Posted by

Aaron Nielsen ,

October 21, 2014 Email

Aaron Nielsen



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@ENBSports

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Sifting through the serious and frivolous debates on North American soccer



A frustrating aspect about Soccer in North America is we often allow the frivolous stories to be blown out of proportion. My instincts are usually to ignore them, even though in many cases I know it will gain traffic if I give my two cents on the topic and arguably increase my reputation as someone who is connected to the game. If I do comment I tend to laugh the topic off and in some instances siding with an organization such as FIFA, which I imagine makes me look a bit arrogant, or even worse, "one of them".

An example of this was the talk prior to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil and stories of riots and political unrest that were bound to take place as the Brazilian population objected to the World Cup and the building of new stadiums instead of money being placed elsewhere. Personally, I agree with the protesters point of view, and without understanding Brazilian politics I can agree building stadiums seems to be a waste of resources, especially in the middle of the Amazon in a city without a club. Although from what was reported during the World Cup there was very little uproar, if any, and most Brazilians appeared ecstatic about the World Cup until the semi-final game against Germany. Why violence continues to rage in Brazil over the 2014 World Cup. http://t.co/Ff014n7X8w pic.twitter.com/VlGV9Syyhv — NowThis (@nowthisnews) April 23, 2014

Continuing on this theme, the 2015 Women's World Cup turf issue is similar. On one hand I can understand the want for fairness, but as I have lobbied for in the past, which even looks better in hindsight, I would rather see a club like Toronto FC start a women's NWSL team than pay thirty times the amount to bring in overrated players for the main purpose of winning fans over and trying to prove MLSE cares about the game. That aside, the complaint about turf is completely ridiculous. First off, American men and women play on turf throughout their career in high school, college and the pros. Even in the 1999 World Cup, where Brandi Chastain famously ripped her shirt off, games were played at Giants Stadium, which not only had turf but the cement version of astro turf. If the USWNT players want to present a law suit, they should first go after the US Soccer Federation because if any country in the World has promoted playing on turf it has been the United States. Fails to address players condemnation of "instant" grass quality or compensation & peripheral costs. #TurfGate http://t.co/zhKDK2k3Nw — James Kellough (@JamesKello) October 6, 2014

I understand the health issues and also admit playing soccer in Montreal’s Olympic Stadium is probably not the image Canada wants to provide the World in terms of representing a final venue. However, there are countless examples where men were asked to do the same including Montreal Impact games and again in the United States for the Canada vs USA game at the 2011 Gold Cup in Detroit. Despite proof that this story is a "no go", I can guarantee it will stick around and even be a talking point during the tournament. On top of this, I think women's soccer is actually hurting themselves through this story because not only could this overshadow the tournament itself, some of the strongest supporters of women's soccer in the world such as Norway, Sweden and Japan also play many professional women's and men's games on turf.

Many stories regarding MLS also end up in this category of frivolous, including the most recently discussed war of words between MLS Commissioner Don Garber and US National Team coach Jurgan Klinsmann. Klinsmann criticized the league’s quality of play saying players such as Landon Donovan, Clint Dempsey, and Micheal Bradley have not reached their potential by choosing to play in the MLS instead of a prominent league in Europe. Garber replied in criticizing Klinsmann for making these comments as the US National Team coach, creating a new cat fight which exploded on the twitterverse. MLS calls press conference so Don Garber can address these comments Jurgen Klinsmann made about league & its players. http://t.co/G5gVOK2T8D — Robert Jonas (@robertjonas) October 15, 2014

To be blunt, my trust factor for both is low and I imagine any Toronto FC fan isn't endeared to either Garber or Klinsmann, and in my opinion the story is a non-issue. Klinsmann is correct in some ways, although the truth is the three players in question at this point of their careers are not top class players and would be bench players in Europe if they were on a real contender. Myself and others have mentioned in the past that MLS is wasting good money on marketability by overpaying these American players who once played in the Premier League, Serie A, or Bundesliga.



The fact is that in any strong soccer nation older or struggling players lose their stature and end up going to lower quality teams while new players take their place. Garber’s response should have asked why is Klinsmann is relying on players of diminishing quality instead of offering younger MLS players opportunities? For example, DC United’s Perry Kitchen, who has played over 120 games in MLS, is having a very strong season and a much better one than Bradley, yet has not been given a chance with the senior national team.



I wouldn't criticize people commenting on any of the above issues, although the story that will last for a long time will be the battle between Garber and Klinsmann, which really has nothing to do with soccer. The truth is, and almost to their detriment, MLS promotes this kind of discussion especially through their own website by publishing traffic generating stories that will motivate its audience to read and write comments. Unfortunately, often when an event or controversy emerges that can become a true soccer story, they will shy away.

A great example is the Vancouver Whitecaps and Camilo saga that was the discussion at the beginning of the season. Headlines of Camilo and his agent having no integrity, this Mexican team Querétaro is a rogue club, Camilo will be forced to return and play for Vancouver, and so on. Whitecaps statement: "Camilo is under contract with #VWFC. The club is working with @MLS on this matter. Additional info to follow.” — Luke Wileman (@LukeWileman) January 6, 2014 However, when a real story that is part of this issue is brought up - that MLS cares more about big names than promoting players who do well in the league, or whether MLS option contracts should be legal because it restricts the movement of players, and finally the current development that Vancouver is 14th in the league in scoring and only ahead of teams eliminated from the playoffs - they are not given the same time or prominence. All of these narratives are ignored by the league, mainstream media and get very little readership for writers who bring up these issues. Due to difference in opinion in my coverage, the Rapids pushed for my release from my work as team reporter for http://t.co/cbmIUnt1dq... — Chris Bianchi (@Rapids_News) October 15, 2014

Recently an MLSSoccer beat writer for the Colorado Rapids Chris Bianchi tweeted that he was let go basically for "a difference of opinion". The Rapids had struggled this season more than expected, so Bianchi was probably more critical of the team than he was in the past. He was also using more of an analytical approach in addressing a team whose core prospects, who were very exciting in 2013, have not progressed as expected. This could also be regarded as frivolous because Bianchi was employed by the league/team to promote the Rapids and criticizing them might not enforce the image the league is trying for. Although what is not frivolous, if you read any of Bianchi’s work, is his passion and care for the Colorado Rapids. The Rapids are a team that struggles for support and doesn't have many independent outlets like RedNation Online to allow for fair and honest debates or opinion.



More people listen to Britney Spears instead of Radiohead, more people watch "Transformers" instead of "12 Years of Slave", so the populous is always going to be attracted to shallow and mostly useless information. However, in the music and film industry there is enough support for the alternative to exist and thrive. Even in other sports, stories like concussions or other critical issues get a platform and any good sports reporter in those respective sports has the opportunity to be critical. In terms of soccer in North America, we don't have the same influence. Mainstream media, and the audience that depends on it, will only grab on to the major headlines. It’s the job of the soccer community and those who write about it to make sure stories have meaning and purpose instead of getting bogged down by the frivolous.