Soccer Politics

By Jonathan Feldman

Forget about the U.S. Presidential election in November, American soccer is ALL about politics, from your high schooler's letter of intent to the appointment of a general manager in Chicago.

It's about old alliances and handshakes. That's a tough pill for the talented young coach struggling to break through with few connections. It can be a slippery slope for a writer who makes mention of the magazine publisher who serves on the board of the US Soccer Foundation. It's even harder for the successful coach who can't get publicity for a team on a popular soccer blog because he chose adidas and because the blog is financed by NIKE. It's particularly distressing when a content manager can't run a meaningful story because a soccer news website is contractually obligated to mention David Beckham a dozen times each week.

Every April, I get excited about the possibilities and every October, I fall back to earth when my hopes are dashed by American soccer politics. It’s the reason Jay DeMerit couldn't get an MLS contract in 2005. And it is the same reason, a manager with absolutely no soccer knowledge was named as the Director of Operations for a team in the league’s biggest soccer market.

Isn't it so predictable? Each week Major League Soccer sends me emails, not to provide me with soccer news or to ask for my input in a survey, but in order to sell last year’s merchandise. That's what they think of me and you. We're good enough for last year's goods.

But you know what really gets me. This stuff isn't even that important. I'm more upset the league lacks the foresight to sign better defenders, because as one executive so astutely put it, “No one wants to see good defenders.” How many times can you watch the ‘stroll into my penalty area unchallenged’ toe poke game? It's made worse by the fact that so many attacking players can't find the target. “The standard is somewhere between appalling and Sunday league stuff,” wrote the Guardian after David Beckham made his move to the states last summer.

I don’t agree with everything in print, but the Brits know a little more about footy than we do.

	"There is no identity, no drama to any of it."

We need to accept that. Note to MLS execs: Just suck it up and learn.

Instead they pat themselves on the back for stadium deals and marketing contracts, in denial that the rift between the soccer community and MLS is growing. 'We’re building stadiums, it will all work out,' they say. If you build it they will come has become the league’s mantra.

Remember though that several teams in Major League Soccer do not have concrete plans for soccer specific stadiums in place. Houston and New England come to mind. San Jose's expansion team plays in front of 6,000 fans at a small college stadium in Santa Clara and Kansas City struggles just the same at another converted Minor League Baseball stadium on the outskirts of town.

Last year I received emails from former MLS employees who criticized the league management structure. “They don’t care what you know or how much you give,” said a former ticket salesperson, who quit her job to work in finance. “I worked for the team because I cared, but they didn’t show me the same kind of courtesy.”

Sometimes even disgruntled employees have something important to say. At a time when the league is trumpeting its success, you don't have to look very far for critics.

“Just look at the MLS website,” said Vicky Wiltshire, a soccer fan and bartender on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. “I like that they have the video coverage, but there is no identity, no drama in any of it. At least have the team shields up on the site like every other league website around the world.”

Major League Soccer recently launched a new blog for fans, which on the surface seems like a good idea. My fear, though is that such a project would best serve the BigSoccer community, rather than the entire soccer community. You know, it's the kind of discussion where BluesFan86 tells RedsSupporter 89 that Dwayne DeRosario is better than Juan Pablo Angel. It's just a matter of time until style over substance scribes like Michael Lewis and Marc Connoly deliver the PR driven drivel each Friday. Predictable, and oh so boring.

- The opinions of Jonathan Feldman do not necessarily represent those of GreenPitch Magazine.