Soccer, Beckham and Sold Out Stadiums the MLS Gets Ready For a New Season
David Beckham won’t be playing football at the World Cup and he will also be missing from Major League Soccer for five months. But does the League need him anymore now that its popularity has increased to such a level that new stadiums are being built and already there are many sold out games? Mark Duckworth takes a look at the new Major League Soccer Season.
The England star may be missing from the football pitch for a few months but if the first week of fixtures is anything to go by then the MLS might not need him at all, with most games having an average of two goals per game and with an average attendance of almost 18,000, this season could be set to be the league’s best.
So for those of you who don’t know, the MLS is split into two conferences with eight teams in each, all clubs meet home and away. The team that finishes with the most points at the end of the season is awarded the MLS Supporters Shield. The then top six sides in the MLS contest the MLS Cup. Out of the league’s 18 seasons only a handful of teams have gone on two win both competitions, the most recent in 2008 where the Columbus Crew dominated the league from start to finish. Most sports have seen attendances on the decline over the past few years so to help with that and with the sheer size of America the league has a number of small Cups that were designed to build and maintain rivalries amongst clubs. One of the most passionate is the Texan derby where FC Dallas and Houston Dynamos do battle for the Texas Cup. The SuperClasico is the trophy David Beckham will be playing for when his side LA Galaxy do battle with Chivas FC.
The league’s popularity has grown significantly over the past few years as ex European superstars have flooded to the United States to prolong their footballing career. The most notable recently, being former Arsenal winger Fredrik Ljungberg who signed for the Seattle Sounders in 2008. Ljungberg has been a big success and with the team playing in the impressive Q-West Field the club has gone from strength and sold out seven home games last season.
So with the season a couple of games old who should you be on the look out for? In the West, the conference should be dominated by Ljungberg’s Seattle, the team has probably the best fans in the league and with timeless Kasey Keller playing in goal for the Sounders they should not be too far away. The Western Conference is also home to David Beckham’s LA Galaxy. It has taken the Galaxy a while to get going but Landon Donovan’s return after a successful spell playing football in England, and Beckham’s eventual return, the Galaxy could finally see some silverware at the Home Depot Centre. The Galaxy do have a new hero in striker Edson Buddle, the hit man scored 15 goals last season and has already notched three in two in the current campaign. The dark horses for this season in the West are current MLS Cup champions Real Salt Lake. The team shocked the MLS when they won the trophy denying The Columbus Crew what would have been a consecutive double. The squad consists more of household names than superstars, and this could be the key for Salt Lake as the defending champions will already be used to the difficult conditions the players have to play in. Their key man is Andy Williams. The midfielder has made over 130 appearances for the club and his experience could prove vital come the play-offs.
The Eastern Conference will be more of a closed book with nobody really being able to challenge the Columbus Crew. The Crew have won three titles in their past two years and are the strongest side in the MLS. They may not have the superstar players but their team is solid and doesn’t have many weak areas. And with an average of 15,000 watching ‘the Crew’ they could soon be getting their title back. Hoping to keep up with Columbus is Toronto FC, the Canadian outfit are arguably the best supported team in the league and regularly sell out their stadium. The team’s performances may have not matched their fan support of late but this season could be different for Toronto, they have a new coach in Predrag Radosavljevic or ‘Preki’ to the fans and is regarded as one of the best in the league. Also with Canadian striker Dwayne De Rosario leading the frontline; Toronto could bring some success to the league’s best fans. Dreaming of upsetting Columbus and Toronto are the Chicago Fire, ‘the Fire’ have promised lots over the last few seasons but not delivered and with ex Fulham striker Collins John in their line-up that run looks like continuing.
So the MLS is underway, there are healthy crowds in the stadiums, coupled with a strong United States international squad, soccer in America could finally step out of the shade and feature more prominently in the world’s most popular sport.
Mark Duckworth