The league engines are doing their best to try and drum up interest/pretend there is interest, but, even more than in past years, no one seems to be buying it. There was less than a half-full stadium last night for the Homegrown game and the players are going out of their way to talk about how they want to go back to playing an MLS East vs MLS West format (we'll get into the why below).
The problem is the league and the sponsors want star power and an US vs them (pun intended) format. Thus the “big” Euro team coming in to play. The league wants games against pre-season European teams partly because close results against them give them credibility among those not paying all that close attention.
It doesn’t matter that Spurs would win the Supporters Shield with 100 points (They’d draw the Galaxy once), because perception is reality. And, if the MLS all-stars give it an honest go, they league’s best should be able to hang with a team like Spurs that’s still two weeks away from games that matter (and who probably don’t care all that much about the result).
The key there, though, is “give it an honest try.” If you listened carefully this week to the noise being made by the players they don’t really appreciate being put in a position where they need to put an intense effort in for a game that doesn’t matter and provides them with next to no direct benefit.
They want to go back to an East v West format because that will allow them to play at a lower intensity level. Whether already indifferent fans will accept a testimonial-like match is debatable, but the players do not want to play anything that even remotely resembles a competitive match in the middle of an already loaded schedule.
The players have likely felt this way for a while. The difference now is the clubs are staring to agree. A member of an America team’s front office contacted me last night to stress how much the clubs HATED (bold was theirs) the game. They went on to say “the only reason it’s in Denver is because no one else wanted it – the timing is awful.”
The timing this year is particularly bad with the Gold Cup just finishing, but there is a major tournament in three out of every four years so it’s always going to be bad.
The event is for sponsors and media partners. It allows the league to wine and dine them and to throw a party for the league media partners as well (I was at the media party at the 2010 MLS Cup and I get why those that go every year wouldn’t want to lose it…). So, there will always be an All-Star Game. But, something has to give.
A suggestion: Scraping the MLS v pre-season Euro team must happen (and hopefully will before a player is seriously injured or the MLS players take matters into own hands and lay down and lose 6-0). Putting an East v West game into the same part of the schedule makes little sense – the fans barely care when it’s something that resembles a real game. You make this like the NBA/NHL All-Star Games and you may as well have the sponsors play in it. No one will be watching anyway.
So, move the game to the start of the season. Pick a format that is all MLS players (I like either MLS USA v MLS Internationals, or MLS all-stars v defending MLS Cup champions) and play it as the very first game of the season. If possible, play it at the defending champions’ stadium or city. Think of it as MLS’ Community Shield. The proceeds could even go to MLS Works.
By playing it in March fans would be more likely to tune in – they’d be excited for the new season, after all. The broadcasters could spend the game hyping the new season, profiling the newest player additions and growing excitement.
It would still be an all-star game and it would still be a bit of a lazy kick about, but it would be welcome after three months without MLS soccer.
Regardless, something has got to give because the current format satisfies no one.