US Soccer

Oh how difficult it is to be a soccer fan in the United States. Not only is there no soccer store in the entire state forcing me to either buy sub-par equipment from "sports stores" or gambling with wrong sizes ordering over the Internet, but the status of soccer in this country seems to rise and fall with the rotation of the moon. Being a soccer fan in the US is like being an abused wife, we keep coming back thinking this time things will be different.

It all started with Beckham. Being a Manchested United fan means i am also a Beckham fan. He was a great player on a great team and i was sad when he was picked up by another team.

Recently the pay cap for players in the MLS was adjusted/removed. Oh the potential. We didn't have to wait too long for the promise of things to come. In news heard 'round the world Beckham signed to play soccer in LA. Sign me up for tickets to any game where LA comes in to town. i'll pay players on our team to commit fouls just to see those set play kicks.

Where Beckham goes, so goes the media. This is what US soccer needs right now: media coverage. Not only do most Americans not realize that there is a professional soccer league in this country, but those of us who do enjoy soccer have great difficulty finding a televised game without paying for extra channels. This inevitable media frenzy surrounding Beckham cannot help but improve coverage in this country, at least for LA games.

Oh the precedent here (i know i'm using 'oh' a lot but oh how exciting this is). This opens the door to bringing other European all-stars to the MLS either for money or to play out the twilight of their careers with more game time than they would see over the pond. Can you hear us Zidane?

Soccer celebrities, better game play, all in the MLS? Could it be so? Unfortunately, for now, the answer is NO. Simultaneously, as Beckahm is coming in our own great players are all fleeing to play in Europe. They're leaving for better soccer and better pay. Beckham is making more to play for LA than most of the rest of his new team combined. This is what's needed to bring the soccer stars over but what about the home grown potential soccer stars? Why is the MLS not stepping up to keep them here?

While the MLS celebrates players like Donovan, whom were rejected from attempts to play over seas, they are losing better players like McBride. The New England Revolution, for example, had a great season last season and are now losing some key talent to European leagues. The MLS is both becoming a stepping stone league for American players and a retirement plan for European greats.

What's an American Soccer fan to do? With the two giants of American sports: football & baseball, and their little brother basketball, other sports are pushed far to the outer fringes. Even hockey has faced serious struggles through the years as their players don't have salaries close to those of the big three and frequently suffers from stereo-types and limited coverage.

The MLS is going to have to spend money if they want to improve and even survive. BIG MONEY! It's getting by right now but if it can't make it over the hump it won't survive for long. The attention and skill of Beckham will help to build up momentum but the owners and the league need to keep up that momentum. Please don't let us just roll backwards down the hill a few years from now.