Dear fellow Soccer/Football/Footy lover,

Isn’t it an amazing time to be a fan of the USMNT? A thrilling win Saturday booked our tickets to South Africa for the World Cup. May I gently point out that all 3 goals were scored by perhaps the 2 best players in the MLS.

Now before the nasty MLS hating comments pore in, let me address some of the types of MLS Haters

THE EUROSNOB

“The MLS is inferior to EPL and La Liga.” No kidding. We aren’t up to the level of a Russian or Belgian league either. For that reason, I’m glad we have TV so I can cheer on the Toffees or catch Barcelona’s beautiful interpretation of the beautiful game.

But may I gently point out that we do in fact live in the US of A. There is competitive soccer happening on the pitch every Saturday right here.

THE PRO-USMNT BUT ANTI-MLS FAN

“I still support our American players, but when they are in real leagues over in Europe” (this fan is closely related to the Eurosnob).

I too support Tim Howard (my favorite player in the world), Onyewu, and Davies on their European sides. However, it is an undeniable fact that the success of the USMNT is directly tied to the success of the MLS. Two reasons:

1. First, if there is no league for American youngsters to aspire to, a league which is a viable possibility for great athletes to make a living at, we will be reliant on immigration to provide our soccer talent. While I am very thankful for that influx of talent, we need to develop our own system as well. We have tremendous athletes in this country, and as the MLS grows it will become an even better option for those elite athletes who would otherwise focus on other sports.
2. We cannot rely on European clubs to snatch up and develop all of our talent in their teens, that is not a viable option for all families. We need to be able to develop talent here, even if the very best talent continues to end up on the other side of the pond.
3. Additionally, while some of my favorite players are struggling to get playing time on a weekly basis (Onyewu, Altidore), players like Conor Casey and Landon Donovan are playing competitive footy every Saturday in a fight for the playoffs. They are at the height of their game and it showed on Saturday.

THE DON GARBER & MLS CRITIC

“_Insert your own rant against the leadership of MLS here._”

Does the MLS have issues? Yes. Of course. Are some of them frustrating? Again, of course. But two things

1. We are not the only league with problems. The EPL has teams in serious financial trouble, including Portsmouth who weren’t paying their players last week and became another team sold to owners with oil money. The English Premier league is becoming less and less…English. You think fans aren’t upset about that? We all have problems
2. The MLS is a young league. Frankly I’m thankful they’ve even survived, and not only are they surviving but are solvent and expanding.

THE PERPETUAL COMPLAINER

If you are angry at the world for soccer not being as big or as good here, I get that. However, there are two ways to make a change. Top/Down or Bottom/Up. Whether the change is social, religious, athletic, or otherwise, changes that are bottom up ALWAYS have greater effect and a longer life.

MY REQUEST TO YOU

On that note (with apologies to Ghandi), be the change you want to see in the MLS. I’m asking all MLS hating soccer fans in the US to go to 3 MLS games a year. That will cost you less than a quality soccer ball, you will see competitive soccer, you will be part of bringing educated soccer fans to the pitch, and you will invest in the future of Soccer in America.

STOP THE HATING AND GET TO THE PITCH

(One Caveat: I am not as familiar with the USL or other leagues in the US, if someone would like to address this topic from their perspective contact me).

In the US vs. Guatemala game at Dick’s Sporting Goods Park, young Jozy Altidore caught my eye. It wasn’t that one phase of his game was overly dominant, he just seemed to do everything well and be in the right place at the right time.

Apparently the Toffees have taken interest as well, though Villareal has rejected Everton’s loan offer. This isn’t the first EPL interest in Altidore, there were rumors of English Premier League clubs being interested before the Red Bulls accepted a transfer to Villareal. It will be interesting in the years to come to see if Altidore could become an American with a real impact in European football.