicted but it will take time (and more teams with a fanbase like yours) to change this league.