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Reactions How would you change MLS?
Posted: Sunday November 14, 1999 06:10 PM
As its fourth season comes to a close, Major League Soccer is considering changes for its first campaign of the new millennium. CNN/SI users have responded in large numbers when asked what changes the league should make to ensure its lasting success. Thanks to all who have submitted their thoughts.
The MLS All Star Game should be re-launched as the MLS XI v. the MFL XI (an all star team from the Mexican Football League). It should be played every year in Southern California, Dallas Houston or other suitable location.
1. MLS and US Soccer should collaborate to produce a soccer showcase program that runs at the same time on the same channel every week. The show should focus on MLS and the US National Teams, but should also highlight American players playing abroad. It should be a highlights show -- providing the showcase that SportsCenter and the other sports news shows have consistently refused to air. And it should be considered part of the regular MLS season television package -- a requirement of whichever network wants to profit from the attractive demographic MLS presents to them. 2. Start the process of winning back the credibility the league has lost over four years. Stop making trades for the sake of making trades. Start publishing transfer fee information like everyone else does. The league's secrecy policy has served only to make its fans suspicious of every move it makes. 3. Stress US National Team connections every chance you get. One thing we know: Americans love to chant "USA! USA!". Anything that ties that passion into MLS is a good thing.
The MLS has to size control over pro youth development from the money-wasting Project 2010. They need a better product on the field to compete against foreign TV, and current fan's perceived lower level of play. P-40 was a start, but is woefully inadequate number-wise and training-wise. The league needs to establish pro youth development teams or HS juniors and seniors as a feeder for P-40 similar to junior hockey so washouts can still go to college. Recruitment from the blue collar ranks should also be stepped up so they don't have to compete with college coaches and players without rich parents have professional opportunities currently available only to those that can afford elite team fees. Finally, within MLS they need to do something about getting game time for the young players they do have. Jamar Beasley minutes were woeful and I don't think he played a minute of P-40. Horrible way to treat someone. His agent ought to be demanding a trade. Better to go to Europe and sit on a bench there. At least they will get good training.
The season needs shortened, maybe not fewer games, but to run through to the middle of football season, the start of basketball and hockey season, and now the baseball playoffs, its just got too much competition for a young sport in this country. Also, I've heard the rift over the shootout used to decide games that end in a tie games. I really hope they keep them. I find this time used wisely to get a head start on the crowd/traffic. Honestly, I haven't stuck around to see one in quite some time. I also hope other owners/communities take a look at what Lamar Hunt has done here in Columbus. The facility here really adds a lot to the product. Hopefully others take note and duplicate what he has done here.
MLS should do three things schedule wise to encourage consistency for its TV appearances: 1) Television Broadcast Quality - Contract out a different production house or require the current production house to learn how to televise soccer on TV. At a very minimum - they should be required to watch the EPL, Serie A, and Bundesliga I games. Longer shots/steady shots with accent cameras keep the field wide, close ups with other cameras. For replays, accent the important part -- like the touch that caused the goal or the offside/non-offside call. Slow-motion the key part or shuttle back and forth. (I could also go on an on about the play and color announcers - simply - replace them). 2) Game Day - require all games to be played in one of two eligible time slots on Saturday. IE: eastern time slot game and western time slot game. Have TV rights to both pre-sold so that the most important match can be broadcast - not a match picked out in advance and unimportant to the league/teams. Goal here is to have a consistent time slot where soccer is seen. 3) Weekly Wrap/rebroadcast - Have an hour and a half show on Wednesdays evenings - MLSthisWeek or something - have 1/2 hour of wrap up and news. Then a hour long Compacto (like on Univision)- rebroadcast of the best game of the weekend. An exciting match or one with significant repercussions.
--Marshall Johnson, Dayton, OH
1) Ban the Shootout 2) Keep time on the field 3) Shorten the season to 26 games 4) Keep one table & declare the league champion from that. If you want playoffs, play a league cup at the end of the season. 5) Have a defined TV schedule (ie a Sat night game of the week & Monday Night Soccer) Make the televised matchups plastic so that the best games can always be shown 6) Have a nightly show (ie MLS 2-night) 7) Hire some on air talent to broadcast the games (Dear Gawd get rid of Ty Keough) 8) Enforce red cards for diving/feigning injury, tackles from behind & shirt pulling 9) Hire some decent refs 10) Start a youth development program
As thousands of posts at BigSoccer.com have discussed, I can boil it down to one thing: SPEND MORE MONEY 1) On marketing the players, team and league to this country.
THE REST WILL FOLLOW
MLS should place a bigger emphasis on promoting soccer to the Hispanic community. As small of an average attendance that the MLS has, I'll bet you that the proportion of Hispanics that attend games compared to any other group, versus their respective total U.S. population, is, by far, the greatest. These are the people that are coming to games and these are the people that MLS can more quickly convert by making some smart moves to entice them to "sample the product". What are some of those moves? Hire more good, Hispanic players (pay attention to the nationality of the prevalent spanish community in that particular city), hire more Hispanic coaches, hire more Hispanics into MLS management positions that understand and can market to that group of people (Spanish ads, etc.), promote soccer in the Hispanic communities with soccer clinics, ticket give-aways, etc. Without the Hispanic community, the MLS will not survive in the long run.
1. Adopt international rules. The sports greatest attraction is international competition. The U.S. Women play by international rules, and are very popular. 2. Don't worry about ties or overtimes. Remember, teams earn ties, they should not be equivalent to losses. The NHL never counts ties as losses. 3. Adopt the 3-1-0 point scoring system. This system already gives a huge advantage for teams that manage to beat there opponents, as opposed to merely tying them. It is used around the world. Use it here, too. 4. Get MLS on TV, at a consistent time, twice a week. Show a higher percentage of marquis games. 5. Play a preseason schedule in March in the south and west, start the regular season with much fanfare in early April. 6. End the season some time in October. 7. Find out what works, e.g. July 4th in Denver, and do more of it. 8. Build more soccer specific stadiums. 9. Reach soccer playing kids and adults with promotions and free/promotional tickets. Co-promote with USL teams in areas close to USL teams. Create youth league events. Do the same for Boy and Girl Scouts, even whole school systems, a la Kansas City. 10. Create a U.S. Women's league including a large number of international players from countries that don't have their own leagues (or, for some of the best players, even if they do). Mix and match WMLS dates and cities with MLS clubs. Challenge the male clubs to outdraw the female clubs, and vice versa. 11. Convince Europe to play through the summer, and hold their big tournaments in winter. Align the world soccer schedule, at least within certain limits. 12. Convince better high school kids to play soccer for their high school during the school's soccer season, and club soccer in the off-season. Work to build the popularity of soccer at the high school and college level. Offer training camps for high school and college soccer players during the summer, to whatever extent might be permitted by the NCAA. These could be staffed by top college coaches. 13. Create two to four national training camps, one in each major region of the country, and presumably in and MLS city, for college age players who choose to devote themselves full-time to soccer. Offer USSF scholarships to the elite or financially challenged, and acceptances to other top applicants. These camps could be run by MLS alone or in combination with support from USSF. Arrange seasonal tournaments between the four camps. Make offers to sign players to long term contracts as appropriate. Those players would forfeit future USSF scholarships. 14. Offer training camps for USL, college, high school, and club coaches. Upgrade the level of training in the U.S.
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