I voted today and I voted for...HA! GOT EEM! But, seriously, it is not difficult to figure out which candidate received my vote.
Anyway, I have spent the past two nights watching (or trying to watch) the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals. To be honest, I do not normally watch these matches because the matches typically pit Liga MX sides either against one another or against another side from Central America, but this year's quarterfinals are different; this year's quarterfinals feature FOUR Liga MX versus MLS matches. Well, that was the angle MLS and most American soccer pundits decided to use in promoting the matches. Unfortunately, it did not pan out as MLS had hoped as DC United fell 2:0 to Queretaro, Seattle Sounders twice floundered their advantage and had to settle for a 2:2 draw with Club America, Real Salt Lake also fell 2:0 to Tigres, and the Los Angeles Galaxy played to a scoreless draw against Santos Laguna. Sadly, it is the scoreless draw from the Galaxy-Santos match that was the lone bright spot from an otherwise dim series of results, but even then, the Galaxy face an uphill battle to either win or draw against Santos away.
As for the remaining MLS sides, they face far more difficult tasks heading into their respective second leg matches:
DC United: Yes, they will be at home for the second match of a two-match series, but they will not only need to score at least two goals (to even the aggregate score and force extra time and then penalty kicks) and not concede an away goal and given their performance during their first leg away in Mexico; it does not look promising.
Seattle Sounders: Despite the draw, the Sounders face an even more difficult situation than DCU or RSL as they will need to head into Estadio Azteca and win. Conceding two away goals to one of Liga MX's perennial powerhouse clubs has pretty much sealed the Sounders' fate.
Real Salt Lake: See DC United
Now, there will be a number of articles published and discussions held over the next few days about why MLS continues to struggle in the region's premiere club tournament, but most of these articles and conversations will simply be regurgitating the same basic points:
1) Fitness Levels. During the quarterfinal knockout stages of the CCL, Liga MX sides are well into their professional seasons while MLS teams are in their preseason. For MLS supporters, the preferred method of remedying this issue would be to shift the tournament's schedule to begin and end within the same calendar year as opposed to using the FIFA club calendar. Of course, there are detractors that believe MLS should be the ones to shift its schedule to match many of Europe's top domestic leagues.
2) Available Resources. When it comes to club budgets, there exists a massive gap between Liga MX and MLS. In Liga MX, all clubs are owned by private individuals or ownership groups that are permitted to spend as much as they are willing to spend on the purchase of players and their wages. Meanwhile, MLS teams are severely hampered by the league's salary cap that is the result of the league being a single-entity organization in which the league owns the clubs and players while individuals invest in teams. I saw a great tweet that made reference to the fact that even MLS teams "with cash" are forced to sell some of their top talents to Liga MX sides because they are unable to fit the player's wages under the salary cap while Liga MX sides do not share this worry.
There are plenty of other points to be made, but it is late and I have to be up early. So, take care and DFTBA!
