If you walk around almost every lower class neighborhood in Los Angeles (and I imagine that this might happen in many other big cities in the USA) you will see a soccer field or a park with kids and teenagers of different backgrounds playing soccer.

As right now I'm still recovering from my ACL surgery all I can do is sit and watch them play. But standing by the side-line it's possible to see a lot of talented young teens that could've already been scouted by the MLS teams but that's something you can forget about.

The 2008 season is going to start in March and on the MLS Official Website one can already find news about the College draft that will give the teams  the chance to pick the new talents from Universities from all over the country. I've always admired this school-oriented way that the American sports have to stimulate the students/athletes to pursuit their dreams while studying. I wish I had that chance when I was younger BUT I also believe that it would be a great advantadge for the league and for the evolution of soccer in the US to have a stronger scouting program.

The teams do promote tryouts but what kid, from Compton, Inglewood, Echo Park, South Central... will pay about $150 bucks for ONE day of tryouts???

Most of these talented kids that I've seen have hispanic backgrounds and are not even legal in the country. They come here with their parents to work VERY hard to give their family a better opportunity and they play an important role in the American society and economy.

And what is the most important for our subject here: THEY LOVE SOCCER!!!

So, why can't the MLS Teams get out of their comfortable zone and send some scouts out there. Make them go to the ghettos, (not only to the fancy suburbs) and bring some more passion into the league?

It's just an idea... What do you think?

Anyway... I'll get back to this subject soon!   

Estava en mi carro hoy por la mañana y tuve que escuchar una gran incoerencia!

En ESPN Radio estavam a debater quien es el mejor portero de las Americas. Bueno hasta ahí todo bien pero logo percebi que el debate se resumia a Guillermo Ochoa, Oswaldo Sanchez y Federico Vilar...

Entonces la conclusión seria que el mejor portero de las Americas juga en el fútbol mexicano?

Cuando escribi cerca de la participacion de Pachuca en el Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA yo dijo que "la arrogancia mexicana podría costar caro" y no me contestarán mucho pero es de eso que hablava allá.

Mira, mexico siempre tiene buenos jugadores y algunos gran porteros - Antonio Carbajal, Jorge Campos, y mas recente Oswaldo Sanchez e Guillermo Ochoa - Pero cuando un debate con periodistas solamente lleva en consideration el futbol de un país hay algo errado.

Ochoa no es más una promesa, ya es una realidad. Es un jóven, talentoso, un gran portero con un gran futuro. Pero hay que ganar mucha cosa ainda.

Sanchez marcó una época. Es talentoso, carismático, y tuve sucesso en los equipos que jugó. Ahora hay que trabajar para mejorar fisicamente de una lesion para volver a su mejor forma.

Vilar ganó con su equipo, Atlante, la liga mexicana y eso prueba que es un portero muy valoroso.

Pero por el segundo año seguido Pat Onstad ayudó el Houston Dynamo a ganãr la MLS.

Y que decir de Rogerio Ceni. El portero de San Pablo gaño como titular del equipo brasileño, entre otros títulos: 1 Copa Libertadores (2005), 1 Mundial de Clubes de la FIFA (2005), 2 Campeonatos Brasileiros 2006 y 2007...  y ya apuntó 78 goles en su carrera, la gran maioria de falta. Jugó mas de 700 partidos por San Pablo.

No estoy a decir que Rogerio Ceni sea necessariamente mejor que Ochoa o que cualquer otro. Pero esa arrogancia de la prensa de siempre creer que mexico tiene los mejores jugadores, SIEMPRE... es lo que hace con que el equipo se infle y sea capaz de ganar de Brasil (y se infla más) pero sea un desastre contra Argentina, y hasta los EEUU.

Cual fué el título internacional más recente de lá seleción mexicana? ah sí 2003 CONCACAF y 1999 Copa de las Confederaciones. Que más? NADA!

Y de los clubs? Pachuca ganó bravamente la Sudamericana en 2006... y solo!

Por favor PRENSA MEXICANA... No infle los equipos hasta el punto que ellos empezen a creer que son los mejores del mundo... Seán mas realistas! Así ayudarán el fútbol mexicano a jugar con mas ganas y a traer más títulos...

ah, una última cosa: NO SUBSTIMEN A GUATEMALA Y CANADA EN EL PRE-OLIMPICO, POR FAVOR!

If your team had a player with a $50 million-dollar per year contract what would you expect from your team?

Well, if this player is David Beckham and your team is the Los Angeles Galaxy you should not expect much. Maybe a pick-up game between featuring your British Superstar versus D-List Hollywood Celebrities and former soccer players.

Don't get me wrong, I hold nothing agains Beckham or Galaxy (I actually have his jersey in my vast collection) but the thing that bothers me is how can a team base its aquisition only on marketing and publicity?

Or maybe I was really naive when at a certain point I came to think that Beckham would come to LA to bring tittles and help make SOCCER into FOOTBALL  in this country just like everywhere else. (if you know what I mean) 

But nooooo... First of all he arrived with a ankle injury that took FOREVER to heal... Then he came up with a knee sprain that took FOREVER to heal!!! As a result you only need one hand to count how many times he actually played for LA Galaxy this season.

But there he was playing and scoring twice on the 12-4 Galaxy win against the Hollywood FC in a charity game that made $100,000 for the American Red Cross and the Savation Army... WHAT A JOKE!!!

It's just sad... It's very sad to see things going down the drain like that. Why didn't they ask Beckham to donate to charity at least half of the $50 million dollars he will receive for this first year's contract ? He didn't deserve the money anyway!

I truly believe David Beckham is a good person, a good soccer player too. BUT things need to change in the structure of the MLS so that huge investments like that are made to improve the quality and level of the game in this country not just to sell jerseys and make celebrity shows headlines.

Oh, well... let me watch the Premier League, the Italian League, The Brazilian Championship or La Liga Española to  see real good socc... i mean.. FOOTBALL!

David Beckham - strated in 5 games this season. $50 million dollar per year sitting on the bench most of the time

I'm back my friends. After a loooooong vacation!!! I deserved it after the Copa America coverage!

But well, here I am. And as I promised you I will fearlessly talk about the whole "Beckham coming to America" thing and the MLS league.

We all waited anxiously for Beckham to arrive, then we waited for him to recover from his ankle injury, then we waited for his first goal and now he's injured again and we're waiting, waiting, waiting...

When is the waiting gonna be over for good soccer here in the USA?

I'll tell you when.

The teams are starting to realize that they need to bring renowned players, that's good. They are also understanding that nothing happens without good dedicated sponsors and media coverage. That's been happening too. (FC Dallas has been smartely using YOUTUBE to help promote their stuff, great job y'all) so, what else can they do???

I personally admire the commitment that the MLS management has with the league, the fans but I think the should start following what every other SOCCER league in the world do: BRING THE EXCITEMENT!!!

HOW???

What happens in the end of every MLS season? We have the championship game, right? excellent!!! But and then what? What about the following season?

Well, then we start it all over with the same teams... THAT'S WRONG!

They need to bring the PROMOTION / RELEGATION system!!!

And it's simple:

Starting next season, of course, they could invite at least 8 teams (it could be from the USL and/or from a Canadian league) to form a 2nd Division of the MLS.

These teams would receive the support from the MLS teams kinda like a older brother system to help them deal with all the MLS requirements.

Then in the end of the season the 3 best teams from the newly created 2st. Division get prmoted to the 1st. Division and the 3 worst ones from the 1st. D. are relegated.

What is the outcome of this?

EXCITEMENT!!! SOMETHING TO FIGHT FOR!!!

There should also be created a partnership with the comenbol to allow the MLS Champions to participate in Copa Libertadores... which one day could lead a well structure MLS Team to participate in the FIFA World Clubs Championship.

 But it all needs to start by making the MLS STRONGER!!! MORE COMPETITIVE AND EXCITING!

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT IT????