MLS needs to build road reputation
Wednesday, 27 August 08, 09:42 PM · Comments(0)
It wasn’t a great day for the MLS on Tuesday, as both Chivas USA and New England lost their CONCACAF Champions League qualifying round games. Both were on the road in Panama and Trinidad, respectively, for first leg matches.
Chivas is in the most trouble heading home with a 2-0 deficit, while the Revolution managed a penalty to claim an away goal that could prove extremely valuable.
These are the types of games that have the potential to really help the MLS as a league. Winning in international club competitions does a lot for reputation, but it’s also incredibly hard. Just take a look at the U.S. men’s national team’s win in Guatemala City last week. Everything is against you on the road, or so it seems.
I was talking to a 16 year-old kid the other day named Spencer Richey for an article I’m working on. Spencer is a keeper in the full-time U.S. national team residency program down in Florida. I’m going to post some of the transcript later on because it’s interesting, but one of the things he was telling me was how brutal the trips they take to different countries are. He says even at that level, the fans, the refs, the atmosphere put everything against you, and it’s extremely hard to come out with a result.
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