cup a joe

In a previous post I mentioned that I had thoughts on how to improve soccer here in America. As I was thinking about this I came to the conclusion that this is an extremely complicated proposal. Why do you ask? Because soccer in the US looks nothing like it's counter part around the world. When I say this, I am not talking about rules, or talent, or scheduling (perhaps I'll write about this later), or even interest. Instead, I'm talking about organization.

Soccer is a different kind sport. Most sports in this country live in a bubble. What I mean is that the NFL, NBA, MLB and NHL rarely have similar competition around the world. With the exception of the Olympics for Hockey and Basketball, there are no national competitions, competing leagues, or even club events (I know there was a Baseball World Cup a couple of years ago, but that was somewhat of a flop.) The NFL, NBA, MLB & NHL are the top of the proverbial heap. This is not so for soccer.

Soccer is played in leagues around the world. Many of these leagues are at a similar talent level. Soccer also has a huge National Team segment to it. What is the largest sporting event in the world? The World Cup, a competition consisting of nation verses nation. With that in mind, internationally soccer around the world is managed by different national organizations all coming together under the banner of FIFA. No other major US sport has anything like this. Around the world, these national organizations are responsible for their countries national team, as well as some oversight into their club teams (be they professional or amateur). For example, the English FA (Football Association) is responsible for the England National Team as well as some oversight on the different leagues within England. The interesting thing is that they are responsible for teams in England, not the UK. There is a Scottish FA and a Welsh FA that are responsible for their territories. No Scottish or Welsh team plays in any of the English leagues. They play in their own leagues. The United States is slightly different, and this is where the first issue I want to discuss arises.

The United Sates FA is called the United States Soccer Federation (USSF). They are responsible for soccer in the US and therefore have oversight of the US National team and some oversight over our leagues (probably less than their counterparts around the world). Professionally, there are three leagues in the US. Major League Soccer (MLS) is our premier league. There are also other two league under the banner of the United Soccer League (USL-1 & USL-2). Technically, USL-1 is our second division and USL-2 is our third division. This seems pretty simple until you realize that the three leagues consist of teams from a total of four FA's. The majority of the teams are located in the US and are therefore tied into the USSF. There are a total of three Canadian teams in these leagues (one in the MLS and two in the USL-1) that are under the Canadian FA. There is one team from Puerto Rico (USL-1) under the Putero Rico FA and one in Bermuda (USL-2) under the (yes, you guessed it) the Bermuda FA.

Here is where the problem begins. One of the USSF goals is the development of soccer here in the United States. This is done through a network of clubs and development programs scattered throughout the country. The most visible elements of this goal are the US National Team and the professional leagues in this country. Unfortunately, the USSF and the professional leagues tend not to see eye to eye and definitely do not have the same goals. The professional leagues are looking to make money, and they seem to be willing to do it any way possible.

Now I'm not against the MLS making money. One of the ways that they make money is by expansion. Currently, three of the teams that are under consideration for expansion are in Canada (Vancouver, Montreal, and Ottawa.) Nothing against Canada, but by aggressively expanding into Canada, they are weakening the growth of soccer elsewhere in the US. It also minimizes international club competitions that US clubs are a part of. In a recent interview, Don Garber made it clear that growth of soccer in the US takes a back seat to making money. He really doesn't see a need to follow the international schedule, to have all of the MLS teams partake in the US Open cup, to even take the Champions League seriously. Of course, they love the Superliga because it makes a lot of money for the MLS (just not the players!).

We seems to not want to learn the lessons of the past. I fear that the MLS will grow under a similar model of the NASL. The NASL never saw a dollar it didn't like and was more then willing the modify the game to make a quick buck. What it didn't do was invest in the game and crowds began to fall. At this point the USSF needs to step up. I don't think that they need to take the leagues over, but they need to begin to lead. First question, what is the relationship between the USSF and the other FA's that have teams in our leagues? Secondly, how do the different leagues relate to one another? Finally, how does this develop the game within the US?

In the past, the USSF has spent it's time trying to figure out how to win the World Cup. While I would love to see that, under the current structure I can't see that happening. There are way too many individual concerns that seem to supersede long term goals. The USSF needs to begin to lead...they need to determine what is best for the health of the game, for the good of the game, not just what is most profitable.

Next time...how should the leagues relate to one another.