So, here's a breakdown of the good and the bad of late:
The good:
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| Real Salt Lake and Columbus Crew tied at 0-0 Tuesday. |
The CONCACAF Champions League is underway again, and the MLS regular season begins in less than a month. When the national team hasn't played in three months, and all that's on TV is the NFL collective bargaining agreement and a rigged slam-dunk contest, it's easy to get slightly antsy.
Also, the MLS playoff format has been released, and it seems a bit more fair this time around. It guarantees the Supporters Shield winner a match-up with the lowest seed in the first round, and demands the lower seeds to earn their keep a bit more. With a split league and a balanced schedule, people are always going to have their issues, but this shows that the league actually listened to the eruption that followed Colorado's bullshit title run.
The bad:
The CONCACAF Gold Cup "draw" has been postponed; we're looking at early next month, I guess. Now, take a second to think about this.
A draw is exactly what it is: a selection process in which the tournament's match-ups are selected randomly. I could cut out pieces of paper while sitting on the toilet and conduct a solidly fair draw.
Yet, the confederation needs another month. They don't release any pots (the process that prevents teams of similar talent from being loaded up too early in the tournament), or anything. They sit there and plan where each team will go (by group and venue), for one reason: money.
For instance, which venue would put more asses in the seats for a Jamaica match: Miami or Kansas City? The Miami/Fort Lauderdale area has the second-highest West Indian population in the country, so the answer is easy. CONCACAF recognizes that, and schedules as such. This geographic formula is essentially the basis for the tournament.
Now, I understand that this tournament isn't known for its sellouts, and that the confederation has done this for the Gold Cup for years, and that money is obviously important. For me, simply telling the public, "This is how it goes" would at least change the fans' conversation from "you corrupt liars" to "you unconventional losers". Which would Jack Warner prefer? Bet my $67 tickets to the Argentina match no one's ever asked him that one before.
Speaking idiocracies, the US Soccer Federation hasn't exactly been the guiding light of the sport lately.
I refuse to get too far into the debate about the sustainability of lower-division soccer in the US, because I view it as a non-issue. I say let the teams and leagues work it out in due time, I see no rush to establish a "legitimate pyramid".
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| He can't figure it out, either. |
However, eliminating the entire second tier (a step below MLS) from the US Open Cup (the American equivalent to the FA Cup) for scheduling reasons (the tournament proper doesn't start for months), even in the wake of the sanctioning problems, does not help legitimize a tournament that, after a century of irrelevance, drew 30,000 strong and a television deal to the final. This doesn't hurt just the lower-division teams, but Major League soccer and the federation as well. Simply shooting ourselves in the foot, here, Mr. Gulati.
And finally...
On a lighter note in the wake of all this complaining, congratulations to the USA under-17 national team for qualifying for the U-17 World Cup. Their 3-2 extra-time thriller over El Salvador Tuesday guaranteed them a spot in their 14th consecutive World Cup. Always a good look for the future.
