New York Red Bulls coach, excuse me, I mean Sporting Director and manager Bruce Arena recently was critical about parity in MLS making the league less than scintillating. Arena went on to mention the fact that teams that are dynasties like the New York Yankees add to the interest of a league.
Couldn’t agree more, yet it’s not the first time this subject has been broached.
Arena mentioned the early years as having more teams with personality like Tampa Bay Mutiny (now contracted) and his DC United teams.
Lets not forget the importance of foreign talent in the early years and how individual players in certain markets defined teams. In DC it was Marco Etcheverry and his clear influence…All eyes were drawn to El Diablo and without his input the team would not have had the same personality. In Tampa it was Carlos ‘El Pibe’ Valderrama whose mop hair combined with innate sense and passing skills as a player gave his team major personality. Which gets back to the point that the league needs more personality players who generally are the technical ones, the ones who fans come to watch because they might encounter the unexpected.
There won’t be any dynasty in MLS until teams become privatized. In the meantime coaches like Arena will continue to try to find ways to make their teams unique and different. It’s a tough job.
As for me, I am glad Da Bruce is in MLS, he himself is motivating other coaches and franchises ……..Here are my weekend conference championship predictions.
Houston over Colorado
New England over DC United…please check out my special MLS Cup Playoff preview Saturday November 4th at 12:00 pm on 790AM radio The Sports Animal………..

Older athletes make for great copy in the world of sports.
Roger Clemens of the Houston Astros and Cal Ripken Jr. formerly of the Baltimore Orioles all quickly come to mind in baseball.
But soccer?
Sure goalkeepers in the past have played in to their forties like Dino Zoff of Italy and Pat Jennings of Ireland but few field players have.
Roger Milla of Cameroon is on that comes to mind but what first comes to mind is the physical running that must take place.
Which leads me to Teddy Sheringham of West Ham currently playing and scoring last weekend in the Premiership. Only Gordon Strachan has ever played in to his forties in this historic league.
Yet lets face it, Sheringham is a brainy, positional player whose brain is keeping him in the top flight combined with 22 years of experience at Millwall, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham, Manchester United, Portsmouth and now West Ham. It is not just about the physical, he has seen it all and is capable of outthinking others to remain in the game at this level.
Eleven goals in 51 games for England as an international is not bad either.
Who can forget in 96 his two goal performance vs. Holland in the European Championships in a 4-1 “Three Lions” victory.
Sheringham’s next great hope is to play with his son Charlie on the same team who is currently on trial at Crystal Palace.
Onward Teddy from a mid-forties fan.