Saturday, March 31, 2007

Done deal

Well, it looks like Cuauhtemoc Blanco will soon be property of the Chicago Fire after all. As difficult it is for me to believe, Mexico's biggest icon will ply his trade in Major League Soccer.

In case you're wondering, Blanco and the Fire will visit the Galaxy on July 4 and Chivas USA on Sept. 29. However, if Blanco does indeed play in Copa America as he recently stated he'd like to do, he won't play against the Galaxy out here at HDC.

I wrote in a previous post that I didn't think Blanco coming here was a good idea and I still feel that way. MLS has tried and failed to lure Mexican fans by bringing in high-profile Mexicans before and it hasn't worked. Luis Hernandez helped the Galaxy draw about 35,000 in his first game but the attendance eventually went back down to what it was before he got there.

Still, in much the same way Europeans and fans across the world will be forced to pay attention to MLS because of David Beckham, Mexicans will be forced to pay attention to MLS now more than ever. Beckham and Blanco joining the league will be a good thing if it draws more people and if those people stay fans and the league shows strong growth.

No comments: