http://mls.theoffside.com/major-league-soccer/week-16-preview-part-deux-superliga-et-al.html News from Major League Soccer Fri, 27 Nov 2009 02:54:45 -0600 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://mls.theoffside.com/major-league-soccer/week-16-preview-part-deux-superliga-et-al.html#comment-384 NHJoe Mon, 14 Jul 2008 02:39:18 +0000 http://mls.theoffside.com/major-league-soccer/week-16-preview-part-deux-superliga-et-al.html#comment-384 Santos brought a high level of pace and intensity to the first-round SuperLiga game against New England and it was great to see the Revs match it for the full 90 minutes. Mansally, Dube, and Nyassi could take it to the Santos defenders, and Joseph and Larentowicz used their skill and athleticism to control a very high-speed, intense midfield game. The opportunities given to Santos mostly ended with shots not on goal and one point-blank header directly at Reis. An injury-filled first half of the season might worry some New England fans about the players becoming fatigued from the extra games, but I think the opportunity to play in such a tough competition will reward the four MLS sides in the long run. The Revs have proven able to use their depth and still be front runner, and they’ll gain a lot from this tournament experience. SuperLiga is a reward for the best MLS teams to bring their game to an even higher level. I think we’ll start to see MLS teams playing a better brand during, and shortly after, the SuperLiga – comparable to the great form we see US international players at in the immediate league games following world cups. Brian McBride and Landon Donovan were out of their minds after the 2002 World Cup and the trend continued for 06. I think we’ll see this at the club level year in and year out because of SuperLiga. Go Revs! Santos brought a high level of pace and intensity to the first-round SuperLiga game against New England and it was great to see the Revs match it for the full 90 minutes. Mansally, Dube, and Nyassi could take it to the Santos defenders, and Joseph and Larentowicz used their skill and athleticism to control a very high-speed, intense midfield game. The opportunities given to Santos mostly ended with shots not on goal and one point-blank header directly at Reis.
An injury-filled first half of the season might worry some New England fans about the players becoming fatigued from the extra games, but I think the opportunity to play in such a tough competition will reward the four MLS sides in the long run. The Revs have proven able to use their depth and still be front runner, and they’ll gain a lot from this tournament experience.
SuperLiga is a reward for the best MLS teams to bring their game to an even higher level. I think we’ll start to see MLS teams playing a better brand during, and shortly after, the SuperLiga – comparable to the great form we see US international players at in the immediate league games following world cups. Brian McBride and Landon Donovan were out of their minds after the 2002 World Cup and the trend continued for 06. I think we’ll see this at the club level year in and year out because of SuperLiga. Go Revs!

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