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MLS’ summer action anticlimactic

By on August 4, 2015

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Major League Soccer runs through the summer. It’s a physical necessity considering it’s nearly impossible to play football outdoors in many US cities during the winter, but for American soccer fans, for better or worse it’s an odd quirk that sets the league apart from most of the rest of the world

It does, however, put the league at a unique point in the sports calendar. Baseball is MLS’ prime summertime competitor during the summer, which is convenient considering it’s also the most vulnerable competitor in the American sports market, with an aging fan base that has stagnated in recent years. MLS is thus, one of the few alternatives for sports-starved fans in the US, and football starved fans across Europe and elsewhere.

This summer, in particular, was hyped with multiple big-name arrivals. Sky Sports signed a deal to air MLS games while more matches have been aired nationally in the US as well.

Whatever the drawbacks of Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard leaving their respective Premier League clubs, for New York City FC and the LA Galaxy, it was ultimately a success for the league and just part of a summer blockbuster of MLS debuts, including Andrea Pirlo, Didier Drogba and Giovanni dos Santos.

But come August, nothing else has quite fallen into place. No standout teams have dominated the league: Seattle Sounders, NYCFC and the LA Galaxy have all fallen flat so far. Lampard is still yet to make his MLS debut. In smaller markets, such as the San Jose Earthquakes, the absences of US Men’s National team players has also brought the quality down. Even Steven Gerrard’s goal scoring MLS debut was somewhat anticlimactic, as he had already featured in an International Champions Cup meeting with Club America.

Football in America has, however, captured hearts around the globe. Just not MLS; instead, the Women’s World Cup champions dominated the international football scene. The Gold Cup caused a scene, too, but for all the wrong reasons.

There’s no doubt that MLS continues to grow and that new football fans in the US will flock to the league. The new arrivals will keep audiences interested and the playoffs are right around the corner. On a local scale, the MLS continues to thrive and the Rivalry Weekend was a particular success. Yet this summer, the league failed to have the national and international impact that all the buzz warranted.

Photo credit: thearcticblues, via Flickr

About Alex Morgan

Alex Morgan, founder of Football Every Day, lives and breaths football from the West Coast of the United States in California. Aside from founding Football Every Day in January of 2013, Alex has also launched his own journalism career and hopes to help others do the same with FBED. He covers the San Jose Earthquakes as a beat reporter for QuakesTalk.com and his work has also been featured in the BBC's Match of the Day Magazine.