The 2010 Major League Soccer (MLS) championship between Colorado and FC Dallas is Sunday at BMO Field in Toronto, Canada. But, you probably wouldn’t know that if you’re like most U.S. sports fans and get your sports news from ESPN. That’s because ESPN incorrectly listed Dick’s Sporting Goods Park in Colorado as the venue for the final. It’s yet another example of how ESPN is failing in its coverage of American soccer, both for men and women.
ESPN spent millions for its coverage of the World Cup, yet the supposed worldwide leader in sports can’t be troubled to support MLS. Viewership for the sport is down 12%. ESPN.com’s Soccernet is truly lacking in U.S. news. There was no mention on the site about the MLS Cup Final, what time ESPN’s coverage begins, nor any information regarding the U.S. men’s national team friendly against South Africa, which also happens to be shown on ESPN. SI.com (Sports Illustrated) and MLSsoccer.com have shown much more support.
While the MLS still ranks behind other American sports leagues like the NFL (National Football League), MLB (Major League Baseball), NBA (National Basketball Association), NHL (National Hockey League) and NASCAR (National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing) in terms of fans, ratings and advertising revenue, the league is moving in the right direction.
MLS Commissioner Don Garber announced some changes in his yearly state of the league address, of which the main talking point is to improve the quality of the league and American soccer, and to increase MLS’ competitiveness worldwide. One change will be the return to the reserve league to create a larger pool of talent. The rosters will be expanded to 30 players next year. Six of those spots will be reserved for players age 24 and under. And, those six don’t count against the slightly increased salary cap. Teams can sign an unlimited amount of home grown players, which helps developmental academies nationwide. Teams in the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) Champions League will get budgetary help.
It’s just too bad that ESPN isn’t recognizing all this, let alone getting its own MLS schedule right.
Colorado Rapids v FC Dallas Match Odds (provided by Titan Bet)
Colorado Rapids: 37/20
Draw: 43/20
FC Dallas: 5/4