As Americans, we're all still basking in the afterglow of the USMNT Confederations Cup performance; we're analyzing our players, talking about our coach, and considering public opinion on our beloved sport on the greater national stage. As we are understandably inwardly focused these days, I thought it might be interesting to get some sense of how the Americans' efforts in South Africa are being viewed on the other side of the Atlantic.

To that end, I've asked Chris Nee of twofootedtackle to answer a few questions I had on the English perception of our boys and our success in South Africa.

MFUSA: Have you seen or do you believe there will be any appreciable change in the way the English press views the US National Team in light of their run to the Confederations Cup final?

Chris Nee: I think we were given the usual platitudes after the win over Spain. By its very nature the press likes to latch onto the big stories and hype them up, but at the core was a self-serving desire to portray the USA as a brilliant side - at least for that one game - because how else could they beat a team England couldn't touch? Of course losing to Brazil now means the USMNT is back to its plucky underdog status, but I hope a little of the residual appreciation of what they actually achieved will remain.

MFUSA: Do you believe there has been any change in the way American players are viewed?

Chris Nee: Yes and no. Seeing how Jozy and Gooch played (good at it though they were) probably reinforces the perception of American players as amazing athletes and not a lot else. Maybe Jozy's goal against Spain showed some of us the other side of his game. For many English viewers it was a first proper look at the US (the tournament was much more accessible than previous Confederations Cup games), and I think more people now appreciate that while there are a lot of big guys in the current US team, there's plenty of skill too. US players certainly seem to now be considered as full of character and determination, and deservedly so.

MFUSA: Which American increased his standing most in the minds of English observers?

Chris Nee: We're now much more aware of Charlie Davies and Michael Bradley, both of whom I thought were excellent in the USA's great run to the final. Bradley in particular is now a popular name to throw around in speculation about a Premier League move because he showed himself to be the type of midfielder we love here, a dynamic box-to-box player with stacks of energy and no problem getting stuck in. We know Jay Demerit well enough, but I think even those of us who like him at Watford were surprised at just how good he was.

But ultimately the biggest gains were made by the man every English fan is talking about today thanks to Grant Wahl: Landon Donovan. We knew he was good, and I've seen some great things from him in a Galaxy shirt, but he surprised everyone with his effort, pace and ability. His goal in the final was incredible.

MFUSA: What was the English perception of the US victory over Spain?

Chris Nee: Everybody was just surprised, but I think that's more to do with our fear of Spain. We've put them on a pedestal and didn't think the US had a hope in hell of knocking them off it. Most of us were pleased, and the fact that it was done in such an attacking, confident way really did you guys a favour. Had it been a case of smothering the game the US would've got slated in the press, but Bob Bradley set his team up to go at Spain and got the rewards. Overall it was pretty impressive stuff.

MFUSA: In your opinion, how much of any negative perception on the part of the English (both media and public) towards the US National Team and soccer here on the whole is based on fact and how much is simple dismissive arrogance?

Chris Nee: It's a bit of both. You know as well as anyone that US soccer has its obstacles, and the English media and footy public are well aware of some of them - though not all. Generally, the US is written off because of competition with NFL, MLB, NBA and MLB. Of course, nothing gets noted about Major League Soccer's internal dilemmas (parity, capping, expansion etc) and that's largely because MLS - much more than the national team - is totally ignored. The growth of MLS is completely unknown.

There is a definite arrogance about it, but it's just a magnified version of the attitude we have towards every country except Brazil, Argentina and Germany. The fact that football isn't America's biggest sport means the English simply don't see the USMNT as even the slightest threat. That has changed in the sense that we sure as hell don't want to draw you in South Africa, but the press would still just assume an English win.

Check out Chris' blog and podcast on all soccer topics at twofootedtackle, as well as his views on MLS at Soccerlens and Some People Are On the Pitch.

Ten years is a long time. Rather, it seems like a long time, but is here and gone before we know it. While a lot of things can happen in ten years, more often than not, it's simply not enough time for any fundamental change to actually occur.

Who knows where American soccer might be in ten years? Will MLS be a major player on the American sports scene? Will the USMNT be a world power in international competitions? Will American players be significant contributors for big clubs abroad?

Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of my prescience pills. While it's clearly impossible to know what American soccer will look like in ten years, we at MFUSA like to pretend. To that end, I have asked three of the most intelligent people I know, representing three different countries, to answer a few questions on where they believe American soccer might be in 2019.

First, let me introduce the respondents to the questionnaire:

Andrew Bucholtz: blogger, Sporting Madness and contributor to the 24th Minute (Canada)

Chris Nee: blogger and podcaster, twofootedtackle (England)

Zach Woosley: panelist, blogger, co-host, Winning Ugly Radio, Ginge Talks the Footy, MFUSA Soccer Show (USA)

Keep in mind the respondent's country of origin as we go through the questionnaire.

In May 2019,

1. The USA will be ranked ____.

Andrew: 8th. That doesn't necessarily mean that they'll be the eighth-best country in the world, but I expect the national team to continue their CONCACAF dominance and combine that with some good World Cup results, especially in 2018 if it winds up being played on American soil. Under the current points system, that should be enough to get them into the top 10.

Chris: 6-8th. I think US soccer is improving but there is a roof on its prospects which will take longer than ten years to overcome. It's generally going in the right direction and I think in time, when the youth system is tweaked and MLS consolidates, the USA will break into the top five.

Zach: 15th.


2. (number) American players will be first team choices for Champions League clubs.

Andrew: Six American players will be first team choices for Champions League clubs. This is a tough one to call, especially given the broad array of clubs that wind up in the Champions League each year. However, even with an improved MLS, there will still be American players going overseas, and several of them could wind up as first-choice players at many of the smaller clubs that crack the Champions League.

Chris: I don't see why it shouldn't be in double figures. Landon won't be the greatest American forever and the next group to break through may be better mentally disposed to going to Europe and succeeding. He's certainly capable. Again, as the quality of MLS improves, players like Montero will succeed in Europe.

Zach: One American player will be a first team choice for a Champions League club.


3. MLS will be equal in quality to (foreign league).

Andrew: MLS will be equal in quality to the German Bundesliga. I'm not sure it will be able to overtake the top-three of Italy, England and Spain, but I could see MLS make its way up to where it's equivalent to the German league, with some legitimate stars (the equivalent of Ribery and Klose are in Germany at the moment) mixed in with a larger group of good, but not exceptional players.

Chris: Eredivisie (Holland)

Zach: MLS will be equal in quality to English League One.


4. (number) current choice national team players for England, Germany, Argentina, or Brazil will be playing in MLS.

Andrew: Eight current choice national team players for England, Germany, Argentina, or Brazil will be playing in MLS. I predict these players will mostly be from Germany and Brazil; Brazilian players would be big draws for MLS, and there's a wide enough cast involved in their national team that some of the MLS types will get a chance at some point; I'm not sure if any of the MLS players will be key fixtures in the German or Brazilian teams, but most of them will earn caps here and there and perhaps some of them will become first-choice selections. As well, the Germans have always been more content than other nations to let their stars play abroad (Klinsmann, Hamann, etc). The English players will mostly stay at home, like today, and the Argentines will mostly wind up in the EPL or in Spain.

Chris: I reckon maybe five. I can see another Beckham situation (without the nonsense) where a lingering England international plays his last year in the US but retains his place in the squad. Germany as a nation needs to improve, but if it doesn't I think maybe a couple of fringe players might try their luck in MLS. Argentina and Brazil - I think younger prospects might stop off in the US on the way to Europe, and there's no reason why success there would not get them selected.

Zach: Zero.


5. The MLS record for an outgoing transfer will be ____ dollars.

Andrew: The MLS record for an outgoing transfer will be 15 million dollars. This will likely be for a young rising star in the mould of Maurice Edu or Jozy Altidore, and it will likely be from one of the big EPL clubs.

Chris: $10-15m

Zach: The MLS record for an outgoing transfer will be Alitdore's $10 million fee.


6. The MLS record for an incoming transfer will be ____dollars.

Andrew: The MLS record for an incoming transfer will be 12 million dollars. Probably for a Brazilian star in one of the bigger media markets, such as L.A. or New York. (Note; this presumes an actual transfer, not just signing designated players without current contracts, so Beckham isn't counted here).

Chris: $10 million (Chris originally begged off this question, but I managed to get a guess out of him)

Zach: The MLS record for an incoming transfer will be $500,000 dollars.


7. The USA will have reached the knockout stage in ____ of the last 3 World Cups ('10, '14, '18).

Andrew: The USA will have reached the knockout stage in all three of the last 3 World Cups ('10, '14, '18). It depends a lot on the group draws, as always, but they should come into each cup in a strong position from CONCACAF qualifying and should make it through the group stage each time.

Chris: Three, depending on group draws.

Zach: The USA will have reached the knockout stage in 1 of the last 3 World Cups ('10, '14, '18).


8. The USA's best finish in the last 3 World Cups will have been ____.

Andrew: The USA's best finish in the last 3 World Cups will have been a loss in the quarterfinals. There's a good chance they could get to the quarterfinal stage twice. I don't think they'll be quite strong enough to get to the semifinals by 2018, but you never know, and home-field advantage could help a lot if it materializes.

Chris: Semi-final, in 2018. Mark my words.

Zach: The USA's best finish in the last 3 World Cups will have been first round of knockout stage. USA Soccer isn't built to succeed in the World Cup, it's built to succeed in the Gold Cup and against Mexico.


9. There will be (number) American managers (total) in England's top three divisions.

Andrew: There will be five American managers (total) in England's top three divisions. All of these will be in the Championship or League One; I can't see an EPL side being ready to hire an American by that point. That's not that the American managers wouldn't be qualified; I just think English sides at all levels will still be reluctant to go with Americans by this point.

Chris: I don't see this as a major area of progress, but maybe one or two. Coaching in MLS will become more attractive and lucrative before England gives US coaches a try.

Zach: There will be zero American managers in England's top three divisions. There are no up and coming American managers. Period.


10. Professional soccer will have surpassed (another sport/no major sport) in popularity.

Andrew: Professional soccer will have surpassed the NHL in popularity in the United States. Baseball, football and the NBA are safe, but the NHL is rapidly losing status as a national sport and becoming more based around local enclaves of fans. Meanwhile, the amount of soccer fans in the U.S. is growing all the time. Many of them follow overseas soccer mostly at the moment, but that interest will likely transfer to MLS as the league continues to grow and improve.

Chris: NHL (Chris begged off this one originally as well, not being intimately familiar with North American sports).

Zach: Professional soccer will have surpassed hockey in popularity.

I think these results say a lot about how the prospects of American soccer are viewed from different vantage points; Zach, an American, was clearly the least optimistic. Both Andrew and Chris were reasonably positive, while the Englishman is clearly the highest on American chances in the World Cup.

Both Zach and Andrew are intimately more familiar with MLS, so it might be proper to put more stock in their MLS-related answers; though being informed means nothing when it comes forecasting the un-forecast-able.

Just a note: I planned on answering these myself, be ultimately decided against it, mostly because this post is entirely too long already.

What are your answers? Which respondent do you agree with most, and which one do
you think has it all wrong?

*UPDATE* Welcome SBI readers. Hopefully you'll add us to your daily circuit, or subscribe to the RSS feed. Ginge also appreciate all of the love you have given him; if you want to berate him futher, you may also do so at Ginge Talks the Footy, his own Euro Snobby blog (haha).

Did I mention that there's a MFUSA podcast? Take a listen and leave your thoughts.

End of shameless shilling.

by Chris Nee of twofootedtackle

There may well come a time when either pressure or circumstance leads Major League Soccer to scrap the idea of parity in order to improve quality and make clubs more competitive on the international stage. But my advice, having watched the Premier League develop into a predictable and relatively dull beast, is enjoy it while you can. That's not to say I believe parity is the future of MLS, but that the internally competitive nature of the league is worth soaking up before it's removed.

A little while ago I posted to my own site about the domination of the Premier League's notorious "Big Four" in England. Their persistent presence in the top four spots in the table is, in my opinion, very damaging to English football. I'm a football addict and I'll watch any football, anywhere, anytime. I also just happen to support a Premier League club. And yet I have little time for the league itself. If my team were relegated, God forbid, I'd find it hard to justify watching it at all.

As always, it comes down to money and the long-term possession of money. Manchester United have a huge fan base and have brilliantly marketed the club over the last two decades. Liverpool have fans and history, both of which foster revenue streams. Arsenal and Chelsea are, perhaps, a little different. In recent years, the Gunners empire has been built on the back of a superb managerial appointment and some wonderful signings. Chelsea's success has resulted entirely from financial strength.

Of course, once a club of such strength reaches the top, it stays there. And that, along with the general obsession with cash, is why the Premier League is boring.

So it was with interest that I listened to Jason's discussion about parity on the Match Fit USA podcast. It's an interesting concept, and one defined by a number of methods which are often mentioned in philosophical arguments about how to make European football more exciting, but will never be feasible. We'll never have salary capping, drafts or central ownership. The status quo is too dominant, having grown over more than a century.

The situation is very different in the United States, for obvious reasons, and creating a league from scratch requires parity in the beginning - without it, the league just never gets off the ground. But the dichotomy between forced parity and the evolution of "quality" is an argument destined to haunt Major League Soccer for years to come. The idea that any team can win the league in any given season, based on college draft picks and salary capping, is a very American one.

I don't mean to be out of line here, but you guys are used to that way of working. You're comfortable with it, it's what you know.

But bubbling under the surface is a growing concern that Major League Soccer is hamstrung by its own policy. MLS fans, quite naturally, want the league to be a world player. Native supporters are used to MLB, NFL, NBA and NHL dominating their sporting worlds. Soccer is a different matter. The world powerhouse is European football, dominated currently by England and previously by Spain and Italy. Germany and France have strong leagues, and the Netherlands isn't far behind. Elsewhere, Argentina, Brazil have leagues which overshadow MLS globally.

That said, I don't think MLS should abandon parity - at least not yet. It's partly that I'm jealous. Betraying my loyalties, I'm far more likely to be celebrating a DC United win in MLS Cup than a Premier League win for Aston Villa, and that annoys me. It must be difficult, in a nation of sporting excellence and Eurosnobs, to accept Major League Soccer's place in the football pecking order and enjoy it for what it is, but trust me, a level playing field is something many English fans desire above all else.

One day, a Major League Soccer comprising 22 or 24 clubs might draw the crowds and have the stability to gamble on its place in world football. It might even be absolutely necessary to do so. With clubs in flux (by this I specifically mean FC Dallas, who struggle for attendances, and DCU who still have the stadium issue hanging over them), the league is purely and simply too young to abandon its model. It may happen, but until then make the most of parity. It's not all that bad.

Chris shares his views on all things football at twofootedtackle, and produces a weekly podcast of the highest quality with co-host Gary Andrews.

Chris Nee of twofootedtackle gives an English perspective on the young Major League Soccer season.