So, I figure, if it's time for my kids to make their holiday wish lists, then it might as well be time for First XI to make one, too. Last week, we gave thanks for all that's good in MLS. This week, we ask for more in 2007. Here goes:
11. Stop complaining about parity. OK, enough with the "parity stinks" stuff. It's become a tired rant among fans (usually in New York and L.A.) and even some coaches and executives. Parity is, in a way, what makes MLS unique. In this country, we'll probably never have fans with the mentality of many European fans, who are happy when their teams avoid relegation. That's not an easy sell in the U.S., where the NFL has set the trend, and every fan wants to at least think his or her favorite team has a chance to win a title. My argument is that MLS is like the middle third of the English Premier League table, where there are fights for the final spots in Europe and battles to avoid relegation, and good overall competitiveness. I say, embrace the level competition that defines MLS. And, in case you haven't noticed, each of the past two seasons we've had a team or two separate at the top.
10. Make MLS Cup a night game. Hey, I know this is related to ABC and a time slot on the network, but I'd love to see MLS Cup played under the lights, on a Saturday night preferably. There's just something about the night-time air that makes a soccer game faster, more exciting. The sunlight, even on a 70-degree day, seems to zap players pretty good. Night time is the right time.
9. Prove the big mouth wrong. This guy grabs me at a cocktail party last weekend and tells me how he took a train into New York last week and saw the site where the Red Bulls are building their stadium. "And," he said, "my brother said, 'That's where Jeff Bradley and 10 other soccer fans are going to watch games.'" The big mouth then told me he agreed with his brother. Need I say more, Red Bulls fans?
8. No more re-branding. A name is a name is a name. Do I love the name Kansas City Wizards? Not really. But do I want to see the team changing its name and colors in the near future? Absolutely not. The K.C. soccer team is blue and its name is the Wizards. Leave it alone, please.
7. Learn from playoff telecasts. Moving forward, TV folks, I think everyone agrees with me that the playoff analysis was top-notch. The reason was not so much that Bruce Arena was in the booth, but that Bruce and Eric Wynalda dissected the game at a high level. Keep it up. We don't need cute catch phrases and comments every time some kid gets a new tattoo or haircut. We need announcers to tell us when a team has made a formation change, a tactical switch, and how it's working out. We also need play-by-play men to nail every good scoring chance. I really hate it when a team breaks free for a chance and the play-by-play man is engaging the color guy in some line of questioning. Soccer is all about the chances. Be ready.
6. Don't make too much of the Shield. Another rant I hear lately from fans and MLS execs is that the Supporters' Shield needs more respect. Sorry, I love the concept and have always applauded the MLS supporters for coming up with the Shield, but until every team is playing the same balanced schedule, I'll always believe the regular season Eastern and Western Conference championships are more meaningful.
5. Make the DPs arch-villains, not heroes. This is a plea to all those fans of teams who will not be using their ballyhooed "designated player" slots. Please do not come out to, for example, cheer David Beckham when he comes to your town. Come out to boo him. Ditto Ronaldo, should he and the Red Bulls get together next year. OK, cheer him in introductions, maybe, but don't fawn over these guys unless they're wearing your team's shirt.
4. Give us Diamond Notes, boss. Now that ESPN says it's really going to cover MLS seriously on game days, how about some love from SportsCenter? How about once a week, we get a print guy (like Peter Gammons in baseball or John Clayton in football) to give us some inside scoop (trade buzz, inside the locker room stuff) on MLS. This is a way to get some of the names of MLS players into the mind of the general sports fan.
3. No more sideline interviews. Here's what the in-dugout interviews with Tony La Russa and Jim Leyland during the World Series taught me. That in-game interviews with distracted coaches add nothing to a broadcast. Be so bold, MLS, to say "We tried it and it doesn't work." That simple.
2. Consider Carolina. The SAS Stadium in Cary could be a really nice place for an MLS team if it was expanded to maybe 15,000 seats. As a graduate of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and a guy who has many friends still in that area, I think the Triangle is a place that's ready to host 15 MLS games a year, and put on a good show. The game has very strong roots down there.
1. Go with my patented playoff format. I know I make this plea about 10 times a year. Give the regular season Eastern and Western Conference champions a bye into the conference finals. Let 2 play 3 for the right to travel to the champion's house for a one-game playoff for a spot in MLS Cup. This is the best way (if I do say so myself) to make the regular season meaningful and to give the best teams the best chance of making it to the MLS Cup. I also think you'd see some rocking stadiums for conference finals if the home team had two weeks to promote.
Jeff Bradley is a senior writer for ESPN The Magazine. Send your comments and complaints (200 words or less, please) to Jeff at jbradleyespn2003@yahoo.com and he promises to read (but not respond to) all of them. The views and opinions expressed in this column are those of the author's, and not necessarily those of Major League Soccer or MLSnet.com.
