We Are the Champions!
The Los Angeles Galaxy joined the likes of DC United and the San Jose Earthquakes yesterday, as one of the great MLS teams of all-time. The Galaxy edged the New England Revolution in overtime 1-0 to capture their second MLS Cup.I understand that most of you could care less about the MLS, but I'm always thrilled to see the local teams win championships. Los Angeles has truly cemented itself as Soccer City, USA. We have not one, but two MLS teams, and they both play in a beautiful stadium down in Carson. (If you haven't been there yet, go!) The Galaxy draw the highest attendance in the MLS, averaging more than 24,000 fans a game.
The Galaxy's championship is a testament to the work AEG and Tim Leiweke have done to develop and market the sport in Los Angeles. Of course, this wasn't an easy season for the Galaxy. Despite having the MLS's best player in Landon Donovan, they also had to survive the league's worst coach, in Steve Sampson. The team limped to the No. 4 seed in the West. But ultimately, the Galaxy's superrior talent, and a clutch goal by Guillermo Ramirez, won out in the end.
Posted by Anonymous @ 11/14/2005 07:09:00 PM
4 Comments:
This was an incredibly ugly game to watch - it was a battle the whole way through. At least the officials were competent (an unusual feat at an MLS games), and fairly called fouls and offsides when they occured on both sides.
Having to watch players from both teams squander scoring opportunities left and right is hard to take from a fan's perspective.
It seems to me that an "American" style of soccer is emerging - and it is based on running really fast, and hitting really hard, but not really focusing on what makes the game so much fun to watch. I think that soccer is too organized too early for kids here - the fun and the life in the game gets squelched by a culture of domination by coaches and trainers. What makes a great soccer player, and a great soccer team, is not what makes a baseball, football, or basketball team great.
Hopefully, as the generation of coaches at the youth level get older and move on, a new generation (that actually grew up playing the game) will help the game grow. Or at least help to make the MLS not suck to watch anymore.
While I can understand your perspective, keep in mind that a couple of decades ago the most in the US didn't give squat about soccer. Just the fact that results are announced during the news' sports segment is saying something.
The rest of the world is ahead of us here. And it will be more difficult to develop soccer as it competes with football, baseball and basketball.
Soccer is a great game for kids. Watching it is torture. The emergence of soccer has been touted for years and it still falls far behind baseball, football, basketball, hockey, golf, Nascar (if driving is a sport), bowling, etc.....as far as fan interest overall.
The reason that soccer is popular in the rest of the world is that they until recently did not have those sports.
Uhh, 9:43 a.m.,
I thought soccer was boring until I started playing it. Once you understand the game, it is waaaaay more interesting.
What's more, the way leagues are run everywhere else in the owrld differ greatly with the U.S. sports leagues. MLB, NBA, the NFL, and MLS are run like soviet union, with the organization as the USSR, and each team a satellite state unto itself.
Leagues in other parts of the world are based on pure results, and your team can get "promoted" or "relegated" to a higher or lower division depending on its performance that season. It makes for a lot of unexpected drama at the top and bottom of the table.
Soccer is the bomb - you don't need much, if any, epuipment to play it; the rules are simple; and all you need is a group of people - no special arena's or fields neccessary. It's hard to beat that. Plus (in L.A.) you can rock a mullet and no one will blink an eye.
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