'MLS Fans Should Be Thanking Seattle' - That's The Ginge Speaking, Not Me
You wanna know why winning a third straight U.S. Open Cup matters? Because it's that much harder to ignore. Zach Woosley over at Dynamo Theory has never been confused for a Sounders fan, but today he wrote what is probably on a lot of people's minds: There are no excuses for sandbagging other tournaments. We here in Seattle have felt that way for a long time, but a third straight Open Cup was apparently enough to convince Ginge that the time for excuse making is over. And he's right, if the Sounders can do it, other teams should be able to as well.
8 months ago
Jeremiah Oshan
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It's because we invented giving a damn
During that brainstorming session on the yacht.
I don't understand
I mean really – I don’t.
Why do people still pretend that “most” teams don’t care about the USOC just because New York didn’t this year?
Since the semi-finals match with Chivas last year (and including that match), name ONE side the Sounders have faced in the USOC that DIDN’T put out a first-string lineup.
I can’t think of one. Chivas did; then Columbus did. The Pumas certainly did, as did LAG this year, and FC Dallas. Chicago certainly wanted this – as it was their only shot at hardware.
These teams ARE taking the Cup seriously. Fans ONLY start whining about it after their team has lost (or if they really don’t have a deep team – see Portland’s loss earlier this year).
MLS teams DO take the Cup seriously, and the Sounders have won three straight. I appreciate what the Ginge is saying (that Sounders success gives other fanbases the right to demand more of their front offices in terms of building deep, competitive teams), but I think it is based on a false impression of teams’ attitude towards the USOC.
There are still SOME teams not taking it seriously, but they now appear to be the minority.
because they don't
There are probably 8-10 MLS teams that really take the competition seriously.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Oct 5, 2011 10:29 AM PDT up reply actions
Counting the organizations that clearly make it a priority is easy
DC, Chicago, Seattle, Real Salt Lake
A few others on a year by year basis.
I am not a Supporter | I am not a Fan | I am a Sounder
Sounder At Heart
Not even sure RSL belongs in the club
RSL took this year’s tournament seriously, but fielded this squad last season at RFK during the qualifying round:
(4231): Reynish; Russell, McKenzie, Borchers, Schuler (Espindola 63); Alexandre (Gil 91), Grabavoy (Morales 63); Johnson, Warner, Beltran; Campos (Saborio 63)
I think they’re still on a season-to-season basis. Like most clubs, they’ll field starters if they find themselves in the quarterfinals and facing an MLS team (or the semis regardless of opponent).
Writer on SB Nation's DC United blog Black and Red United | @ChestRockwell14
by ChestRockwell on Oct 5, 2011 12:50 PM PDT up reply actions
To be fair, though...
That includes some pretty good players. Not their starters, obviously, but not a bad team.
Editor/writer at Sounder at Heart, MLS editor SB Nation. Follow me on Twitter. You'll Never Yacht Alone.
by Jeremiah Oshan on Oct 5, 2011 3:40 PM PDT up reply actions
And his overall point is that they don't value other competitions as much as MLS
It’s clearly changing, as teams are starting to make further inroads into the CCL. We have RSL to thank for that, since they demonstrated that an MLS team can perform well, breaking the mental block. We, along with FC Dallas, have done our part in showing the league what’s possible by winning in Mexico. It’s a good bet that some time in the next five years, an MLS team will win the CCL, and MLS will make an appearance on the world stage at the Club World Cup. A CWC victory is still far in the future, I think, but it’s not as impossible a dream as it seemed before.
It helps if more fans show up to the games...
…though FO’s I think are missing an opportunity by not promoting the tournament a bit. NYRB hosted FC New York and only drew 2K fans to Red Bull Arena. NYRB has no business losing that game, so why not make ticket prices really low for that game and see if you can draw some fans to the USOC who might not afford a league game? Or get some of your hard-core fans who can’t afford the most expensive seats an opportunity to sit in the best seats in the house for a cool national tournament?
If NYRB had drawn 8-10K for that play-in game, they might have thought twice about their bid for the next round’s game, and they might have even hosted it, in which case they wouldn’t have even had the dilemma about whether to send their coach. Ultimately, though, it seems like such a wasted opportunity to punt a chance to win hardware when it is only getting harder and harder to win the MLS Cup.
My overall point, I guess, is that while I think the Souders’ FO wanted to win the USOC from the beginning, I think that the fans really pressed the issue. The more fans that show up for a game, the more it hurts to lose, and the more the owners figure they can profit from the tournament.
Because they can't
Actually competing, I mean being competitive, in multiple competitions is a luxury that few MLS teams can afford, due to lack of roster depth. I think it really shows the masterful roster building and fixture management of this Seattle side to be able to pull it off. The coaching and players are of course very fortunate to have a front office willing to put up the bucks to buy a home field advantage (a practice that I’m not wild about, but since this IS the system you can’t blame the Sounders FO for taking advantage). Personally I think competing in multiple competitions is a way to develop roster depth, and this team has excelled at it.
by Zakuani11Fan on Oct 5, 2011 12:32 PM PDT up reply actions
Roster depth
The Sounders are a third year MLS franchise. If any team has an excuse not to have roster depth, it is the younger franchises. Every team operates under the same rules and yet it was the NYRB who sent out a hack roster in the USOC tournament this year. The issue isn’t that depth is a luxury that many teams can’t afford. This is a salary cap league. The issue is that many teams don’t look at slots 20-30 as truly competitive members of their teams. The Sounders succeed because they expect the entire bench to compete. You will earn the right to wear the uniform if you draw a paycheck. And the coaching staff, players and FO back up that claim with their expectations and the opportunity to play. Seattle had some of the most unfortunate injuries and personnel set backs of any roster in MLS with Nkufo, Zak and OBW. Other major players have missed significant time due to injury, Montero, Riley, Rosales, Evans, Friberg, etc. And yet they are still competitive.
Totally agree
The sounders are also using multiple competitions to help develop a deeper roster. That the team has been built to perform in many tourneys and be successful is one way this club is setting an example for others in the league.
by Zakuani11Fan on Oct 5, 2011 5:36 PM PDT via mobile up reply actions
Sigi is also a great coach for developing players
Sigi and his coaching staff deserve a lot of credit as well.developing young talent has been a hallmark of his coaching tenure at every position he’s held. We’re lucky to have a good coaching staff.
Hanauer should get a lot of credit as well
He’s always been good at finding talent.
+1 and rec'ed.
Taking it step further, I think our front office is doing a fantastic job overall, especially considering we are only really into year 3. I’m excited for what the future looks like with the academies and scouting.
I think the FO has botched a couple of things, but seems to learn from mistakes and recovers wonderfully.
by SoundersForever on Oct 6, 2011 9:54 PM PDT up reply actions
The Sounders aren't the only team that cares about the USOC.
LA Galaxy fielded a near-first team, same with FC Dallas. We were outbid to host the Semi-Finals round by Real Salt Lake. Granted, those are only a quarter of the MLS teams in the US Open Cup, and perhaps I’m not giving other teams due credit. But it’s not like we had an easy road to the championship.
Setting a Good Example
The fact that the Sounders can win three times in a row, while still being arguably one of the best teams in MLS should demonstrate to other FO’s that it can be done, and it is a great way to build the fan base. It seems like one of the criticisms that I hear for some of these other competitions is that it weakens a team due to travel, and fixture fatigue. Some teams have shown, and Seattle is the prime example, that it can also have the opposite effect, if properly managed. Development happens through getting minutes in games that matter.
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