By J Hutcherson - WASHINGTON, DC (Mar 29, 2011) US Soccer Players -- There are at least a couple of ways to look at yesterday's announcement that a revamped World Football Challenge will now feature Major League Soccer clubs. The first is obvious. A tour featuring only international clubs that had nothing to do with MLS or their marketing arm is now at least partly under that umbrella.
MLS and SUM once again positioning themselves as the one-stop shop for anything related to high level professional soccer in North America shouldn't come as a surprise. Neither should the change in format to include MLS teams. It's the bigger picture that's worth considering.
Instead of another way to market and promote high level soccer in North America, we get another MLS-influenced production. For those of you anywhere near an MLS market, you already know what that's like. Creative Artists on their own using the remnants of another unaffiliated promotion in ChampionsWorld offered an alternative. Big time soccer that was about the international touring teams rather than the North American domestic league.
That raised its own issues for not including MLS, but it's worth asking if we really need yet another MLS outlet. The last World Football Challenge certainly didn't stop MLS from bringing European teams over on tour. The MLS schedule remained crowded with League, Open Cup, Champions League, friendlies, and SuperLiga games.
Bringing us to our second point, the revamped World Football Challenge as a nice way to shove aside the SuperLiga. In Major League Soccer's version, the SuperLiga is no longer necessary because of the CONCACAF Champions League. That's how MLS teams will get regular exposure to the elite Mexican clubs. Fair enough, but it ignores the real problem with the SuperLiga. Nobody seemed to care.
Whether or not a revived version of the North American Soccer League's old Trans-Atlantic Cup does any better with an attempt to press a format on what amounts to a series of friendlies remains to be seen. It's very easy to look at a list of those old Trans-Atlantic Cup scores and tell a story that compliments the NASL on staging a tournament that had it's own appeal and drawing power. Whether or not that was the reality across markets is harder to figure out from scores.
This Summer, MLS and Creative Artists (CAA) have the benefit of major name clubs. That's the draw, especially when they play each other. That's always been the draw, regardless of the promoter. What needs to be avoided is what happened with the Trans-Atlantic Cup, when it's not the biggest teams in the World facing off against North American opponents in markets that aren't fully supporting the home team or anybody other than the top two or three clubs in the World.
Sure, MLS and CAA can alleviate that risk by careful scheduling. New England shouldn't be a problem when the opposition is Manchester United. Barcelona and United should be expecting to play at or near capacity all over the United States. There aren't a lot of clubs in that category, something ChampionsWorld found out when their touring schedule included under-attended stops in Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
That's the risk of MLS involvement. The best MLS teams should be focused on the Champions League, even if it means missing out on high-profile friendlies. The next tier that would've otherwise been in the SuperLiga might not be the best markets for the World Football Challenge. What that creates is MLS as the second-tier, avoiding a direct comparison to the old Trans-Atlantic Cup because their best teams aren't involved. It's an odd way to add MLS to a Giants of Europe stadium tour.
London's Olympic Stadium Continued
In a move that should surprise no one, Spurs have decided to pursue the legal option in response to the Olympic Park Legacy Company's choice of West Ham United as the tenant for the Olympic Stadium. This latest chapter to the Olympic Stadium story follows Leyton Orient's threat to litigate since the stadium is so close to their Brisbane Road stadium. When the Olympic Stadium was planned, it's long term use was supposed to be athletics, not professional soccer.
With all due respect to Spurs, who wanted to rebuild the Olympic Stadium and turn it into a better soccer and concert venue, it's Leyton Orient's complaint that resonates. It's hard enough being a small club in a mjaor metropolitan area with plenty of professional soccer options. Things won't get any easier with a Premier League club literally just up the road.
The impact of turning an athletics stadium into a professional soccer venue will be most felt by Leyton Orient, regardless of who moves into their area. Their fans are already lodging an appeal to the Mayor of London. Though stressing the needs of a small club over those of a Premier League club would seem like a long shot, it's worth an open discussion.
In real terms, what we have is one or two clubs deciding to ignore that soccer geography and facing no obstacle - other than a third party's choice - in setting up shop in another club's area. It's not a reasonable conclusion that this will start a trend across England of the major clubs moving wherever they want within their wider metropolitan area. Right now, it's a Leyton Orient point and one they have no choice but to press.
Comments, questions, solutions to problems that have yet to present themselves. Please, tell me all about it.
