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EDIT: We're bumping this up for the Weekend because we've added some great maps courtesy of MLS and This Is American Soccer.
We at MLS Rumors have noticed a large uptick in the amount of traffic we are receiving from abroad. We can only assume that means you guys like our coverage of the league.
Perhaps you'd like to follow players you've heard of from your country?
Or maybe you're all just curious about it but have never seen an actual MLS game?
So with that in mind here is our quick guide to MLS, Season 2008.
Gimmie the games!
If you want to watch games live (assuming a channel in your country is not broadcasting the games) here are your options:
MLSLive.tv - An excellent value at $20 per season. It allows you access to more MLS football than anyone would want (unless you're true addicts). If you miss a match, no worries, they're all archived complete with highlight packages. Works on PC and Mac. It should be noted that MLSLive TV only broadcasts matches that are not on national channels like ESPN, Fox Soccer Channel, TelefuturaHDNet. Still there are plenty to chose from. You can get a taste of MLSLive.tv by checking out free highlights here or on MLS's YouTube Channel like these from a DC United vs Chicago playoff game last season.
Peer To Peer TV -During the MLS season you will often find matches that are on ESPN2, ABC or Fox Soccer Channel here. Often this requirers downloading some software and unfortunately it is PC Only.
Web Based Channels - Often MLS matches will pop up on channels like this one or this one or many others. These can be watched on any computer with flash installed so they are both PC and Mac compatible.
Going deeper, learning the history....
First thing is first, MLS is a league unlike many others in the world in that it is divided geographically into two divisions, east and west. The Brazilian state leagues are the only thing comparable. For more on this, MLS it's history, teams, etc, click here and here. However for the purpose of awarding spots in competitions a single table is used (Top four qualify for CONCACAF Champions League, SuperLiga 09, top 6 automatically qualify for the 2009 US Open Cup)
Secondly, it helps to understand why MLS is the way it is by reading up on American soccer history, which actually began in the 1880s. You can start your reading about that here. You may find the early years from 1913-1950 interesting, back when the US Soccer Federation was called the US Football Association.
Third, the US Open Cup is the US version of the FA Cup though far less publicized and prestigious, it dates back to 1914 and it involves amateur and MLS sides and everything in between from the divisions below MLS. Read up on it's history here.
Finally, MLS is part of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF, our regional confederation) and takes part in several international competitions each season, one of them is the CONCACAF Champions Cup (to be replaced this Autumn with the CONCACAF Champions League) as well as the North American SuperLiga. Sides which do well in the CONCACAF Champions Cup are often invited to South America's Copa Sudamericana, which is sort of like the UEFA Cup.
Lower Divisions
There are several divisions which play below America's top flight 1st division (MLS) which you can see on this map:
They are the USL-1 (Which is offcially the 2nd Division) and USL-2 (Which is officially the 3rd Division) part of the United Soccer Leagues, which have no official relationship with MLS and in case you didn't know there is no Promotion or Relegation at any level of US footy, though there is much debate over it, and whether it will appear in time.
Podcasts
Perhaps the best way to follow a particular team is through their blogs and podcast. A list of them are here.
3 comments:
Hey MLS Rumors,
My name is Jose M. Burgos and I started a new MLS blog about a month ago. I do not have the means to advertise it, so I thought it would be a good idea to share it with people who are true fans of the MLS. If you do not speak Spanish, please pass it along to your Spanish-speaking friend. I would really appreciate it.
http://mlsenespanol.blogspot.com/
Leave a comment, vote, give your opinion. I want the Hispanics who support the MLS, to have a place where their voices can be heard.
Vamo arriba la MLS!
Thanks for posting the map showing where MLS players came from. Very cool.
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