Photo Courtesy of
GettyImages
I almost expect that to be the next headline on ESPN's Soccernet front page. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, it would seem that the good ol' folks over at ESPN have forgot that there are other teams in the MLS and that the Galaxy are near the bottom of the league. The arrival of Becks has turned the MLS into a footie-tatorship. I doubt that ESPN would have covered a Sunday night Toronto-Galaxy match if Becks wasn't there. That was a good game by the way and the Toronto fans are amazing, but more about that latter. I have never seen this level of detail put into the coverage of a soccer player here or a football player for that matter. Sure, we have the Michael Vick case going on right now, but he has less coverage on ESPN's NFL front page than Becks has. I am not denying that Becks is a great player, he has to be, he got his England call up for Wednesdays match against Germany, but he is not the entire league. I wouldn't be suprised to turn on an MLS playoff game and see Becks by himself playing a clone of himself. Sure he can play. Sure he bends kicks like a metal worked does steel but all the camera flashes and VIP entrances at the Home Depot Center can't make up for the fact that there are other things that make the MLS great besides Becks.
Photo courtesy of
Sports Illustrated
This is what there is beside Becks. Since the season started, I have seen the emergence of two wonderful supporter clubs; D.C. United and Toronto F.C. These two groups of supporters are absolutely wonderful to watch. They are a source of non-stop chants and songs and I doubt there is a quiet moment inside of RFK when United is on the pitch. This is the motivation that has led United to its number two spot in the table. It's funny, I remember about two months ago, the boys on World Soccer Daily mentioned that there were no teams in the MLS that carried the kind of support that an English team does and I thought they were right. We all might want rethink that position when it comes to these two clubs. They don't need Becks to draw the fans in. Their fans come because they love the beautiful game that is soccer or football or footie or whatever you want to call it. These people are there because the spirit of the game runs through their bodies, not because they want to get a glimpse of Posh or Katie Holmes with Surrey. Hats off to the fans of D.C. United and Toronto F.C. You should be mentioned on those "Real American Hero's" commercials. "So, have yourself an almost room temperature Guinness(real soccer fans don't drink Bud Light nor do they drink their beer ice cold) because you stand in a not even half way packed football stadium watching sport that will never be popular in America. You are truly a real American hero, Mr. D.C. United fan. What people call a pansies game, you call war and you would wrap yourself in flag and chant for hours on end about the score being 1-nil to your team." And as I wrap this up, I can hear the sounds of the United fans chanting and see them flapping that, huge, car dealership sized United flag around. A beautiful moment for such a beautiful game.
No comments:
Post a Comment