Major League Soccer has a date with mediocrity
COMMENTARY
The league's refusal to adjust to the international soccer calendar leaves many of its teams having to play too many games without national team players.
What do the national soccer teams of the U.S., Canada, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, New Zealand, Trinidad and Tobago and Wales have in common this week?
Answer: Every one of them has a player from Toronto FC on its roster. Normally, that is the sort of recognition that Major League Soccer clubs crave. All the top clubs in the world consist almost entirely of national team players.
But because MLS has spent 13 years going its own way and scheduling league games when it knows they will conflict with international matches, and that the best players will therefore be unavailable, the fans are being robbed.
None more so than those in Toronto, which will play Chivas USA in Canada on Saturday without nine of its 11 starters, all of them representing their countries in World Cup qualifying matches on Saturday and next Wednesday.
Absent for Toronto will be Greg Sutton and Jim Brennan (Canada), Carlos Ruiz (Guatemala), Amado Guevara (Honduras), Tyrone Marshall (Jamaica), Jarrod Smith (New Zealand), Julius James (Trinidad and Tobago), Marvell Wynne (U.S.) and Carl Robinson (Wales).
Toronto is also missing two players to long-term injury and its 18-man senior roster has been cut to seven, leaving it to field youth and developmental players against Chivas. Toronto appealed to the league to reschedule Saturday's match, but was turned down, a decision that left Toronto Coach John Carver fuming.
"I know the rules are there from the start of the season, but as you go along and new situations arise I think common sense should prevail," Carver said. "Now, we keep talking about wanting to improve this league and make this league better and attract better players. But if . . . I'm having to bring kids in off the street, then, if I'm a fan of Toronto FC, I'll feel as if I'm not getting value for money because I paid good money for my season ticket and yet we're not putting the product on the pitch."
Toronto is not the only club affected by the inability of MLS to get its schedule in tune with the international calendar. Chivas USA, for example, will be missing Sacha Kljestan (U.S.) and Shavar Thomas (Jamaica) on Saturday, just as the Galaxy will be missing David Beckham (England), Landon Donovan and Eddie Lewis (U.S.) and Ante Jazic (Canada) that night when it plays Real Salt Lake in Carson.
The only game that really matters to American soccer fans on Saturday is the U.S. playing its historic World Cup qualifying match against Cuba in Havana.
