It's Monday morning, and predictably, I'm dragging just a bit. It's so hard to pack it in and call it a night when you're doing something enjoyable, and last night was no exception. The podcast session with Mark Fishkin was so good that I put a couple hours of good work in to get it ready for release this evening.
On other fronts, another MLS weekend has come and gone. While the Nats qualifier occupied most of my attention on Saturday, I do have a few observations that I would like to share, and I've put them in a handy-dandy top five format.
All the nonsense after the jump.
Bear in mind that all of these thoughts are off-the-cuff and reactionary, and bound to be filled with entirely too much emotion; I'm sure I will back down a bit from most (if not all) of them rather quickly.
1. What the hell is going on in Dallas?
I hate to drink from the same well that my friend Ginge is already draining (and rightly so), but it's absolutely shocking how poorly that team drew yesterday. Listed attendance was 6,500, though independent sources say that it might have actually been much lower than that. On the podcast (COMING THIS EVENING!), Mark and I discuss MLS marketing for some of the original clubs, and Dallas was top of mind; something is fundamentally wrong there that cannot be excused by a small budget. People much more knowledgeable of the situation than I have claimed that FC Dallas is in no danger of relocation, though I wonder if that's even a good thing at this point. Dallas' attendance reflects on the league, something which the suits at MLS headquarters are hopefully keenly aware. For all the good that Lamar Hunt did for American soccer, his legacy is being sullied by the ineptitude of the current HSG leadership.
2. Seattle is the greatest thing ever!
Of course I jest, but only slightly; the American soccer community is going batty over Seattle and their early success, and it seems unlikely to stop as long as the team keeps wining. At the risk of beating a dead horse, I'll say it again: expect great home form from the Sounders, but let's hold off on crowning them MLS Cup final favorites until they prove that they can get points on the road. The Sounders are the feel good story of MLS, though my enthusiasm is tempered this week by collection of poor attendance numbers around the rest of the league. Mitigating factors abound in most locales, so I won't break out the panic alarm quite yet. I do think, however, that it's important to keep the big picture in mind. Anyway, one more item of business with Seattle, and then we'll move on: MONTERO! MONTERO! MONTERO!
3. Columbus-Toronto: The Aftermath
Things weren't exactly peaceful in Columbus, and I think it would have naive of anyone to think it was going to be smooth sailing. A couple of arrests, some disbursed pepper spray and mace, and angry missives from Columbus supporters all resulted from what was a fairly pedestrian match. I can't truly say I'm disappointed in anyone's behavior, though I worry that the focus on soccer supporters when it comes to violence makes the light that shines on the league because of incidents like this even harsher. No matter that dust-ups between fans of opposing teams in other sports happen fairly regularly, soccer will continue to be treated unfairly on that front for a litany of reasons. Hopefully, the leadership of both the TFC supporters groups and the Crew Nordecke faithful will denounce those from their sides that were involved in altercations.
4. Houston-San Jose First Half, or A Goal Every 9 minutes!
The first forty-five in San Jose was chock full of offensive gold, with all five goals the match produced occurring before the half-time whistle. You have to wonder if both teams simply ran out of gas in the second forty-five. As I was unable to watch the game, I saw the scoreline and immediately thought I had missed a barn burner; turns out I only missed half a barn-burner. Week two, and I still have no idea if either team is very good; it appears as though that Dynamo defense which used to be so solid has some serious chinks in the armor. San Jose, after a fairly ugly game with New England last week, showed some signs of life, and even got a contribution from the up-and-down Arturo Alvarez. One thing from the highlights: I loved the fact that Frank Yallop was giving an in-game interview when Ryan Johnson scored San Jose's opener. While I usually hate those things while play is going on, at least something interesting was happening at the same time.
5. Club or Country, It's Not Just For Players Anymore
With MLS playing through the FIFA mandated international match weekend, there were bound to be some conflicts for American soccer fans. Not only was the U.S. National Team playing on Saturday night, but the home nations of large communities of immigrants all around the country were playing as well. Attendance certainly took a hit due to the evening matches competing with the World Cup qualifiers, and it only served to magnify the scheduling issue for the league. Several people have come down on MLS (naturally) and while I'm tempted to join the mob, I'm holding back on my criticism. It would be difficult for me to believe that Garber and league officials want to play through a weekend like we just had, so give them the benefit of the doubt. When the league's position is strong enough and the stadium issues are a thing of the past, and not until then, will an international break be part of the MLS schedule.
