re: If you are not a fan of MLS...

I agree with your stance towards the snobbery against MLS. You're right, it is what it is. I fully believe that in 20 yrs, it may be much closer to a top flight league.

However...

Saying that we have to watch it to be fans of US soccer is nonsense. Fans of the Boston Red Sox don't have to watch their Double A team play in order to be considered fans. MLS is not a top flight league, the talent isn't world class and the play isn't either. For some people that's all you need to know that you don't want to watch it and that's fine.

Fans of MLS will know the future USMNT stars ahead of time and have better ideas of what sorts of players they are, but so what? That said, talking down about MLS is stupid in itself but it's an ignorant mindset. True fans of the game don't seem to be anti-MLS, rather just bored by it. It's the casual fans that like to turn their noses up to it and most of them are idiots anyways.

I think I agree with a lot of your thoughts, but if I don't want to watch the Dynamo play the Rapids, then I'm not gonna just to earn my 'fan card'.

A few points of observation.

I HATE the snob US Soccer fan. "Uuuuuuugh. Why is Brian Ching even wearing a US jersey. Uuuuuuuuugh. Why can't anybody other than Bornstein or Pearce play left back."

People expect a country (USA) with a VERY limited footballing history to have depth like Brazil or Italy. Get over yourselves. The guys that wear the shirt ARE THE BEST WE HAVE. The players in MLS are by and large, THE BEST WE HAVE. Love them all, acknowledge their faults and move on.... or GTFO. Didier Drogba isn't American. Neither is Maicon.

Re: MLS "quality of play..."

This isn't the EPL. Great... what is? The bottom half of any league in Europe that isn't the EPL, and perhaps Italy is borderline terrible. There are varying degrees of that, of course... Bundesliga, Italy and Spain mostly.

But all of the other leagues? Portugal, Scotland, the Nordic leagues? They're all 2 or 3 good teams, and a bunch of shite. BFD.

I love watching MLS, because I'm watching the future of MY American team.

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If you are not a fan of MLS...
you are not a real US Soccer fan.

I'm tired of most self-proclaimed American soccer fans in the US bashing MLS for what it is not, instead of lauding it for what it has already accomplished.

The league is in its 15th season and already has attendance numbers comparable to the NBA and NHL. It levied better deals with ESPN and Fox and has created a very nice business model for long term growth/business success.

It seems though, that many Eurosnob American soccer fans want to bash MLS for not being the cotdamn English Premier League. Every new soccer fan is met with, "Whatever you do, don't watch MLS." That's a terrible precedent for new soccer fans in America who should have the want to attend live matches.

Fact: Almost every USMNT player on our current roster got their start in MLS. If it wasn't for the league, we would not be close to dark horse contenders.

Being a fan of US Soccer, is not just being a fan of the USMNT and Chelsea. It's being a fan of soccer in the United States and the highest level of soccer in the United States is MLS.
Discuss

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I pretty much agree, although my perspective might be warped by the Sounders experience.

the Sounders experience seems to be nothing like the standard MLS experience. That seems like European soccer and frankly, that's what draws a lot of casual fans it.

Rowdy fans, songs, unbelievable experience and a great feeling of camaraderie. FC Dallas (and most other teams have nothing like this).

I think in the future other MLS clubs that were originally USL clubs will have similar atmosphere, or at least I'm hoping, since the J-league has that sort of atmosphere and all their clubs were once amateur clubs.

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Fans of the Boston Red Sox don't have to watch their Double A team play in order to be considered fans.

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this is not a fair comparison and does nothing to support your assertion...IMHO if you do not follow the MLS you are doing American players a great disservice...I believe a more apt comparison would be following the NHL and then the Olympic/World Cup/World Ice Hockey Championships....I have watched several thousand European Club matches, World Cups since Mexico, Euro competitions and Copa Libertadores etc etc even watched the Toronto Blizzard and the old NASL and I think the level of play in the MLS is excellent and getting better season after season, people need to get off their high horse and see the MLS for what it is; A great entertaining league that is on the cusp of consistantly producing world class footballers...besides the money is here....

for real? Mlada Boleslav? I bet MB would give anybody in the MLS a terrible fight...

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The leagues as a whole aren't that impressive. Their UEFA coefficients are below those of the Swiss, the Danes, and are on par with the Bulgarians

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I've seen FC Copenhagen and Grasshoppers Zurich etc etc.. and respectfully there is no there, there.

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NY is slowly getting there. Philly's atmosphere will be NUTS when they're selling out that stadium in Chester. If DC would get a 30K stadium, their games would be chaos.

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would be, will be, would...that's my point. It's not there yet and that's not a bad thing at all. I think the path the league is on is a very smart one.

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Columbus, Chicago, Toronto, even Houston.

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you're right that some of these are probably great fan experiences, but the Sounders play in a humongous NFL stadium and at times they seem like they bring the stadium to its knees. That's very rare. I'm not saying that MLS is some boring league, just that Seattle isn't the same experience that the majority of MLS fans get with their team.

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I pretty much agree, although my perspective might be warped by the Sounders experience.

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The Houston Dynamo gameday atmosphere pales in comparison to Seattle, but has some redeeming qualities nonetheless. I was not a huge MLS fan before attending the game, but the atmosphere was what drove me to loving the league. Sure it was a half full Robertson Stadium (17k out of a possible 30k), but their were chanting fans, the bright orange, streamers and a general fan knowledge and care towards the players.

Guys like Ching, Bobby Boswell, and Brad Davis are far from international quality players but they play well in MLS.

Many want try to watch MLS think that they should see the quality of the EPL. I don't watch college basketball to see the best shooting guards in basketball. I watch it because it's an extremely entertaining product, same with MLS.