Fantasy Better Than Reality for MLS Clubs, Fans

Major League Soccer has sold out Houston's 71,500-seat Reliant Stadium for Wednesday night's 2010 MLS All-Star Game against Manchester United (ESPN2, 8:30 p.m. EST). Last Sunday, more than 52,000 fans showed up in Kansas City to watch the Wizards upset United in a friendly. The next day, some 700 new season tickets were sold, according to the club. The New York Red Bulls drew their third-largest crowd of the season for Sunday's exhibition triumph over Manchester City (and biggest since March), while 44,200 showed up in Philadelphia to watch the Union play one of its best games of the season against the Red Devils.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Galaxy -- MLS's best team -- drew 6,873 to Home Depot Center for Tuesday night's CONCACAF Champions League match against the Puerto Rico Islanders. The Galaxy were crushed, 4-1, by a team that plays in the American second division.

The fans and franchises have spoken. Despite what MLS executives say about the importance of playing well in official international competition, nobody cares. This is where the United States is as a soccer country -- people would rather see an exhibition win over an English Premier League team slogging through its preseason than advancement in a continental championship tournament that promises a berth in the FIFA Club World Cup. That's the reality.

MLS's record in CONCACAF play is abysmal. As documented here before, the league continues to struggle to find ways to beat teams from even the lowliest countries in Central America and the Caribbean. Since the tournament was expanded in 2008, MLS sides have gone 10-21-15 in Champions League play. Only two American clubs have advanced beyond the group stage, and both were eliminated at the next hurdle. No MLS side has advanced to the finals since the Galaxy managed it on home soil in January 2001.

MLS commissioner Don Garber told Sports Illustrated in Houston that the Champions League is "incredibly important." He said that, "We need to prove our value and worthiness against our regional rival, and winning the Champions League would be a great way to do that. It's one thing to win an exhibition against a European club that's coming over here in their preseason, and that's of great promotional value and it's fun and exciting. But we need to win the Champions League"

The "regional rival" Garber referred to was Mexico. MLS is light years from competing against Mexican clubs. The Galaxy was beaten by a minor league team from Puerto Rico on Tuesday. Puerto Rico isn't even a real country. In the past two Champions League seasons, MLS sides also have been defeated by clubs from Panama, Trinidad and Tobago, Honduras and El Salvador. Mexico is a fantasy. The only win there was a forfeit by Chivas Guadalajara in 2001.

But if Mexico is a fantasy, then so is the Premier League, and it's that dream that continues to drive MLS players and fans, whether Garber likes it or not.

"It was a great feeling. It really was," Kansas City's Davy Arnaud said of his goal against Manchester United on Sunday. "When you are young, you kind of dream about those situations. You can't really put that into words."

Fans commenting on the Wizards Web site wrote that the win over United was a "dream come true" and a "big day for American soccer."

There is little doubt that should the All-Stars follow the Wizards and defeat United on Wednesday, the talk will center on the growth of MLS and American soccer in general, and what the result says about the increasing competitiveness and talent in the league.

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"We got beat soundly tonight. There's no question about that. There's no excuses," Galaxy coach Bruce Arena said after the Puerto Rico game. "I thought for the night our effort was good. Our execution was not. A couple of things -- I think our experienced players didn't have a good night for us tonight. Secondly our finishing was poor and theirs was superb ... their goalkeeping was excellent. Ours was not good enough."

Arena, also the All-Star coach, rested normal starting goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts and defender Omar Gonzalez, but plenty of other big names were on the field, including Landon Donovan, Edson Buddle, Greg Berhalter and other starters. The Islanders fielded the likes of Nicholas Addlery, a D.C. United reject who scored twice, and former Columbus Crew backup goalie Bill Gaudette, who made seven saves on Tuesday. The Galaxy's late goal came courtesy of an Islanders defender.

"They looked more experienced," Donovan said of the Islanders. "They looked like they knew what to do in situations. They looked like they'd been there before and we had a lot of young guys that played tonight that were clearly a little overwhelmed, especially after we went down."

The fact that a high-profile professional club in its 15th season, one that has by far the best record in MLS, could not match the big-game savvy of some minor-leaguers from a Caribbean island tells us all we need to know about how helpful the league's focus on the money-spinning summer friendlies really is. MLS teams do not know how to compete at the international level.

If winning official competitions and boosting the league's profile in the region and around the world (prospective players, administrators and fans elsewhere care more about trophies than friendlies) doesn't matter, then why keep standings at all? MLS could be a loose confederation of teams that host touring clubs from around the world. Imagine an entire season of full stadiums and "dream" matchups against clubs from England, Spain, Italy, Brazil and the like. Why bother with anything else? We seem to care far more about those results anyway.

To be fair, Toronto FC did defeat Motagua of Honduras on Tuesday night, and the Seattle Sounders have actually spent some time and money on promoting their qualifier against Salvadoran qualifier Isidro Metapán on Wednesday. But the new international campaign isn't off to a good start. The Galaxy will need a miracle in the return leg in Puerto Rico on Aug. 4. The Champions League group stage kicks off later in August with MLS champion Real Salt Lake and Supporters Shield winner Columbus already qualified.

Those games, usually played mid-week, will undoubtedly draw fewer fans than an average MLS regular season game, just like they have in the past. In Europe, the Champions League is the aspiration of every club. In South America, the Copa Libertadores continues to inspire dreams and create legends. In Asia and Africa, the continental tournaments are huge events that promise respectability and an annual crack at the world title. Only in the U.S. do we prefer fantasy to reality.

Manchester United is a huge name. It's easy to market. But the fact that the Red Devils are easier to beat right now than the Puerto Rico Islanders should say something about how seriously the English power takes these games, and should reveal how much more motivated MLS players are to compete in front of 60,000 than 6,000. An All-Star win over Manchester United on Wednesday, the Wizards' victory on Sunday and the Red Bulls' defeat of City do say a lot about American soccer -- it reveals what we value and what we don't. We'd rather win exhibitions then win CONCACAF and earn a real game against one of those famous teams.

Right now, it's a fact. The Champions League just doesn't matter to enough people.