State of the States | March, 2011

Welcome back to State of the States, a monthly roundup of some of the top stories in US Soccer. You smell that? Is it the scent of greenery peeking out from beneath the mounds of snow decorating my North American yard? No, it’s…

MLS First Kick 2011

We’re just a week away from seeing the back of the long, cold Major League Soccer off-season. An off-season that saw the introduction of two new teams in the Pacific northwest, the inaugural Reentry Draft, and another round of rules revisions from the folks at MLS HQ. Expanded rosters and the return of the reserve league are welcome enough additions to the fold. However, despite the balanced schedule and an 18-team league, MLS is still doggedly clinging to the conference structure, though the new playoff rules ensure that we won’t have a repeat of last year’s head-scratching Eastern Conference finale featuring two Western Conference sides.

Speaking of those playoff rules, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the addition of two “wild card” spots to the postseason mix, ensuring, sadly, that more than half of the league (10 out of 18 teams) qualifies for the playoffs. The league claims the expanded playoff field enhances fan interest in the regular season by reducing “meaningless” games, and that may be true, but it still rankles that a team that finishes in the bottom half of the regular season standings could be declared the league’s champion come November.

USMNT on loan

When MLS kicks off next week, there will be plenty of old faces in new places, many of them US national team veterans like Gibbs, Conrad, Wolff, and DeMerit. But the new face that will be attracting the most interest is young Charlie Davies, on loan at DC United from French club Sochaux in an attempt to rebuild a career shattered by a fatal automobile accident. With Bob Bradley searching for options at forward, can Davies regain the speed and sharpness that catapulted him into the USMNT spotlight just a couple of years ago?

But Davies isn’t the only prominent national team player out on loan. In fact, much of the current spine of the team has followed suit this winter transfer window. Oguchi Onyewu, also seeking to recover from a long-term injury, has left AC Milan in search of minutes with FC Twente in Holland, Michael Bradley has left relegation-threatened Mönchengladbach for relegation-flirting Aston Villa, and Villareal’s Jozy Altidore is now lining up for Turkish side Bursaspor.

A Look Ahead

And that’s where I leave you this month, more on a note of anticipation than any current excitement. Speaking of anticipation, what will we be talking about this time next month?

• The pre-season has seen a number of injuries and ill-tempered “friendlies.” What will the MLS regular season bring? Which club will stake an early-season claim as favorites?
• RSL became the first MLS team to reach the semifinals of the CCL. Can they reach the final? We’ll know by the next time we convene as they play the two legs March 15 and April 5 against Saprissa.
• With the political upheaval in Egypt understandably putting paid to the scheduled USA-Egypt friendly this past month, it falls to this coming month’s high-profile contests against Argentina and Paraguay to judge where Bob Bradley’s team is at in advance of the Gold Cup this summer.

Thanks for reading. I’ll see you next month with another installment of State of the States.

Michael S. Hund is the creator of the Fullback Files, a blog covering DC United, the US National Team, and Major League Soccer.