Oh, It’s Been Too Long

Okay, fine, I’ve been gone for a while. Like, a while. At least I can tell you that, in the past seven weeks, I’ve learned that the Israeli soccer league is surprisingly good, and that mixing Maccabi Tel Aviv and Maccabi Haifa is a serious no-no. Yes, I’ve been in the Promised Land for the past two months, and, I know, I probably should have told someone, but hey, at least not all of my readers have disappeared, right?

Let’s get to it, because a LOT has happened in the past two months.

Though I don’t mean to favor them, the Red Bulls’ performance definitely merits mention. With a tie at home tonight to the last-place Fire, New York is now winless in six games, with a franchise record 13 ties. Of course, that’s all on top of a 3-0 loss to RSL, a 4-1 slaughter by Colorado, and a 4-0 downing by the Fire all in the course of one summer. Their offense remains strong, with Henry still leading the league in goals, but the back line seems to have completely let up, and the midfield looks like a black hole

Oh, and then they went an won the Emirates Cup against Arsenal, Boca Juniors, and Paris Saint- Germain. (grrrrrrrr)

But seriously, this leaves questions in the East. Columbus is resurgent, and, with Freddy Adu in tow, the Union are a legitimate playoff option. Given the assumption that the Red Bulls continue to fall, which they obviously may not, Sporting and Houston are definitely the best shots at grabbing the third playoff slot. Though plagued with injury, Sporting have made LSP a proud place to be, with only one regular season loss since opening the new stadium. Houston, though, has been just as strong, and could easily close in on the playoff slot.

DC stands as more of a question mark. In my mind they’re good, but not great, and while they have clearly made strides over last year, it’s hard to tell if they’re “playoff ready”. Dwayne DeRosario was a great pickup, as he is thriving in DC much more than he did in New York, which could give DC the edge in it’s home stretch of games. And it turns out that these last games are, for the most part, against rather favorable teams (Vancouver, at Chicago, at Kansas City, and Portland). Sure, these teams aren’t so easy, but it helps that DC will no longer be facing New York or LA, and will only play RSL at home. This is where DC needs to prove itself; if it deserves playoff berth, it will win these games and nail the third spot. If not, then it’s better luck next year for the red and black.

And then there’s this whole publicity thing. Apparently, MLS has signed a new, shiny, $10 million/ 3 year contract with NBC sports. What can I say about his but positives? We’re finally moving from the Fox Soccer Channel, which was a very good, if often inaccessible, home for our league, into a much bigger field. While FSC mainly focused on European clubs, NBC has said that it will tout and advertise MLS games during the olympics, NFL games, and college football matches. The rest of the deal is as follows: NBC will broadcast two regular-season MLS games, two playoff games and two U.S. men’s national team games. The NBC Sports Network (formally VERSUS) will televise 38 regular-season games, three playoff games and two U.S. men’s national team games. All telecasts on NBC and NBC Sports Network will have pregame and postgame coverage.

This looks like a big move for publicity, and one that I’m very happy with.

So that’s a brief (very, very, very brief) look at what’s been going on in the league. I’ll be in and out again until September, with a soccer camp starting tomorrow, a trip to the shore, and preseason for my high school team starting up soon. Don’t worry, I’ll check in when I can.

What’s your take on the news? Comment below!

Category: MLS