So once again Mr. Sepp Blatter wants to control the number of foreign players in the european teams.

Great idea but very much improbable that will be approved by the UEFA members. And that's about it.

But I decided to write (and read your opinions) about it.

Mr. Blatter's idea is not just bullocks. It does have a good intention behind it. He claims (and he's right) that the way the big clubs are right now make it impossible for a smaller team to fight for a league title. And that is very bad for football, very bad for the national teams but very good for global business for those big clubs.

When we see a team like Arsenal for example. 25 foreign players and only 12 Brittish on the 2007-2008 squad.  With Internazionale  Milan from Italy it's even worse. Out of the 29 players on the regular first team only 4 are Italian. It's not rare to see Inter playing with a starting XI that features only Marco Materazzi as an italian born player (well and then he gets a red card and Inter ends up with 10 foreign footballers on the pitch).

It is a pleasure for the fans to see their team win titles and sweep their rivals off the map for one season but when it happens like in France where Olympique Lyon (10 foreigners) is about to win the French League for the 7th time in a row, I start to understand (and partially agree) with the FIFA President.

The main difference between me and SOME other people that write here at OleOle is that I'm absolutely NEUTRAL.

I love good football and I know some of you will say "if you love good football you should love the foreign presence because they give quality to the Brittish teams". 

They do. The English sides of Manchester United and Chelsea fought for the league this season and going to play for the continental title thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo, Tevez, Vidic, Anderson, Ballack, Drogba, Cech, Essien, etc... 

Of course there is also Lampard, Rio Ferdinand, Joe Cole, Wayne Rooney BUT neither of the two teams could rely on an all-Brittish squad to get this far in the tournaments. WE KNOW THAT!

And as the powerful clubs become richer, more international and consequently more powerful we see the National Teams becoming weaker and weaker. England out of the Euro ... hmmm... that might say something... 

So, (try to) leave your passion aside just for little bit and think how much more exciting would be if we had other teams besides Liverpool, Chelsea, Arsenal and ManU in England, Real Madrid and Barcelona (and sometimes Valencia) in Spain, Juventus, Inter and AC Milan in Italy, Olympique Lyon in France. 

What's your opinion on this? 

If you walk around almost every lower class neighborhood in Los Angeles (and I imagine that this might happen in many other big cities in the USA) you will see a soccer field or a park with kids and teenagers of different backgrounds playing soccer.

As right now I'm still recovering from my ACL surgery all I can do is sit and watch them play. But standing by the side-line it's possible to see a lot of talented young teens that could've already been scouted by the MLS teams but that's something you can forget about.

The 2008 season is going to start in March and on the MLS Official Website one can already find news about the College draft that will give the teams  the chance to pick the new talents from Universities from all over the country. I've always admired this school-oriented way that the American sports have to stimulate the students/athletes to pursuit their dreams while studying. I wish I had that chance when I was younger BUT I also believe that it would be a great advantadge for the league and for the evolution of soccer in the US to have a stronger scouting program.

The teams do promote tryouts but what kid, from Compton, Inglewood, Echo Park, South Central... will pay about $150 bucks for ONE day of tryouts???

Most of these talented kids that I've seen have hispanic backgrounds and are not even legal in the country. They come here with their parents to work VERY hard to give their family a better opportunity and they play an important role in the American society and economy.

And what is the most important for our subject here: THEY LOVE SOCCER!!!

So, why can't the MLS Teams get out of their comfortable zone and send some scouts out there. Make them go to the ghettos, (not only to the fancy suburbs) and bring some more passion into the league?

It's just an idea... What do you think?

Anyway... I'll get back to this subject soon!