Knock-knock ...

Can you believe it? I am excited for the first game of MLS to get here. Then I’ll miss the next 30 games and get excited again towards the end about who will make the playoffs. I will watch the interesting 2 legs of the 1st round of the playoffs because it’s sort of like champions league and then forget about the rest (two 1-game semis at the higher seeds stadium and a final at a neutral ground) until someone passes on the news that it’s over.

I don’t understand why these brilliant financial minds at MLS can’t understand that what makes soccer irresistible is when there is something at stake - like a League Championship or promotion or relegation or qualification or just plain money.

Maybe they do know this already, but don’t want to put their investors into a situation where they have to deal with risk. That is probably smart from an MBA point of view, but from a fan's point it takes the fun out of it. Isn’t investing another word for risk taking with money? If you risk going down a division you will undoubtedly gain interest in the results. All of a sudden that corner or that turnover or that save matters and you can’t take your eyes off it. If the first game matters as much as the last, both will be sold out along with everyone in between. That’s why you buy a David Beckham -not because he's sexy, but because he might swerve in a corner or a free kick that might win you the league or keep you from relegation. If I thought my $15 for parking at the Home Depot Center went to bring in players to achieve these things then I would understand, but as it is now who cares? And why waste time and money and sit in traffic for something that doesn’t matter?

I hope soccer continues to grow and eventually the league gets this through their heads. We wouldn’t have to get satellite channels and rearrange schedules to watch interesting leagues in Europe. It would be taking place here. Would be exciting wouldn’t it?