People have fought, argued and reflected on one topic more than any other since I have become really tuned into MLS. The great ‘Club versus Country’ debate is both foreign and bewildering to me. I come from a place where everybody supports the national team because the national team never conflicts with domestic football. That is not to say I don’t understand the tug-of-war; I am torn in multiple directions and conflicted by the competing interests of the team I follow, and the organization that owns it.
It is coming to focus nicely for me as we trundle towards the exhibition game with Newcastle United. It is just twelve days away, during the busiest and most fixture congested month in our calendar – a calendar that is congested because our front office chose to send us on the never ending road trip to start the season so they could maximize the number of games we played in our shiny new stadium. This resulted in us playing far less games than most MLS teams during that period and July is the month where we are playing catchup.
Meanwhile on the field, after struggling mightily on the road, the team has turned itself around quite dramatically and we are eleven games into unbeaten run of games that has propelled us not only back into playoff contention but also into the Quarter Finals of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. We are 270 minutes of play away from the first Major League silverware this City has seen since September 22nd 2004. The squad is beaten all to hell – Bravo is now only just returning to form, Rocastle and Arnaud are off injured for at least a month, Sinovic is an injury concern and Ryan Smith is playing Nintendo in England. There are games flying at us. Tomorrow we play Chivas USA, on Tuesday the Richmond Kickers in the USOC, then next Saturday a road trip to Houston, and four days later back for …. Newcastle United. Three days after Newcastle we play the hopeless Toronto FC and so the story goes.
Summary: We have a team of talented players, a deep squad and we looked a good bet to make a post season run this year. The Front Office decides that we are going to undermine this a bit so we are going to play as many games at our stadium as possible. Revenue generation vs Logistical nightmare? I get it, I understand it, but it was a decision made at the expense of the on field performance. Then after our season schedule was released, knowing that July would be all fubar they drop the Newcastle United game right into the thick of the action, at the hottest time of the year further undermining the team.
I understand why as well. As angry as I am that a meaningless stupid exhibition game with as much relevance to the season as a scrimmage versus the Kansas City Brass I also understand why it is happening, we all do right? The Premier League is big news, bringing over Newcastle United splatters us all over papers, the media actually care about what happens in Kansas City for a day, new fans lured by a big name are exposed to our fantastic stadium and the team and decide to come back. Soccer United Marketing (SUM) organize these events because they are a cash cow and they help sell tickets and the league to fans of soccer who have yet to latch on to Sporting Kansas City or the lousy New England Revolution. From a business stand point they are a knock out.
A good friend of mine right here in Kansas City who I met at the first ‘Beckham Game’ at Arrowhead along with a group of other ex-pats are now season ticket holders. After not ‘getting into MLS’ and laughing at the team at Arrowhead that day, and not coming to CAB more than once or twice before a year before last season … the Manchester United game and LIVESTRONG Sporting Park were enough to tip them over the edge.
One of these guys has purchased four West Stand season tickets, an investment in one season that exceeds many, many seasons as a ticket holder at the cheapest end of the scale and he is hooked. He has his Sporting Kansas City shirt and at the end of a recent game he said “he felt like a fan when he pulled it on”. It is the growth we need.
These games represent an invaluable way to bring in new fans and produce a little much needed revenue in a league where the majority of teams do not make money. I get that, but at the expense of the on field performance … again.
The primary conflict for me to digest is my desire to see the team do well on the field – not just competing for titles, but to win them versus the organization and the owners breaking even or making money long term. They deserve it, by god we would be screwed without them. OnGoal have my eternal gratitude, but this ‘game’ is about winning and when efforts to create revenue get in the way of our ability to compete within the league my blood pressure starts rising.
This morning on Twitter, Andy Edwards (@AndyEdSKC) asked a simple question:
“Real quick: who’s your #SportingKC MVP so far for 2011? Interpret “most valuable” in any way you like, just be sure to explain it.”
My short and simple answer was:
“CJ Sapong. We would simply have sunk out of trace without him stepping up and into that CF role. Nobody else can lead the line.”
My criteria for MVP is essentially “what player would we have struggled most without”, not necessarily who the best has been but who has been irreplaceable. Sapong is as close to that as we have and I know many of you agree. Strong arguments can be made for Collin, or Besler, or even Chance Myers or Graham Zusi.
My nightmare for the Newcastle game, beyond added burden of playing and the fatigue that comes with it is this. What if one of these guys get injured? With our squad spread as thin as it is in places, what if Collin picks up a fairly mundane three week thigh strain and Sapong tweaks a hamstring? We don’t have replacements for them that are playing at a satisfactory level right now. With July being the softest month left in the calendar in terms of quality of opponents picking up points now is essential. Newcastle only makes this harder. Key injuries could ruin our season.
The injuries probably won’t happen, the fatigue certainly will and this is where the second conflict comes up. I think given everything that is going on right now that fielding the weakest team we possibly can would be a smart move. We don’t have any terrible players, but I am talking about Peter Vermes having the freedom to pick his starting eleven for the game after Newcastle United and simply benching them. Stick whoever isn’t playing on the field for a fun day out in the sun and leave the real games to the guys who have proven they are ready to really compete for true prizes in US Soccer like the MLS Cup and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
I am not sure the general public and the front office will agree … I’d take it in a heart beat, after all, bringing a little Glory to Kansas City will also help with ticket sales, and isn’t that what we all want?