MLS Strike Looming, Implications on the League

The already-tenuous MLS collective bargaining agreement negotiations got even worse today, as over 350 players voted today to strike if an agreement is not reached by the start of the season on March 25th. Only 2 players voted against a possible strike. With the Season Kickoff scheduled for March 25th, only 2 weeks remain for MLS owners and the MLS Players Union to agree to a deal before we see the players hit the picket line.

What is clear among all parties is the following: 1) the players have a legitimate argument; 2) the owners have all the leverage; and 3) a strike could have a severely negative impact on the league. With many players in MLS signed to $16,000/season developmental contracts, and with strict rules on free agency and teams’ stronghold on player rights, the Players Union really has a great point in wanting to up salaries and have more freedom to switch teams within MLS and elsewhere. No one should be playing on a salary that’s below the poverty line. However, how much leverage does a Players Union with players that, depending on where they live, can’t afford housing on what they make have? Very little.

The owners hold all the cards in this equation. While more teams now are turning a profit, not all of them are. Some are still strapped in stadiums that are too big for them and not controlled by the teams, which means they can’t get money from other events (not to mention they’re paying exorbitant rental fees to play in those stadiums). Increasing salary cap may be a possibility, but owners can just claim that they don’t have the money to afford higher salaries than what are being paid right now. If the players strike, most of them cannot afford to strike for very long since they’re paid less than some summer interns. They can’t play in other leagues while the strike plays itself out, like many NHL players did during their strike in 2004-2005. They would be stuck living on no money with no ways to make money in other soccer leagues. All the owners have is time, as many of them would actually fare better during a strike (no chance to lose money). They would have to do very little but wait for the Union to break.

The worst part of this is what the PR hit a strike would give to the league. In a World Cup year, more eyes are on the game of soccer in this country than ever before. America’s top-tier league should be trying to capitalize on those potential new fans by showcasing their teams in the lead-in to the World Cup. Instead, they’re at an impasse that shows no signs of ending soon. This, in a word, would devastate MLS. This isn’t like the NFL or NHL where they are the top league in the world and have very few alternative options. There are dozens of soccer leagues in the world, many of them a lot better on the whole than MLS. If MLS went on strike, you won’t have fans sitting around wondering what to watch. They can watch the major European leagues, like the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga or Italy’s Serie A. They can tune into the Mexican Primera. They can watch the UEFA Champions League. With so many options, a prolonged strike could see many fans not return to MLS stadiums once they eventually re-open for business. They will just stick with watching higher quality leagues, all of which are readily available on TV.

So, while MLS players have a legitimate beef with how they’re treated, it’s their lack of leverage and the owners’ apparent desire to wait it out that could drive MLS into deep trouble. From all accounts, a strike looks imminent. However, for the sake of MLS and domestic soccer in America, let’s hope the owners and players can find some common ground, sign a collective bargaining agreement, and start the season on time.

Expansion of Soccer Coverage

With the introduction of Fox Soccer Channel Plus (FSC+) on March 1st, Americans will have 3 soccer-only channels to choose from, FSC, FSC+ and GolTV. In addition, there are several channels that show soccer on a regular basis: ESPN , ESPN Deportes, Telemundo, Galavision and Univision. With these channels, American footy fans can get a taste of what several leagues from around the world have to offer.

Currently, the EPL, La Liga, Serie A and the Bundesliga have the soccer market on lock here in the U.S., and with good reason. Most would place these 4 leagues in the top 4 in the entire world in any particular order, and there are several games in each league on TV here each week. There are also several Mexican League games on TV as well here, mostly on Spanish-speaking channels like Telemundo, Galavision and Univision. However, MLS only gets 2 national games of the week, one on ESPN or ESPN2 (simulcast in Spanish on ESPN Deportes) and on FSC. There is only one game a week with the USSF 2nd Division soccer a week and one WPS game each week. In other leagues, it’s possible right now to see games in the English Coca-Cola Championship (with premium subscription), A-League, Brasiliero, the Argentine League, the Columbian League as well as the Uruguayan League. Yet, it would be great to see more of other leagues on TV here in the United States.

While U.S. leagues are hard to find on TV if you don’t live in a MLS market, there are other great leagues from around the world, along with leagues that are usually compared in terms talent and quality of play to MLS, that are not broadcast on TV here or are not viewable by a mass audience. Maybe we can start to see more of the following leagues on our television screens as opposed to our internet streams:

Scottish Premier League – The Old Firm (Rangers v. Celtic) is one of the biggest rivalries in all of sport, and it’s a very competitive league among the other teams as well. Rangers has a couple American players, and there are lots of great players that hone their craft in this league.

Ligue 1 (France) – The French league is probably the 5th best league in the world, in my opinion. Lots of excellent teams from the French league routinely make noise on the European stage, including Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Paris Saint-Germain. Ligue 1 also has a few American players, including the USMNT captain Carlos Bocanegra and rising star Charlie Davies.

Eredivisie (Netherlands) – This league has a lot of great teams, including traditional powerhouses PSV Eindhoven and Ajax. The Dutch have a great style of play that is very popular, and a lot of their great talent is playing on teams within this excellent Top-10 league.

Coca-Cola Championship (England) – A lot of people have problems with supporting the EPL powerhouses like Chelsea or Manchester United or Liverpool. The Championship has a combination of the Premiership teams of yesterday as well as the Premiership teams of tomorrow. Lots of passion in this league, with each team playing with aspirations to join the big boys.

Portuguese Liga – Teams like Porto and Benfica are teams that most European footy lovers know and appreciate. It would be great to see teams like Sporting Lisbon and Nacional also on a weekly basis.

Turkcell Super Lig – I love the passion in this league. The teams are good, the fans are excellent, and the atmosphere at each game is like they’re playing for the championship. Teams like Besiktas, Fenerbache and Galatasaray are teams that have done very well on the European stage.

Russian Premier League – This league is probably one of the fastest growing in terms of quality of play and talent level, with tons of money being poured into the resident teams by local oil tycoons and other billionaires. We’ve already seen Zenit St. Petersburg win the UEFA Cup a couple years ago, and other teams like CSKA Moscow and Dynamo Moscow routinely make noise in football circles.

J-League (Japan) – This is a league that has been compared to MLS. Has a weekly review show currently, but would be great to actually see a game each week to see how teams in this league compare. Easy to play it in the middle of the night due to the time difference.

K-League (Korea) – Another league that has been compared to MLS, and very similar to the J-League. They have had teams that have proven they can play on the international stage, and would be good to see a different style of football. Again, with the time difference, it would be easy to show a live game each week along with the J-League and A-League (Australia)

MLS – It’s the top tier domestic league here, we absolutely should have more MLS games made available…and I’m not talking about through a subscription service like Direct Kick. There will be, at most, 8 games a weekend played in MLS. More games can be shown on national channels like FSC or ESPN or GolTV. More TV means more exposure means more money, money that they can use to invest in talent upgrade that will bring more fans out and, overall, grow the popularity of the league.

USL/NASL – Over the next year, as this league forms, hopefully they will be able to expand from one game a week to multiple.

There are obviously many more leagues out there that are either broadcast on TV here in the United States or maybe should be. But, expanding to more coverage of these leagues will really help bring some new faces into American homes, and it will help feed the growing appetite the American public is starting to have for soccer.

Finding A Sponsor For Sponsorless MLS Teams

Currently, with the introduction of the Philadelphia Union, MLS currently has 5 teams that are currently do not bear a sponsor on their jerseys. Philly appears to be close to naming their sponsor, which would bring the number back down to 4: Colorado, New England, Dallas and Kansas City. Colorado, while they search for a sponsor, did the right thing and removed the “Colorado” from their jerseys, leaving a blank, crisp look to their team. However, New England, Dallas and Kansas City continue to have their team name on the chest of their jerseys. Most people would agree that in soccer, while some may hate the corporate nature of putting a sponsor on your team’s jersey, it is the most valuable piece of real estate for a team to be sponsored, with thousands and sometimes millions of jerseys being sold with your corporate logo on it provides infinite public exposure.

So, let’s have a little fun and pick some sponsors that would look good across the chests of the Rapids, FCD, the Revs and the Wizards. I’ve listed out some possibilities of local companies or companies that have a big local presence and, in the end, select a best pick for a sponsor for each team.

Colorado
Coors – Liquor sponsors are not allowed in MLS, but beer sponsors are. Nothing says Colorado like Coors, but Budweiser (MLS sponsor) may balk at this
Continental – started out in Denver, still has a big presence
Frontier – another airline based in Denver
Lockheed-Martin – huge presence in Denver
Chipotle – headquarters in Denver, national brand that would be recognizable worldwide
Qwest – already have naming rights with field where Seattle Sounders play, but lots of Denver offices
Pepsi – Already a MLS sponsor and have naming rights to Pepsi Center in Denver. Would be a good match
Invesco – local company, naming rights at Broncos’ stadium

Best Fit: Pepsi. This would be a match made in heaven for MLS, as a league-wide sponsor adorns the chest of a team in a locale where they already have a great presence in sports.

New England
Samuel Adams – local brewery whose popularity can go up even more with a Revs partnership
Fidelity – huge investment firm, but with the bailouts, may not be able to sponsor a team
Kraft – Robert Kraft is team owner, very confusing that this hasn’t happened already
New Balance – Adidas would probably flip out with this
Gillette – already adorn the field that the Revs play at, would be good to continue the partnership
TD Bank – adorn the Celtics and Bruins’ stadium, a bank name that has become popular nationwide
Liberty Mutual – Everyone knows Liberty Mutual, but probably not in a position to sponsor a team
Bain Capital – Another I-bank that may not be in a position to sponsor

Best Fit: Kraft. Owner owns the team, #1 in its market, of course has the money to invest and is already invested in soccer… as perfect a fit as there can be.

FCD
Compuware – moved their headquarters to Dallas from Detroit, founder owns 2 hockey teams; could make the move to soccer
Exxon – Definitely have the money to invest, could be great for FCD
Chevron – See Exxon.
AT&T – MLS sponsor, based in Texas, national brand
Texas Instruments – based in Texas, national brand, could be a chance to expand their exposure
Blockbuster – on rough times right now, but could be a chance to grow their brand again
Chili’s – based in Dallas, instantly recognizable
American – based in Dallas, would be great to partner with team especially with discounts for FCD fans to travel to away games
Southwest – based in Dallas, low-budget airline that fans would love to use to travel to away games

Best Fit: AT&T. FC Dallas has a ton of great fits, but another league sponsor could be the one to help the Hoops as well.

KC
Garmin – runs the GPS market in America, would grow their brand
H&R Block – would be interesting to partner with the Wizards; likely could not use their trademark green block on jersey
AMC Theaters – interesting combination that would be good for team and league
Crayola – likely not a possibility, but Crayola is based in KC
SprintNextel – most of their sponsorship is in NASCAR, but is based in KC and would be great to have a huge partner like SprintNextel helping the team.

Best Fit: Garmin. A surprise pick from this bunch, but Garmin would be great to help themselves as well as the Wizards grow their brand in the U.S. Garmin has a lot of momentum and could see their market grow internationally should the Wizards improve.

So, there you have it. Pepsi, Kraft, AT&T and Garmin. The Rapids, Revs, Hoops and Wizards should get on the discussions immediately. It would be good to have these teams have an extra source of revenue as well as have more corporate partners investing in the beautiful game.

Increase MLS TV Exposure

On BigSoccer, one of the most popular soccer forums on the internet, there has been debate over whether the time has come for MLS to institute a MLS Network channel similar to that of NBA, NFL, NHL and MLB. There are definitely pros and cons of having a MLS Network channel, and while I would love to see a MLS Network, there’s a huge reason why it’s probably not in serious discussion at this time: as of March 1, there will be 3 channels completely dedicated to soccer: Fox Soccer Channel (FSC), GolTV and Fox Soccer Channel Plus (FSC+). All of these channels are showing nothing but soccer and soccer-related programming 24 hours a day. However, what is clear is that a MLS Network would allow MLS to grow with more expanded programming. While the other major sports have channels on various cable programming platforms, what is clear is that they are able to show more of their product 24 hours a day.

MLS can do a lot to increase the exposure of their product to the American soccer fans as well as the casual sports fans. It starts with having more MLS games televised. Sure, just about every MLS game is televised, and having them all televised is great. However, if you don’t live in a MLS market, then you’re only seeing 2 games a week: the ESPN2 Game of the Week (usually on Thursdays) and the FSC Game of the Week on Saturdays. Direct Kick does not cut it…that should be a last resort for people who want to follow a particular team in another market, not just to follow all the games. To increase the exposure of MLS in those markets that may not have a team, especially those who are close enough to teams for fans from those locals to travel (like Detroit, the Carolinas, Cleveland, Nebraska, St. Louis, Indianapolis, Sacramento, etc.), you want to be able to have those fans see as many games as possible. Expanding coverage is possible with a MLS Network; they can show as many games live as they want. However, for now, it’s better to work with FSC or ESPN to show more games or even expand coverage to GolTV. Currently, you can get more than 2 games a week of EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Mexican League and even sometimes the A-League (Australia). MLS should step up their efforts to have more games reach more Americans on TV.

MLS should also have a wrap-up show. This is usually an hour-long show that recaps all the games played over the course of a particular weekend or week that shows all the highlights of all the games. It’s incredibly easy to put together and cheap to produce – just a hour-long clip of highlights that are probably already batched together from individual games. Currently, you can find highlight shows for the EPL, La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, Brasiliero, the A-League, the J-League (Japan) and the Argentine League on TV. Having a prime-time slot for an MLS highlight show, perhaps on Monday nights, would be great for fans to see the goals and highlights from all the games they missed. It’s also good to showcase those players that played well on a particular week and really highlight the quality of play.

Finally, MLS should have a hour-long show that breaks down the week in MLS, with further analysis from MLS commentators. Right now, most, if not all, of the soccer analyst shows focus on the EPL. It would be great for MLS to have its own show to analyze the week that was and highlight the next week’s matches that are can’t-miss.

So, regardless of whether a MLS Network gets beyond the BigSoccer brainstorming stage, it’s clear that MLS needs to step up its programming to get more MLS soccer on TV. More games on TV to be broadcast to those soccer fanatics in areas that don’t have MLS soccer will allow for the domestic product to be showcased to a new set of fans, and perhaps it will help grow the popularity of the domestic league even further. Maybe then, we will see more people following MLS and attending matches, which will only help grow the game here in the United States.

The Draw

It was glitzy, it was glamorous…it had Charlize Theron! The World Cup draw took place today in Cape Town, South Africa, and it left USA fans salivating. First, after placing the seeded teams, they proceeded with slotting the other teams. Here it is:

Group A: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, France
Group B: Argentina, Nigeria, S. Korea, Greece
Group C: England, USA, Algeria, Slovenia
Group D: Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana
Group E: Netherlands, Denmark, Japan, Cameroon
Group F: Italy, Paraguay, New Zealand, Slovakia
Group G: Brazil, N. Korea, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group H: Spain, Switzerland, Honduras, Chile

Taking a look at this draw, the US team has to be extremely happy. They have a marquee matchup with England to kick off the World Cup, and they have the two weakest teams in the other pots in Algeria and Slovenia. There is no USMNT fan that wouldn’t take this group in a second. It gives the Nats a great chance to make the second round if they take care of business…get a point against England and win the other 2, they’re easily through.

The best things about the US’s draw is that they have a combined 3 hours of bus riding to get to their 3 matches (2 hours to Rustenberg, 1 hour to Johannesburg), including their final match which will be in their base training city of Pretoria. They also will play in 3 stadiums they visited in the Confederations Cup this past summer. They also have a great draw with their opposing group in the 2nd round, being matched with Group D. Each of the teams in that group (Germany, Australia, Serbia, Ghana) are beatable. Finally, the heavy hitters of Brazil (#1 in the FIFA rankings), #2 Spain, #3 Netherlands and defending champion Italy are avoided until the World Cup semifinals at the earliest. That is certainly great news.

The “group of death” has got to be Group G, with Brazil, Ivory Coast and Portugal heavy contenders to not only make the 2nd round, but progress far. One of these teams will be heading home after 3 games. Ivory Coast, which was pitted with Argentina and the Netherlands in another group of death in 2006, has to be feeling awful. Germany has a great chance to get through, but their group is filled with decent teams that can make some noise.

Mexico and France got pitted with Uruguay and host country South Africa, a very lucky draw for these two. South Africa will have to fight to continue the streak of the host nation (or nations) making it to at least the 2nd round of every tournament. No doubt, Irish and American fans will be rooting for Uruguay and South Africa to make it to the 2nd round out of this group. Italy also has a fairly easy group with Paraguay, New Zealand and Slovakia. Spain has a group that should see them easily go to the 2nd round, with Chile, Switzerland and Honduras all battling for 2nd. The Dutch don’t have an easy group with Denmark, Cameroon and Japan in it, and Argentina may have their hands full with South Korea, Nigeria and Greece. What’s certain is that the World Cup will have tons of drama as it always does. What do you all think? Will South Africa make it out of Group A? Will the England/USA matchup prove to be a classic? Who will emerge from the Group of Death? Who has the tools to win it all?

World Cup Seeds, Pots Determined

Well, the pots for Friday’s World Cup draw have been determined, and while there were a few surprises, all was expected on the American front. First, the seeds, in a departure from previous seedings, was made solely on October’s FIFA rankings, most likely in an effort to punish France for their Hand of Henry goal that sent them to the World Cup over Ireland last month. Under previous seeding criteria, they would have been seeded over the Netherlands, currently #3 in the FIFA rankings and who went through World Cup qualifying with a perfect record. The seeded teams, potted along with host South Africa, are Brazil, Spain, Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Argentina and England.

The pot determination went as expected, which was a downer for USMNT fans. CONCACAF teams were potted with the Asian and Oceania teams, making it very likely that the USA could be in a “group of death” when the draw occurs on Friday. The CAF (Africa) teams (outside of South Africa) were grouped with the non-seeded CONMEBOL (South America) teams. Finally, the non-seeded UEFA teams are in their own pot.

This creates a couple nightmare scenarios for the USA, and gives them only a 1/8 chance of being in South Africa’s group. It also gives them a 5/8 chance of having 2 UEFA teams in their group and a 5/8 chance of having an African team in their group. The ideal scenario would have been for CONCACAF to be paired with CAF, which would have given them a 1/3 chance of getting South Africa’s group (since no two teams from the same confederation outside of Europe can be in the same group) and a 50% chance of getting the 4 lowest seeded teams in the World Cup, the Asian/Oceania teams of Japan, South Korea, North Korea, and New Zealand.

Just for fun, I decided to throw all the teams in the pot and have a mock draw to see what would come up. Again, only a max of 2 UEFA teams can be in the same group, and no other confederation can have 2 teams in the same group. I arranged the groups with South Africa first and then the seeded teams in order of their FIFA rankings. Here’s what I came up with:

Group 1: South Africa, Mexico, Uruguay, Denmark
Group 2: Brazil, USA, Ivory Coast, Portugal
Group 3: Spain, New Zealand, Chile, Greece
Group 4: Dutch, North Korea, Nigeria, Slovakia
Group 5: Italy, Honduras, Ghana, Switzerland
Group 6: Germany, Japan, Cameroon, France
Group 7: Argentina, Australia, Algeria, Slovenia
Group 8: England, South Korea, Paraguay, Serbia

Umm…damn…our absolute worst-case scenario. We’d have the world’s #1 team, arguably the best African team and arguably the best non-seeded UEFA team in our group. This would absolutely be a group of death, with this group having the current #1, #5, #11 and #16 teams in the world. No other group in this mock draw comes close to having this kind of firepower except for maybe Germany’s group, with Cameroon and France also in their group with Japan. Finally, our archrivals, Mexico, dodge a bullet and be in South Africa’s group.

Let’s hope FIFA gives us a better draw than I did. We shall see this Friday what group we will be in and what teams we will face.

Preview: MLS Cup 2009

The 2009 MLS Cup Playoffs culminate with the final today in Seattle between the LA Galaxy and Real Salt Lake. This is truly a David vs. Goliath matchup, with Real Salt Lake having backed into the playoffs as the final seed in the Eastern Conference and upsetting the top 2 teams, Columbus and Chicago, in the East on the road. Meanwhile, the Galaxy were the #1 team in the Western Conference, and dispatched of Chivas USA and the Houston Dynamo in the playoffs.

LA enters this match with a few injuries, most notably to the ankle of David Beckham. While Beckham says he will play in the final, he has been receiving injections to the bone bruise in his ankle to help deal with the pain, and he hasn’t practiced much this week. Still, Beckham is a gamer and surely will not miss his chance to play in what could be his only MLS Cup final. Also, with Landon Donovan in top form, the LA Galaxy will be ready for the challenge from the upstart RSL side.

Real Salt Lake is on fire right now, led by the incredible heroics of their keeper, Nick Rimando, in the playoffs, especially the Eastern Conference Final against Chicago. Rimando has been in the MLS Cup before, back in 2004 with DC United, and he provides the experience this young talented team needs to be a formidable matchup to the experienced Galaxy. Kyle Beckerman, the captain, has been excellent in the playoffs and would love nothing more than to cap his breakout season by hoisting the MLS Cup.

In front of over 40,000 fans at Qwest Field in Seattle, this game is sure to be a great finish to what has been an outstanding MLS Playoffs. While both teams have a chance of winning this game, I think that it’s Donovan who proves to be too much for Real Salt Lake in the end. His killer instinct in MLS Cup finals (3 titles in 3 chances with LA and San Jose) will be the difference as he carries LA to the title.
Life in 1-1-8 Prediction: LA Galaxy 3, Real Salt Lake 1.