Thursday was an important step forward for the U.S. national team. For the first time since 1998, the U.S. ran through a training session and Bruce Arena was not evaluating players. Nope, that task fell to ex-Chivas USA coach Bob Bradley, who took over on an interim basis officially on Thursday.
So that spurned me to write about my favorite topic: Mexico.
The InterLiga is in full swing now. Watching those two games last night made me want to go out to Carson and catch the InterLiga action in person. Of course, I'll have to wait until Tuesday and Wednesday and Saturday for that. It will be nice to go back to soccer after nearly three months without it.
Being as how this tournament involving Mexican teams is going on, I got to thinking about the proposed, I'll-believe-it-when-I-see-it tournament between the Mexican First Division and Major League Soccer. To be honest, I couldn't not be any less enthused about this tournament. It's a manufactured tournament that means nothing. Mexican teams will use it as a chance to test youngsters out and new players and get their teams ready for the Clausura 2007 season. MLS teams will be in the hunt for a playoff spot and will think twice about sending out anybody important for more than 45 minutes.
It will look like Chivas USA's game against America last July. Chivas starters came out and played the whole first half (except for Jonny B is memory serves me correctly) and then the reserve unit came out for the second half. Call me crazy, but I wasn't exactly sitting on the edge of my seat watching Esteban Arias try and thwart the America attack. Maybe if Chivas had played all their starters the entire game the match might have had more of a long-lasting affect. As it was, both teams gave a good showing for a half, youngsters and reserves gave a solid, workmanlike effort for the other half, PKs were taken and missed and the crowd walked away having been entertained.
It was a friendly. Individuals may have proven something to their respective coaches and teammates that day but Chivas USA did not prove that they nor MLS was superior to America or the Mexican league. What will some glorified friendlies prove to anybody?
All this is is a way for SUM and MLS to try and market to the market they've always wanted to tap into: the Mexican fans. First, they brought some heroes to the U.S. Then, they brought a beloved franchise to the U.S. Now, they're bringing Mexican teams here for supposedly meaningful games. And just because they put some prize money and slap some Copa Mexico/MLS/Whatever-the-crap, we're supposed to be excited about it?
Yawn.
