With the advent of a deal between MLB's New York Yankees and English Premier League giants Manchester United there has been a lot of speculation over exactly what this will mean to the American soccer scene. Let's keep in mind that this scene is continuing in its struggle to carve its own niche in the already crowded American sports calendar. Knowing this, though, shouldn't cause any undo panic among the partisans of the sport here. One thing to do would be to treat this as any other instance of possible growth for the game. It has its appeals and it has more than its share of pitfalls.
Like any other red blooded, true blue footie fan I find myself instilled with a quite genuine dislike for the money grubbing, prawn eaters from Northwestern England yet as such a footie fan I must also marvel at the way they have turned a child's game into such a money spinner. I have watched as they've turned the English Premier League season into the Manchester United invitational tournament over the last few seasons. They have utilized their great wealth and an amazingly acute ability to poach even the best youngsters from rival clubs to conquer the English game. So now they've set sail for the land that confounds even the best soccer journalists in an attempt to pick up a few extra bucks and possibly poach a few more young lads to fill their reserve teams with. So knowing this how would I approach this incursion into American sport from the Manc Devils themselves?
I know you're probably already thinking that I'm too biased to provide a decent analysis of this deal but I ask you, who would you rather hear this stuff from? Peter Kenyon or myself? Ah, thought so. So on we go. I'm sure some have heard the reports from the "land down under", as Men at Work so aptly put it, about the manner in which the English clubs have virtually farmed out their national league. How about the manner in which South American clubs, particularly those in Brazil and Argentina, have to rebuild every six months or so because European clubs have the naughty little habit of snatching their young men to sit the bench. These young men are well compensated monetarily for their sojourn in Europe but for the most part you'll usually see young men who wind up caring more about their portfolio than their ability to make a nifty back heel to a teammate. This isn't necessarily through any fault of their own because in the long run these men usually wind up bouncing from club to club until they've either come to know almost every bench in Europe or have found themselves entirely used up and discarded with little to no upshot for their home country.
Some countries have been able to fight off this trend of having their league co-opted by the highest bidders in the game. For example, Japan has, so far, been able to raise the level of their national team through the formation of a formidable national league. While largely ignored until the recent past Japan have now been able to benefit by having some exposure to the major powers of the World's game while remaining isolated enough to develop their own footie identity. Mexico is another example of a country that has remained rather isolated in terms of the soccer playing and purchasing community. The MFL has long been a producer of quality talent even though some would wonder if the pool hasn't begun to dry up with their difficult run of late on the international scene. The only reason behind the lack of Mexican players being sent overseas is the manner in which Mexican clubs have effectively priced their top players out of the willing range of European clubs. While many are just waiting for the Japanese to make a splash on the international scene, myself included, many have already seen the quality in past Mexican sides. Many fans can and will attest to the manner in which these countries have solidified their own soccer identity but the question begs to be asked. Which example will we see the U.S. follow?
The most prevalent parallels between the developments in U.S. soccer and the manner in development of another nation would probably be the Dutch system. The major difference there is that Ajax didn't look to sell off Cruyff until they had won as many titles as possible. A long tradition of the game existed in Holland prior to the Honor Division and what has become modern soccer in the Lowlands so making any comparison between U.S. and Dutch development has to keep this in mind. One of the biggest things to be reminded of in any comparison between the two now is to recognize that a fate as a feeder club to the bigger European leagues can still help to develop the home nation's talent. The big difference right now is that almost every Dutch player who goes abroad is almost immediately used in his new club's line-up whereas the American players who go overseas often have to be thankful to achieve a spot on their club's bench. Right now the U.S. should probably focus on developing the talent at home until it is a tried and tested commodity among other soccer countries because until that time we will continue to see our young men go overseas only to languish in the reserve sides and practice squads of European clubs.
France was also very much in the same boat that the U.S. finds itself in now. Namely, their players once found themselves playing in a domestic league that had little to no interest from the nation's largest cities and were forced to resort to exporting their players to achieve success. It has only been in the last decade or so that the top flight French league has truly been able to capture the fancy of the entire nation. Even with this success, though, there is still a marked lack of enthusiasm in Paris for the league. France successfully raised their talented players in what was viewed as a lackluster competition when held up to their neighbors in Spain, Italy, Germany, and even Holland to eventually raise not only two European Championships but also the World Cup in 1998. Even today, though, French clubs have to scratch and claw for all they are worth to hang onto some of their young talent as clubs such as Arsenal have found a way to snatch promising players from across the English Channel. It is this that makes the core of the anti-Manchester United argument work.
The possible benefits of this deal lie in the land of dreams where MLS and Manchester United will eventually be able to work together. It speaks volumes to take notice that the boys from Manchester have aligned themselves with the Yankees and claimed that they do not wish to interfere in the dealings of MLS. Translation: You have a piddling league and we want no part of it. Anyone who cannot make money from this great sport that you ignoramuses call soccer are not worth our time. Now if a miracle were to happen and the Great Satans… er, I mean Red Devils, were to involve themselves in U.S. Soccer it would likely only be to have MLS clubs provide stadiums that would wind up half full with Roy Keane, Ryan Giggs, and Beckham replica jerseys whilst Fergie sends out his fourth team to actually, God forbid, play against one of those unworthy MLS teams. The idea that there will be Manchester United academies popping up like mushrooms after rain across the U.S. because of this deal is rather whimsical. Now, will it raise the profile of the game here? Yes and no. The profile of the English Premier League will definitely be raised but the A-League and MLS will likely still be left in the shadows of American sport.
So, many soccer fans in the U.S. now fear that Manchester United have arrived to snatch the Bobby Conveys and Nick Garcias out from under our collective noses as opposed to just lightening our wallets a bit and leaving several young men looking silly when the Vodafone ™ logo is no longer all the rage in jolly olde England. To all of you out there I say fear not! The Red Devils cannot and will not take away our young men and why might you ask? Simple, they like to make money not spend it and as long as they know they'll be paying Spice Boy Beckham's salary they will be focused on one thing and one thing only: selling as many of his replica shirts as possible so that you, yes you, little Manchester United loving weenie, can feel like a part of the team by paying one second's worth of his wages. U.S. soccer will continue its own path towards creating its own identity and having its share of stumbles along the way but Manchester United's arrival in George Steinbrenner's Bronx zoo will have little impact in the long run. Well, that is unless Posh decides she wants to live in Manhattan when Spice Boy and his pasty complexion are dragged over Stateside in 2003. By then he should be a fully washed up has been that will threaten to leave Bayern… oops, I mean Manchester United, for MLS. Don't worry my fellow Americans. The only thing we have to fear is Ferguson himself and that's really the view from here.
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