Liga MX leads the way again this week, taking the three top spots in regards to soccer on US cable TV.
MLS only had a couple games on cable as they continued to show games on traditional broadcast TV (to relatively great success - 851k for the SKC v MIN game last Thursday, one of the best in league history). MLS playoff ratings are good, but they will lose any ground they gain because there's only one game left while their major competitors on US television continue on.
The edge going to Columbus likely comes via 2 more days rest and not having to travel. In a way, the odds being so close even with the Crew having a big home cooking advantage is a testament to how talented Seattle is this year.
Seattle has been in 3 of the last four MLS Cup Finals, winning 2 of them. Columbus hosted a final just five years ago, losing to Portland. The Sounders will come into the game the less nervous of the two teams, certainly, and in MLS that gives you a sort of edge because these "big" games can go kinda sideways with a questionable call here or there (yes, the Tchani out of bounds play, but remember that Parkhurst pulled Adi down in the box on several Portland corners).
Harrison Afful and Waylon Francis are the only two returning players from that 2015 final for the Crew. Seattle is returning north of 7 starters from last year's final.
RIGHT NOW... I'd give the Sounders a 2-1 win. Columbus' defense was one of the best throughout the season, but it's just a razor-thin margin better than Seattle's. There's just too much talent on Seattle and very little in the way of weaknesses. For Columbus, they have a bunch of really good players, but not great. That's the early read, anyway. We shall know more later this week.
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It's very exciting to have Columbus host another final during the time I have been covering the team. The last five years have been about as wild a ride as there is, so here's to the Crew getting a win, putting the messy past behind them, and starting fresh in their new stadium next year.
Here are the average cable viewership numbers by MLS team (post-restart June) for ESPN, ESPN2, and FS1. (TUDN, Fox Deportes, ESPN Deportes below.)
Average viewership for TUDN, Fox Deportes, and ESPN Deportes.
Liga MX on TUDN led the way this week. Big cable numbers (in the soccer world that's anything over 700k or so).
Soccer ratings appear to be higher than normal for this time of year (observation). Perhaps because college basketball is having a rough start.
The Crew's opponent, Nashville SC, just came off a victory against Inter Miami who had four players out due to positive tests. With that precedent, it is possible that this game will go on as scheduled even with a third of the team out of action.
There have been no reports on who has tested positive. The team is only allowed to work in individual drills in practice this week, so any member of the press could easily report who isn't there, but being this is Columbus... it won't happen. Press covering MLS? That'll be the day (more on this below).
Caleb Porter has a press conference today at 1:30 PM to address the current situation. Knowing him, fans will get a heavy dose of "we go to war with the army we have and not the one we want" or some variation of that. There's zero chance he will pull up on the match. It'll have to be MLS's call.
...and MLS will only make that call if Columbus runs out of players because tomorrow's game is an ESPN game (the main channel) and it is in an 8:00 PM window. There's likely little chance MLS can postpone the match until a later date because ESPN already has it's scheduling complete for any timeslot in the next week. A date change would also require the next game to be rescheduled. It's a winding road that I don't think anyone wants to be on.
PRESS AND COVID
One glaring problem we are having in the United States is how we are getting information about the coronavirus. We are now nine months into this situation and it's still hazy as to the most common ways to spread the virus.
A few months ago I remember reading a lengthy report in the Washington post about several "spreader" events, but there hasn't been much since. There was a focus on one restaurant with a certain type of HVAC unit that seemed to be to blame, but there was no follow up on who else had that particular unit. Should all places be closed or just the places that are lazy about sanitation. Where are all these promised "contact tracer" jobs that the news told us about? Is it just certain bars? Car dealerships? Is it only spread through intimate types of interaction? Do we not talk about it because we are Americans and kissing, hugging, sex is best left out of the news but okay in everything else? What about sweat? Are gyms and training tables places that the virus likes to hang out on? Did we ever get clarity about the virus on fresh produce and meats? Is there a certain church denomination spreading things? How about a certain religion?
These are all simple questions that have gotten dozens of answers. I'm sure you are running through answers in your head as you read them. It might even make you mad that I'm even writing them out as the answers seem to be common sense (and you're right).
Pro sports and their athletes are effectively a "protected class" of Americans. We don't know the identities of players testing positive till the very end and we NEVER find out where they got the virus. Why? Basically, because of the same rules that apply normally. You can't lean on the team you cover or they will kick you out of the room forever. Can't get in the room and you don't have a job. It's that simple.
What I hope changes in the coming weeks, months is that there is some more openness about how and where these players are getting COVID. Governments don't have the resources to track down where everyone gets sick, but these sports teams and leagues sure as hell do. And they are! That information could go a long way in slowing the spread.
If you are in the sports press. Or know someone in the press. Or are a fan on Twitter, reddit, or anywhere else. Ask where and how. Report where and how. It helps everyone.
