Everyone likes to dump on MLS. The league isn’t the Barclay’s Premier League, but it isn’t the Belize Premier League either. Both DC United and Chicago have gone into Mexico recently and gotten results. Columbus impressed in CONCACAF competition. If this week’s results are any indication, MLS squads are doing just fine.
Tuesday’s 2-2 draw between Columbus and Toluca looked bad at first. Columbus needed a strong result against the recent Mexican champions to have any hope of advancing in the CONCACAF Champions League. They didn’t get it, but the spirited comeback to earn the draw proved that MLS teams can hang with the big boys of FMF. It’s also important to note that Columbus happened to be missing three of its best players: Chad Marshall, Frankie Hejduk, and their most important cog, Guillermo Barros Schelotto. Columbus is also playing without key striker Alejandro Moreno, drafted by Philadelphia in the expansion process.
Next week’s result in Mexico will be the true litmus test, but all signs are pointing to that even if the Crew fail to advance, they’ll be a force to be reckoned with this season. Their CCL experience in the 2009-2010 edition of the tournament bodes well for their chances in the 2010-2011 edition. Regardless of the draw, I fully expect them to advance out of the group stage.
While Columbus awaits their Mexican test, DC United that MLS teams can go into Mexico and win. While it will be dismissed as just a preseason game, DC United’s victory over Santos Laguna can’t be ignored. DC United ran out their starters for the first half and dismantled the Santos defense for a 2-0 halftime lead. DC then sent in the backups and trialists while Santos woke up and threw out their starters to save face. Although Santos leveled, the spirited United regained their lead and finished with the 3-2 victory. Clearly some MLS teams can play with the FMF squads (Santos currently sits at the top of their group in league play).
What these results show is that MLS teams can hang with the big boys of CONCACAF. The results that have come out of CONCACAF competition are misleading due to the many restraints faced by MLS teams during their season. The labor issues facing the league have freed up teams operating under loose rules, and the results have come. MLS management needs to see the writing on the wall. Relax things a bit and you can compete. In a few years, after the changes really take hold, maybe an MLS side could even win the CCL. At the very least, they’d have a better shot at preventing an all Mexico final four.
