RHST: My Apologies for the Lack of Wit Today

Another edition of Red Headed Step Thoughts finds me full of news and short of wit...sorry about that, I'll do better tomorrow.


The 2010 UEFA Champions League Final will be broadcast not on FSC, not on FX (as originally scheduled) but on the mother ship itself, the FOX network. This will be the first UCL final to be on US broadcast television and means that every home with cable, satellite or digital rabbit ears in the US will be able to watch the final. Plus, if they had HD capabilities it will be in glorious clear widescreen goodness. While it won't happen, we soccer fans can hope this UCL final eclipses the 2010 Super Bowl and the last episode of M.A.S.H for television awesomeness. On a more sour note, does this mean we have to thank Rupert Murdoch?

Lots of TV news today. According to EPLTalk, ESPN has agreed to a deal with Fox Sports International to increase the number of EPL matches the network broadcast in the US next season. Instead of 48, ESPN will have 83 matches on their networks next season. Between ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel and Fox Soccer Plus, Americans will be able to watch virtually every single EPL match either live or on delay. Not bad if you enjoy the EPL as this truly is the golden age of soccer broadcasting in the US.

There is an amusing irony to the EPL broadcast news and I think it's a statement about how ineffective MLS has been at marketing themselves. We have far greater access to EPL matches here in the US than viewers in England do. In fact, many fans across ze pond are forced to rely on internet streams to see their favorite clubs play due to the broadcast rules that are in effect. Sound familiar MLS fans? Here in the US, it's easier to watch an EPL match than it is to watch a match in our own domestic league. Unless you want to but the MLS PPV package, fans are often left scouring the internet for a way to watch their favorite MLS club. I'm not complaining really, just pointing out the truth about TV soccer viewers in the US...they aren't interested in MLS. Networks invest in broadcast rights to events that people will watch and they will be able to sell commercial time on. At this point and for the forseeable future, the EPL will likely remain the dominant television force in the US. The challenge facing MLS is finding a way to get the interest of all the viewers who watch foreign matches and have no interest in the domestic league. Is there a "magic" answer? No, but a good first step is the reduction or abandonment of the "family friendly" marketing strategy the MLS has been using to no success for the past years. Time to market to fans of the game, not soccer moms and kids who don't give a shit about the sport. There are signs MLS clubs are rethinking the family friendly approach and hopefully this change catches on. The insistence by MLS and its clubs to market the game to the wrong demographics has been insulting to soccer fans and it's time for them to fix the problem.

T-minus 48 hours (give or take) until the extension on CBA talks in Major League Soccer expires and the current CBA kicks the proverbial bucket. Bad weather along the eastern seaboard has apparently caused schedule negotiations to be postponed, though from the lack of any news in the past 10 days you wonder if the two sides were even doing anything. Without any real news to report, I suppose I'll just reiterate where we stand. On Friday one of three things will happen: Another extension, a new CBA agreement or a lockout. Simple as that. Let's hope for option one or two for the good of MLS and soccer in America.

The 2010 Dallas Cup is fast approaching and with the announcement of the u-19 Super Group brackets and feature games, there are even more reasons to get excited. The opening night of the tournament (March, 28th) will feature three Super Group matches at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco including a US v Mexico U-19 clash. Hopefully the Dallas area American Outlaws and Sam's Army members will make their way out to the match and help create a fun and lively atmosphere and help support the young American players. You can get information about and tickets for these matches and the entire tournament at www.dallascup.com