Wednesday, April 18, 2007
Cisse "It's a bit early to go to New York."
The signings of David Beckham and Juan Pablo Angel were supposed to change the image of MLS in Europe. To put it quite frankly, they have not. Robbie Fowler has discounted a move to MLS preferring a potential move to Australia's A-league and now Djbril Cisse who is the property of Liverpool but on loan at Marseille has completely dismissed MLS. Cisse stated "It's a bit early to go to New York." At 25, Cisse clearly believes he'd be wasting away the prime of his career in the United States. Whether or not we support MLS, the bottom line is that the perception of the league as a retirement home for aged stars such as Roberto Donadoni, Lothar Matthaeus, Carlos Valderrama and Youri Djorkaeff among others is alive and well in Europe, David Beckham not withstanding. Until MLS makes more effort to change this view, the truly top international stars will continue to view MLS as a step down from the top European leagues.
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7 comments:
A Eurosnob post of the highest order. Many of us fans here in the US are tired of the discourse over the game being dominated by eurosnobs like you who will always put down MLS and the national team.
Despite the fact MLS has been denied by Cisse, I believe there is no need to worry. Who wants Robby Fowler and his messes? The league is getting better and will continue to do so bit by bit with the likes of the current acquisitions and improvements in domestic players. Europe will come around. They won't have a choice after a while.
I grew up her in the States, and have watched matches from the NASL, MISL, A-League and MLS. And I watched matches from the Mexican and Argentine leagues before matches from the European leagues were readily available in the US. My conclusion, soccer in America has made strides, but I would still prefer to watch an NCAA/NFL game on any given Saturday/Sunday.
MLS stock has improved in Europe but we are still seen as a thirty something league. That may change with one or two signings.
Dear Sams Army - If Kartik is such a eurosnob, why is he devoting his time to authoring a blog to promote American soccer? How do you ever expect the game to expand in the U.S. if there are two groups of fans who constantly infight amongst themselves?
Regarding Cisse, I think he is right not to come to MLS. If you are an athlete you want to compete at the highest level, he is only 25. I think he still has a future in Europe. You wouldn't ask a major league player to go play in AAA.
Angel is a bad signing for the league. His best days are past and he has not had an impact with Columbia national team.
Sams, how much supportive coverage of MLS does it take to not be labeled a eurosnob?
Look my opinion is similar to that of the two guys on World Soccer Daily. (Steven and Nick). MLS has been poorly run through the years and has made lots of mistakes. However now good signings are being made. My biggest issue with MLS is that I believe the league had far better foreign players in 1998 and 2000 then they have had in 2004 and 2006. During the earlier time period the best US national team players who were not goalies played in MLS whereas in the later period they did not. Yet the league and mouthpieces in the soccer media have made it out to be that the level of play is much better now than it was in 1998 for instance. Give me either the 1998 DC United or Chicago team over any MLS team of the past five years is what I say. But now MLS is making the right moves signing Beckham, improving its TV coverage, building great stadiums. I want MLS to succeed badly. Sams, I doubt you'd get on a plane and arrange your schedule around MLS games the way I do. But I am also a fan of the game which drives me towards the EPL and La Liga, the two best leagues on the planet. That doesn't mean I dislike MLS or am somehow anti American player, but that I understand where MLS needs to go.
Nick and Steve if you listen to them are in the same boat as me. They want MLS to be successful but are critical because they want the game to embrace all the possible fans it has in this nation. I finally believe Don Garber gets it, and hopefully that'll make an impact long term.
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