Standing in Sad Sisterhood, with Regret

I wasn't as young as Skyler. I wasn't working directly for any MLS team, even as an intern. 

In July, former #NYCFC intern Skyler Badillo leveled sexual harassment claims against David Villa.

Now, she tells us her story. She says she was repeatedly harassed & touched inappropriately, and that NYCFC did nothing about it.

On @TheAthleticSCCR: https://t.co/SdabGQAeO9

— Pablo Iglesias Maurer (@MLSist) November 23, 2020

While trying to gather player comments for a post-game story, I knew the instant I was told to leave the locker room by a player that it was happening because I was female and that was wrong. I had supportive reporter colleagues around me, even if they were somewhat confused because they didn't speak Spanish. I stood my ground and did my job, even if that meant getting quotes while other players joked and catcalled and Ezra Hendrickson had to tell them to settle down. Upon returning to the pressbox, I sent in my article and then wrote an email directly to the league about the incident. 

I didn't want to go public about it, but felt I had to explain what had already been mentioned, and so I did in blog form. Like Skyler, I received a lot of comments appalled that anyone tried to prevent me from doing my job in peace, but of course, the words that stay in my head over a decade later are the ones of condemnation and shame. They still make me angry and frustrated. I was doing my job. 

But there is also still some lingering regret. In my email to MLS higher-ups (Director of Communications, League Executives) I mentioned specifically how the league needed to have some kind of transition training for players & staff who arrive from other countries and need to learn what's culturally acceptable in the US. The bullshit of that is that other players whooping at me in the locker room that night were American. In other words, players across the league needed sexual harassment avoidance training. I wish I'd insisted on that, maybe on threat of suing otherwise.  

The month after the incident, I was in the press room at the MLS All-Star Game in Colorado when MLS Commissioner Don Garber approached me after his public press conference. He apologized, saying that he was told what happened, that he was appalled and that it shouldn't have happened. I was caught off-guard, and mumbled something like, "Thanks," and "Yeah, it shouldn't have." I was embarrassed. I'd worked hard at my job for years and didn't want to be known for a locker room scene. 

Thing is, Garber's apology didn't really change anything, and certainly not for Skyler. I wish now I'd pulled out my recorder immediately and asked Garber if he'd commit on the record to league-wide sensitivity training for all staff and players, with a clear chain of reporting and accountability if anyone fell short. What was he going to do to make sure that what shouldn't have happened wouldn't happen again? Instead, I just hoped the league had learned a lesson and would do better. 

Maybe pushing Garber to do more to address the issue all those years ago wouldn't have changed anything for Skyler, who was in a different situation than mine in many ways. But I wish I had done more, regardless. Instead, all I can offer now is that I'm appalled at what happened to her. It shouldn't have happened. 

Georgie, or Germany?

Back in 2006, not long before I covered my first World Cup in person, I had an opportunity to interview Landon Donovan for an ESPN Soccernet article (this was so long ago, it's not even archived anywhere anymore). On the heels of a 2002 USA quarterfinal finish and winning the World Cup Young Player award, there was a big focus on LD. Had American soccer finally found its savior? 

To me, that was the wrong question altogether. I don't remember exactly when I first saw the video of George Best and his enchanting, mazy run in NASL action with the Earthquakes, but I was entranced. Best was aptly named and his skills were beyond doubt, yet that wasn't ever going to be enough to take Northern Ireland to a World Cup. 

The USA's dream run in 2002 hadn't been driven exclusively by Donovan, either, though he impressed, no doubt. The deep run in the tournament required key contributions by young MLS talents such as Clint Mathis, Damarcus Beaseley, Pablo Mastroeni, Brian McBride and key veterans such as Eddie Pope, as well as wily European-tested players like Claudio Reyna, Tony Sanneh, Eddie Lewis and John O'Brien. Brad Friedel was also in top form. Then the US played Germany. The team spirit the USA had built all through the tournament shone against one of the world's biggest teams, but a Michael Ballack goal was the difference to eliminate the scrappy Americans. 

Germany didn't consider Michael Ballack a savior, of course. He was merely one in a long line of German greats. To me, it was telling that Germans didn't seem to even bother ever entering into the Pele/Maradona/Best/Cruyff argument of who was the greatest player. They just kept playing good soccer and winning World Cups (4x). 

American Soccer, in my view, didn't need saving as much as it needed to be spared the angst many in the soccer community exhibited in obseessing continously on whatever their preferred unattainable silver bullet of soccer success happened to be (converting top athletes to play socccer, pro/rel, joining CONMEBOL, etc).

I sat down with Donovan, asked questions and wrote up the article, trying to capture some of his enigmatic personality and quirks, but also tackling that inferiority aspect, since the first line went something like this:

Landon Donovan will not save U.S.A soccer. 

And the last line of the piece: American soccer can save itself, followed Donovan's quotes about some other young players he was expecting to make their impact on behalf of the US at the World Cup - Clint Dempsey was one specific mention, as Donovan noted his hunger. 

Of course, that 2006 team didn't make it out of group play. Donovan didn't score a single goal and Dempsey announced himself on the world stage by scoring, albeit in a losing effort. It was a low point for American soccer fans  -- though of course, not nearly as low as the fateful 10/10/2017 World Cup qualifying elimination. On the field that day for the infamous failure was a new US soccer darling, Christian Pulisic. His unmistakable talent couldn't propel the team to avoid a loss, but his star, already in the ascendency in his European club career, has risen now to the No. 10 jersey on the Premier League team, Chelsea. 

Especially for US fans starved for overseas club success for their players, that accomplishment alone puts Pulisic in the conversation for best American player ever, and there's more than a few articles focused on that discussion. Your milage may vary on how captivating the debate is when it still distills down to a version of, "Yes, our country's men's soccer team sucks, but here's this one very, very good player everyone has to respect!"

USMNT's best 5 attackers and their contributions in major games over minutes played in a chart. pic.twitter.com/o6yVL3H2ot

— Tutul Rahman (@tutulismyname) August 12, 2020

Do American soccer fans want their team to be more like Germany, and Pulisic to be an important cog in that machine, or do they want to have Pulisic be their George Best? I honestly appreciate both, but for different reasons. 

I'm curious if Pulisic checks out his old team, Dortmund, partly to see how Gio Reyna is progressing -- or views highlight clips of a wide array of young talented Americans, both abroad and in MLS, who might be contibuting teammates in the future mission of getting the USA men back to the World Cup tournament, and then powering another deep run to actually compete for the title. The USMNT reached the semifinal in 1930, but the squad has never contented in the championship final. Pulisic is still young enough to imagine himself at multiple future World Cups. It's a long way from not even playing in the tournament, to vying for the trophy, but there's a new generation of possibilities now, and the alchemy to meld them well can happen, even if it's more elusive than establishing an alltime best. 

Benny Drops the Mic on Jurgen Klinsmann

Benny at MLS media day

Benny Feilhaber lobbed some truth bombs on the USMNT situation with Jurgen Klinsmann today. Reporters who still cover the squad will no doubt have more complete quotes and analysis and so on, but personally, I agree with Feilhaber a lot (more so than with Wambach or LD's comments, for example). Anyway, here's what I transcribed from the MLS media roundtable session.

(Benny was asked about being in the LA area at the same time as the USMNT team, and how did he feel about not getting a look under JK)

For me personally, I’ve accepted the fact that Jurgen’s not going to call me. If I played the year that I played this last year and didn’t get called, I’m not getting the opportunity under Jurgen. That’s something I just have to accept. It’s - I wouldn’t say frustrating,  I’m almost sad, because I feel like I’m playing the best soccer of my career, but I don’t get the opportunity to play for my country. So yeah, it’s something that I’ve just kind of accepted. It just is what it is. It’s not going to happen with Jurgen as the coach.

Does that drive you at all? Do you use that as motivation?

Not really. A lot of people get driven by things that they don’t get.  I’m more driven by being able to do things, like more in a positive way, I guess. I loved winning MLS Cup with Kansas City, I loved winning Open Cup, I love performing at a high level every week last year, getting goals and getting assists. All that stuff drives me. The accolades that come with it are not the thing that I’m thinking of, but that’s nice, too. All those good things drive me to continue playing well and I’m hoping that I continue that way this next year and for however long I can keep playing.

Jurgen seems to have an issue with MLS – does that surprise you for the coach of the US national team?

I don’t know. I’m sure there are some other coaches that said some negative things about MLS as well, but – is it surprising? Not really. From what I see, I think that Jurgen takes some players in MLS and uses the fact that they’re in MLS to maybe not call them up or whatever. You look at some of the top players that played this year – you take a Sacha Kljestan, you take a Dax McCarty, you take a Matt Hedges, I’m sure you could go on and on, these guys aren’t getting an opportunity. So it’s not just me, there’s people like that. There’s people in Europe, too. I can’t name a lot of guys, because I don’t know some of the younger guys, but like an Eric Lichaj, he’s been playing well in Europe for countless years and he hasn’t really been given any opportunity either, so, you know, there’s guys in MLS and guys in Europe who don’t get opportunities with Jurgen for whatever reason. I think that a lot of these issues  - and maybe I’m going off topic a little bit, but a lot of these issues that some people have with foreign players getting called in – I have zero problem with that. I think FIFA allows national teams to get players that weren’t necessarily born in certain countries, and I think that’s an advantage that any national team coach of any team should take advantage of, but I don’t think that that Jurgen calls in the best players that are available to him. That for me is a problem.

Benny back in his USMNT days

There’s players that are better than other players that he doesn’t get – that don’t get an opportunity with the national team. That for me is a bigger deal than anything else. Everybody points fingers at certain things, but for me, that’s the most important thing. I think the – I’m just talking now, because I know this wasn’t the question, but in regards to how a coach should approach a team, not just a national team, but just any team, there’s obviously two duties: One, that’s making the best team that you can possibly make with the players that are available to you and Two, try to continuously improve that team so that it doesn’t stall in any way and continues to improve. And for me, Jurgen seems to try to do the second one without doing the first one. He’d rather put young guys on the team who could potentially become important on the team and leave out players who can make the team  better right now. And for me, that’s the number one job of the national team coach – of any coach – is not to make the team as good as he can make it in five years, but to make it as good as he can make it right now and to continuously improve it for five years.  That he doesn’t do -  his job. Because there are players in the pool that do not get called in that have performed well enough on the field to get an opportunity. That is my biggest problem with how Jurgen selects his players. 

Dan the Man

I mentioned on Twitter today that I could have made my entire "Galaxy teammates adjusting to Gio" piece all on Dan Gargan's quotes. 

To prove it, I'll just leave the ones I didn't use right here. 

We understand the elements (heat in Dallas). It’s not going to be a surprise. We got a good result on the road in Colorado.

That’s what our focus is for the next nine, to sharpen up and tighten some things in our game.

People hyping our team means zero. People’s opinions on a team that hasn’t really played together yet don’t really mean anything. We all know that every day is a new day, so if we don’t prepare and bring our best game to every game, we have just as much opportunity of getting beat as anybody else does. Unless we’re prepared to live up to those expectations on a daily basis, that praise being put on our team doesn’t mean much.

That’s a definite.That’s something that the guys here have understood and adapted to. We understand that when we’re not prepared to play a game, we’re going to get beat because there’s a lot of good teams in this league. We’re adjusted to that and well aware of it. That only helps us, because that raises our level as well.

We’re all here to win titles. Just because Gio comes in and says he wants to win a title, that’s no different than the other 29 guys sitting in that locker room, because they all want to win championships, too. If they were to come in and say, we don’t want to win a championship, that wouldn’t be aligned with what everyone else is thinking. For them to say that they want to come here and win a title, well, of course they do. That’s why they’re coming here and that’s why everyone else is here.

I'm absolutely not satisfied. If that was the case, then what am I doing here? What are we all doing here? If we’re not trying to win? That’s the name of the game. That’s why we play. That’s it. This isn’t rec sports. We’re not out here just for fun. Winning is what we do and what gives us the most joy.

We’re greedy. Bruce has put together a roster that’s capable of doing that. The Supporters’ Shield might be tough to attain at this point, but I don’t think it’s out of reach. Hopefully, if we continue to gel and put the right pieces together and find a good rhythm so that another championship is realistic as well.

Our approach might be a little bit different this weekend. They’re a dangerous team. They play kind of a different style. They have a lot of guys who are able to exploit weaknesses in one on one, which tends to make for a more disjointed game. Our team is focused on maintaining a good 11. This is a good test. It’ll be a formidable opponent.

They both have some very dynamic players. They have that playmaker that sits in the hole and tries to pick out players.

That was a fun piece. Sadly, it was only too easy to convince Alan to do that and show off his abs.

Welcome to the club @OficialGio!! In honor of this momentous occasion, I drew a picture of you for the game #LAvSEA. pic.twitter.com/j8eDTdqMzm

— Daniel Gargan (@HeyDanGargan) August 7, 2015

He’s a good solid veteran. He’s been doing it for a while. Jaime was very good at reactionary saves. Donovan (Ricketts) is more of a presence in goal.

For better or for worse, it could go either way, Gio’s a little bit more instinctual in front of the goal, in terms of creating stuff for himself. Landon was a very selfless player, both ways. If he needed to finish a goal, he’d finish a goal and he would also track back 90 yards to stop a play if he saw that developing. From what I’ve seen from Gio, he’s deadly in front of the net. That’s hopefully where we’ll be able to find him in those positions. We looked to Landon to alleviate a little bit more pressure for us and kind of take over games. Gio will fit in well with our attacking corps and kind of create a bit more. That’s what I’ve seen so far. Both are obviously very talented and very deserving of wearing the #10 for LA. Wouldn’t see much difference there.

Landon was a veteran at this point, and a veteran of the league as well. Gio’s coming in and he’s younger and he’s also new to the league. He probably doesn’t have the same amount of confidence from an understanding of the league. He’s learning and seeing a new culture and environment for himself. That’ll take time for him to get settled and to get comfortable.

Keane’s a link. That’s not only a captain’s responsibility, it’s a friend’s responsibility. He has a relationship with both of them prior to the Galaxy. In order for both of them to feel comfortable, he’s been able to integrate them into the group. It’s not like the other guys on the team have been closed off. We have a pretty good locker room and it’s been very open and welcoming. Both of those guys, Gio and Gerrard, have fit in pretty well.

I’ve been a witness to Stevie coming, and everyone was excited for him. Gio attracts a different fan base. He’s a bit younger. He also has the Mexican side, which is a big community in LA. The response to Gio being signed is a bit different, but the LA Galaxy community is excited to have both of them and rightfully so.

Then and Now - Hugo Perez

So, back in 2007, I spoke to Hugo Perez about U.S. Soccer improving their efforts in developing the Latino pool of soccer talent in the US.

Multiple sources telling me that Hugo Perez is no longer working for U.S. Soccer in any capacity. Released of his duties today.

— J.R. Eskilson (@JREskilson) July 30, 2015

@MC_Bousquette @a_andersonreyes I’m not fond of the fact that Hugo Perez, who was doing great work there & w/U-14s, got let go by Klinsmann.

— Raf Noboa y Rivera (@noboa) July 25, 2015

Now, Perez is looking to take his coaching talents to El Salvador. 

Nacional, con experiencia, me parece que Hugo Perez seria el DT perfecto para la Selección Nacional de El Salvador.

— Gerardo Burgos (@Futbol_Burgos) July 25, 2015

Meanwhile, a few of the USA players with Mexican heritage are developing in that country and also playing for Mexico. Isaac Brizuela and Miguel Ponce are the first wave of talent in this direction that continues with Uvaldo Luna. 

The route of Mexico development isn't really open to Latino players who aren't Mexican, however. I'm pretty sure some squad in Liga MX would have been interesting in signing Oscar Sorto by now if he wasn't Salvadorean and thus, cost them a foreign player spot. 

Major League Soccer teams are improving their development and youth academies, but there's still a long way to go and frankly, the style of MLS isn't always a good fit for players, in terms of learning to be creative and tricky.

In addition, dismissing Latino coaches from U.S. Soccer posts isn't helping the players coming through the ranks to feel valued and that their future lies with the USMNT.

@golalvarado @SoccerInsider US Soccer legends Caligiuri http://t.co/50MJFscj5W and Hugo Perez http://t.co/JfcAcOQKpn talk about Team USA.

— Centro Deportivo (@DeportivoCentro) June 4, 2014

F.C. Fashion Choice - FC Dallas.

Yep, the FC Dallas logo is now apparently all the rage abroad in England. 

When you're as 🔥 as us, even @GemmaAnneStyles takes notice. Did @Harry_Styles buy that shirt? #DTID pic.twitter.com/viWGg0T7Ze
— FC Dallas (@FCDallas) March 22, 2015

But, as I have noted before, FC Dallas has a way of getting into the hands of the most stylish kids. 

Gwen Stefani with kids, check out Kingston's FC Dallas kit

What Is Heard May Be in Your Heart

I still don't really know what Davy Arnaud said. I wasn't there and the video isn't totally clear. If Rolfe was indeed spit on, (as Chris Pontius himself attests) Arnaud may have been issuing a warning. 

What I do know is this - what we perceive is partly the result of what we've gone through in the past. Our filter is a lot of what we see. 

Here's the first tweet I got last night. 

“@acosta19LA: @MLS @FOXSoccer your racist players 😊 pic.twitter.com/oiFex5Vjz7” RT you catch this @soccercanales ?
— VirtusLuis (@luisftw5) March 5, 2015

@soccercanales @MLS @FOXSoccer "Hey spic, watch it spic"
— VirtusLuis (@luisftw5) March 5, 2015

The next day, I figured that somebody had to have more info, so I asked about it. 

@soccercanales What did he say? Any video?
— Tom Marshall (@mexicoworldcup) March 5, 2015

So I retweeted.

.@soccercanales @mexicoworldcup this is ridiculous. Rolfe got SPIT on by an opponent. Arnaud is saying SPIT, not what you think he is.
— Pablo Maurer (@MLSist) March 5, 2015

A DC United player verified one aspect of the debate.  

@MLSist @soccercanales @mexicoworldcup I can testify to this as well. Rolfe was spit on.
— Chris Pontius (@ChrisPontius13) March 5, 2015

Meanwhile, I was fielding criticism of my own.  

@soccercanales You didn't ask. You accused, pretty much from the first tweet.
— Ben (@beardyblue) March 5, 2015

@soccercanales Speculating that a guy said a racial slur with no clear evidence of it can be pretty damaging to a guy's reputation. Lame.
— Hoops Grind (@HoopsGrind) March 5, 2015

Others still weren't sure what was said.  

@osminpena @gokatygo @ChrisPontius13 @MLSist @soccercanales @mexicoworldcup "Hey, you spit! Watch the spit!" is what Davy is saying.
— Donald Wine II (@blazindw) March 5, 2015

@Rob_More @ChrisPontius13 @MLSist @soccercanales @mexicoworldcup what i can read from his lips were spic and wetback to be honest ...
— Edgar Martinez (@ChopGod_10) March 5, 2015

The video got made into a Vine.  

@soccercanales here is the video of you haven't seen it https://t.co/o8AZQs8m3m
— Wiso (@WisoVazquez) March 5, 2015

I started to wonder if the racism could be in the eye of the beholder.  

@soccercanales That's surprisingly deep but I agree with you. Maybe perceiving things because of past experiences.
— Cesar Hernandez (@cesarhfutbol) March 5, 2015

@soccercanales unfortunately I believe people are too quick to label people or their acts as racist. Hard to tell from the vid exactly....
— Los (@LosDosIsSick) March 5, 2015

@cesarhfutbol @soccercanales exactly, unfortunately as Latinos we can jump quickly to a conclusion when it may/may not be racism based.
— Walter Franco (@thewfranco) March 5, 2015

@chiquitibum1 @cesarhfutbol @soccercanales yep, pretty sure most of us have been told all of the above at some point in our lives
— Walter Franco (@thewfranco) March 5, 2015

Others still aren't sure. The truth is still out there.  

@soccercanales true, but clarification of what he said should come out.
— Wiso (@WisoVazquez) March 5, 2015

Meanwhile, here's the story on the game I did watch and write on.  

** Update - I got a call from DC United's communications director about my tweets. Apparently the team is looking through video to try to prove the spitting incident by an Alajuela player. Multiple DC players verified to him that it did happen, even if the cameras missed it. He was concerned that my tweeting was putting Arnaud in an unfairly bad light and wanted to remind me to reach out to the team if I have questions like this one in the future. 

Honestly, I would have contacted the team if I had gone into this as a story, doing research, but I don't cover MLS as a regular beat any more. Instead, I was reaching out on Twitter to MLS reporters in general, wondering if any followed up on the controversy. I don't regret that, because it opened up some interesting perspectives and I think all the people involved were in general fair about it. Still, it reminded me that as a reporter, even idle questions about stuff on Twitter has ramifications. People will treat what I tweet differently than just a random account, even if it's not directly connected to anything I'm reporting. I guess my point is that sometimes even my limited influence has some effect. I have to stay aware of that.

Finally, though, it's still DC United's version of events being told here in regards to the video. I was contacted by another reporter who is reaching out to Alajuelense. If I get an update on that end, I'll include it here as well.

Dear MLS Rookie

Dear MLS Rookie,

Congratulations! You haven't started your first season under the shadow of a strike! The Players' Union and the MLS owners came to a new collective bargaining agreement and avoided a work stoppage. 

There's even more good news. The minimum yearly league salary is now $60,000. If you're a Generation Adidas player, you're probably already making more than that, but if you're not, it's a decent salary. 

Don't be stupid with that money, though. Get a budget going and track where what you've earned goes. Roommates are still a good idea, too, because young players can collaborate on carpools, off-season training sessions and even food expenses. 

You're young, but an athlete's body is never invincible. Injuries are part of the game. Have a back-up plan in mind, just in case your soccer dream doesn't work out. Dream a new dream.Take care of yourself by eating well, too. Don't just inhale burgers because they're cheap. Every team has a resident health guru, whether it's the trainer who can bench more than any player, or a teammate like Jimmy Conrad used to be, always going on about superfoods and never cramping up, even in extra time. Listen and learn. Take in what you can handle and be open to new ideas like yoga, kale and kombucha. 

Even if you don't personally feel that way yet, there is life outside of soccer. Skype or call your family when you have downtime. They'll help you maintain perspective when you're struggling in practice and stuck on the bench. Also realize that some of life's most difficult injuries never show as bruises or broken bones. If you feel you need counseling, don't suck it up or try to be macho about it. Get help. 

When you can, try to give help, too. You may be a rookie, but there are developmental players hanging around the team now who look up to even you. An encouraging word or respectful treatment from you would mean the world to them. Those little kids hanging around at the end of practice? They may not know your name yet, but they see you in that jersey and get excited by a wave or a smile. Do the community charity events your team plans. Appreciate team staff and that will be remembered. Some players get traded a lot, but are always thought of fondly by all their teams because they're such good guys. Others are only remembered by, "Good riddance." 

Have a thought for the game reporters, too. True, they may be trying to get quotes from the team stars right now, but at some point, you'll get the chance to say something. Make it thoughtful, personal and honest. They'll come back for more quotes. You're making more money than many of them do now at this point, so even if what you say gets taken out of context now and then, is it worth getting heated over? Pick your battles. 

Most everyone, reporters, coaches, fans, etc, involved with the game loves it, just like you hopefully do. But unlike them, you get to play - maybe not as a starter, but yes, you get to play pro soccer for a living. That's awesome. Enjoy it. 

Cubo Cut Down

I'm not really referring to how Erick "Cubo" Torres went down in the box - it's more about how the president of Guadalajara, Nestor de la Torre, reacted. 

Néstor de la Torre, desnudado. Así se refiere a sus jugadores como el 'Cubo' Torres y al arbitraje. Hoy en DeporTV. http://t.co/IEwLoNzDjV
— Azteca Deportes (@AztecaDeportes) February 9, 2015

Though I didn't even know what Nestor had said about Cubo when I went to the Tecate presentation the next day for interviews, I couldn't leave it out of my article. 



I'm not sure if Torres will last the season at Chivas, but Houston will probably be happy to welcome him early. 


Leftover quotes from my interview:  

Nestor

We don’t have any problem playing against the Galaxy. For us, the Galaxy is a team with good characteristics and it would be a competitive game. I think it would be interesting. It would be interesting because of what the Galaxy represents in this community and because of what Chivas also represents in Los Angeles. It would be an interesting clash of cultures.

Chepo

Nadie gana solo. Es una parte importante - la aficion.

No one wins alone. The fans play an important part. So does the owner, the coaches, the players, the trainers, the equipment people - everyone plays a part. Together, we can do this.

Cubo

Well, in life and in work, the ability to adapt is important. When people can adapt to change, they can be successful. Whether it’s Chivas USA, the national team, Chivas Guadalajara, or Houston, I’ll work hard to adjust and do well.

I’m working hard, with a lot of humility and when it’s time to go to Houston, I’ll be there with that same attitude. I’ll be proud to be with a good organization like the Dynamo as well.

Chepo

What is here in the United States is very special, because the fans here don’t get to see the team in person very often, but they’re so excited when they do get to see the team. It means so much to them. We want to make the fans happy.

We want to bring the team here more often.

It’s a great responsibility. It’s very similar, but the magnitude is different, in terms of the amount of people. The people identify with these type of squads. To coach Guadalajara, to coach Mexico, it is similar. The difference is there’s 120 million people in Mexico, aside from those in the USA, and despite the differences economically, culturally, male or female, or religion, they simply want to see their national team win. They get really excited about that.

It’s something that professions have to learn to handle. They have to face a lot of pressure, but but despite that, they have to go out and perform their best. We know that it’s like that - sometimes you’ll be on top, sometimes you’ll be on the bottom, but you have to be able to express yourself and stay professional. People will notice when you put your best effort out there. And when they see that, they’re satisfied. Usually, the results will follow as well. If you win, of course you get the reward from that effort, but even if you lose, you still know that you gave your best. In the end, that gives you satisfaction as well.

All of players have to compete against each other, and I have to evaluate who is in the best form at the time. Whether they start, or are on the bench, or even make the bench, that’s part of the competition. What’s complicated for me is making those choices.

I don’t feel like a savior. We, as a group, have to work on this mission together. So everyone has to be strong so that we can reach our goals.

MLS Does It Better

To me, arguments about leagues and teams that will never or very rarely play each other are silly. Give me a heated debate over whether Real Madrid or Barcelona will win an upcoming match any day over any argument on whether the English WC squad in 1966 could beat JK's latest USA World Cup squad, or if the LA Galaxy could take on Hull City. 

There's no point. It's not going to happen. Most fans in most leagues don't care, either. 

@soccercanales I keep hoping that with Dempsey, Bradley, more teams, etc. that #MLS could finally get to that point.
— Jake from State Farm (@JayBellHS) December 16, 2014

But it's a sore point for many MLS fans that their league gets little respect from others around the world. Some have dedicated themselves to defending MLS, and they're easy targets for those who want to namecall and heap scorn on them for doing so. No one's mind is ever changed in the back and forth. 

Out of pity for their futile mission, I've decided to put together a list of ways in which MLS is indisputably superior to leagues in Europe. It's not long, I promise. 

Free Your Mind to Reality

Reading over this article taking new MLS team Orlando City to task over a tweet, I felt a familiar frustration rising up. 

Of course, in North America, women can be fans. Fans=customers and to the emerging soccer market in the USA and Canada, every customer is generally valued. 

But why should women be "just" fans? 

Why can't they be players who have their own cadre of loyal fans? 

Why can't they coach? 

Why can't they be commentators and analysts and writers?

Why can't they be trainers and producers and publicists?

Why can't they own teams? 

But I've traveled enough to know that those are first-world problems in general, and that even in those scenarios, the USA is more welcoming and supportive of women in the sport than many countries in Europe, for example. 

In other places, no, women can't even just be fans. 

It doesn't mean that the battles at every level to eradicate sexism aren't worth fighting, but it's also important to realize how in some places, even a basic enjoyment of the beautiful game is limited to human beings because of their gender. 

Nguyenning and Grinning Through It All

So besides being a talented, versatile midfielder, Lee Nguyen is something of an Internet troll. Or at least, that was the conclusion some came to after the New England Revolution faithful were treated to a bit of a "scare" from their star player via his Twitter account. 

The original Tweet has been deleted, which is rather odd in itself if everything is innocent and Nguyen is staying put. Here is Seth's retweet, though, which still contains all of Nguyen's original text.

Oh. Tell me more RT @LeeNguyen24 That feeling you get when you've made a big decision and realize there's no turning back
— Seth Vertelney (@svertgoalcom) December 12, 2014

One reason that Revs fans were panicking is that Nguyen has indeed been linked to possibilities abroad, namely Southampton, where he could reunite with his former PSV coach Ronald Koeman. Still, I don't know whether to take that rumor seriously when an article like this one puts up a photo clearly NOT of Nguyen.

Bruce Gets Comfortable

Nine years ago, I called for Bruce Arena to make a push at coaching abroad. 

That didn't happen. 

Big ups to @FastJayne for her classic Bruce Arena photo pic.twitter.com/FzOjvoIqKP
— Grant Wahl (@GrantWahl) December 8, 2014

Now, on the heels of his record 5th MLS Cup win as coach, someone else is doing the same.  

I didn't think back when I proposed European coaching for him that Arena would get an offer from a big name team, but sure, I thought some Championship club or Scandinavian squad would take a chance on him. 

But I also understand that LA is nice, he has family nearby, the facilities are great and he gets to coach with a lot of support that he simply wouldn't get anywhere abroad. At the end of the day, coaches are people just like players are. People want to be happy. 

I don't see him leaving, basically. 

Coming Into the MLS Fold

NYCFC is coming along as the second team in New York, and with all the blue, it's looking very Chelseaish to go along with NY Red Bulls and their Manchester red vibe. 

Other than LA, which I guess won't count any more for a year or so, this now creates the first intra-city derby in MLS. 

As all MLS teams do, NYCFC partners up with adidas for jersey and logo stuff, which is going on sale soon, apparently. 

Landon Donovan Signs Another Galaxy Contract Press Call

So the news is out that LD has signed a multi-year contract with the LA Galaxy. Actually, since he was already on a contract with them, this is a contract extension.

This press conference call is where he's going to talk about it. 

I'm on hold. Classical music playing. 

New Galaxy press dude Brendan Hannan is now on the line, introducing LD, recapping his greatness. Press stuff, but yeah, multiple MLS titles and records.

Q: When the deal was struck?

LD: Beginning of July, talks started. After Gold Cup, we made it a priority. 

Kyle Mac asks about decisive factor. 

LD is a bit vague, says he likes the organization, the team, the fans, the success they have had together. Mentions specific players. Becks gets a shout-out. 

Jeff C asks about loan - why not? 

LD admits he thought about it, but decided against it - partly to be ready for WC. 

My turn!

I asked LD about the length of his contract. He jokes that it's for 20 years. Then I ask if he'd like to retire with the Galaxy. He definitely does. 

SB asked about teams interested in signing him. LD demurs specific names, but says there were some big ones. 

I hit the high points, but it's still surprising that the call was so short. In some ways, I think that Donovan staying on with the Galaxy is a bit taken for granted. Or at least, not big news given that instead of, "Wow! A change!", it's basically, "OK, more of the same." 


 

Combine Capers

So the MLS combine this year took place in sunny Florida - which was good for the players, because it's been wicked cold in Southern California of late. It's warmer today, but I'm sure that at least some of the USMNT players out for January camp have felt like it's a real winter workout. 

Anyway, I'm not at the MLS combine, but the photo op pictures some players took at the Seaquarium were emailed to me by the league, so I thought I'd share a few.  

Any thoughts on which players helped themselves with a good combine? 

Video Review, On Your Side

There's been much debate over the MLS Disciplinary Committee's usage of video to go back and slap players with fines and suspensions.

Now, it's possible that many of these same critics will not only praise this system but will be glad it's in place.

Rafael Marquez got away with a horrible act of violence in New York's 2-2 draw with San Jose on Saturday. Marquez... well, look for yourself.

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/xy6rCYtzJSY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

It's pretty bad. He wraps up Salinas, drags him down and for good measure kicks him in the head. Salinas broke his clavicle on the play and a key figure from San Jose's impressive early start is now gone.

Marquez deserves a lengthy ban. As if the Committee needs any reminding, Marquez began the season by serving a two-match ban for shenanigans he created after the Galaxy and Red Bulls played the first leg of their playoff series last year. I think a 3-5 match will be given, and I think five would be fair.

Anyway, without this recent rash of retroactive suspensions, not sure what sort of action would have been taken. I do believe this would have gone punished in some form or another but because the Discipline Committee is now quick to slap suspensions on players, this one should be pretty simple and straightforward.

And hopefully the criticisms over the use of the Discipline Committee and their suspensions will be quelled.

East vs West; First Look

The Western Conference is the best-est conference.

Yup, that's what I had proclaimed before the start of the season. And I wasn't alone. I mean, the West had the Galaxy, Seattle, Real Salt Lake as three teams who could have finished 1-2-3 in the Supporters Shield with a balanced schedule. Then FC Dallas and Colorado were solid, Portland was improved, San Jose and Vancouver too and then there's Chivas USA.

The Eastern Conference meanwhile had Sporting KC and Houston who were decent and the rest of the conference was wretched.

Maybe that's a little bit of an exaggeration on some parts, but not much.

So heading into the sixth weekend of games this season, how has the East and the West fared against one another?

There have been 26 interconference matchups thus far. Western teams have won 14 of these, Eastern teams have taken nine while there have been three draws.

What does this mean? Not a whole lot right now. Like any stat, it can be skewed one way or another. For instance, how many of those games were at the west team vs. the east team, how many of the matchups favored one conference (Sporting KC is 3-0 vs west teams) or the other (Toronto FC and Montreal have combined for four losses vs west teams).

It's all still very early but I will say one thing. It's not a surprise that Western teams have more wins than their Eastern counterparts, even if it is early.

League Got Joseph Ban Right

Shalrie Joseph was the latest victim of the MLS Disciplinary Committee. On Tuesday he was slapped with a one-match ban for an incident during Thursday's 1-0 loss to FC Dallas. On the play, Joseph went into a tackle from behind, toppled Ricardo Villar and was booked for doing so.

Not good enough, the committee decided and in essence decided that the play was worthy of a red card. Had he gotten a red card originally of course this probably would not have happened. But he didn't and now we're debating the merits of this suspension. At least, there seems to be quite a bit of debate out there.

I can't say I disagree with the findings, though. For several reasons.

For starters, that was a harsh tackle. It was from behind, reckless and the kind that can cause serious damage. Last season, some similarly awful challenges cost Steve Zakuani and Javier Morales quite a bit of pain and grief. The league is rightly trying to do something about it, and if players continue to committ such foolish challenges they will be punished, whether it's on the field or in instances such as these that Joseph finds himself.

Now, it may seem as if this undermines the officiating and that it shows some sort of disrespect to the officials. Effectively, the committee is saying that the call was not good enough, that it was flat wrong, and then they went ahead and corrected it. Well, what I would say to that is this - since when has the media, fans and players shown any sort of collective support or respect of the officials? Watch any MLS game and at one point or another you will see players swarming around the official after a call, protesting a call, demanding the call be changed, barking at, yelling at, all but hitting the official. Fans in the stands or on various social media outlets will voice their displeasure of the officiating and stories are written about how certain calls affected matches. All of that undermines the officials and goes on consistently, and yet now it's an issue?

If anything, this sends a message to the officials that there needs to be stiffer penalties during games so that this does not have to happen again. It's a way of helping the match officials, not hurting them or undermining them. The league wants certain things punished more, wants to eradicate certain things from games and one way of correcting and eliminating these behaviors is by actively helping the match officials stamp it out in games. In other words, this Joseph decision isn't just a one-off thing. It's not that this tackle was bad and it should be punished; it's that this tackle was bad and these kinds of tackles are unwanted in MLS matches and players need to know that in one form or another.

Also, Villar is out for at least one match with a mid-foot sprain. According to reports, Villar's injury is a week-by-week injury but if nothing else it's a setback since Villar had scored twice and was becoming an important player for FC Dallas.

Now, here's the play in question from various angles:

That's a harsh tackle. It should have been a red card, plain and simple.

And next time, it will be.

Scrappy TFC Bows Out

Toronto FC were 45 minutes away from making history, 45 minutes from not only shocking CONCACAF but from taking a giant step forward that would benefit all of MLS.

Then the bottom fell out.

Santos Laguna scored four second-half goals to down the Canadians by 6-2 on Tuesday and won their CCL semifinal series by an aggregate score of 7-3. Santos killed MLS’s hopes of having a representative in the final for the second consecutive year.

There are two things that came out of this result. First, Toronto FC fought harder and lasted longer than many gave them credit for. Secondly, MLS is still far behind the Mexican league level.

Now, Toronto FC is not exactly the bar for MLS teams. That bar has been raised and held there by Real Salt Lake and the Galaxy and a scant few others but for the most part the bar is set. That bar is still well below Mexico’s bar. Now, there are reasons for this. Mexican teams have no salary cap, greater resources, greater support from their communities and run unopposed in their media and within the Mexican culture. MLS clubs don’t enjoy the financial resources as their Mexican counterparts nor do they enjoy the other luxuries Mexican teams have.

Within those guidelines then, Toronto FC’s run was made more remarkable. Toronto FC got past the supposed juggernaut the Galaxy were and fared better than Seattle against the same Santos side – Seattle gave up two quick goals and all hope seemed lost afterward.

Toronto FC won’t be challenging for the MLS Cup title, at least few can see that happening. Their league form this season has been poor – losses to Seattle, San Jose and Columbus have marred the start of their season. And still, even while not being part of the cup contenders, Toronto FC nearly found themselves playing for a much bigger prize.

Now, while MLS is not quite the powerhouse league many would like to believe it is but when less-successful teams like Toronto FC can battle and scrap their way and find a modicum of success against teams like Santos, that has to bode well for both club and league.