The always excellent L.E. Eisenmenger of the Boston Pro Soccer Examiner has a nice little interview with Costa Rican international and Revolution defender Garbriel Badilla up at her blog. Included in Badilla's comments is a common refrain from Latin American players; that the style of play in MLS is too physical, and that the technical aspects of the game (and the players here that are adept at it) suffer as a consequence.
Specifically, Badilla talks about the officiating here; it's his contention that the referees let entirely too much go, and the results are a less aesthetic brand of soccer.
Although this is nothing new, it's got me thinking more about the issue than I really have before. While the style of play that permeates MLS is very "American" (i.e., physical and athletic) in character, the league continues to go to Central and South America for talent, and the two clearly don't mesh. A rash of early-season cards might just be an aberration, or it could actually represent a sea change in the way the game will be officiated here. Perhaps the powers that be recognize that MLS needs to more to a more open and free flowing style.
Or not. Either way, the question is there, and it's not a simple one to answer. Does it benefit MLS to become more stylish and technical, which would hurt American players in the short term, because of the influx of Latin American talent (or simply because it's a more pleasing-to-the-eye product)? That type of transformation could lead to a period of foreign dominance in the league, with few Americans able to reach high-levels of play simply because their strengths would no longer come to bear as much as before.
On the other hand, it would clearly benefit the American player on the whole in the long term. A more technical league to grow up in would help raise the base level of skill across the board (or at least, that's the theory), benefiting players who already have strength and athleticism. As a bonus, those players who are not big enough or strong enough to be effective in the current MLS environment (think Freddy Adu) might then have a chance to play and develop.
I'm solidly on the side of that second thought. While I appreciate the abilities that make MLS players effective now, I lament the lack of creativity, flair, and out and out skill across the league. Few players possess the combination of abilities to be effective on both fronts; too often, we see skilled Latin American players come to MLS only to be rendered impotent by the prevailing style of play.
A football observer I respect has called MLS "English" in style. That may be true, or it may not, and I have no feelings either way on the use of the term. But English players aren't ever going to come to MLS in large numbers, while the number of Latin Americans should continue to grow. If this is the path that the league and its front offices have chooses (and we can debate if it's the right path on another occasion), doesn't it makes sense to adjust the officiating in a way that will create a league that matches that "futbol" influence?
Share your thoughts, I'd love to hear them.
Oh, and I'm writing this at work between tasks, so if it seems a little incomplete or not quite thought out enough, I apologize; I may need to explain myself a little more in the comments if you guys have thoughts on the matter.
