Klinsmann vs. the MLS: Why the American Boss Shouldn't Be Criticized for Honesty

Jurgen Klinsmann is not afraid of controversy.

The American manager ruffled the feathers of MLS Commissioner Don Garber last week when he openly questioned whether Michael Bradley and Clint Dempsey’s move from Europe to the MLS caused their form to suffer.

Sometimes the truth hurts.

Prior to the friendly against Honduras, Klinsmann admitted concerns about form-drop in the MLS (via Goal.com):

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I made it clear with Clint's move back and (Bradley's) move back that it's going to be very difficult for them to keep that same level that they experienced at the places where they were. It's just reality. It's just being honest.

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MLS commissioner Don Garber did not appreciate the honesty. In a media conference call, Garber called Klinsmann’s comments “damaging” and “detrimental”:

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I feel very strongly ... that Jurgen's comments are very, very detrimental to the league. They’re detrimental to the sport of soccer in America ... and not only are they detrimental; I think that they're wrong.

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Exactly what part of Klinsmann’s comments did Garber disagree with? That the MLS is less competitive than top-flight European leagues? Even Garber, who rushed to the defense of the MLS like an overprotective mother, can’t deny that.

So what does Garber take issue with? That players aren’t liable to lose their edge in the MLS?

Stepping down in competition dulls a player’s sharpness. Passes don’t need to be as crisp, shots need not be as precise and pace need not be as quick. It’s human nature—and more efficient—to expend the least amount of energy to win, and playing at European quality is not necessary for MLS success.

There’s a psychological element at play too. European players have a mental edge in the World Cup because international competition—like the MLS—is a step down from the top European leagues (albeit a less dramatic drop from top European leagues to the MLS).

The mild—and temporary—dip in competition endows Europe-based players with confidence the same way a baseball player doesn’t fear a rehab start in the minors.

On the other side of the coin, the shift from MLS to international competition is a step up in competition; few MLS teams could hold their own against a World Cup side in earnest. MLS players don’t have the luxury of taking the doughnut off the bat that European players do.

Those who side with Garber and prefer to treat the MLS with kid gloves, like Mike DeCourcy of the Sporting News, argue that players don’t need to be playing at the highest levels of competition to reach their athletic potential:

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Colin Kaepernick developed into a Super Bowl quarterback at Nevada, which is far from the brutal competition of the Southeastern Conference. It was an even longer trip for Super Bowl winner Joe Flacco, who couldn’t win a starting job at Pitt and so stepped down a half-division to Delaware. Would Stephen Curry have been given a chance to excel if he’d been a skinny walk-on at an ACC school? We don’t know, but we know what he is because Davidson gave him a chance and loads of responsibility.

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It’s a weak analogy. Klinsmann isn’t saying that the MLS can’t function as a useful springboard into higher competition the way that colleges develop future pros, or the way that lower profile domestic leagues like the Brazilian Serie A launched the career of Neymar.

Development and maximizing athletic potential are not the same. By DeCourcy’s logic, Joe Flacco could leave the Baltimore Ravens, spend three years in the arena league with the LA KISS and then return to the NFL without missing a beat.

MLS defenders are also quick to point out that several MLS players performed well at the World Cup. After all, Graham Zusi, Kyle Beckerman and Matt Besler—all MLS mainstays—acquitted themselves with solid play in Brazil.

But that argument only proves that MLS players are capable of performing well in international competitions, something that Klinsmann never questioned. Who’s to say that Beckerman, Zusi and Besler wouldn’t have been that much better had they been plying their trade in Europe?

So what really was wrong with Klinsmann’s statements? That they were insensitive?

Sensitivity and denial do not advance soccer in this country. It’s difficult for some Americans to accept that Europe simply does some things—like soccer—better than the United States, and so they accuse Klinsmann of “Eurosnobbery.” A thin layer of jingoism taints their perspective.

To grow, the MLS must face the truth, or the United States risks forever remaining a footballing nation in arrested development.