This week I'd like to talk about something that's often discussed in whispered tones around the league and that is the USL/A-League relationship with MLS. Is it a good thing? Are they our "big brother" looking to gain supremacy over the development of U.S. soccer? Do we have a bit of a siege mentality from watching too many A-League teams get beaten in the Open Cup only to see some of our best players plucked from our rosters by MLS clubs looking to fortify their bench? Is any of this a legitimate concern to the development of the A-League and USL, overall? To be quite honest these things are all debatable and that's why I bring them up.
In the past few years we have seen a rise in the importance and popularity of the A-League due in large part to the higher visibility of soccer that has come with the arrival of MLS. They have also begun to take the Open Cup seriously over the past season and though it led to the demise of the USL teams in the competition this year it also raised the level of exposure for the tournament. MLS has also taken on many former A-League stars such as Ray Goodlett and Mike Burke, formerly of the Hershey Wildcats and Charleston Battery respectively, (though neither were great with D.C. United) to name just two. One could easily look down the list of names of those that have made the jump to MLS from the A-League and find many familiar names. They have also established a television market whose numbers have actually done extremely well for such a young league. The key question is how does all of this relate to us?
Most believe that a continued relationship between MLS and the USL is a desirable situation, as both leagues want to see the widespread success of soccer in the U.S. One such man who believes the situation should be nurtured is Dave Askinas, the USL Associate Commissioner and General Counsel. He says that both leagues have "too many goals in common to walk away from the relationship." He goes on to say, though, "we (MLS and USL) just need to work on redefining the relationship so that it can work better for both sides." Just what does Mr. Askinas believe should be worked on? He says that MLS is "somewhat unhappy" with the current situation concerning obtaining players and USL teams are "unhappy over having to give up players at what they perceive to be less than market value." These are valid concerns for both sides but one must wonder whether MLS will be willing to make the compromise financially and if the USL will be willing to compromise its personnel policies.
To fully examine the current situation, though, we must make sure that we remember the past. I think it's safe to say that not a lot of people recognize the fact that if it weren't for the USISL and the A-League, soccer in the U.S. would've been in a bleak state of disrepair when MLS arrived on the scene. For a lot of the young fans currently following soccer here they don't know about the old U.S. Open Cup competitions that featured semi-pro teams coming together to contest a championship that has lasted for 87 years in a country long considered to be devoid of any soccer tradition. The tradition is there, though, whether it's in the form of the A-League and old USISL competitions that saw long-standing clubs finally gain a stage under the merger and creation of the USL or the days that saw the rise of the now quasi-mythical Greek-American A.C. and Ukrainian Nationals of Philadelphia sqauds. Cities as far reaching as Charleston and Seattle saw their clubs come to national attention as the advent of MLS created an instant, if sometimes unwanted by conventional sources, presence on the sporting landscape.
In the same manner that the mere creation of MLS and the ensuing television deals commenced for the league the Open Cup competition and the way in which USL teams acquitted themselves brought instant, if not belated, national recognition to the league. This culminated with the Cup winning performance of the Rochester side of 1999. Askinas said, "a message was sent to soccer fans that the Cup can be a magical event and that strange and wonderful things can happen on a given night on a soccer pitch." One could not agree more after witnessing the Open Cup triumph by that Rochester squad as they beat Colorado of the MLS on national television. It was a watershed moment for the league in terms of national recognition and one can only hope that this competition lives for another 87 years and a few more USL teams can make a run at the title. Those who paid attention this year saw the Chicago Sockers and Mid-Michigan Bucks of the PDL have quite a run against the Fire and Fusion of MLS respectively. The magic of this tournament should never be discounted and the attention that it has focused on USL teams in the recent past has helped tremendously in getting fans out to Open Cup games especially when the MLS boys come to town. Part of the excitement of the Open Cup these days is the hope of seeing a tremendous upset like Rochester and Charleston in '99 and as USL fans we must recognize that this excitement couldn't have been generated without the presence of our brethren from MLS.
In the area of expanding the media coverage for the USL it appears that the front office has recognized that a large core of soccer fans in the U.S. now make a habit of congregating on the Internet. With respect to this idea the A-League has expanded broadcasting coverage over the Internet in webcasts. Askinas told A-League.com that the league is "developing a business plan with umbro.com that includes USL broadcasts on the web." This clearly shows the kind of initiative that the USL is taking in bringing their fans nationwide coverage of the league. With technological advances making "webcasting more easily accessible" look for the Internet and the USL official site to become a kind of national radio network to catch all of the A-League and USL action, hopefully, in the near future.
Another thing that ties in with the MLS-USL relationship is the fact that MLS brings soccer into the homes across the country through their television coverage selling the product in homes. After that, fans seek out the game in their local area and more often than not there's a USL squad somewhere nearby. We can safely say that MLS puts the game in living rooms while the USL puts the game in backyards. These kinds of considerations for the new e-frontier and the connection between live matches and watching on television show how the worlds of MLS and the USL have become technologically inter-connected.
In showing where we've come from I think we fans can take a better look at where we're going and where we want to be. A healthy rivalry with MLS on the field and a spirit of compromise tempered by the thought of doing things for the good of the game off the field will lead to the most rewarding relationship that the MLS and USL could ask for. In looking to the future we must always remember our past. One last thing, though, that Mr. Askinas said that I heartily agree with is that "we want MLS to succeed. A strong division 1 league is good for soccer in the U.S. and helps the sport in general." With respect to that I think we should all listen when he also says "put the remote controls down and buy a few tickets." You could always do what I do and force friends to come with you.
Future Tense
With the season over for several teams it's time to look towards next year but in looking towards next year some of them have to figure out what league they'll be in. Rumor has it that a couple of teams will be sold while another couple of teams may make the move down to D3. The good thing about all this is that overall there seem to be fewer changes on that front expected in the off-season than we saw last season. Also the Timbers (big apologies to those guys) look to be in good stead with the hiring of Bobby Howe as their manager. No rumors just yet on who might be making the off-season moves as far as personnel goes but don't be surprised to see these names gracing the draft sheets of several MLS teams: Yari Allnut, Darren Tilly, Paul Conway, Temoc Suarez, Digital Takawira, Johnny Menyongar, and Carlos Farias. Two players who will be criminally overlooked once again by MLS? Look no further than Dean Sewell and Gilbert Jean-Baptiste, both are defenders who can attack for Charleston and are rarely mentioned as far as MLS goes.
Cheers and Jeers
The classy antics of the Indiana Blast front office earn them the big thumbs down for this week. A squad that didn't necessarily deserve the playoffs got in and ran their butts off against Minnesota on Saturday. Their reward? Don't let the door hit you on the way out. Rumors are flying around several discussion boards that many of the players are being given their walking papers and that the team itself may wind up in a lower division next term. This is a ridiculous way to treat players and fans who have really come to appreciate this team. Hopefully the rest of the league front offices see what is going on in Indiana and are learning what not to do when running a soccer club.
Now for the kudos. Congratulations to all of the USL's recently crowned champs. Dustin Swinehart helped the Charlotte Eagles to the D3 Championship with his hat-trick in their 5-0 romp over the NJ Stallions. In the PDL it was the same old song and dance that most fans saw throughout the regular season as it came down to a meeting between the Chicago Sockers and Mid-Michigan Bucks. Unfortunately for the Bucks they couldn't take home the league title as Adam Throop was just too much in the nets for the Sockers as they won 1-0 on the evening. Now, we have to give it up for the young guys. Cheers to the kids from the Capital Area Soccer League (who also hosted the Y-League Championships) U-14s, the West Kendall Optimist U-15s, and U-16 co-champs Southern California Youth Soccer Organization and Super Nova who were rained out. Anybody else think these boys from Nova and SCYSO would like to settle it on the field? They should've been given an opportunity to re-schedule but due to the format of the tournament it didn't happen. Oh well, congratulations to all of the USL champs and to everyone else better luck next year.
Last but not least tremendous thanks to Dave Askinas for taking time out of his busy schedule to share his thoughts on this week's topic. He earns this week's MVP award from this writer. Thanks once again for reading and I'll be back next week.
Care to comment on this article ?
