Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Times chimes in

This time, it's the LA Times, not England's Sunday Times, who chimes in with a piece on Ruud Gullit.

10 comments:

Frank Macomber said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
starinyourfire said...

i think the culture shock of MLS will continue to shock him even more, i just hope that he adjusts and doesn't leave i would love to see him see out his contract with the club.

but if that isn't a sign for making the rosters 18 to 28, i really don't know what won't make the league realize that it needs to happen(aside from teams being to compete with each other salary cap wise just to cope with 28 man rosters), although i don't remember where i heard it but i remember hearing that the 28 man rosters are coming soon? if true i highly doubt that the league would implement them now but wait in the offseason to make the change.

so i guess my question would be is there any truth to that? or what are your opinions about it?

Anonymous said...

There is one nuance from the Sunday Times article, which the LA Times did not pick up on, but which I think is crucial for the future development of American soccer.

When Gullit talked about the lack of talent in the MLS, he was mentioning that he was basically working with a lot of kids who had been coached straight out of a book. That seems very true. I've played pick up soccer in the U.S. for more than a decade and I've ran into a lot of people, who tried to do Christiano Ronaldo-type stepovers, but did not know how to run a simple 1-2, or that you do not pass the ball in front of your own goal. These are the things that you should learn as a kid playing pick up or on any organized team (my own stint on such team was about 4 months:).

Also, a former coworker once mentioned that he was not only coaching his son's baseball team (which the guy played and knew pretty well), but also soccer (about which he knew nothing about and was reading a book).

So, I think that if the teams in the MLS are looking at long-term improvement, they really needs to pay attention to youth academies. Hopefully, as the more talented crop of players reaches the end of their careers, they will be looking to coach.

Anonymous said...

I dont blame Gullit one bit. Hes right, its not a laughing matter. This is why American soccer is viewed as a joke. MLS needs to step up to the plate and make Some changes fast.

L.B. said...

I think just in terms of the roster size, you need to increase rosters at least the senior roster size. It wouldnt do any good to add five developmental spots per team, for instance. You also need to expand the cap to find quality guys to fill those spots.

Will it happen? I dont think anything will happen until the CBA runs out in January of 2010. Unfortunately, we're stuck with the current set up until then.

Anonymous said...

Catamount said...

Gullit is saying what a lot of us have been saying for years. The difference is that people will listen to him, because of who he is. The MLS would be wise to listen, and listen very closely. Players like Sean Franklin, Leonard Griffin and others who showed incredible promise as creative attacking players were moved by their club coaches to fullback because of their speed and athleticism. There are dozens of young players who are listening to their coaches and hearing things that don't make sense to them when they are in the game. Even Cobi Jones was caught teaching team defense incorrectly by Guillit and exclaimed, "I knew I was right all along."

The MLS has a chance to support Gullit and the changes he will be suggesting, and Gullit has a chance to take soccer in the United States to the next level...adolescence. I hope the MLS listens, and I hope Gullit stays. I think he is the first top level foreign coach who has hinted that he's willing to take on the task of teaching the basics. It's time for the amateurs to step out of US Soccer and let the pros take over.

Anonymous said...

L.B., will changes wait until the player contract runs out because the league knows the next one will be a lot more costly and wants to put off spending that money? Or is it something else? It's scary to think about the league waiting that long.

With more games being added through various tournaments and exhibition games, players are going to start getting injured even more.

Plus, with this salary structure, the new spotlight on the league is bringing in more invitations for MLS players from better leagues. If the level of play does continue to improve and the pay doesn't, that trend will just increase. I have a feeling that even some of the foreign players coming in might be taking that into consideration when thinking about moving here.

Diane

L.B. said...

Most leagues or businesses wouldn't renegotiate the CBA unless there was some strange circumstances or if it benefited them immensely. I just dont see that happening in MLS.

The next CBA will be immense because there is a lot of money coming into the league and the players union probably wants a greater piece of the pie for its members.

I don't see any drastic changes happneing from now until 2010. Maybe a second DP per team, I wouldn't rule that out.

It seems like a long time from now but hopefully both sides will use the time to get a new CBA in place that will work for everyone involved.

Jim Alexander said...

Hate to self-promote, but here's a PE.com blog item from yesterday:

http://www.beloblog.com/Pe_Blogs/prosports/2008/04/galaxy-coach-learning-the-hard.html

Anonymous said...

Hope the contract at least expires January 1! :)