- Jason Davis

Javier Hernandez is a joy to watch.


This fact disturbs me. Both because he's Mexican — meaning my dyed-in-the-wool USMNT supporter soul screams in protest each and every time I give myself over to enjoying his play — and because he has become a worldwide sensation with the eminently unlikeable Manchester United. The soccer-aware portion of my brain, my sense of duty as a USMNT fan, my identity as a member of the no-love-for-United crowd (I don't hate United, because that would imply I care enough about what happens in England to work up such strong emotion, when, in fact, I'm mostly an impartial observer who finds United's shenanigans and constant winning to be incredibly annoying but nothing more): they're all telling me to hate Javier Hernandez. And not just a little bit. There is significant emotional weight behind the effort.

- Jason Davis

I suppose this post is unavoidable. When 70,000 people show up and a significant number can see the game on a widely available national TV outlet, a drubbing like the MLS All-Stars took last night at the hands of Manchester United is bound to be a talking point. It certainly was during the game.


Twitter blew up with expressions of embarrassment on the part of MLS fans and suggestions that MLS should be ashamed of the beating. The idea that the game was some kind of referendum on the quality of the league floated in the periphery. I railed internally against all of it.


The game was an exhibition. A collection of players from various teams across a league in the midst of its grueling season who had an hour or two of training together were beaten by one of the world's best clubs looking to make amends after losing to a nondescript MLS team on the weekend. In hindsight, I'm kicking myself for thinking the game would be a draw.


MLS is a victim of its own success in this situation. Previous All-Star wins versus foreign clubs, plus last year's narrow defeat to Everton, have conditioned people to believe this format of throwing together the league "stars" produces something approaching a reasonable team. It doesn't. Not even close.


The only way for an All-Star squad will beat a well-drilled team like Manchester United is to get a few moments of individual brilliance and for the opposition to fail to capitalize on their chances. MLS got little of the former, and United didn't cooperate on the latter; what we saw last night has always been the more likely outcome in All-Star games. The league simply managed to beat the odds in the past. A reversal of fortune does not necessarily imply the league has taken a step back or that the quality of player here is a below any perceived standard.


And let's be clear: a win last night wouldn't have proved anything either. Just as Kansas City's win over United on Sunday proved nothing other than that an actual team has a better chance of winning exactly because they are a team. The mitigating factors surrounding the All Star Game make the result meaningless. For those of us already fans, that is.


If the All-Star Game is a chance for the league to showcase itself to soccer fans who aren't not already on board, then last night's showing is disappointing. I suppose we could lament the lost chance to grab new fans, but the league surely knows the risk it takes putting its players in that position; nevertheless, the juice is worth the squeeze because of the 70,000 people in the building and the prime time TV slot on ESPN2.


Eventually, we're going to have to get over this need to view every friendly, All-Star or not, as an indication of where the league stands.


Just like the All-Star Games against foreign opponents before it, last night's result proves nothing. Manchester United is a better team than a bunch of thrown together players. Is that a surprise?


I was disappointed in the MLS showing last night, being an MLS fan. But I sure as hell wasn't ashamed or embarrassed.

In the immediate aftermath of the Wizards 2-1 victory over Manchester United yesterday came the inevitable superlatives and the equally expected backlash. For Wizards and some MLS fans, the win was a landmark by which the league and the team can be measured; the biggest win ever, the biggest goal of the weekend (Arnaud's or Kamara's, take your pick), etc., etc., HOLY CRAP THE WIZARDS BEAT MANCHESTER UNITED AND THIS PROVES SOMETHING UNPROVABLE.


To which the response was swift. It was just a friendly (it was), United's team was hardly even medium strength (mostly true), and pre-season friendlies are not usually hotly contested by the team in pre-season (yup). We could debate just how much the Wizards players cared versus how much those United scrubs did, but without the powers of time travel and telepathy it's impossible to know. Maybe United did mail it in while the Wizards played with every bit of themselves. It's certainly easy to assume, and for those looking to minimize the Wizards' win throw it out without proof.


That's all relevant. But the context gets lost in the one-side-crows-the-others-slaps-them-down dance, because the supporters of both arguments refuse to allow for subtleties. The exhortations of Wizards fans, a biased crowd blinded by their loyalties and naturally ecstatic with the result, shouldn't be assumed to the opinion of the masses. Nor should the wet blanket crowd, anxious to put everyone in their place, get a pass for being so derisively dismissive. There's a middle ground as to the weight of the Wizards win. Somewhere.


No one, at least no one sane, thinks that the Wizards are better than Manchester United. No one thinks MLS is approaching the Prem in quality. The Wizards aren't suddenly going to steal away "die hard" United fans from middle America. But because it was United, the most famous and valuable club in the world, it has real meaning. It was by no means "defining", and it might even stretch the definition of "historic"; but we can safely assume that millions of people who didn't know about or hadn't heard of the Wizards before yesterday know them now. There's a undefinable value in that, and it's unfair to criticize those tasked with selling MLS (TV commentators and the like) for breathlessly describing the win in over-the-top superlatives.


It was Manchester United. Excuse everyone for getting a little excited.




Everyone needs to relax. It was what it was, but no need to rain on anyone's parade. A little enthusiasm never hurt anyone. Even less important is worrying that the excited claims of a few MLS fans is going to hurt the reputation of all American soccer fans, coloring us as uninformed or naive. Who cares.


United was recently crowned the world's most valuable sports property at $1.8 billion. For a bit of perspective, and using the MLS expansion fee as a an easy base value for the typical American franchise, United's worth is equivalent to 46 MLS teams.


If we compared salaries for those that appeared in the match yesterday, the difference would be mind-boggling. The Wizards are a K-Mart team, United the finest Tiffany has to offer.


The Wizards win is a big deal for one day for those reasons and more. 50,000+ showed up at Arrowhead to watch. Soccer's place in the Midwest can only be helped by the event and by the Wizards win, and superlatives should be forgiven in the immediate afterglow. All that being said, it's probably best to move on quickly.


The other talking point from this game involved the straight red to Jimmy Conrad for his tackle of Dmitar Berbatov in the penalty area. First, it was a clear red, and if this match wasn't a friendly there would be no discussion of Terry Vaughn's call. I suppose it's fair to talk about the spectacle and keeping the sides level despite the call being correct; I just don't particularly have a problem with the call, and in the end it actually benefited the Wizards. By holding on for the victory (hell, by retaking the lead) while a man down, a greater air of accomplishment is attached to it. Right call, maybe wrong time, adds a bit more weight to the victory. Not worth the energy needed to debate it.


Again, moving on to things that matter. IT'S ALL-STAR WEEK!