MLS Teams are the walking dead in CONCACAF next year

 

This year both the San Jose Earthquakes and L.A. Galaxy botched two very close opportunities to advance past their Mexican counterparts in this years CONCACAF Champions League.  Although not the end-all & be-all of American soccer, this tournament is a bell-weather event that MLS headquarters keeps focusing on winning.  Although the Galaxy came within a goal of moving on San Jose was even closer than that; one sole kick in the final shoot-out would’ve let them advance.  In the end both MLS teams went home empty handed.  To pour salt in the wound, they won’t even be able to compete in next year’s tournament.

So now, without further ado …. Your 2014 CONCACAF Champions Leage MLS Representatives!!!

The New York Red Bulls!!

Captained by a legendary striker that’s playing in perhaps his final year, the Red Bulls have a very strong chance of not even watching King Henry step on any tournament field.  Not only do some of the CONCACAF first games take place in Caribbean countries but it would be bizarre to watch the likes of Cahill and Henry jog around an empty track stadium against much weaker competition.  In comparison, L.A. had been frustrated by  having to travel mid-season and starting million dollar players against opponents not afraid of slide tackling them with the backing of non-caring referees.  At least when Cahill is fouled in America a needed whistle is blown, but I doubt the Red Bulls will get any preference when some of the Red Bulls could BUY the other squad outright.  Traveling in this tournament is rough enough, and Henry has already spoken out against his needless traveling to places like Seattle or Vancouver.

My final take: Petke will have his hands full with a squad that’s right now lucky to tie a team like Chivas USA.  Later this year when the interleague tournament gets underway he’s going to get another crash course in coaching.  How to balance travel, squad, field adjustments and hotel accommodations.  I wish them luck but my Suckyball sense is saying it’ll be tough to deal with some of the Concacaf non-sense with Henry’s status up in the air and Cahill getting World Cup wear and tear.

Next up …

DC United!!!

What better representative of MLS than a squad that grabbed the LOWEST amount of possible points last year?  Later this year there’s little chance of signing any outstanding players and they’ll have to hope Eddie Johnson can somehow pull out miracles against high-caliber Mexican teams.  If Donovan and Keane couldn’t pull it off, I have little reasoning to think that D.C. United breaks down any doors.  The only reason they made it into the tournament was winning a U.S. Open Cup final that they had no business being in because of their ugly season results.

My final take: Do they deserve to be in the CONCACAF Champions League? Yes, of course, they earned it.  Do they stand a chance against the top Mexican clubs licking their chops against them? …..  Good luck United, go in peace and play your best!! Take your vitamins and pray hard brothers!!

Portland Timbers!! 

The Timbers might have the best chance of pulling through, but keep in mind they were allowed in because of a rule change right before the MLS Cup.  Diego Valeri and Nagbe are decent players and I can see them putting in the ground work and surviving the travel to far away games.  Portland has every motivation to take this tournament serious, because Seattle won’t be in it!!

My final take: I don’t have a crystal ball but Portland’s ownership and financial backing wouldn’t consider the tournament a write-off.  They’ll be in it to win it, and I would hope Valeri lights up the Central American competition.  L.A. and San Jose missed major chances to build up goal leads against Tijuana and Toluca, pretty much every 10th shot was hitting goal post.  Diego Valeri doesn’t even have to score, just pass it to the right Timber sprinting down the flanks.

And now …. your MLS Champion and a returning team …….

Sporting Kansas City!!!

MLS’s best team not only led the league in fouls last year and then somehow limped into MLS Cup victory, but they also got smashed by Cruz Azul 5-1 in a quarter-final match.  After the game they sure needed Blue Cross (Cruz Azul, get it?) to carry them out of Mexico because Graham Zusi and company had a melt-down as every defender forgot how to play.  It might not be pretty again in next year’s tournament.  Of course Zusi is stepping up as a great American player, but SKC just doesn’t click when forced to stand toe to toe against Mexican clubs. This year they’ll probably do well in MLS League play but this CONCACAF tournament can get grueling.  You’re traveling to far off locations, in the middle of a World Cup year, testing 2nd and 3rd string players and your final present is Mexican clubs not only at the top of their league but also in mid-season form.

My final take: SKC is Don Garber’s poster child for a successful team.  They have decent fans, in a soccer specific stadium and their city appears to embrace them.  But come on, do you think Mexicans are afraid of them?  They might need to sign more players which brings me to ….

Toronto FC!!

A top 5 USMNT Mid-fielder? Check. A top English striker who doesn’t mind moving to Canada? While we’re at it you might as well throw in the Brazilian national team goal keeper …. why not? Check!! The ownership of Toronto FC not only got invaded hired a major power player from the L.A. Galaxy (Tim Leiweke) but they also received his expert advice in putting together a winning team (making sure giant checks don’t bounce).  All TFC has to do is win the Canadian Championship and they’re in, where they can beat up on DC United and NYRB’s 3rd string team.  If this happens even more Loonie money will continue to pour in and TFC just might sign a Chelsea player to complete Don Garber’s fantasy signing.  You can find out more information about the Canadian Championship here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2014_Canadian_Championship

Which brings me to final conclusion.  Out of all the possible MLS teams coming up in late 2014, why does it make perfect sense that the favorite team to go further into the Concacaf record book than any other MLS team won’t even be American … but Canadian??  At least we might be able to see Jermaine Defoe drop some CONCAGOALS in the process.

Here’s a Youtube video showing why Defoe’s investment might not seem so crazy, courtesy of DC United’s defense:

 

Cambio es rapido

As the MLS season gets into gear I should go ahead and give Suckyball’s blessing of negativity to a new batch of upcoming games.  If this year was like the years before it I would’ve had a field day bashing the league’s clumsy attempts to get closer to the high standards set by European football’s powers.  And let me say without hesitation: this year has some problems.  If you can ignore the Walking Dead team of Chivas U.S.A. and the confusing idea that NYCFC might have their stadium well outside of the 5 boroughs (talk is of Westchester, which makes Harrison New Jersey seem closer than it is) … then this year’s upcoming season bodes well for the league.

I always feel 50-50 with my hate towards American over-hype and the glossing over of sub-standard play.  But can you tell me that MLS will never come close to Premiere League play after watching Sunderland vs Crystal Palace?  I watched Michael Bradley and Jermaine Defoe play well enough that if they were in the bottom of Serie A it wouldn’t be that much of a stretch.  Besides beating Mexican teams next week, what else do you want MLS to do?  A million fans dogged MLS for losing Deuce (myself included) and what can we say when he not only comes back to the league but he’s not even the major signing?

The Beckham deal was a circus.  The Red Bull Arena and Henry deal were similar to Austrian kids playing Monopoly to buy up as many expensive spots as they could, until they realize they were actually using REAL money and have debts to pay off.  But the deals this year, they seem like at least five or six of the owners know enough to grow the league.  Let me show with own life experience how much soccer has grown in the United States, in just four years!!

2010: I worked in an office where I heard about the Yankees, Mets, Giants, Jets and even the Patriots all the time.  Two co-workers followed soccer and the rest of us only talked about it because of the World Cup and we rehashed stereotypes about Germany being tactical, Maradona being a crazy coach and that Ghana was beatable.  The first co-worker who followed soccer was someone who refereed in his spare time for extra cash.  I didn’t know if he was Irish, English or German; just that he predicted the U.S. wouldn’t go anywhere and that he knew more than three players on the national team (I just knew about Landon Donovan because … he played with Beckham?).  The second co-worker always talked about Columbia and Rinaldo being better than Messi.  For a long time I thought Messi was the beginning and end of soccer until ….

2012: I worked in a new office and a co-worker not only said he watched a Red Bull game but he even wore a Manchester United shirt!!! Other co-workers at least followed the 2012 Euro’s and they had debates about if Mario Balotelli was a real Italian or just a great African player that tricked Italy into giving him a spot.  When I went to watch Real Madrid play live I then understood the hype about Cristiano after he sprinted past over-matched defenders and launched goals from one side of the field into the opposite net to thundering applause against a quiet AC Milan squad.  So even though it wasn’t a World Cup year at least the interest in soccer wasn’t non-existent.

2013: I worked in an office where every Friday people tried to outdo each-other with new team jerseys.  My Everton shirt would be one-upped by a new Barcelona jersey which would be matched up against an Ecuador national team jacket.  The next week I’d bring out MY OWN Barcelona jersey to go up against someone’s new expensive scarf or the newest Columbian merchandise.  My supervisors must’ve been confused when every Friday turned into Futbol conversations by an office full of  potential advertisements for worldsoccershop.com.

2014: Not only do I work in a new company that’s ran by over-hyped European soccer followers, but I was told that when the World Cup goes down half of the office is going to go crazy every day with anticipation.  We’re not going to talk about it like it’s an ESPN story, but the employees are going to go back and forth at each-other and track every goal on their smart phones before the imminent trash talking.  Because Queens has the highest percentage of foreign born immigrants in NYC, that means that at least five different countries will be supported under one roof come this summer.  This is the change I’m talking about.

If someone tells me that in 2018 MLS will play well enough to surpass Mexican teams I wouldn’t think they were crazy.  If someone told me that in 2020 a group of European soccer fans would somehow plan a vacation trip around visiting an MLS team I wouldn’t think it was that outlandish.  Seattle and a few other American teams have potential to be not only top draws for American viewers but international fans.

But if someone keeps saying that by 2026 America will make the World Cup championship match, well, I think we’d still be a bit sucky by then.

PS … In the off-chance this website is read by any MLS ownership groups … WHY ARE YOU THINKING OF SIGNING CARLOS PUYOL??  SERIOUS?? YOU THINK EUROSNOBS ARE DESPERATE ENOUGH THAT THEY’D BE HAPPY WITH THAT? PUYOL? SERIOUS? BARCA PUYOL? PLEASE STOP UPDATING YOUR SPREADSHEET AND POWERPOINT PRESENTATIONS, YOU CAN DO MUCH BETTER!! (No offense to Puyol, it just seems a strange signing rumor.)