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The Kelly Gray Column: The State Of Major League Soccer
In his latest installment for Goal.com, San Jose Earthquakes defender Kelly Gray weighs in on the league's upcoming expansion, why MLS should go to a European-style schedule, and how the league benefits the US National Team.
Mar 31, 2009 7:27:16 PM
By Kelly Gray
First, I want to thank everyone for all of the comments and questions that were sent in to Goal.com. It’s always nice to see that people are actually reading what I am writing.
A number of questions were about the state of the league and what changes might make MLS one of the top leagues in the world and to make our national team a contender at international tournaments like the Confederations Cup and the World Cup.
Let’s start with the league. Recently, FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke about how he would like to see MLS adopt a schedule that is similar to the rest of the world. I tend to agree. This would alleviate a number of the problems that occur when there are international dates. It would also solve the problem of how foreign players still playing for their national teams can stay in shape during the MLS off-season.
Those are the obvious reasons for the change. I think that it is something that MLS will eventually adopt, but I don’t see it happening for a few years.
One question that has been brought up is whether or not it would be better to have a break during the hot summer months. The quick answer is yes. But then one has to keep in mind that we would be playing more games in the frigid months. Some of the cities (Boston, Chicago, Denver) might have snow on the ground. So the question becomes, which is better, hot or cold?
I think that the best solution may be to adopt a schedule that is similar to the German Bundesliga, where there is a month or so break in the winter. Or maybe something similar to the Mexican League, which has a prolonged break in the summer as well as a winter break. Basically, they have two short seasons that comprise a full season. In this way, we get a break in the thick of both the hot and cold, and MLS would be on a schedule similar to the majority of the world.
As for the state of MLS, I think that one has to assume it is flourishing. The expansion into Vancouver and Portland in 2011, and the expected addition of two more teams in 2012 point to the league’s growth and the popularity of soccer. The fact that the league is dealing with the current economic struggles and even announcing expansion during this chaotic time says a lot. At the same time, sponsors are still lining up to be a part of our league. It was very significant that Amway Global struck a deal with the San Jose Earthquakes that is mutually beneficial for both organizations.
Now on to the national team. This is a tricky subject because it can be attacked from a number of different angles. Here is how I see it.
With the upcoming expansion there could be a sort of watering down of talent in the league. The best way to remedy this is to bring in influential and exciting foreign players. They need to be players that are going to bring something special. No matter how many expansion teams there are, we have to remember that MLS is still in its infancy and that all of this is going to take time. In order to lure more players to MLS there is going to have to be some significant changes made to the salary structure.
The salary cap in and of itself is worth a whole column that I don’t really want to get into here (I will eventually), but what I will say is that until MLS starts paying salaries comparable to those in other leagues around the world, young American players are going to leave their home nation at the first opportunity. And this hurts the national team.
Because we have seen time and time again where a player who is a star in MLS leaves for Europe and ends up sitting on the bench for five years. Training with world-class players is good, but wouldn’t that player—and, by extension, the national team—be better off staying in MLS and playing week in and week out?
However, at the same time, he is making ten times the money he was making here. And that matters, too.
Sure, there are some Americans who have gone to Europe and done extremely well. But there are twice as many who have jumped the pond only to return to MLS a few years later having not really played on a consistent basis. Ultimately, this will negatively affect the US national team. So although I think the US will continue to dominate CONCACAF, it will continue to struggle when it faces top European and South American teams.
As always, please send any questions or suggestions to usa@goal.com.
Kelly Gray plays for the San Jose Earthquakes, who face the New England Revolution on Saturday. He also owns clothing company Adesso Clothing. His column appears every other Tuesday on Goal.com.
First, I want to thank everyone for all of the comments and questions that were sent in to Goal.com. It’s always nice to see that people are actually reading what I am writing.
A number of questions were about the state of the league and what changes might make MLS one of the top leagues in the world and to make our national team a contender at international tournaments like the Confederations Cup and the World Cup.
Let’s start with the league. Recently, FIFA President Sepp Blatter spoke about how he would like to see MLS adopt a schedule that is similar to the rest of the world. I tend to agree. This would alleviate a number of the problems that occur when there are international dates. It would also solve the problem of how foreign players still playing for their national teams can stay in shape during the MLS off-season.
Those are the obvious reasons for the change. I think that it is something that MLS will eventually adopt, but I don’t see it happening for a few years.
One question that has been brought up is whether or not it would be better to have a break during the hot summer months. The quick answer is yes. But then one has to keep in mind that we would be playing more games in the frigid months. Some of the cities (Boston, Chicago, Denver) might have snow on the ground. So the question becomes, which is better, hot or cold?
I think that the best solution may be to adopt a schedule that is similar to the German Bundesliga, where there is a month or so break in the winter. Or maybe something similar to the Mexican League, which has a prolonged break in the summer as well as a winter break. Basically, they have two short seasons that comprise a full season. In this way, we get a break in the thick of both the hot and cold, and MLS would be on a schedule similar to the majority of the world.
As for the state of MLS, I think that one has to assume it is flourishing. The expansion into Vancouver and Portland in 2011, and the expected addition of two more teams in 2012 point to the league’s growth and the popularity of soccer. The fact that the league is dealing with the current economic struggles and even announcing expansion during this chaotic time says a lot. At the same time, sponsors are still lining up to be a part of our league. It was very significant that Amway Global struck a deal with the San Jose Earthquakes that is mutually beneficial for both organizations.
Now on to the national team. This is a tricky subject because it can be attacked from a number of different angles. Here is how I see it.
With the upcoming expansion there could be a sort of watering down of talent in the league. The best way to remedy this is to bring in influential and exciting foreign players. They need to be players that are going to bring something special. No matter how many expansion teams there are, we have to remember that MLS is still in its infancy and that all of this is going to take time. In order to lure more players to MLS there is going to have to be some significant changes made to the salary structure.
The salary cap in and of itself is worth a whole column that I don’t really want to get into here (I will eventually), but what I will say is that until MLS starts paying salaries comparable to those in other leagues around the world, young American players are going to leave their home nation at the first opportunity. And this hurts the national team.
Because we have seen time and time again where a player who is a star in MLS leaves for Europe and ends up sitting on the bench for five years. Training with world-class players is good, but wouldn’t that player—and, by extension, the national team—be better off staying in MLS and playing week in and week out?
However, at the same time, he is making ten times the money he was making here. And that matters, too.
Sure, there are some Americans who have gone to Europe and done extremely well. But there are twice as many who have jumped the pond only to return to MLS a few years later having not really played on a consistent basis. Ultimately, this will negatively affect the US national team. So although I think the US will continue to dominate CONCACAF, it will continue to struggle when it faces top European and South American teams.
As always, please send any questions or suggestions to usa@goal.com.
Kelly Gray plays for the San Jose Earthquakes, who face the New England Revolution on Saturday. He also owns clothing company Adesso Clothing. His column appears every other Tuesday on Goal.com.
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