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designated players
the barometer
SUMMER SCHOOL EDITION
A lot can change in a week. Mark Harmon can make a bunch of rascals learn some basic skills, while the Red Bulls can go from some of the worst soccer to some kind of wonderful, unfazed with a striker in the midfield and midfielders on the back line. RBNY even found some money to spend on marketing and community service. The Jeff Carlisle-penned preview headline said all you need to know: rise and fall. The Red Bulls found their wings (on the back of an angel, if this was a New York Post headline), while the Fire looked terrible.
One of my favorites, Mapp, is looking like he might not deserve that call-up to the US MNT. Carlisle doesn’t even mention him in his analysis of the roster. Mapp’s is a good example of what we have for American stars: Flashes of brilliance but no consistency. It’s anyone’s guess to the reason; the ratio between physical and mental is never easy to decipher in sports.
It’s Memorial Day weekend; summer is here; a summer of soccer. What lies ahead is after the jump…
It’s a generational bias, but one could argue we’ll learn more about American soccer this summer than in any similar stretch in the past. It’s certainly the busiest I can remember. MLS mediocrity parity should make for a hectic playoff picture. Will any of our young stars step up to the challenge… especially after they face scheduling conflicts with some of the other summer attractions: Gold Cup, Open Cup, Copa America, Copa Sudamericana, Copa Minnesota?, U20 World Cup, U17 World Cup.
Want to impress a foreign club? Now’s your chance. Want to trade your blue collar for a white one in MLS? The muddled midfields of MLS are begging for someone to separate himself. The Women top it all off come Fall, when their World Cup begins in Beijing, which beyond some wide-open soccer, should be an interesting cultural precursor to the Olympics being held there next summer (by the way - I want to see the WNT play a MLS team – could be really interesting on the field and a great exhibition no doubt).
For the first summer in a World Cup cycle, we certainly have a great chance to learn about where we are when qualification begins next year. Call it summer school; classes are in session.
Late add: some nice thoughts from Bob Bradley on our Yanks abroad.
Sean
on May 25th, 2007 - 12:56pm
I don’t think you want to see the women’s national team playing an MLS team. While the women’s team usually plays with a control and understanding MLS teams lack, the mens game is played at a considerable faster pace. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with some of the women involved with their professional league and they were all skilled, made intelligent decisions on the ball, and yet couldn’t keep up with the pace more often than not. The games played are completely different and the men’s team could probably learn a thing or two about spacing, etc from the women, but in the end it would not be a pretty game to watch.
Adam Spangler
on May 25th, 2007 - 1:31pm
Hi Sean -
Thanks for commenting. Pace/Speed is the most obvious issue with any male v. female athletic competition. i believe the other storylines you spoke to, however, would keep me interested, even if the scoreboard was lopsided. It might surprise.
Sean
on May 25th, 2007 - 5:42pm
Do you think the Red Bulls will start to draw some larger crowds if they keep winning?
Adam Spangler
on May 25th, 2007 - 5:53pm
i hope so, Sean, but i wouldnt bet on it. the way in which the metrostars wallowed for years. its going to take a lot of vicotries to win back fans that may have wanted to support a team ten years ago. That being said, they are making enormous strides on the field, by MLS standards.
I still, however, feel like getting people in the stands will require creative marketing to those communities who cant afford the tickets and travel to the stadium and a really big name star player (which i hate saying, but).
That would have to be a BIG name, not just Claudio and Angel. Skill wins faster, but personality and name recognition sells faster.
lately, i’ve been thinking about the Wizards coming to NYC. its a pipe dream, but KC is obviously not working at this point, and i’d rather see a team move than an expansion team created. there just arent enough players yet. I stand by my summation that an innercity NYC team could be the jewel of the league.
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