Reason No. 1 that MLS is Becoming Relevant Again: Uniforms
Beginning in 2007, MLS allowed its clubs to seek corporate sponsorship and place the company’s logo on jerseys for advertising purposes. The league has struggled to find an identity with their uniforms, but the new batch issues by Adidas is well on its way to fixing the problems of the past.
Fanhouse.com writer Brian Straus does a good job analyzing this years crop of kits for those who may have no clue what is supposed to look good and what isn’t. Actually, his blog post is far superior to this one, so if you find yourself wandering around his page more than here, I will accept it and work harder next time.
FINALLY putting those sponsorship logos on the kits make MLS teams look like actual soccer clubs. Not to mention, it’s bringing in some needed dollars. The key to relevancy has been money for MLS, and sponsorships should help bring more clubs out of the red.
Reason No. 2: The David Beckham Experiment
Yes, he’s not here anymore (Technically he is, but we all know his heart isn’t), and yes, he angered the entire country when he feuded with teammate Landon Donovan, but the way in which the league got him to come to the US and play soccer has defined the league. If the league blossoms and becomes as large as the Big 4 (NBA, NFL, MLB, NHL), you can bet top dollar it was because of David Beckham.
The league’s designated player rule allows clubs to pay a player as much money as they want, and that player only take up $335,000 of cap space. This has brought European power players Juan Pablo Angel and Freddie Ljundberg to the States, as has opened the door for clubs to pursue other European stars.
I’ll note, however, that no club with a designated player has won an MLS Cup. Not to say these players aren’t worth it, but they need to be used the right way, and with the right club. Not just to look pretty and make the headlines (See David Beckham)
Reason No. 3: Hooliganism
OK, so its not European style hooliganism, where unfortunately people have died in large scale battles with opposing supporting groups. BUT, it’s on the rise, and it’s awesome. Supporters in Columbus and Toronto (archrivals and nemeses to one another) are among the leagues most rowdy and aggressive.
I haven’t had the luxury of going to a match in quite some time, but season ticket holder for the Columbus Crew recently told me that the “atmosphere is completely different than five years ago, and its awesome.” He said there are still the same numbers of fans, but those who attend are more involved, more supportive, and generally crazier than ever before.
If you dig deep enough, you can find a page on Wikipedia that talks about American Soccer hooliganism, and because of the creation of a team in Portland, a rivalry will most likely emerge between Seattle and Portland that will rival the intensity of Columbus-Toronto.
Don’t flinch, soccer is becoming relevant in the United States.
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