11 July 2008
SuperLiga: The Good and The Bad
Posted by Drew Epperley under: CONCACAF; FIFA; SuperLiga .
First and foremost, I am a big fan of SuperLiga and everything that goes with it. I am, I went to games a season ago and loved every second of it. The passion was there, the hype was lived up to and the players and coaches went all out for the mini-tournament.
But with all the good there is plenty of bad surrounding the tournament. We know its uses: money, money and a tad bit of exposure with the Mexican clubs. But mostly its all about the money. In the stands for over priced tickets, the prize money to the winning club, and probably to a bit the TV money from the Spanish markets that broadcast it like no other.
Still, as the 2008 version is set to kickoff I am concerned about the tournament in year two just as much as I was a year ago.
I want it to be a success and continue for decades. I do. But for now with the introduction of a new regional tournament with CONCACAF, the Champions League set to kick off in a few short weeks, is SuperLiga really worth it anymore?
It is. No doubt about it being worth the time and the money for the four MLS sides and the four Mexican league sides. Thing is after this year I would love to see a change out of the MLS with it.
It is not throwing away the tournament that I am calling for because that shouldn’t be the case. I love this tournament and I think a few tweaks could make it even better. I just don’t want to see four MLS sides, like what I think we could see, get over worked by a loaded schedule. I know MLS did a fairly decent job of opening up the four club’s schedules during this time to make room for this tournament but I believe they failed on the other end with the more important tournament later on (the Champions League).
We talk a lot sometimes about how much we’d like to see other clubs beside the usual DC Uniteds and LA Galaxys in tournaments against international competition. Sure they’ve all earned their right to be involved in these tournaments but for the league to grow as a whole and same for this tournament they need a restructure for next year and years to come. The Champions League tournament should be the top dog, not some little eight-club million dollar money maker.
All I would like to see is to make this tournament the number two, which is what it really is in our soccer region of the world. Add more teams if you will from other countries or whatever and keep a similar format. Though I wouldn’t mind seeing the group stages be a home-and-away type format like most international tournaments. Its only fair right?
But the major thing I’d like to see and if you disagree then that is fine, is for the MLS to restructure who gets in this tournament. They already have it set up in a certain way for which clubs go to the Champions League, why not make this a UEFA Cup-type tournament and allow the next group of clubs to gain some international exposure?
They talk all the time about getting more exposure for their clubs but at the end of the day its only a select few that have gotten that exposure. I know some clubs wouldn’t sell well in Mexico and I really could care less about that, all I want to see is the clubs improve and get a chance to show their stuff (even if it is bad at times) against quality clubs from Mexico.
Say after your top three (or four depending on the US Open Cup results) put in the next few clubs to SuperLiga, give them the exposure and playing time in the summer so the ones in the Champions League aren’t as slammed in the summer months with extra games. I think its a win-win situation that the league should go to.
I may be wrong but I just believe it would work out and keep this competition as good as it was a year ago.
What are you suggestions? I know I’d love to see it on English-broadcasted TV stations and not just Spanish ones. What else though? Let’s hear it?
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