This Is American Soccer, US Soccer, MNT, WNT, and MLS - Tackling the subject of Soccer in the US, and worldwide.

So they can sell out an amateur adult tournament, albeit with 48 teams, but they can’t sell out a rivalry game? C’mon LA, you’ve got two teams while plenty of other markets don’t have any. After researching my last post on attendance expectations, and getting a lot of feedback, I’m wondering if they should have put Chivas in San Diego when they had the chance.

Kansas City’s advance tickets sales for its home opener also has me wondering - its a dreary friday in New York, sorry - if they might not be better elsewhere. Maybe a few miles to the East in St. Louis, or down south in Atlanta? Given the population, the popularity of soccer (Suburbia Sprawl Power!), the ethnic communities, and the fact that it’s basically the only truly big southern city, I think Atlanta – yes, I grew up there – should get the next MLS team, and it should be one that already exists. Expansion should cease until the product improves. Any team without a stadium and average attendance below, say, 10-12,000 should be on warning. Is that too harsh? Just wait for the piece that drew most of my ire this week. That’s after the jump.

The Open Cup: What gives?. I can’t begin to figure out how Andrea Canales completes her daily 4378 stories, but somehow she does it. The crème of her weekly crop came in an op-ed regarding the lack of attention the Open Cup is getting from MLS teams and USSF. Like Bruce over at du Nord, I agree wholeheartedly with Andrea, but will add one opinion.

MLS has no business turning down or looking past any games. Nothing is below the league. No team is good enough to essentially pass on a tournament, a chance to get a trophy, a chance to get better, and a chance to continue to market and sell the sport. Compounding my infuriation, the tourney is run by USSF, which barely markets the Open Cup or puts any incentive for teams to compete in it. USSF is no better than MLS, and thus is guilty along with MLS with failing American soccer on this issue.

Adding to Andrea’s solid suggestions for restructuring the way the Open Cup is handled, might it be possible to use the Open Cup as a sort of American soccer tour, testing open markets like San Diego and Atlanta? Or in the very least using it to more simply throw fans in those cities a bone. Securing college facilities for the single games in the summer can’t be that hard, nor would it be to partner with a local club team – after all this is the Open Cup with its amateur history – to host the game. You could have a side tournament for kids clubs around the same time; you could honor a strong soccer leader in the community. You’d get community involvement and help ingratiate MLS and soccer in general. There are limitless options due to the unique history of the Open Cup. Meanwhile, the powers that be appear confided to let it die. Another strike against the captains of our ship. A few more, and we need to consider pushing them off the plank.

Something to look forward to (April showers, bring May flowers):

-Grant Wahl’s return (brush up on your Spanish)

Correction: In the orignal posting today, I mistakenly wrote that Andrea Canales has daughters. Those little ladies in fact belong to her blog partner Luis Bueno.