Should MLS cash in on Landon Donovan?
Landon Donovan’s superb performances at the World Cup has led to increased speculation about his future, with the likes of Manchester City supposedly interested in acquiring the Galaxy midfielder.
We all want MLS to hang onto its best players, particularly the American born ones, but if a club comes in with an outrageous offer then I believe the league should allow Donovan to make the move to Europe.
The money the league could bring in with the sale of a player like Donovan could then be used within the academy system to ensure that the next level of talent to come out of this country is as good as our best player right now.
Donovan has given MLS enough service to be allowed to test himself in Europe and his spell at Everton last season has already shown he is capable of playing at the top level. Landon is and always will be a great ambassador for MLS and to have him playing at the top level in Europe can only be good for American soccer.
Should we be playing through the World Cup?
For the first time in its brief history, MLS decided to take a break from action during the first two weeks of the World Cup, but many people feel that the league should have halted all games until the end of the tournament like other leagues around the world.
While I understand the argument that to be considered a big league you shouldn’t be playing while the World Cup is on, I still believe that MLS has made the right decision to come back while the tournament is in its final week.
MLS is still a league that is trying to sell the sport to the American public and it is important to recognize that the WC sparks the interest of many fair weather fans -- this represents the best opportunity for MLS clubs to attract these fans out to their games.
The Cup schedule means that none of the MLS matches are in direct conflict with the games in South Africa so, in theory, fans can watch the games on television in the morning and head out to their local MLS game later in the night.
Proof that it was the right decision came with the added television interest in Landon Donovan’s return game to Los Angeles last weekend and hopefully MLS can continue to hold the nation’s interest over the coming months.
Is it time for change in New England?
Steve Nicol took over as New England head coach in 2002 and is currently the longest serving coach in MLS.
He has been very successful in his time at the Revs, but over the last few seasons the team has begun to stumble and, with key players either injured or past their prime, the Revs are no longer the power they once were.
Steve Nicol has had enough success in his time as head coach to be above getting the sack, but I wonder if Nicol would benefit as a coach by taking on a new challenge and allowing a new man to takeover at New England.
When in its prime under the former Liverpool great, New England was a perennial challenger for honors, but those MLS Cup final appearances seem like a distant memory now.
And although the Revs have some talented youngsters in their stable they have never really replaced the voids left by the injured Taylor Twellman the retired Jay Heaps, along with several other quality players like Michael Parkhurst and Clint Dempsey who played their part in the Revs success.
The Revs will come back but it will take time and Nicol may not want to wait that long, especially if some of the top coaching jobs in this country become available.
This RSL team is better than the one that won it all
Real Salt Lake surprised everybody with their run to MLS Cup glory last year after what had been a very inconsistent regular season.
RSL started this season with some more inconsistent play, but over the last few weeks the club has proven that it is more than capable of defending its crown this year. Real are unbeaten in MLS play since April and included in that run is a victory over L.A., proving that they are a match for anyone in this league on their day.
The addition of Alvaro Soborio has given this team added quality in the final third while the players who were involved in the run to MLS Cup glory last year are playing with a confidence that is gained from winning a championship.
Jason Kreis has also benefitted from their run to the final last year and he is developing into one of the best young coaches in U.S. soccer.
The RSL team that beat the Galaxy in the MLS Cup last year was good, but this current team is even better and can once again challenge L.A. for the ultimate prize in MLS.
On to the MLS Power Rankings ...
1. Los Angeles Galaxy: The Galaxy coped well without Edson Buddle and Landon Donovan but now the dynamic duo are back this team may well be unstoppable.
2. Columbus Crew: After a mini mid-season wobble the Crew is starting to hit its stride again as it battles with the Red Bulls for top spot in the east.
3. Real Salt Lake: The Crew may be ahead of them in the rankings for now but this RSL team may be the best equipped to challenge the Galaxy for the regular season crown.
4. New York Red Bulls: Juan Pablo Angel is arguably the best finisher to ever play in MLS and with him in their side the Red Bulls are a match for anyone in this league.
5. FC Dallas: Dallas continues to pick up victories despite lacking a real cutting edge in the final third. Schellas Hyndman is an early candidate for Coach of the year.
6. Toronto FC: Toronto may not be the most exciting team to watch but Preki has certainly turned them into a much more formidable team than they have been over the last few seasons.
7. Colorado Rapids: The Rapids have added some consistency to their game but still lack enough quality to really threaten the top tier teams in MLS.
8. Chicago Fire: The Fire’s loss in Columbus showed that this Chicago team is still not ready to compete for silverware this season.
9. San Jose Earthquakes: If the Quakes can’t beat D.C. United at home then they cannot claim to be good enough to secure a postseason berth.
10. Houston Dynamo: This Dynamo team doesn’t look like they have the heart to fight their way back into the playoff picture.
11. Philadelphia Union: Philly took their foot off the gas after taking the lead against Chivas and in the end were lucky to come away with a point from their trip to Los Angeles.
12. Seattle Sounders: How can a team with so many good players be this bad? The finger of blame may have to be pointed at Sigi Schmid.
13. D.C. United: A point on the road has to be seen as a positive result for a D.C. side that has had little to cheer about so far this season.
14. Chivas USA: Chivas played some good stuff against the Union but Justin Braun and Jesus Padilla don’t exactly give them a cutting edge in the final third.
15. Kansas City Wizards: The Wizards loss at Dallas could have been a lot worse had Jimmy Nielsen not been in superb form.
16. New England Revolution: The Revs have hit rock bottom and you wonder if Steve Nicol wants to stick around and rebuild this team again?
Keith Costigan is a writer for FoxSoccer.com covering Major League Soccer.
