The Sports Rumors

In Response to Questions…

Had some really good questions yesterday regarding the soccer column as well as a lot of feedback on the Bonds’ piece. Keep sending me your questions and comments people and I’ll make sure they are responded to.

Colin’s response to soccer related questions…

Three questions regarding the following:

“For reasons I still don’t understand, Bradley decided to ok a roster that was largely young and inexperienced. Why? The MLS felt that if too many ’star’ players were called away for a few weeks then the quality of the league would significantly drop, Hence allowing several of the well known players for the team, including Landon Donovan, to remain with their respective clubs.”

(1) I ask out of ignorance, but how much power does Bradley have in this regard? Can Bradley put his foot down and insist on getting the top tier players? If he does so, does he damage his relationship with MSL?
Although Bradley used to coach in the MLS, he technically no longer has ties or a “relationship” to uphold with them. His duties are to the governing body, the US Soccer Federation, who in turn also regulates the MLS. While I also am not completely familiar with the ins and outs of national team selection, I would assume any appeals he would have in terms of the squad he is picking would go to the USSF, not to the MLS. Technically he should have final say in the squad he chooses, although usually coaches will make exceptions depending on the actual competition and the location of players (ala Bradley wouldn’t expect anyone playing in Europe right now to come back for meaningless friendly or even for the ongoing Copa America tournament, although he should). In my opinion though, the way we get the international scene interested in US soccer, and in turn the MLS, starts with the National Team. So if we go 0-3 on a big stage because we field a young, inexperienced team, it could reflect poorly on the quality of US Soccer in general. The players are at Bradley’s disposal, and it is up to him to put in the necessary effort to assure the best players are representing us at all times.

(2) Should MLS change its schedule to account for the international competitions?
I’ve always thought the MLS was on an awkward schedule. The well known leagues in Europe run from August-May (only a 10 week offseason), while the MLS runs only from April-November (over 4 months off). International competitions, such as World Cup Qualifying, tournaments like Copa America, and friendlies run year round. However, while the majority of the world was on break from their respective domestic league play, the MLS was in full stride during the world cup. Did anyone pay attention? I would assume not, with the greatest tournament every four years being played concurrently. Not only did the quality of play in the MLS suffer, so did the fan base, at least for that month. In my opinion it would fare well for the MLS to try to adopt the European league schedule; it seems to be working just fine for them.

(3) If Beckham is still on England’s team after he arrives here, is it possible that Beckham will cause some changes in MLS’s attitude toward international competitions?
Well, Beckham should remain on the team, being as he was recalled only recently, and will be introduced in LA in only 2 days. Steve McClaren, coach of the England National Team, tried his luck by not only relieving Beckham of his duties as a captain, but also failing to call him up for several world cup qualifiers. Beckham was left out of a friendly against Greece in August 2006, and it wasn’t until a friendly against Brasil on June 1st of this year that he was called up again. Because of the team’s struggle to earn results, McClaren was adamant about bringing him back, and is adamant about calling him up for every national team competition now as well, even if it is only a friendly. The MLS has no set rules nor very expressed opinions about international competitions (they’ve never held Jaime Moreno back from playing for Bolivia, nor Stern John for Trinidad and Tobago, etc) but it is supposed to be a given that international obligations trump those of domestic league play. Alexi Lalas, current President and GM of the LA Galaxy, has said ” He has a responsibility on and off the field to our organization and our sport and he recognizes that,” and that he doesn’t “want to stand in the way of a player representing his country but they have to be the appropriate games.” However, under FIFA regulations, no club can prevent a player from representing his country, even if just for a friendly. It will definitely be interesting to see if the the small feud between Lalas and McClaren grows into something bigger over Becks in the coming months.