The Sport Doesn't Need MLS

20,231 fans sold-out Hughes Stadium in Sacramento, California last night to watch a non-soccer specific stadium, non-major broadcast, non-international friendly, non-designated player, non-salary cap, non-coin flip to determine a player's future team, non-commissioner shouting at the USMNT coach, non-fining coaches and investors for speaking truth, non-labor union, non-allocation money spending, non-colluding, non-franchise fee paying, non-Adidas wearing...

...non-MLS game last night. And it was glorious.
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NASL's NY Cosmos traveled out to play USL's Sacramento Republic FC for a preseason match last night and ended up beating them 1-3. There was no stream of the game (for whatever reason), nor was it on television.

This morning I woke up thinking that there is something wonderful about this game. Something special. I don't think it's the start of a movement or anything but it is certainly a sign. What I keep coming back to is that the United States does not need Major League Soccer to survive. The sport existed in this country for nearly 100 years before this latest league and I'm sure it will exist another hundred in whatever form going forward.

Maybe it's the combination of a snowy Columbus morn and my coffee kicking in to that is making this beautiful dance in my head over this match last night  - but - what we had was a NY Cosmos team that is rooted pre-MLS superstardom  vs. facing off against a sort of postmodern-non-MLS team in Sacramento Republic FC.

Nothing is up over at MLS headquarters about the game yet but when it is I'm sure we will get a story that reminds us of Sacramento's ties to MLS, which they no doubt have in their affiliation with San Jose along with the club's aspiration to be a top level team. Ultimately it might say "this is the growth that MLS has brought to the game in the US." Not going to find me arguing that but what I will point out is MLS was helped by the 94 world cup and the old NASL while the old NASL was helped by the International Soccer League and the ASL and on and on.

Because the United States does not have a truly independent governing body and a linked pyramid we get this ever evolving landscape of pro leagues that ebbs and flows on the whims of pop-culture. What hasn't wavered, however, is the popularity of the sport of soccer in this country.

It's always been popular. From immigrants setting up leagues at the turn of the last century to the game spreading to major cities in the midwest (like Detroit and Cleveland) during the automobile manufacturing boom post WWII - to the a super nova that was the NASL to the youth soccer explosion that followed in the suburbs all up and down the east coast at first but moving out to the suburbs of the midwest - to where it is now (which is basically California and hopefully moving out of the suburbs).

The sport needs a fresh change in the US and last night shows us that we have something magnificent happening right now. Something that doesn't need franchise fees or soccer specific stadiums or allocation money or research teams recommending the best TV markets that determine the next "division 1" team. The sport doesn't need that. Has never needed that.

We have dozens of "Sacramento's" in the US. Columbus would be a "Sacramento" if it were started today and not back in 1995 at the dawn of MLS. I look at 12 yr old Carolina Challenge Cup of which the Charleston Battery hosted this year with NY City FC and Orlando and see that area, relatively untouched by MLS until last year, showing that they could be a Sacramento - specifically because it doesn't have the baggage that MLS carries.

There's a global party happening where everyone is welcome and you only need to ask to take part. Last night saw a two clubs and their fans spend a few hours dancing the night away with the world.

Today MLS "fans" wake up to "division 1" pro soccer news of labor negotiations and the threat of a delayed season start over player freedom while arguments on social media rage over whatever the latest fine to be handed out is.

I wonder what the players, owners, investors and fans at that Cosmos / Republic match last night think of all that mess. I doubt they are thinking hardly anything about it today. My hope is that they think nothing of it in the future.

Crew +/- and PPG, 2012 to Present

It's a little early to start looking at +/- and individual points earned per start (the addition thereof becoming what I call KRAMB) for 2014 but let's take a look at what recent results are telling us as well as which players got results when on the pitch.



2012 CARLOS MENDES: 12 STARTS, 2.00 PPG, +0.58 GDpGM

Carlos Mendes is the most successful Columbus Crew player with over ten starts since the beginning of 2012. Taking into account the climate of the Crew during his time, no easy task. With him on the pitch the Crew averaged 1.50 goals per game (best) and only conceded 0.92 goals against (3rd best). The goal difference there is +0.58 (best).

Mendes (who is now Captain of the NY Cosmos) managed 7 wins from his 12 starts with only 2 losses and 3 draws. That's earning 67% of all possible points while starting. Also best on the team.

Let's start with that...

 % POSSIBLE POINTS EARNED (SINCE 2012, >10 STARTS) 

% PTS Earned - NAME - STARTS
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66.7% Carlos Mendes 12
61.9% Dilly Duka 14
57.1% Matt Lampson 14
52.9% Chris Birchall 17
52.5% Sebastián Miranda 33
51.9% Federico Higuaín 45
50.8% Eddie Gaven 44

50.4% TOP QUARTER 21

50.0% Emilio Renteria 16
49.4% Bernardo Anor 29
49.2% Wil Trapp 21
48.0% Jairo Obando Arrieta 41
47.4% Joshua Williams 57
46.3% Chad Barson 18
45.2% Eric Gehrig 14

45.2% MEDIAN 21

45.0% Agustín Viana 20
45.0% Justin Meram 20
44.8% Tony Tchani 32
44.4% Nemanja Vukovic 12
44.0% Milovan Mirosevic 25
43.2% Danny O´Rourke 37
43.2% Chad Marshall 54

43.2% BOTTOM QUARTER 14

42.6% Andy Gruenebaum 54
41.0% Gláuber 13
40.5% Dominic Oduro 37
40.3% Tyson Wahl 24
36.4% Ben Speas 11
26.7% Matías Sánchez 10

Personally, I believe earning points as a starter is a perfect starting point when trying to figure out whether or not you've got the right guy in there. It's very simple. The guys is in the starting lineup... team wins. Look at Chad Marshall, Andy Gruenebaum and Danny O'Rourke. Three favorites here in Columbus that Gregg Berhalter rightly didn't bring back for 2014. Look at all the starts, they were not getting it done and the team had missed both the 2012 and 2013 playoffs.

Notably, way down the list there are a handful of current players falling below the water line. Current starters Tony Tchani and Dominic Oduro are there. Digging a bit deeper, Tchani's play has greatly contributed to the Crew's early 2014 success.

ODURO OR ARRIETA

The Crew are off to a great start in 2014. In fact, because the lineup has been stable and the team is winning, most of the new players on this year's team would be leading most of my key performance metrics. Except Oduro, again. With him starting up top the Crew are 1-1-1 with 2 goals for and 3 against while Jairo Arrieta kicked off the year 2-0-0, 4 goals for and only 1 against.

With only five games on, 2014 is gives us just a small sample set - but matching it up with results over the past couple years it's not out of the ordinary. Arrieta has the edge, as far as filling the role up top.

The rest of the group? So far the new guys, again, are off to a great start (just look at the league table for their team stats). This weekend's second test against DC United will tell us a lot. What's that? Oh yes, long way to go. It always is though, isn't it.

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 +/- pGM WHEN STARTING, NAME, GAMES STARTED 

+0.58 Carlos Mendes 12
+0.36 Dilly Duka 14
+0.33 Nemanja Vukovic 12
+0.15 Agustín Viana 20
+0.14 Matt Lampson 14
+0.14 Bernardo Anor 29
+0.13 Emilio Renteria 16

+0.12 Sebastián Miranda 33
+0.11 Federico Higuaín 45
+0.09 Tony Tchani 32
+0.07 Joshua Williams 57
+0.07 Eddie Gaven 44
+0.03 Dominic Oduro 37

0.00 Chris Birchall 17
0.00 Jairo Obando Arrieta 41
0.00 Danny O´Rourke 37
0.00 Gláuber Berti 13

-0.04 Milovan Mirosevic 25
-0.04 Tyson Wahl 24
-0.05 Justin Meram 20
-0.07 Chad Marshall 54
-0.07 Andy Gruenebaum 54

-0.14 Wil Trapp 21
-0.17 Chad Barson 18
-0.18 Ben Speas 11
-0.43 Eric Gehrig 14
-0.50 Matías Sánchez 10

Roster Compliance Date, Whitecaps, Cosmos

Among the many (many) interesting MLS things that came out last week, the one that might have been missed is that the league's roster compliance deadline remains March 1st.

This is an important date to Crew fans to mark on their calendars because Gregg Berhalter and team will have to have their roster at 30 by then.

Going into the start of preseason training the Crew are already at 30 players. Most MLS teams are carrying a group between 30-35 players from now, through February. I would expect the Columbus Crew to have between that many this year.

COSMOS and MLS DANCE, MENDES(?)

I was reminded of the roster deadline when I was reading about a player named Andre Lewis, who was selected 7th in the MLS college draft by the Vancouver Whitecaps.

About a day after the draft Goal.com reported that Lewis was already under contract with NASL side the NY Cosmos. It became a big US soccer story very quickly.

I'm fairly certain that none at MLS HQ knew anything about the situation with Lewis (or if they did, didn't care) - and almost 100% certain no one in Vancouver did which is why league followers are getting treated to steady stream of message controlling articles.

MLS can try and spin it anyway they want but doesn't change that it's an embarrassing oversight by a league that has more and more as it expands.

What's next? MLS is trying to save face either way. One outcome has the Whitecaps not signing him and the Cosmos will get him. MLS will say he wasn't good enough to play in the league.

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Since the NY Cosmos returned last year they have signed a few former MLS players but what most don't know is that they actually signed away one player from the Columbus Crew last year in Carlos Mendes.

Mendes was lined up to play for the Crew in 2013 after a pretty solid year in 2012. Former director Brian Bliss (now with Chicago) wanted Mendes back and were surprised when he left for NY a little over a year ago.

Mendes was one of my highest rated players in 2012 (despite a nagging injury that slowed him). He ended up being one of the cornerstones for the Cosmos this past fall.

Expect to see an increase of issues and problems like this from Major League Soccer as they continue to try to expand. Their single entity structure cannot sustain a very big league in a global market, especially in a country the size (population and money) of the US.

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Vancouver / MLS trotted Carl Robinson out to talk to the press about both the Lewis and Camilo situations, interview here. It's the Welshman's first year as a head coach. Guy just started. Welcome to the admin side of MLS, which is about 99% of it.

Cosmos Copa NYC

Cosmos Copa from Show Love on Vimeo.

http://cosmoscopa.com/