10 Things to Watch this MLS Season

The 2010 Major League Soccer season kicks off this weekend and here are the top 10 things to watch for as the teams return to the field:

10. Robbie Rogers



With all eyes on the "bubble players" vying for seats on the plane to the 2010 World Cup in South Africa in just a few months, it's now of never for Rogers. If there was a season for Rogers to start living up to his two-footed potential, it's now. If he does, it will be impossible for anyone to keep their eyes off this dynamic midfielder.


9. The Sons of Ben



For some reason, I'm fascinated with this year's new kids on the block, the Philadelphia Union. However, they did not make the best showing during the opening game of the season at Seattle's Qwest Field last Thursday. While the fan base and support is fantastic now, this season will be rocky and in the end, it will be a fascinating litmus test for future expansion franchises who may not see as much first season success as the Sounders.


8. Houston's recovery



With the loss of Stuart Holden and Ricardo Clark, there are a lot of people wondering where the goals will come from. On the other hand, some feel it will be a "groundbreaking season" for the Dynamo. It'll just be hard to tell if that ground will be positive or negative.


7. New York's revival



The opening of the New York Red Bulls new arena has got the players, management and fans speculating on just how much the franchise will improve this year. Combined with the excitement surrounding the signing of Ibrahim Salou, New York may be the rising star to watch this season.


6. Roger Torres



If anyone stood out for the Philadelphia Union, it was 18 year old Colombian sensation, Roger Torres. While he is only on loan from the Colombian team America de Cali, if he can make a home for himself in MLS, he will certainly become one of the league's stars


5. Toronto FC



Toronto FC is overdue for a breakout season. And with the pending introduction of Vancouver's MLS franchise in 2011, now is as good of a time as any for Toronto to step up and bring some pride to Canadian soccer.

4. The Seattle Sounders' Playoff Run



After the Sounders met and exceeded expectations last year with a US Cup win in their inaugural MLS season, this season, the Green Army is demanding more of their team: an MLS cup. There is no doubt that if the Sounders can combine their tremendous fan support and talent, a spectacular cup run may just be in the works.


3. Fan Attendance



Ok, so it's kind of a "No Shit, Sherlock" bullet point, but it's easily overlooked and this list is long, so lay off. The long-term viability and legitimacy of the league depend on these numbers and also on the TV deals with FOX and ESPN.


2. The World Cup Break



There are two important things to watch while the MLS takes a break during the World Cup in June: 1.) The TV viewership for both the US games and the final itself and 2.) The performance of MLS players. Both are important to the success of MLS and the future of soccer in the United States.


1. Landon Donovan



Donovan's spectacular loan stint at Everton FC had fans of the blue half of Merseyside begging for him to stay. But now that Donovan is back with the Galaxy with only months to the World Cup kicks off, many people are wondering about his future and harboring a measured optimisim that he will produce a prolific performance in South Africa.

US Soccer Identity: Confused or Just Rebellious?

Photo Credits: Unknown

When I find myself watching soccer games in an American bar, I almost always have the following conversation with one of my fellow patrons:

Patron: "What are you watching?"

Me: "Soccer."

Patron: "Who's playing."

Me: "[Team A] and [Team B]."

Patron: "Oh .... So how did you become a fan? Did you play as a kid?"

And there it is, the one pet peeve I have as a soccer fan in America: I am constantly having to justify and explain why I enjoy and follow the sport. But do I really have any room to complain? No matter how many times die-hard fans argue to the contrary, many Americans are convinced that soccer is un-American and that being involved in soccer past the age of 12 is something to be explained. This makes for - if nothing else - a frustrating sense of identity in American soccer fans.

So when Jason Davis of Match Fit USA began musing this morning on his Twitter account about Americans ceding their soccer identity to British announcers, it got me thinking: Is the American soccer identity one of a crippling inferiority complex or just a rebellious adaptation of the world's sport to the American experience?

On one hand, you have the exquisitely passionate groups of fans like Sam's Army and American Outlaws, the Hudson Street Hooligans, Emerald City Supporters, Screaming Eagles and so on and so forth. While they support the subersive "Sixth Sport" (after American football, baseball, basketball, hockey and NASCAR), they are inherently American in their zealous fandom. Painted stomachs, foam fingers, tail gating and other staples of American sport have made their way into US Soccer. The fans have taken their passion as Americans and applied it to their sport, their team, their way of life.

On the other hand, we have the Soccer Mom syndrome which is unavoidably bound with the perception of the sport in the US. Over 90% of all American kids under the age of 10 are shepherded back and forth from practice and games by the infamous Soccer Mom. Soccer is a safer sport. It's far easier and cheaper to equip kids for it ($10 shin guards and an old plastic milk jug filled with water). And in the words of Dave Egger, it tolerates a fascinatingly high level of incompetence in the early years. But by the age of 10, 98% of those kids have dropped the sport to move on to the "real sports." As such, we find ourselves in a peculiar situation: A majority of Americans between the ages of 20 and 30 have played soccer in their life, but were never pressed to take the sport "seriously" or with an respectful consideration.

And then - if all of this wasn't creating enough confusion for the average soccer fan in America - there's the international stigma placed on American soccer. Many American fans are convinced we're "doing it wrong." The best soccer is played in any country BUT the United States. And the inability of the "average American" to understand the beauty and value of soccer in a global context is just another source of beleaguered frustration.

In light of all these contradictions, it's easy to see why the identity of the soccer fan is a prfoudnly confused one. We love our game, but with a genuine knowledge of the game comes the inevitable realization that our leagues, players and teams just aren't the best on the continent, let alone the world. This can be a tough fact to swallow when we are brought up in a sports culture and a country which places an fanatic emphasis on being "the best."

An inferiority complex is inevitable, but the passion continues to grow. And at the end of the day, that's all soccer is really about.