re: Rank the top 10 football leagues in the world

The J-League out of Japan is better than MLS. The leagues were started around the same time, and now Japan is producing some really good players. It doesn't have the money of the Western European leagues, but I don't think it is a slouch by any means. I don't think they are a top ten league either, but they are surely closer than the MLS and SPL.

I'm skeptical of any list that includes the MLS and SPL near the top ten. I would surely say that they are top 20 leagues, partly because of exposure, but the level of play leave a lot to be desired.

I'd also say that the Norwegian league is underrated. Tremendously physical, and those players generally do well in the EPL. I'd also say that Turkey is underrated. They have some really bad teams, but there are some years when the big three Istanbul teams are fairly decent.

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I'm skeptical of any list that includes the MLS and SPL near the top ten.

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Jesus thank you.

I watch a shite ton of soccer. I have 15 matches saved on my DVR right now that I will watch during the week. When I'm in my office, I'll try to find a match to watch when I'm bored. It's not that hard to watch any league in the world if you want.

I'd love to see NYRB or LA play these Norwegian, Japanese, Turkish or Greek teams. Heck, even SJ or SKC...it'd be interesting.

The Champions of Europe getting no respect in here.

In all honesty, I'd rank MLS anywhere between 13-15.

The problem is that MLS teams never get to play any of these other teams (full strength each side) because of the scheduling differences.

Also ESPN3 is a great resource.

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This isn't All Stars, this is real life.

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I understand, that game meant nothing to anyone.

My problem is that people make these definitive statements, and you never get to compare the two leagues head-to-head due to scheduling differences.

"I watch MLS but not the Norwegian league, so I think it's better."

"I watch the Norwegian league but not MLS, so I think it's better."

This is what this all boils down to. MLS has a negative stigma among European league fans in America, and they're perceived as third-rate.

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This is what this all boils down to

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I'm not so sure. I'd say the level of play in both leagues is quite comparable. My point is that the Norwegian league is underrated, which isn't a comparison with the MLS.

The MLS doesn't have to be a top ten league in the world. At this point, as long as it provides American players an opportunity to play, it does its job. At the same time, as the league expands, the level of play will continue to rise.

That said, I don't think the MLS has done as good a job as it could have. It should have started with an academy system, rather than only recently setting one up. For this reason, we have comparatively few players on top teams. In contrast, Japan has players on Man U, Arsenal, Bayern, CSKA Moscow, and Inter, with many players in Germany mixed in with some players in England. The J-League only started in 1993, with a major reorganization in the late 90's. I'd say without a doubt that the Japanese have put their players in a better position to succeed than we have. I'm more interested in the disparity than with actually assigning blame.

The Dutch league is better. No doubt.

But we're talking about the overall strength of the teams in the league. I'll still take MLS over the Croatian League...even though Luka Modric came from there.

I know, I know, I'm an idiot. MLS is rubbish soccer.

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The MLS doesn't have to be a top ten league in the world.

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It's not. Never argued that.

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My point is that the Norwegian league is underrated

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This may be true.

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That said, I don't think the MLS has done as good a job as it could have. It should have started with an academy system, rather than only recently setting one up. For this reason, we have comparatively few players on top teams.

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Great point.

But I still think that the overall quality of the teams are better in the MLS than in the J-League or Norwegian league.

How is the SPL a top 10 league when its UEFA coefficient isn't in the top 20?

1. Spain
2. England
3. Germany
4. Italy
5. Portugal
6. France
7. Ukraine
8. Netherlands
9. Russia
10. Greece
11. Belgium
12. Turkey
13. Cyprus
14. Austria
15. Denmark
16. Switzerland
17. Israel
18. Poland
19. Belarus
20. Croatia
21. Romania
22. Czech Republic
23. Slovakia
24. Sweden
25. Serbia
26. Scotland

[link=(UEFA Coefficients. Source: UEFA)]https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/country/index.html[/link]

ETA: I understand there is a 5 year lag between UEFA rankings and current performance, but a top-10 league should never be ranked out of the top 20.