As usual, it’s absolutely killing a British sports writer-Nick Harris of the Independent-to concede that Major League Soccer has 1) good players and 2) serious prospects for growth. He starts by equating the standard of play in MLS to a mid-table Coca-Cola Championship (English second division) team, or a slightly better than average Scottish Premier League team. Americans would disagree, of course, but even that evaluation has likely improved over time.
Harris also takes a stab at the league’s “stars” giving undue sway perhaps to English and Scottish Premier League has-beens like Danny Dichio, Carl Robinson, Shaka Hislop, Abe Xavier and Terry Cooke. He pokes fun of the league’s sponsored stadium names, like The Home Depot Center and Pizza Hut Park. That’s all fine and good, but Harris, through his research at least, has come to understand that the ambitious MLS is “quite stable and successful, actually,” and possibly on the cusp of a huge growth spurt.
“On its face, the signing of Beckham has caused some people to compare MLS to the old NASL. The leagues have little in common,” says Jeff L’Hote, director of the global consultancy FMM International. “MLS has a carefully constructed business plan, committed ownership and sound strategy for growth…[it] has never been in a more solid position.” Even before the Beckham signing, he says, new stadiums, new shirt and stadium sponsorships, real TV contracts totaling $200 million-that’s all incremental revenue that will grow over time.