MLS 2010 kicks off and a few thoughts

Well, after a long absence, we return in time to warm up so that our wits are in shape for this summer's World Cup. The 2010 MLS season kicked off on Thursday, as last season's surprise Seattle faced the latest newcomers, Philadelphia. Some general comments:

-- Seattle = good; Philly = not ready for prime time - they were that bad last night. At one point, Harkes (already in mid-season form with his inane comments) pointed out that the statistics showed both teams were nearly equal in shots or something equally insignificant. Perhaps on a radio broadcast this might fly but anyone actually watching the match (as you do on telly) could see that there was no comparison.

-- Ricardo Salazar had a pretty good match last night as referee. It seems clear that the league is trying to clamp down on over-the-top physicality. Still, the CounterAttack thinks that Ljundberg could have been saved from some of the hacks that knocked him out of the match with more aggressive, pro-active refereeing. Ricardo's performance was an improvement over what has been whistled in recent years. Let's hope that he established the standard for the season last night.

-- Jack McInerny (17 yrs old) came on as a second-half sub for Philly. He is a highly rated player by the National team staff, so he's worth watching. He didn't do much but didn't embarrass himself either. Following up with the CounterAttack's viewing of his play for the Little Nats, Mac continues to suggest he has potential to play at this level. Still, he ain't the second coming of a world-class player.

-- Following up on that, the CounterAttack was flipping past MSG HS Sports, which were announcing the NYS Miss HS Basketball Player of the Year. Clips of the girl who won the award were interspersed with the presentation. Instantly, you could tell that she was clearly in a different class than the other players in the clips; wasn't even close. Now, the CounterAttack really doesn't like basketball but her clips were that good that we had to stop to watch for a few minutes.

The reason we mention this is simple: when you see top-tier talent, it's instantly recognizable. We couldn't tell you what it takes to be a good basketballler but the girl we watched clearly had "it".

Sadly, and to this day, after 15 years of watching youth players, NCAA players and MLS rookies, only one player has come close to making us sit up and say, "THIS kid can make it" - Jozy Altidore. Then again, his Beckham match performance was, to date, a one-off.

The US won't reach the pinnacle of the international stage until we start developing kids whose play is so good, it demands that you stop just to watch him play.


Image via WV Hooligan.com