The Bonk Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 MLS newbies Angel, Toja lift All-Stars past Celtic FC http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story?id=446724&cc=5901 COMMERCE CITY, Colo. -- While David Beckham is the headliner, players like Juan Pablo Angel and Juan Toja could be every bit as important to the future of soccer in America. The two Colombians, who came to the States this season to play in the MLS, each scored goals Thursday night to lift the MLS All-Stars to a 2-0 victory over Celtic FC. Beckham wore a suit, watched from the commissioner's suite and made a brief appearance on the field between halves. During a halftime interview, he said his much-anticipated debut Saturday with the Los Angeles Galaxy could be delayed by a nagging left ankle injury that has been slow in healing. Nobody wants to rush it because he's here for the long term -- five years, over which he'll earn $32.5 million and become the top ambassador for soccer in a country that has simply refused to embrace the sport over the decades. "For one of the biggest sporting nations in the world not to have soccer as one of its top three sports is pretty amazing,'' Beckham said. "So, if I can help grow the game here, then I want to be part of that.'' Angel, the All-Star MVP on Thursday, took the same leap of faith this year, bidding adieu to Aston Villa of the English Premier League to play for the New York Red Bulls. He might be the best player in MLS, though neither his arrival nor his contract ($1.5 million a year) are on the level of what Beckham has received. But players like Angel will be important if the MLS is to start being recognized around the world as more than a minor league. More than just Beckham's arrival, it's the overall quality of play that figures to make or break this league in the long run, as soccer aficionados decide whether to pay attention and top soccer players decide whether they want to forgo established leagues around the world to play at places like Dick's Sporting Goods Park in Commerce City. A crowd of 18,661 saw the MLS boys put on a pretty good show against Celtic FC, which is still working its way into form but is, nevertheless, the two-time defending champs of the Scottish Premier League. In the 36th minute, Angel took a pass from Dwayne De Rosario, made a nice move past goalie Artur Boruc and tapped the ball to the back of the net with his left foot for a 1-0 lead. Later in the first half, a free kick led to a scramble and Toja came up with the ball and had a wide open look at the net to make it 2-0. Boruc made a pair of point-blank saves in the first half and turned away Eddie Johnson's penalty kick to keep the game from getting further out of hand. Johnson and De Rosario spent much of the night distributing in the Celtic end. This marked the third straight year that MLS' best has beaten a team from overseas in its All-Star Game, a point that certainly won't get lost among commissioner Don Garber and the rest of the league brass as they pitch the quality of their product. This game aside, it's clear that Beckham's arrival buys the league some time to capture imaginations out there. Even his arrival at the stadium for a game he wasn't playing was enough to draw a crowd and bring out more than a few cameras. "Oh my God, Oh my God,'' swooned one teenage girl as she snapped a photo on her cell phone. "It's a step in the right direction,'' soccer fan Jesse Fillerup said outside the stadium as he watched Beckham enter. "But everyone knows, he won't be able to do it on his own.'' Villa get rid too early, Brummie? Also, I wonder if the MLS All Stars could win the Scottish Premiere League? I can't see them being too far off. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Decky Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Would i be right is saying Angel probably isnt getting anything near to what he was getting at Villa in terms of wages? Strange move. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Big fish in a little pond in terms of the league, but outside it he probably doesn't get a second look on the streets of NY. Anonymity of a sort that he might have been looking for Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ridzuan Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 American football or soccer as they say it there is not as good as the ones in the european league and it will never be despite the arrival of big stars like Beckham or Angel(only in America).I think that such big names arrivals are very rare and it will forever be and thats why I think the MLS will always be on the kind of standard that they are currently are like now. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shearer9 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 American football or soccer as they say it there is not as good as the ones in the european league and it will never be despite the arrival of big stars like Beckham or Angel(only in America).I think that such big names arrivals are very rare and it will forever be and thats why I think the MLS will always be on the kind of standard that they are currently are like now. It'll have to change from within, and the United States will have to produce home grown players that are Premier League standard before they'll really be able to attract that many from abroad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gggg Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Big fish in a little pond in terms of the league, but outside it he probably doesn't get a second look on the streets of NY. Anonymity of a sort that he might have been looking for Or just a case of New York >>>>>>>>>>>> Birmingham Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mowen Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I can't see the US league becoming popular, or gaining many more fans before the country starts taking an interest in it's national team tbh. Most dedicated soccerball fans out there seem to have a prem or la liga team they follow first and foremost, and I can't see that changing until people start worrying about the development of youth players and its impact on the national team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 The reason we got shot was because he wasn't good enough, simple as that really. One good season he had, although he was loved by the fans, inexplicably. I've seen quite a few of his goals in the MLS by the way of the unmentionable video sharing web site, and - although I know this is a bit of a cliche - the quality of defending is so bad, they're making him look like Pele. Actually, that is a little harsh, let's just say that the fact that JPA is such a star over there tells its own story. He was thought to be on 40k a week here, so that is indeed a pay cut, but there was no way anyone was going to pay him much more than 20k a week here on any new contract. Smashing bloke, though, and genuinely was sad to leave (when he did the lap of 'honour' at the end of DOL's last season, when he thought he was off, he was crying his eyes out, bless). As for it just being a case of New York >>>> Birmingham, someone had better tell that Torres bloke that Madrid >>>>> Liverpool. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
NSG Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 If they're getting dicked on by the MLS "stars", surely we can spank a few past them. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
junkhead Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 USA has the potential to be a good footballing nation, but it'll never happen.. they'll never understand the game and Angel is shit Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WarrenBartonCentrePartin Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I couldn't give two shiney's about the MLS. However, The Bonk's signature...... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest brewer Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Last summer Freddy Adu and DC United put four past Celtic. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Preseason friendlies don't really tell us anything, to be honest Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flip Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 For the so called, soccer to be famous theyre gonna have to split the game into like 6 different quarters, so these fat b****** can go buy hot dogs every 15 minute. Otherwise the fans will never be happy, this ofcourse isnt everyone but how many in the states watch soccer daily? couple of hundred thousand? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
thomas Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Big fish in a little pond in terms of the league, but outside it he probably doesn't get a second look on the streets of NY. Anonymity of a sort that he might have been looking for Or just a case of New York >>>>>>>>>>>> Birmingham Yes well I was trying to be nice , but that too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Toonie Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 angel scored 7 goals in his first 5 games in the MLS. That right there tells you how shit it is. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bonk Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 The reason we got shot was because he wasn't good enough, simple as that really. One good season he had, although he was loved by the fans, inexplicably. I've seen quite a few of his goals in the MLS by the way of the unmentionable video sharing web site, and - although I know this is a bit of a cliche - the quality of defending is so bad, they're making him look like Pele. Actually, that is a little harsh, let's just say that the fact that JPA is such a star over there tells its own story. He was thought to be on 40k a week here, so that is indeed a pay cut, but there was no way anyone was going to pay him much more than 20k a week here on any new contract. Smashing bloke, though, and genuinely was sad to leave (when he did the lap of 'honour' at the end of DOL's last season, when he thought he was off, he was crying his eyes out, bless). As for it just being a case of New York >>>> Birmingham, someone had better tell that Torres bloke that Madrid >>>>> Liverpool. I saw him play at our ground here (Toronto FC) and he was easily the best player on the pitch. Yes, the MLS is shit and I was only having a laugh mentioning that. Still, he could have stayed in the Prem with the Wigan's, Mackem's of the world. Also, for the record, I think the MLS will become a better league than most of you are leading on. Granted, it won't reach the heights of the bigger leagues around the world, but it will get better. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest efullerton Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Agreed, soccer will never reach the levels of popularity or revenue generation that it has in England, Spain, or Italy. There are 3 other major sports ahead of it, each with a fan base and revenue that parallels football in any of the aforementioned nations. However, it will continue to improve and eventually it is likely that the MLS will be of a quality close to the also-ran leagues of Europe e.g. France or The Netherlands though it will probably take 25 more years. The MLS has been managed very conservatively and well over the first decade of its existence, it remains to be seen if these new high profile moves by teams will help engender the sport in the long run. Regardless though, I think one of the most important factors affecting growth is that the US is becoming less and less Caucasian and more and more Latin. As more second generation Latin-Americans grow in affluence their tastes effect change because money talks. This is a slow process, but living in Texas, which is one of the traditional strongholds of American Football, I can see the popularity growing before my eyes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jackmisfit Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think everyone besides Alexei Lalas realizes that MLS is shit football, but if you were trying to make football in the States popular, how would you do it? Do you think that you could do it better than MLS? Over here, you have a lot of young kids playing in youth leagues, but then what? Before MLS, you could play in grade school, maybe college, then nowhere. So if you have any athletic talent, why would you "waste" it on football? No, you'd either play American football, hockey, baseball or basketball, because if you were good enough, you could make millions playing professionally. MLS has survived for 12 plus years because they pay low salaries and low salaries equal low talent. But, by being around, it can and will begin to attract some of the college level players that might have just quit playing altogether after they graduate. As time goes by, you'll also have people that have grown up watching MLS, which will build a fanbase and encourage that generations children to dream of playing football professionally. Of course, the money isn't as good as other sports in the states, and that will keep the best athletes away from MLS, but as the fanbase grows, so will the money and salaries. As for the "Beckham rule" players, by bringing in a few middle talent players from overseas, like Angel and Xavier, the hope is to improve the league, albeit slightly. Beckham is here mostly for marketing purpposes. Overall, I think they've done a pretty good job selling MLS. I think their plan for improving the league will take time, lots of time, but I think that there's a decent chance that MLS will not only survive, but it will become a better league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
gazza ladra Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think everyone besides Alexei Lalas realizes that MLS is s*** football, but if you were trying to make football in the States popular, how would you do it? Do you think that you could do it better than MLS? Lalas knows MLS is shit. He's a spokesman for the league and likes to see his name in the papers. He needs the attention, that's all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bonk Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 I think everyone besides Alexei Lalas realizes that MLS is s*** football, but if you were trying to make football in the States popular, how would you do it? Do you think that you could do it better than MLS? Lalas knows MLS is s***. He's a spokesman for the league and likes to see his name in the papers. He needs the attention, that's all. Is he trying to divert attention away from how shit the LA Galaxy are? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
brummie Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Bonk - are you going to watch my lot play Toronto next week? Actually, I think I may have asked you this before. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest nufcfan76 Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Not impresed in the slightest. Angel scoring in the MLS is the same as scoring in the Villa reserve team vs. someone like Oxford Utd or Darlo in preseason... As for Lalas, give the guy credit, he's got the mustard to bring golden balls over, but to spend all that money on one past it player when he could have signed 1/2 of Real's starting 11 for that much? That's not to mention all the follow on's Becks is getting from the Galaxy and MLS when he retires- insane really. As for the States taking soccer in, well, Americans' attention span is much less than others so its the lack of speed, goals and commercial breaks in the game which have most people look elsewhere for entertainment. The NHL found this out and revamped their rules and the league is doing very well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest jackmisfit Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Beckham is there for the media attention, not just his game. American's attention spans being much less than others... yeah, we're all loud, fat and lazy too... The NHL didn't revamp that much and they're actually doing very poorly. The biggest rules that were changed were made to bring the game back to how it was played decades ago, (getting rid of the clutching and grabbing, reducing the goalies pads..) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bonk Posted July 20, 2007 Share Posted July 20, 2007 Bonk - are you going to watch my lot play Toronto next week? Actually, I think I may have asked you this before. Yeah mate, I'll be there. I'll report back next thursday. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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