1. Why did FC Dallas wait until the last five minutes of the second overtime to play like a team possessed? I know they had to change their play after Colorado's go ahead goal and certainly benefited from Colorado being down one man, but that five minute stretch at the end of the game was the most dangerous Dallas had looked since the Colorado scored the equalizer earlier in the match.
2. I don't like busting on other team's fans, but Toronto FC's fans really did make a poor showing last night. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the stadium at least 50% empty when the first overtime began. There is NO WAY real soccer fans leave their league's championship match when it goes to extra time. We Seattlites didn't when all 46,000 attendees stuck around for RSL's clinching PK in 2009. I was there, and the image below adequately captures the crowd's dedication (I was just outside the upper left corner of the picture). I expect the same of any host city, especially when attendance is half that of 2009.
Don Garber and MLS need to fix this going forward by letting the higher seed host the MLS Cup. It should be a reward for the supporters whose team has had the better record over the season, a financial reward for the team's ownership in the gate and concession receipts it would generate, and it would certainly generate better attendance than the neutral site we saw last night. The NFL is the only major pro sports league who doesn't host their championship at the home of one of the two participants (although to be fair, those other leagues also run best-of-7 championships). MLS Cup is not the Super Bowl, and it's not the FA Cup. Let's recognize reality, and connect it to the higher seed of the two participants.
3. Perhaps the "fans" at BMO Park were only serving as a visual representation of the national "who cares" attitude that was taken towards MLS Cup 2010. Turns out this year's championship was the lowest rated MLS Cup since the beginning of such recorded data in 1999.. Commissioner Garber and MLS have their work cut out for them.
4. The expansion of next year's playoffs to 10 teams will make this situation worse. Don Garber seems completely unwilling to listen to MLS's fans, and keeps making the mistake of assuming that mythical soon-to-be-MLS-fans want more than half the league to break into a playoff. Even assuming we get the New York Cosmos as our league's 20th team, we will still be braking half the league to the playoffs. I will statistically show in the next couple of weeks that in 2011:
- It will be easier for a team to qualify for the MLS Cup playoffs than 2010, and
- The bottom seeds will have an easier time making it to the MLS Cup than the higher seeded teams due to those higher seeded teams likely playing more games in 2011 with CONCACAF Champions League responsibilities.
MLS needs to junk the idea that we need more playoff teams to attract fans. The biggest liability MLS has right now is that it is considered a bit of a joke compared to other soccer leagues. We don't play top-of-the-table format. We don't follow the international schedule. And we allow a team with a losing record to have a shot at,and win, the league championship. Let's not double down on a league policy that inhibits the sport's and league's growth.
Overall, I think the 2010 MLS Cup was a big let down compared to 2009. Sure, I am biased as the 2009 Cup was hosted in my hometown and I was in attendance. I felt that the game was okay, but the external factors and huge decline in viewership should be of primary concern to Don Garber and MLS. I hope they continue to fix this situation as MLS is critical to the sport's growth in our country.
Now, it is time for me to get back to my vacation. As my hosts on the islands would say, Aloha!
- FYI, this was posted using (the massively improved) BlogPress from my iPad
Location:Niulani Rd,Kapaa,United States
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