MLS / USL Affiliation, Critical Look

MLS / USL affiliation is making news with a few more teams joining in, taking the total up to 10 MLS teams and 10 USL.

Last year Major League Soccer corporate instructed teams to either link up with a USL Pro team or field a team of their own in the division by 2015. After a couple stabs at running a reserve league of their own MLS is trying another direction with the program.

COMPETITIVE MINUTES

Four teams participated in the the first year of the program and one of the relationships (KC and Orlando) saw each team winning major trophies. With this fact in mind and the the recent partnership between the Columbus Crew and the Dayton Dutch Lions I wanted to take a closer look to see what they did right.

KC handled sending players back and forth with Orlando smoothly but then something struck me when I pulled down total minutes of all roster KC players...

The affiliation means that KC lost competitive minutes for players on the team. How? Fielding a reserve team last year the Crew played a total of 14 games which makes for a total of 13860 available competitive minutes on the season.

League Games x Match Length x Positions = Total Mins
14 x 90 x 11 = 13860

With an affiliation MLS teams can send 4* (see update bottom of post) players "down" which means there is only 9360 minutes available for players down the bench.

26 x 90 x 4 = 9360

What that amounts to is nearly a 33% drop in available competitive minutes for players down the bench on MLS rosters. This also means a lot less exposure for these players. It's significant.

11 of the 34 players to be listed in a Sporting KC jersey never saw a single minute with the senior team or with Orlando.

Compare that with a total of 42 players that wore a Crew jersey in competitive matches (a healthy number of trialists) and saw competitive minutes. No Crew player on the senior squad was left without some sort of professional minutes, either in MLS or the Reserve team.

Recap: # of players without competitive mins: Crew 0, KC 11

Recap: Total players playing competitive games: Crew 42, KC 34

Columbus loses the luxury of a critical 4500 extra minutes where players can work themselves back to health, trialists can showcase or middling players can make a mark.

MASTER / SERVANT RELATIONSHIP

Last July, when MLS announced the partnership with USL, Jeff Di Veronica (Democrat and Chronicle) wrote something that has gone largely overlooked, but will play a much larger part as teams join together:

"Holt said if an MLS team needed a player, it can call one up from its affiliate even if the player is owned by the affiliate. “We’ve given the affiliates a high degree of latitude this year to do what makes the most sense for both sides,” he said."

I've reached out to MLS for clarification on who the USL team would be compensated but they refused to put me in contact with a corporate representative (I asked nicely twice) and pointed me to Alex Caulfield of my local MLS franchise.

Earlier today CHS SOCCER.NET interviewed the president of newly affiliated Charleston Battery (Andrew Bell) and asked a similar question; "Does this mean that the MLS club in an affiliation like this would have first-dibs on a player like Colin Falvey if he moves up?"

"It’s a great question. I think that that’s still a part of the affiliation process that’s in process. We still want to encourage and help as many of our players as possible to make it to the netxt level, Colin included. But the other part of it is, for this to work properly, you have to have some veteran and experienced players on the USL PRO squad, to help the younger players that are coming from Major League Soccer, and our young players, to develop as professionals. So we’re always going to have to keep an eye on the balance there."

What this tells me is that the relationship is probably like most other things MLS does in that there is this bizarre front of complete control. Loads for rules, regulations, restrictions... but when you pull back a few layers you just get a bunch of goo.

What Major League Soccer is doing here is probably the same thing any midsize company in the US does... buy out or control market competition. With USL now under the MLS wing they are at the mercy of their masters.

Reading the interview with Andrew Bell you clearly get the sense that they want to maintain a independent club feel. Unfortunately, he has put himself in the servant role here.

This is very frustrating to me as I believe things are just finally getting good in US soccer but not because soccer has finally "made it" (I've been hearing that since the 80s), no... soccer is riding the sports mad wave of live sports in the US. Week after week for the past handful of years live sports has dominated TV ratings.

MLS / USL / NASL are still last is just about every measurable category on TV and online but they are rising with the tide.

To me, it's looking more and more like USL settled for a servant type minor league role. A short term decision that they may regret as seasons go by and their teams are nothing more then the local AA Cleveland Indians affiliate.

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WHAT ABOUT THE CREW AND DAYTON

I'll be writing more about this affiliation as it progresses (grows?) but for right now it's looking like Crew will have a number of players, like KC last year, that don't see any competitive pro time. It's a virtual no man's land. You're not off in Dayton, just practicing all year and filling in the gameday 18 when a first team player is hurt.

Which Crew players are looking to be in this no man's land this year? Guys like Brad Stuver, Tyson Wahl, Ethan Finlay, Aaron Schoenfeld, Kevan George, Eric Gehrig, Shawn Sloan.

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MLS/USL PRO Partnerships:
Columbus/Dayton
D.C. United/Richmond
Houston/Pittsburgh
New England/Rochester
Philadelphia/Harrisburg
Portland/Sacramento
San Jose/Sacramento
Sporting KC/Orlando City-OKC Energy FC
Toronto FC/Wilmington
Vancouver/Charleston

*Had a good discussion with Chad Hollingsworth, Ryan Kramb, Brandon Gee and William Brown for pointing out that reported rules state that an MLS team can send more than four but have yet to send more than that down at any one time. Program still in infancy.

Crew Pick Up Two, Astute Selections

The Columbus Crew picked up Kingsley Baiden and Adam Bedell today before the end of this year's MLS draft.

While not much is expected of either player they are sharp selections by the new Crew leadership.

Baiden is being described as a holding midfielder and the team lacks depth there with only Wil Trapp and Kevan George currently filling that role. Tony Tchani and Agustin Viana can also play there but there services will be required elsewhere this year.

Detroit native Bedell has been pegged as a forward. Most likely a target forward, given his 6'6" frame. The Crew also lack depth in that role as well (Aaron Schoenfeld, basically...).

Both of them have opportunity to make the team of course but I would think that Bedell has a better chance to make it past March 1st, if only out of basic need.

These two selections take the team up to 32 players listed. 31 of them (minus injured Matt Wiet) will be reporting to the the Obetz training facility later this week for their physicals and prep to head down to Florida for training camp.

Through the Eyes of a Father Float the Magic Qualities of Childhood

By: Vidda "JibJab" Grubin


Without knowing, each father allows the infinite possibility and imagination of their child to enter his increasingly rigid vision of life. This blessing forces each father to choose between...

Standing aside, unnoticed

Towering over, attempting to mold young mind to certainty of past experience

Or

Crouching beside, while trying to perceive the world through his child’s enchanted sensibilities

To stand aside unnoticed: The perfect choice
To tower above: The selfish choice
To crouch beside: The child’s choice



Voices in the Warehouse

By: Vidda "JibJab" Grubin


The door of the old warehouse was stuck. Kyle stood, holding the handle of the door with his bare right hand. His left hand was still snuggled inside a warm mitten. At some point, while trying to open the door to the warehouse where all the kids in the neighborhood played pick-up soccer, Kyle had taken off the mitten on his right hand. His right hand was so cold he could barely move his fingers.

Why Kyle was at the door to the warehouse, which smelled like moldy gym socks, at 4am was a mystery to Kyle. He nervously scanned the gravel parking lot. Snow, swirling in the harsh December wind, worked in concert with the early morning’s lack of moonlight and stars to make Kyle feel like he was inside a sub-zero cocoon made of stinging ice petals. Kyle couldn’t see much.

While no boogeyman emerged from the frigid night, Kyle did hear muffled groaning and scraping coming from inside the warehouse. “That must be the wind forcing its way through the cracks in the warehouse. Someone should fix those cracks so the cold can’t get in,” murmured Kyle quietly to himself. Despite the odd sounds, Kyle figured it had to be safer inside the building than outside. He thought about trying to open the door one more time. Before he could turn the handle, the door creaked open a crack, as if someone had pushed ever so softly from inside. Kyle, his numb fingers gripping the handle with all their frozen might, took a deep breath.

“Is anyone in there?”

The scraping and groaning ceased. Kyle heard nothing but silence, cold, dark silence. Questioning once more why he was at the warehouse at 4am, Kyle shuffled his worn sneakers, pulled his red winter hat farther over his ears and pushed the door all the way open. Kyle’s nervous imagination had expected a crazy wild man to jump out at him; no such thing happened. Kyle was greeted by complete darkness, darkness that made the lack of light outside seem like a neon motel vacancy sign.

Eyes wide as saucers and lips trembling, Kyle forced his sneakered left foot into the unwelcoming building. The weight of his backpack, packed with cleats, water bottle, and ball, felt like all the Harry Potter books combined. Kyle’s right foot followed his left. The door slammed shut behind him.

A small scream exploded from Kyle’s mouth and echoed through the warehouse. Kyle spun on his heels and lunged at the door. The knuckles of his right hand slammed against the handle, peeling off a thin layer of skin; Kyle felt no pain. He gripped the door handle and turned. The door wouldn’t budge. Despite the icy temperature, Kyle began sweating. He threw his shoulder against the door…nothing.

Laughter floated from the opposite end of the warehouse. Kyle began to cry. His tears froze on his face. With both hands, Kyle banged on the unmovable door. The door felt as if it were made of ten inch thick steel, instead of the thin aluminum he knew it was made of. Scraping noises, like someone dragging soccer cleats on concrete, accompanied the laughter coming from the far end of the building. Kyle spun back to face the overwhelming darkness.

“Dribble, Kyle,” came a whisper from the stale darkness. “Yeah, Kyle, dribble,” came a second whisper.

His mind consumed by fear, Kyle suddenly remembered why he had come to the warehouse. He had come to practice before the other kids arrived for pick-up, but he couldn’t remember how he had gotten from his home to the crappy old warehouse. Tears streaming down his face, Kyle screamed into the black void.

“Shut up! Leave me alone!”

Giggles joined Kyle’s scream, and the whisper, “Dribble, Kyle, dribble fast.”

Kyle threw his backpack to the floor and started to hammer on the door again. His hands began to bleed.

“You can’t leave, Kyle, until you dribble.”

Dropping to his knees, Kyle sobbed, his face against the unmoving door.

“Please, leave me alone.” The laughter continued. “Please, go away; you’re not real,” he pleaded.

“Oh, Kyle, you know we are real. You came here to practice. Now, dribble!” the voice commanded. Many voices began chanting and laughing. “Dribble, Kyle, dribble.”

Barely able to speak, Kyle begged, “Please, stop.”

Kyle’s plea was greeted with louder chants and more laughter. “Dribble, Kyle, dribble fast. You’re no good, Kyle. Why are you here, Kyle? Dribble, Kyle, dribble fast.”

Still on his knees, Kyle turned and unzipped his backpack. He pulled his soccer ball out of the pack. Kyle tried to stand up. His legs were like jelly. He fell back down.

 “You suck, Kyle. You can’t even stand up.”

Kyle pushed up from the floor of the warehouse. The mitten on his left hand slipped off. Kyle’s wobbly legs held him up. Ball in hand, Kyle began walking with halting steps, toward the wall of the warehouse on his right. The switch for the lights was there. Kyle knew if he could get to the lights he could turn them on and he would see no one was in the warehouse with him. His mind was playing tricks on him.

“No lights, Kyle. Dribble, dribble fast.”

Kyle ignored the voices. He felt along the wall and found the light switch. He flipped the switch...nothing. He tried again...nothing.

“We told you, Kyle, no lights. Dribble, Kyle, dribble fast.” Kyle’s tears started again. His legs shook, and snot ran from his nose. “I can’t.”

“I can’t. I can’t,” the voices teased Kyle. “Oh, poor Kyle, you came here to dribble. Now, dribble, Kyle, dribble fast.”

Kyle still held his soccer ball in his hand. He had brought the ball with him to the light switch on the wall. Kyle knew all along that he was going to have to dribble the ball. Leaning over, almost falling down, Kyle placed the ball on the floor. He put a foot on top of the ball, and then he began to dribble.

“Faster, Kyle, dribble faster.” Kyle sped up. He couldn’t see the ball, but he could almost feel it. He was jogging now. All the voices became one.

“Faster, Kyle, faster!”

Kyle sped up again. He got closer to the voices, and then he turned around. He worried he was going to run into a wall.

“That’s not fast enough, Kyle. Go faster. Kyle, go really fast.”

Kyle began sprinting. His shirt and coat became soaked in sweat. Tears streamed down his face; amazingly, he wasn’t running into any walls. Through the thick darkness, Kyle sprinted faster than he ever had before. He felt like a rocket ship ripping through space, a rocket ship with a soccer ball at his feet. Through the fear, darkness, and tears, Kyle knew deep inside he was dribbling like a pro.

 “That’s still not fast enough, Kyle. Go faster!”

Kyle tried to go faster, but he couldn’t find more speed.

“You suck, Kyle! Go faster!”

Kyle’s lower jaw hung down and to the right. His lips were stretched across his teeth as he sucked in the rancid air of the warehouse. His brow was a thousand creases. His lungs burned. Kyle tried to go faster. His legs got tangled together. He tripped over the ball and fell in a heap on the floor.

Deafening laughter filled Kyle’s ears. He tried to untangle his legs; they felt as if they were wrapped in the smothering darkness. The laughter faded, and then was gone. Kyle caught his breath. Eventually, he stopped crying. His lips were split, and his jaw ached.

A small glimmer of light shone to Kyle’s left. There, only inches from his face, was his Spiderman nightlight. Wrapped around Kyle’s Spiderman pajama bottoms was half of his blanket. Kyle gave up trying to untangle his legs. The other half of the blanket was still atop his bed. Pajamas, sheets, blanket and bed were soaked in sweat. Kyle’s face was sticky with tears and snot. He closed his eyes.

From the hallway, Kyle heard the heavy footsteps of his father. The footsteps stopped outside his bedroom door. “Kyle, stop messing around in there, and get up!” commanded his father. “We are going over to the warehouse to work on your dribbling. I’m going to teach you how to speed dribble. You have to be dedicated. I’ve told you that a million times.”

Eyes still closed, Kyle began to cry again.

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.

Crew Pick Sweat, LB Situation

The theme of today's college MLS "superdraft" was that of, well... nothing really. There were a few that said it was a weak draft, others (like the Columbus Crew) were doing most of their business away from the draft.

After a couple trades with New England (to get Parkhurst) and LA (Jimenez) the Crew wound up with the 14th overall pick and the used it to pick up... Ben Sweat.

Sweat qualifies for the draft because he played college ball for the University of South Florida. Looking down his bio it appears he is a durable defender (most apps in school history with 78) and has a good left foot (MLS teams always need left backs).

Another notable note of Sweat is the fact that he won a lot with the Crew Juniors Super-20 side that won the 2011 National Title with Wil Trapp and recently signed Homegrowns Matt Walker and Ross Friedman.

If you want you can check him out playing against MLS level talent during the third round of the US Open Cup just last May HERE. He holds his own here for Reading United. I'll be giving bonus grades to anybody who watches the video (couple good rips with his left later in the first half into the box, NY fielded a good team that day).

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CREW LEFT BACK

There have been many to play the left back role for the Crew in recent history. Here is a quick list:

1. Nemanja Vukovic
2. Agustin Viana
3. Josh Gardner
4. Josh Williams
5. Shaun Francis
6. Tyson Wahl
7. Bernardo Anor
8. Rich Balchan

That's about the order in which I think are the best.

This year Crew fans will likely see a LB spot up for grabs between Agustin Viana, Waylon Francis and now Ben Sweat. Probably in that order, for now. Unless Waylon is extraordinary, I'd expect him to be a one year and out player while Sweat sticks around for a couple years (especially with the Dayton affiliation).

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CREW ROSTER, 30 DUDES

The Crew roster is up to 30 players now. HC Gregg Berhalter will probably bring a handful more into camp but it's looking like the team is pretty much set for now.

Not entirely sure when the first 2014 MLS team registration date is where they have to trim to 30 but I reckon it's sometime around the end of February. So, about a month in a half to finalize this sucker.

Crew Crest and Puzzle

By: Vidda "JibJab" Grubin

The above is my humble attempt at creating a new crest for The Columbus Crew. Let me know what you think. Keep in mind, there is a reason I write instead of draw. Nuff said.

The puzzle that is the 2014 Columbus Crew is beginning to take shape. Our new owner, Anthony Precourt, and coach, Gregg Berhalter, most certainly deserved the benefit of time and patience from the Crew faithful. Only a few months ago the Hunt family still owned our team and stadium. Not long after Mr. Precourt took control of the Black and Gold there was a long overdue coaching change. Finally, a permanent coach was appointed in the person of Gregg Berhalter.

The whirlwind honeymoon between city, owner and coach is over. The pints of beer shared with a California business man, ballsy enough to snatch up a Midwestern professional soccer team, are nothing but fond memories now. Putting together a jumbled, partially complete, roster, coaching staff and front office, while simultaneously slogging through the equatorial jungle that is Major League Soccer’s bizarre, ever changing rules, requires imagination, creativity and possibly some machetes.

Glimmers of civilization and progress can be seen through the dense allocation and salary cap rules, as well as the thick undergrowth which hides our sporting director’s philosophy of the game.

The trade of Chad Marshall and the acquisition of Michael Parkhurst signal a subtle, yet significant change in philosophy. Parkhurst is a more nimble defender than Marshall, able to link with his midfield in a more dynamic fashion than Marshall and capable of stepping up or wide to defend and attack. Chad Marshall will be missed in Columbus; he is one of the Crew’s best ever. But, if Gregg Berhalter can craft a defensive mindset around quick, smart, agile players who possess the ability to end opponent’s attacks before they become dangerous as well as the ability to flow seamlessly into attack, our Columbus Crew of 2014 should be well on their way to becoming an attractive side.

The re-signing of Dominic Oduro was incredibly important. Oduro’s versatility, his skill as an attacking player and his capacity to unbalance a defense with his speed cannot be over-emphasized.

The signing of Hector Jimenez, from the LA Galaxy, and Daniel Paladini, from the Chicago Fire, seems to strengthen the notion that Gregg Berhalter wants to see our Crew play a free flowing brand of attacking soccer. These two players add numbers to an already crowded midfield picture. The goal might be to see which of the midfield puzzle pieces work best together during pre-season, and then possibly cut ties with those players who don’t fit Berhalter’s philosophy.

Can we be sure the above is our sporting director’s goal in terms of attack? It’s still difficult to know, due mostly to the fact that acquiring one more proven finisher seems to be a priority given goal production last year. Will the Crew sign another goal scorer? What type of player will that goal scorer be? A target player, back to the goal? A deep lying attacker? An outside/in wing type?   

Looking at the squad so far, Gregg Berhalter appears to be assembling a team which will place five attacking minded players on the field, as a group, without much thought as to position. The likes of Frederico Higuain, Justin Meram, Bernardo Anor, Oduro, Jimenez, and Jairo Arrieta, give the impression of a Coach who wants his attack to be diverse, not rigid or reliant on a certain formation with strictly defined roles.

If the Crew does sign a proven goal-getter evidence points to either a deep lying attacker or an outside/in kind of wing. In other words, another player who can fit in with the existing crew, someone who is smart, versatile and able to be dangerous wherever he finds himself in the attacking third.

The Columbus Crew is slowly coming together. Much is new, yet a significant number of pieces to the puzzle are familiar. I haven’t even mentioned youngsters like Chad Barson, Wil Trapp, Waylon Francis, and Ben Speas. There is promise and youth about our Crew.

Héctor Jiménez Joins Crew, Roster at 29

Another player pickup for the Columbus Crew today as Gregg Berhalter does some business with his old boss to pick up Hector Jimenez from the LA Galaxy.

With a $47k a year MLS contract, Jimenez comes to the Crew as one of the most undervalued players in the league.

Last year Jimenez ranked 8th in G+A per 90 minutes played last year among midfielders with a minimum of 900 minutes played.

G+Ap90 : Name
0.91 : Landon Donovan
0.87 : Diego Valeri
0.74 : Diego Fagundez
0.64 : Tim Cahill
0.63 : Javier Morales
0.62 : Joel Lindpere
0.56 : Russell Teibert
0.53 : Hector Jimenez
0.53 : Kelyn Rowe
0.50 : Mauro Rosales
0.49 : Brad Davis
0.49 : Federico Higuain

That's some really good company (better than Higuain) but for some reason Bruce Arena didn't like playing him a full 90. In fact, only one of his 14 starts last year went the distance. Despite making 14 starts and 13 appearances as a sub, Jimenez only played 13.1 (1178) ninety min matches.

Arena clearly used him as a part time player but he took full advantage of it.

Berhalter and team appear to have been doing their homework here. The only question marks might be that that Jimenez was playing with far superior talent with LA than he will be here in Columbus and he was playing with a fairly stable midfield right near his hometown in California.

Jimenez is likely to play a large role with the Crew in 2014.

Parkhurst to Crew, Updated Depth Chart

The Columbus Crew announced today that US international Michael Parkhurst has signed with the franchise.

Bundesliga side FC Augsburg had terminated Parkhurst's contract but the Crew had to give up their 4th overall pick in the upcoming college draft and an undisclosed amount of allocation funds to the New England Revolution because they owned his league rights.

New England made it clear that they didn't want to carry his heavy contract (likely to be around $300k). Parkhurst was making around $150k when he left MLS for Denmark back in 2009.

1. DEPTH CHART, PROJECTED STARTERS
There are some open questions still. Biggest one for me will be Paladini or in the MF or slide Oduro or Arrieta over there. I happen to think that Gregg Berhalter will be hesitant to put a forward in the middle of the field.

GK: Steven Clark

RB: Chad Barson
CB: Michael Parkhurst
CB: Josh Williams
LB: Agustin Viana

CDM: Wil Trapp
CM: Tony Tchani

RM: Daniel Paladini
CAM: Federico Higuain
LM: Bernardo Anor

F: Dominic Oduro

2. BACKUPS (NON-STARTERS)

GK: Matt Lampson, Brad Stuver
CB: Tyson Wahl, Eric Gehrig
L/RB: Waylon Francis
CDM: Kevan George, Shawn Sloan
MID: Ben Speas, Justin Meram, Ethan Finlay
F: Jairo Arrieta, Ryan Finley, Aaron Schoenfeld

3. IN RESERVE, OR WITH DAYTON
Ross Friedman, Matt Walker, Daniel Withrow, college pick, Matt Wiet (injured)

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QUICK THOUGHTS

Columbus says they are still on the hunt for a goal scorer. Perhaps it's a bit of wishful thinking but it might be in the form of a central or right mid. Seeking an upgrade for both Tchani and Paladini should be high on the list.

It's also possible that Berhalter goes with two up top. If that's the case this team is nowhere near where it needs to be. With two up top, they will likely have to slide Parkhurst over to RB and look for another top CB as well as a target type forward for him to whip crosses into (which is what he did well in Denmark at RB and got him a deal in Germany's top league).

Expect more news from the Crew in the next few days leading up to the draft.

What's the Root? And, Why is It Snowing In Here?

What? Huh? No way? That can’t be true, can it?

The deluge of news coming out of Major League Soccer in regards to TV deals...($70 million a year/8 years for just the English language rights!!), player signings galore (Bradley, Defoe, Gilberto (and that’s just Toronto FC!), Brazilian Samuel to the L.A.Galaxy, Gaston Fernandez to Portland Timbers), possible player signings (Xavi, Drogba), and new teams/stadiums (NYCFC, Orlando, DC United...well, maybe there, but we certainly hope so even though the rats living in RFK stadium will have to make new friends), possible new teams/stadiums (Miami, Atlanta, Minnesota) ...It’s...all...simply...too...frigging...much...to...process.

But, what the hell, let’s take a stab at what it might mean.

Clearly, it signifies that Major League Soccer has more cash at its disposal; or, at the very least, the lever pullers know the magic television and sponsorship money faucet is about to be cranked wide open.

Most indubitably (Love that word) it screams “I’m a Major League Soccer owner, and I’m-a-gonna show you my thingy!” at least in regard to some of our beloved league’s big boys.

Underneath, though, where is all this craziness getting its sustenance? What’s comprises the nourishing root structure?

Maybe, just maybe, it implies that our fearless leaders couldn’t stand the pressure of having to step carefully through the dung-filled field that is the American Professional Sport’s Landscape. Maybe keeping their ego’s in check for most of eighteen years has driven them to the brink of their usual CEO/Psychopath selves. In other words, as I worried in my previous post, maybe they’re drawing sustenance from their own deep roots. This is a credible theory, especially given the success their patience and diligence has awarded them.

But owners acting like owners, finally, seems only to be a symptom of something more meaningful.

So, what is the essential element piercing, supporting and extending its stringy molecules throughout Major League Soccer and the beautiful game in these United States of America? What element has suddenly turned Major League Soccer and its owners into a bunch of horny frat boys, pockets stuffed with dollar bills, at Boom Boom’s Big Boomers Strip Club?

How about you, me and millions of other American and Canadian fans watching games, surfing random soccer blogs (instead of the usual, Blonde’s In Bob’s Bedroom, pron sites), buying our teams’ scarves and jerseys, and debating the merits of whether the United States will beat Germany this summer (I personally think we will lose that game, but will already have beaten Ghana and Portugal)?

It’s us. It really is us, all of us. We are the essential element.

In my previous post I hinted at the possible gaping ditches in that dung-filled sports landscape. These ditches and piles of steaming excrement are not going away anytime soon; because, those ditches and piles are often self-made.

Even if the boy’s club that is the SUM of MLS owners does everything right, they are going to step directly into a few of those stinky landmines. One or two teams will relocate over the next five or ten years, almost without a doubt. One team may even just fold-up shop; although, I doubt that will happen.

It’s amazing to watch what’s going on right now in our sport. For those of us who have followed along from the time of the NASL, it’s like looking at one of those old-fashioned paperweights, you shake it and little flecks of snow fill a winter wonderland. You want it to go on forever, but you know you have to keep shaking it occasionally. 

Hopefully Major League Soccer keeps picking up that bastard, and hopefully they shake themselves vigorously on a regular basis. If they don't or they can't, maybe, just maybe we will be able to do it for them.