For the longest time, I was one of those ignorant sports fans. I made jokes about poor attendance and Cobi Jones’ haircut because I could have cared less about whether or not soccer succeeded in the US. I had my NFL and my Pretender reruns, and I was happy.
Then a strange thing happened. I got hooked by the US’s World Cup appearance in 2002, and I started following the players long after the Cup had ended. Naturally, I was drawn to MLS, considering so many players call it home. The action wasn’t half bad. The build-up to a goal was exciting, and the personalities of the players were fun to watch.
Still, I am no expert on the game. Far from it. If I hope to achieve anything from this column, it is to entertain die-hard soccer fans with my naïve comments and to document the journey of a mainstream fan to the fringe of American sports. Should I learn something along the way, then great. Should I flame out in a bitter post toward the insufficiencies of soccer, then I apologize in advance.
I really don’t know what I’m getting myself into.
MLS Power Rankings
1. Houston Dynamo. The two-time defending champions deserve to start the season at the top. And I deserve a medal for knowing that they are two-time defending champions.
2. DC United. The team with the best regular season record tanked in the playoffs. Mavericks fans, the MLS was made for you!
3. New England Revolution. Taylor Twellman is the Carson Palmer of MLS.
4. Chivas USA. Brad Guzan is my favorite goalkeeper. I could not tell you why.
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