The New York Red Bulls are really, really, bad. With ten points earned from twenty-one matches played, their season has raced past the plain-old "terrible" label and has officially arrived at "abomination".
Add to New York's epically-bad league season their ouster from the CONCACAF Champions League at the hands of Trinidad & Tobagan side W. Connection last night, and they have now failed on every front. One season removed from a squeaking into the MLS playoffs, going on a miraculous run, and just coming up short in the MLS Cup final, the Red Bulls have become the laughingstock of American soccer.
Because the MLS playoff structure, which may need to be revised itself, allows for a team like New York to reach the MLS Cup final and therefore qualify for the CONCACAF Champions League, MLS and US Soccer must change the criteria. The risk of a mediocre team like the 2008 Red Bulls turning into a terrible team like the 2009 Red Bulls is simply too great; while the idea of the losing finalist playing in the following Champions League makes sense logically, it will always be a potential practical nightmare.
If MLS is going to continue to participate in the Champions League, and there's no reason to believe that they'll put out, then it's essential that they give those clubs representing the league the possibly chance for success. The first, and most obvious, way to do that is to ensure that the best teams from the previous year qualify; New York was not the second best team in the league last year by any measure, but because they got hot for a brief period, they played themselves into a CCL spot.
It won't happen every year. More often than not, the MLS Cup will be played by two strong clubs, and this years circumstance would not be an issue. Still, there's always the chance, and it's a chance that the league should not be taking.
Perception is reality. As long as MLS continues to fail in the Champions League, no matter if those results should be indicative of worth or not, the perception that it is of sub-standard quality, even in its own region, will pervade. That's not the best way to garner attention from all of those American soccer fans who might one day be swayed to give some love to Major League Soccer.
Success will never be guaranteed, and the league has a long way to go before they will be consistently challenging for Champions League glory. But to set themselves up for failure from the beginning by not putting their best teams in the tournament, is unforgivable.
Such is the legacy of the 2009 New York Red Bulls.
