This is my first football post since 1 July when Spain won the Euros! I never thought I could go so long without talking/writing about football. 
In case we’ve lost count, this is the fourth or fifth year that the MLS All-Stars have beaten a club team, mainly from the EPL. Last Thursday, the MLS All Stars played West Ham United from the English Premiership and won 3-2. From years past Fulham was 2005, 2006 was Chelsea F.C., last year was Celtic F.C., and now this year West Ham United. In 2003, I think the MLS played Guadalajara aka Chivas. Give the MLS a hand. You know what’s comin’ now, how impressive are these wins? The first two against Fulham and Guadalajara maybe if you really want to give them credit because it was something new, but now it’s getting old and I ask myself, “Which team is more impressive here? The MLS’s best, or the club team taking on the best the MLS has to offer?” I’m gonna say that the Europen clubs are the more impressive team. Think about it for a minute, one club, in preseason form might I add, can hold their own against America’s best (in midseason form) even though they may not beat the all stars.
The crowd cheers on, “Yay, no club team can take down our league’s best!” DeRosario almost missed that penalty. He hit it so hard it bounced around in his favor. If he hits that with finesse (placement), that’s not going in. He’s still a great player.
The All-Stars have been a perfect 5-0 since this stunt began but I fail to see any benefit from this other than playing experience against European clubs for those lucky few who are selected to be on the team, and some entertainment. I also don’t know what the All Star game is supposed to prove either, if anything. It certainly does not show that the MLS is catching up to Europe at all. That is a myth-and-a-half if some believe in that. We’re still a league that just came out of the womb by comparison to many leagues in Europe. We have a long way and there is a laundry list of other leagues around the world that are better, but we will get there.
I’m not trying to take anything away from the MLS, I’m just saying the longer the All Star game takes this format, the less impressive the All Stars will become. It just shows me that the best from our league can beat a “non all-star” football club. Congrats. I’m still waiting for the day when, in a competitive setting, a team like the Houston Dynamos or Los Angeles Galaxy can beat a club like São Paulo of Brazil or Boca Juniors of Argentina, one club team against another. Then, we’ll have something to talk about! I would just like to see an MLS team play clubs like those two more often. Then we can get a better gauge of where MLS teams are in comparison to more of the world than just Mexico. Then eventually we can work our way up to the Barcelonas, Inter Milans, Lyons, and Manchester Uniteds.
In all honesty, I think we should snub the all star game all together in soccer (that’s right) or call for a return of East vs. West if we really need to continue this obsession with all star games America seems to have. Some think that having our all stars play against a European club is a good thing for the league’s image.
“We aren’t getting points for this game,” he said. “We aren’t moving up in the standings for this game but I think being a part of the all-star game with this format that has taken place, when we are in the locker room and when we are around the hotel, guys understand this is a big opportunity to show that we are good enough.”
“When we get a chance to play against big quality teams from other parts of the world, that competitiveness naturally comes out and makes you want to play the game,” Donovan said. “You’re proud and you want to show yourself well, you don’t want to get embarrassed because these teams are good enough and if you take it lightly they can embarrass you. And we want to win and show that we’re good.” (Landon Donovan, The Sports Network)
I think he thinks it’s a good thing because he’s been one of the few who have consistently played in the All Star game. Is Donovan normally not competitive when he’s playing for LA against other MLS teams? “When we get a chance to play against big quality teams from other parts of the world, that competitiveness naturally comes out and makes you want to play the game…“, that’s a strange thing to say. The guy who wrote the article I quoted above made an interesting comment.
“How would Chelsea, which lost 1-0 to the MLS All-Stars in 2006, fair against a Spanish La Liga All-Star side that featured Lionel Messi, Robinho, Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Villa and Iker Casillas, among other stars?” (Pat Martin, TSN)
Pretty good point, if the La Liga All Stars would have the time to practice and develop some chemistry, Chelsea would be destroyed no question. But, if the All Stars only had a week or so to practice together, it may be closer than some think. I think it’d still be a noticeable win though. Those players on Chelsea play so many matches together and know each others’ tendencies so well. Putting together an all star squad from Spain sounds fantastic (I would love to see it), but if Real Madrid has taught us anything, it’s that a team that loaded has to develop chemistry to go from being a really good side, to becoming a sick club that is nearly untouchable. Remember Spain in the Euros? They had pretty good team chemistry and they were unbeatable, still undefeated in about 18 matches! Team chemistry is important, it can make a team full of average/below average players very hard to beat. Though, if Iker is in goal, chemistry may not need to be with the La Liga All Stars. He’s just that good.
The guy (Casillas) is a ridiculous keeper!
Perhaps practice time is the MLS’s problem for the reasons why they’re “squeaking” out victories, as they squeaked a narrow 3-2 victory over a par West Ham Untied side. I’ll give the MLS a sarcastic half hearted applause, but I’m sorry football fans, I cannot shout out or cheer for this win or even the win last year against Celtic. I’m just not impressed anymore. Who will it be next year or will it finally end?
Posted by Adam 
