The other day, my fiance and I went to go see the Los Angeles Galaxy vs Manchester United F.C. in an "International Friendly". The reason for the quotation marks is because of the different mindsets of the word "friendly". Los Angeles Galaxy was expected to be slaughtered in this match, but ended up scoring two goals before the end of the ninety minutes. Of course, with a final score of LA Galaxy 2-5 Manchester United, this was a disappointment for Major League Soccer (MLS) and American Soccer for that matter. But why is it such an impossible task to beat a European club here in the United States? Perhaps it is due to the legendary status that European football has with the rest of the world. So what are they doing differently? Let us compare and contrast. This is what this journal/blog is about.
In European football, games between two teams are played as if it was the final game of the league. This is especially true when you are playing a team from an entirely different league. One of the most important and popular tournaments in European club football has to be the UEFA Champions League. This is a tournament that brings out the best of the best within the UEFA clubs. Currently, Real Madrid C.F. holds the most titles within this tournament with twelve titles. When European clubs such as Manchester United F.C. or Real Madrid C.F. come to the United States to face an American soccer club such as the Los Angeles Galaxy or Seattle Sounders F.C. in an "International Friendly" there is a difference in the interpretation of "friendly". In Europe (and perhaps the rest of the world), football is very important in daily lives. Victory can bring pride for your club, your city, your league, your country. But most importantly bring pride to you, the fans. It seems that every other club is a rival of your club. So victory is pressured. So much in fact that even scandals and/or bribes have happened in order to ensure victory. When you see a "friendly" between UEFA giants such as the Manchester United vs Manchester City or Real Madrid vs F.C. Barcelona games you quickly see that the word "friendly" is just a word. This mentality transfers over to "International Friendlies" as well. Which takes us to the next part. American Soccer.
In American Soccer, we tend to focus on "rivalry" games to look for fireworks. In MLS the biggest rivalries have to include the Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers, Los Angeles Galaxy vs San Jose Earthquakes, and New York Red Bulls vs New York City F.C. matches. The newest rivalry being born has to be the Los Angeles Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders matches. But other than that most games tend to be played in a respectful and friendly pace. The only time that I have seen MLS clubs play in a higher level has to be during the MLS Rivalry Week, MLS Cup Playoffs/Final, and the CONCACAF Champions League. During the CONCACAF Champions League, MLS clubs get exposed to different mindsets regarding soccer/futbol competitions. The leader of CONCACAF Champions League tend to be the Mexican Liga MX clubs. The most successful club being Club America of Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico), Mexico. The main reason for this is that Mexican futbol is very competitive, just like European football. The closest an MLS club has gotten to winning a CONCACAF Champions League title was with the Montreal Impact of Canada. Lately, Canadian soccer has stepped up and has gotten more serious in competing in the CONCACAF Champions League. As for American Soccer, it is getting there slowly, but surely. But the negative stigma of MLS being a "retirement league" or "stepping stone" still remains. So what needs to happen in MLS to even out the scales in terms of competition?
First, MLS needs to take these "International Friendlies" and tournaments more serious, like a lot more serious. Second, increase funds for staff, and players in order to increase self-esteem. Finally, there needs to be a higher focus on player/coach/staff development. Such as increasing mental, physical and spiritual health. One thing that needs to also increase is pride for club and country. For example, if LA Galaxy is playing Manchester United at home, then the vast majority of the fans should be supporting LA Galaxy. Not the other way around. It doesn't matter if they are world famous, this is our house! We need to set up our team to be world famous too. And why shouldn't an MLS team be world famous? The first step is to start beating these European and Asian clubs. So much in fact that we need to have them double think about coming over for "warm-ups" prior to their regular seasons. As you can probably tell, I am a huge MLS fan and an LA Galaxy fan. This is something I hope to achieve in my journey of becoming and being a Sport Psychologist.
Writing these journals/blogs is a great way to start putting myself "out there". And Soccer/Football/Futbol is one of my passions. Seeing MLS become one of the worlds top leagues is something I hope to experience in my life and soon. So there you have it. A small, but to the point plan to make this dream come true.
Written: Henry Flores
In European football, games between two teams are played as if it was the final game of the league. This is especially true when you are playing a team from an entirely different league. One of the most important and popular tournaments in European club football has to be the UEFA Champions League. This is a tournament that brings out the best of the best within the UEFA clubs. Currently, Real Madrid C.F. holds the most titles within this tournament with twelve titles. When European clubs such as Manchester United F.C. or Real Madrid C.F. come to the United States to face an American soccer club such as the Los Angeles Galaxy or Seattle Sounders F.C. in an "International Friendly" there is a difference in the interpretation of "friendly". In Europe (and perhaps the rest of the world), football is very important in daily lives. Victory can bring pride for your club, your city, your league, your country. But most importantly bring pride to you, the fans. It seems that every other club is a rival of your club. So victory is pressured. So much in fact that even scandals and/or bribes have happened in order to ensure victory. When you see a "friendly" between UEFA giants such as the Manchester United vs Manchester City or Real Madrid vs F.C. Barcelona games you quickly see that the word "friendly" is just a word. This mentality transfers over to "International Friendlies" as well. Which takes us to the next part. American Soccer.
In American Soccer, we tend to focus on "rivalry" games to look for fireworks. In MLS the biggest rivalries have to include the Seattle Sounders vs Portland Timbers, Los Angeles Galaxy vs San Jose Earthquakes, and New York Red Bulls vs New York City F.C. matches. The newest rivalry being born has to be the Los Angeles Galaxy vs Seattle Sounders matches. But other than that most games tend to be played in a respectful and friendly pace. The only time that I have seen MLS clubs play in a higher level has to be during the MLS Rivalry Week, MLS Cup Playoffs/Final, and the CONCACAF Champions League. During the CONCACAF Champions League, MLS clubs get exposed to different mindsets regarding soccer/futbol competitions. The leader of CONCACAF Champions League tend to be the Mexican Liga MX clubs. The most successful club being Club America of Mexico City (Ciudad de Mexico), Mexico. The main reason for this is that Mexican futbol is very competitive, just like European football. The closest an MLS club has gotten to winning a CONCACAF Champions League title was with the Montreal Impact of Canada. Lately, Canadian soccer has stepped up and has gotten more serious in competing in the CONCACAF Champions League. As for American Soccer, it is getting there slowly, but surely. But the negative stigma of MLS being a "retirement league" or "stepping stone" still remains. So what needs to happen in MLS to even out the scales in terms of competition?
First, MLS needs to take these "International Friendlies" and tournaments more serious, like a lot more serious. Second, increase funds for staff, and players in order to increase self-esteem. Finally, there needs to be a higher focus on player/coach/staff development. Such as increasing mental, physical and spiritual health. One thing that needs to also increase is pride for club and country. For example, if LA Galaxy is playing Manchester United at home, then the vast majority of the fans should be supporting LA Galaxy. Not the other way around. It doesn't matter if they are world famous, this is our house! We need to set up our team to be world famous too. And why shouldn't an MLS team be world famous? The first step is to start beating these European and Asian clubs. So much in fact that we need to have them double think about coming over for "warm-ups" prior to their regular seasons. As you can probably tell, I am a huge MLS fan and an LA Galaxy fan. This is something I hope to achieve in my journey of becoming and being a Sport Psychologist.
Writing these journals/blogs is a great way to start putting myself "out there". And Soccer/Football/Futbol is one of my passions. Seeing MLS become one of the worlds top leagues is something I hope to experience in my life and soon. So there you have it. A small, but to the point plan to make this dream come true.
Written: Henry Flores
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