The 2011 Football World Challenge represents a chance to raise the profile of football in North America whilst packing stadiums and generating income for the touring European teams as well as their MLS hosts. But whilst 56,000 turned out to see LA Galaxy vs. Real Madrid last week the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum was still left just over half full.
This comes as little surprise with the average MLS attendance standing at just over 16,000 and the 2010 television audience at just 249,000. Football simply does not transfer well to American sporting culture, the practicalities of it are such that it does not accommodate frequent ad breaks and the viewer is required to endure long lulls in the play to which the American sporting mind just isn’t accustomed.
The USA’s odd interpretation of the game could be viewed as being evidence of the country’s incompatibility with it; clubs don’t exist but instead there is a series of franchises, the kits of which are all manufactured by the same company in the same style whilst the pitches are generally pristine and the fans that do exist seem to follow their franchise with an unconvincing sense of enthusiasm.
They emerge almost on demand to sing, cheer and play brass instruments for a team that has existed for all of twenty minutes, leaving the whole business with a perfunctory air. However, it is wrong for us to cast our well cultivated footballing eyes upon soccer in the US and snobbishly conclude that it is a misinterpretation of our beautiful game. This uniquely American treatment of the sport lends a sort of charm to the MLS that sets it apart from other world leagues whilst making it vaguely familiar to Americans.
The game’s somewhat stunted development in the States however does not mean it should be viewed as a failure. The North American Soccer League, which saw attendances as high as 77,000 at Giants Stadium for the New York Cosmos side of the late ’70s but folded in 1985, was a mere flirtation with the sport, since then American have returned to it intermittently but now it would seem the sporting public are ready for a more meaningful relationship with soccer. The production of Soccer Specific Stadiums that cater more sensibly for the game’s rather modest crowds represent a sensible move as the game seeks to establish itself as a sustainable niche in the sporting market.
It is from this position that it can grow in North America. The move from retirement home for former stars to reputable world league will be gradual and not entirely an easy one for the MLS. They must establish a workable and stable base from which to grow and resist the boom and bust trap into which the NASL fell, Football’s undoubted appeal across the world lies in its accessibility; no expensive pads, helmets or sticks are needed, just a ball.
As American children realise the simplicity of the game they too will be afforded the opportunity to fall in love with it just as the rest of the world has. Only if this happens can football in the States properly develop as it attracts athletes who would otherwise spurn soccer for a career in the NFL or the NBA. It will be a very difficult journey but the idea of the MLS as a major world league most certainly has potential.
Co-written by Benedict McKenna.
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