Is the MLS getting any bigger in America??

[Marty L]

I am just wondering if the MLS is getting any better in the US ive watched a lot of it on TV here in Ireland and it seems to be producing some quality players such as Twellman and Donovan and has some quality stadiums and sponsors!!

[sluijs01]

Its finally getting a little better over here, but its not nearly as big as I wish it was. You are right though, getting the stadiums is a huge plus for the MLS. I'm sure Beckham playing in California won't hurt either, even though probably a lot of people would go just to say they saw him, and not for the game. But if it makes soccer bigger in America, I'll take it!

[ManURedDevil]

Yeah i think it is coming up especially since they have joined with the Bundesliga to share ideas and how to market the game. Its being advertised more often and many more people are watching. Lots of people have gotten into it because theyre anticipating Beckham's first game and of a lesser degree Cuauhtemoc Blanco's first appearance i know i am. Personally i really dont like it because its a lot of one touch football and that can get pretty boring but the U.S. is developing a lot of great players and some of there stadiums are really cool.

[carnaby_fudge]

it is gaining in popularity several teams now have soccer dedicated stadiums which were non-existant 10 years ago. our large hispanic poulation (myself included) are a driving force behind its increased popularity. american soccer has long been judged by how many overseas stars it produced. but now the national team is predominantly mls stars.















in addition to twellman and donovan, brian ching, eddie johnson, and clint dempsey are all home grown mls stars on the national team.















i think mls has a ways to go before it's an elite league like englands premiereship or spain's la liga but i think they're better than many europeans give it credit for. alan shearer compared it to england's 3rd division after the news of beckham's move but mls is better than that. and they can certainly play with almost any team in europe.















the big thing holding mls back is they don't have a youth farm system like the european leagues. most european teams have local youth clubs, plus all the lower divisions to draw talent from. all of mls's players basically come from our colleges which is nowhere near as extensive.















but all in all mls is a talented fun league to watch. good goal scoring, fast paced games. i just wish they'd bring back the penalty shoot out from midfield they had in the begninning. it was so much more exciting than the boring penalty box shootouts that fifa endorses.