Soccer trying to succeed in the world of soccer

In most countries, the name of the game sounds the same. Words like football, fussball, futbol, ​​futebol … not only sound the same, they are the same game. In America, however, they call it soccer. Major League Soccer (MLS) as an American professional soccer league has been around for some time.

Unlike other major American league sports, MLS does not dominate the sport’s public attention on a global scale, nor is its champion crowned the “World Champion.” The MLS has undergone constant development. Did you get significant public and media attention in world soccer? Not!

Soccer as the second, seventh or tenth most popular sport in the US It doesn’t make a big difference, the American public will continue to follow the NFL, MLB, NHL or NBA. The world public would follow those leagues with the same attention that are the most prominent sports leagues in the world.

In recent years with the globalization of the media, the world sports scene has started to change; In that process, the English Football Premier League promotes itself as ‘The World’s Greatest Show’ and is in fact the most popular and watched sports league in the world, with a current global audience of 500 million. people and media revenue during the 2007-2010 seasons worth more than $ 5 billion. If the world will see soccer leagues like the English Premiership or the Spanish League, who will watch major American league sports besides domestic viewers? Will a part of the American public turn to watch soccer leagues abroad as well? Such questions made soccer a problem in American sports.

Every now and then MLS officials would wake up from the drowsiness of being in the shadow of the top 4 American leagues around the time the World Cup is being held and it becomes apparent just how immense soccer is in terms of world public interest. , media attention, sponsors.

As the noise around the World Cup passes, the MLS grows sleepy. It was not to be this way after the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when the world public had a clear image of the modern stadiums of European football, the multi-million dollar player contracts … the focus of world sport took hold of football.

This time it is not MLS that will take the initiative to promote MLS, it is the entire American professional sports entertainment industry. It is an economic opportunity in which the money that revolves around world football was too big to lose or discard.

In the summer of 2007, American soccer attempted to take over world soccer by storm by offering David Beckham a $ 250 million contract, the most expensive soccer player contract in the history of the sport, some described as the takeout deal. Beckham to the United States. It is believed to be the largest in the history of the sport. MLS sent a message to the world.

In the height of summer, when the European leagues were between seasons and the waters were calm, MLS got its desired exposure with dominated news with the Beckham family moving to Los Angeles. Have the stories already overtaken the world soccer media and public attention in favor of MLS? Not!

Is it a long-term $ 250 million exposure? Time will tell. Fall is here, European and international leagues are in full swing, world sports news has fewer articles on Beckham, LA Galaxy and MLS. To make matters worse, LA is unlikely to make the play-offs, giving the media less to write about.

In the league that has had an overall loss of more than $ 350 million in the first 8 years after its founding (a 2004 BusinessWeek report), where currently only two teams, LA Galaxy and FC Dallas, are profitable with 3 Additional teams are expected to be profitable within a year, a $ 250 million investment for one player seems like a gamble. If so, what are the odds?

In recent years, several notable players chose to walk away from the major leagues of Europe and South America for a good financial contract with teams from the Gulf countries. Headlines reported major transfer deals, although there was little to no follow-up in media coverage of those leagues.

Not to be forgotten, before the arrival of David Beckham, MLS tried to gain exposure with Freddy Adu, a player under the age of 16 who was crowned the next Pelé. Adu received a lot of media attention, the world knew that he played for DC United of the MLS.

Many may or may not know that Adu, last summer at the age of 18, signed a contract in Europe with Benfica FC – Portugal. Before joining Benfica, Adu spent some time over the summer at Manchester United’s training ground, Alex Fergusson gave him no reason to stay.

Benfica paid the Salt Lake City club $ 2 million for the player’s release note and Adu will receive $ 1.2 million per year, a solid contract but not the one that is topping the news. Adu was not on Benfica’s Champions League match list against Milan on September 18, compared to a player like Messi in Adu’s current age he was already among the eleven starters for soccer giant FC Barcelona. MLS did not appear to have gained substantial attention for the sport with Adu, nor did it contribute to his development as a dominant player in the world as expected. Throughout history, some of the best players of all time played soccer in the United States, including Pel é, Beckenbauer, Eusebio …

After decades of attempts that did not yield the expected results for the success of American football, what difference can Beckham’s game make now (currently with a 6-week absence due to injury)? Let’s take a brief look at MLS, a professional soccer league that began in 1996 with more than 10 seasons of experience going.

Logistics and facilities:

On the day of publication of this text, September 27, 2007, Beckham’s LA Galaxy plays the KC Wizards. SPORTiana.com, as the author of this text, was introduced to MLS through KC Wizards in the summer of 2006, a year before Beckham’s arrival in MLS. At the time, the KC Wizard head coach complained that he and 2 other assistant coaches were directing the team’s training, forcing him to leave several players from the 26-man roster sitting on the bench for not being able to have them. everyone on the field during practice. at the same time.

Training facilities included an outdoor field and an indoor field with a gym used by the NFL team KC Chiefs, within the Arrowhead Stadium complex. The Wizard’s outdoor training ground was located next to the fence next to the KC Chiefs’ training grounds.

The turf at the Wizards’ field was almost parted turf on the ground as hard as a rock, a field where many players would stop training to avoid injury. A head coach, 2 assistant coaches, a physical trainer … NFL stadium and facilities … small office space in the corner of a stadium … would be a great contrast to the clubs in the leagues where Beckham played previously.

Players:

Majority MLS players come to the league as recruited college players. College football generally means that the player plays for a full scholarship with the first professional contracts signed at the age of 22 or so. In other countries, the first professional contracts are usually signed at the age of 18, at the age of 22 the player exits a 4-year contract, and coaches better understand the capabilities of a player in professional soccer.

This means that college players are 4 years behind. By signing a first professional contract at the age of 22, they would exit the 4-year contract at the age of 26, at that time, the world’s leading football clubs would prefer to invest their money in a 22-year-old prospect who has also had 4 years of experience in professional soccer. College players hardly miss playing in MLS (the players’ first professional contract) on their way to higher paying leagues, as most foreign clubs would not hire a college league soccer player with no experience in college. professional soccer at the age of 22.

Prominent American players such as DeMarkus Beasley ($ 2 million for PSV – Netherlands, currently for £ 700,000 with Rangers – Scotland) or Tim Howard ($ 4 million for Man Utd – England, currently with Everton after being loaned), joined the MLS straight from high school. without playing college football, like Freddy Adu.

For an average soccer fan with the option to watch a variety of matches, for example, the giants of the game face off in national leagues like last weekend when it was Man Utd vs Chelsea in England, Barcelona vs Sevilla in Spain, Rome vs Juventus in Italy, PSV vs Feyenoord in the Netherlands … Boca Juniors matches in Argentina, Lyon in France … there is little room for MLS.

A soccer fan wants to see competitiveness, passionate fans, decades-long fierce rivalry between clubs, tradition, the world’s best players, established players with reputations to play for prestigious clubs, ultra-modern soccer-specific stadiums, most of which the MLS does not offer. MLS needs to win the interest of the American public and media to gain the same interest from the global public. Hard-working and attractive players like Eddie Johnson of the KC Wizards or Jaime Moreno of DC United, who showed their quality in the 2007 Copa America this summer, are the prototype players of a successful competitive league.

The modern soccer-specific stadiums proposed by MLS for all clubs are a step forward. The German Bundesliga witnessed a huge increase in public interest and media attention nationally and globally before and after the 2006 World Cup, with a legacy of great new and renovated stadiums. MLS should go international as much as possible, the English Premiership did, when foreign billionaires started buying clubs, world-class players came in large numbers to make it the most watched and profitable soccer league in the world. Many writers have speculated on why soccer is not as popular in the US As in other countries, most point to the fact that the game does not have enough points. Changing the rules of the game in favor of having more goals per game can be beneficial this time.

Soccer is a powerful force, it has already changed the sports philosophy of the North American Major Leagues, MLS clubs are competing in the Superliga and the South American Cup, the new New York Red Bulls stadium will have a full roof “European style”, in 2007 MLS began selling advertising space on the front of the jersey (a $ 500,000 floor for jersey sponsorship), following international soccer practice.

As Latin American immigration to the United States increases, so does interest in soccer. Since soccer is the most popular recreational sport for both boys and girls, MLS has potential. In 2006, MLS Commissioner Don Garber expressed his expectations that league clubs will be profitable by 2010 overall. LA Galaxy merchandise sales over Beckham’s next 4 four years with the club may not exceed $ 600 million as it was during his time with Real Madrid, still an MLS player who appeared on magazine covers. Sports Illustrated and gathers a crowd of 66,000 spectators at one event. Stadium of the Giants full.

In the words of David Beckham about his move to MLS: “I am going to go play soccer … I am not saying that if I go to the United States it will make soccer the most important sport in the United States.” It’s about taking one step at a time, if soccer wants to succeed in the world of soccer.

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