Mid-Season Friendly Comes at Worst Possible Time For Seattle Sounders
On Tuesday, July 5th, the struggling Seattle Sounders are set to take on the English Premier League side of West Ham United. West Ham is currently on break from their regular season, and it will certainly provide them with a good opportunity to tune up their overall game, as well as garner some excellent press. Unfortunately for the Sounders, this mid-season friendly comes at the worst possible time: in the middle of the season. Seattle currently sits in a dreary 9th place in the Western Conference, a new low for them. With their record of 5 wins, 2 draws, and 9 losses, it is absolutely imperative that they focus purely on getting their season back on a positive track. Facing a superior side, with not much hope to work on team building or strategy, the Sounders can only attempt to avoid injury and further exhaustion.
To Go, or Not to Go?
A week ago I wrote a small piece for Sounders Nation covering the Emerald City Supporters decision to donate their tickets to the Boys and Girls Club of King County, instead of having their usual capo’s, drums, color, and support. If one were to look in the comment threads on various Social Media sites, they would find plenty of vitriol towards the ECS for this stance. But is it unreasonable? From my point of view, it is frustrating and stressful enough watching the
“Adding on a pointless, potentially damaging exhibition purely for the sake of gaining profit and some publicity is the worst way to go about setting the season on a positive path.”
Sounders this season. Adding on a pointless, potentially damaging exhibition purely for the sake of gaining profit and some publicity is the worst way to go about setting the season on a positive path. Saying that it gains great publicity and gives a chance for player who struggle to get minutes otherwise isn’t a great counter argument either. In past friendlies Seattle had no problem fielding players that were getting plenty of minutes during regular season play, and it can be argued that those minutes were a drain on the players. The publicity gained for the MLS side in these exhibitions are not worth it either when compared to, say, winning the MLS Cup. So why would a team want to risk their players health and energy when they could be focusing on righting the sinking ship that is their current regular season? It seems to me that the league would rather have the fiscal compensation than to focus on supporting the teams in their league. Even Merritt Paulson thinks there is something fishy about Friendlies…
Each year I know a handful of people who go to these International Friendlies. Mainly it is because they are massive supporters of the visiting side. A close friend of mine, who has been a vocal supporter of both SSFC and West Ham for many years, is thrilled. This is his dream. And for many, it is an exciting chance to see a team whose quality surpasses that of any MLS side. For me though, I deeply want to see a league that puts the effort into building teams that can compete legitimately on the international level. This can be done while finding the balance in the business aspect of soccer.
Sounders Nation
Positives to be Gained?
It would be unfair to say that there aren’t positive to be gained from hosting an International Friendly tournament. There is some publicity to be had. Everyone loves an upset. Plus, players might feel more comfortable playing with a certain flair that comes from having nothing to lose in a match. It certainly can be exciting. But if Major League Soccer is absolutely determined to host these friendlies, it should be reexamined. Have them during the off season, or right before the regular season starts. But when you have teams compete in these generally pointless matches, you run the risk of damaging your overall product, which no one wants. A list of MLS sides in the International Friendlies tour shows that we aren’t doing so bad as a league, but remember, these games have no actual bearing on skill or development. Nor does it represent how a team is doing currently.