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Ruud Gullit must have brought some of California's finest back to the other side of the pond as he has gone all conspiratorial on us...
This comes to us courtesy of Reuters:
CARSON, California, Oct 13 (Reuters) - David Beckham faces a near-impossible task to try to elevate soccer to unprecedented heights in the United States, says former Los Angeles Galaxy coach Ruud Gullit.
England midfielder Beckham, one of the world's most marketable sports figures, joined the Galaxy in July 2007 as part of an orchestrated bid to lift American soccer to a new level.
"David is more than just a football player and I think he does extremely well to give football here a lift," Dutchman Gullit told Reuters at the Home Depot Center on Monday.
"But I doubt if they (U.S. soccer organisers) really want that. I think they are afraid of football because it's so popular everywhere around the world. I think they will just control it so it doesn't become more popular than their American sports.
"So it is very hard for him (Beckham)," added Gullit, speaking at a training event arranged by Ford's www.FeelFootball.com programme. "They will never allow that, and in some ways I can understand it as well.
"I have my doubts if they really want to make it popular. Some sports already have had a bit of a dive so they don't want American football to become less popular, or basketball or baseball."
More after the jump.
REPORT: Ruud Gullit Declares Beckham's Mission: "Impossible" Accuses US Soccer of Supressing Sport
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Gullit is right.
This is ridiculous. Gullit is dumb he guided a team that lost 4-0 to a Fernando Clavijo led Rapids. Gullit is off-based on his comments. He couldn't hack it in the most competitive league in the world.
Two weeks left til seasons end and almost everyone still has a chance to get in the playoffs. I said more competitive...not better. Don't be stupid and miss the point.
He can coach a top for club in England, but the EPL is trash from 12 through 20. Those teams maybe, maybe could sneak in past FCD and KC. You're telling me Derby last year could beat Chivas? No way. Columbus and Houston would be in the top 10 in the EPL and take points from Gullit's old Chelsea team.
Mr. Smith...let's be serious. you really think that the Crew and Chivas could beat teams in the EPL?
If you want to look at the player gap between the US and England just look at the US internationals that have made there way into the EPL and where they have ended up at the end of the season. I'm sorry your thoughts just don't make any sense and you only deminish your credability.
Now for Gullit...we can see more with each passing day that he was teh wrong man for the job in LA. He didn't understand the system that is in place with the MLS. He thinks he can just buy what ever players he wants because he is used to the free market in England.
If you want to call the salary cap the reason why American soccer will never be on the same level as Europe, fair enough. But I would be damned if we allow teams like LA Galaxy become the yankees of the MLS. The movement on the MLS has always been to improve the popularity of the sport and allow American players an opportunity to play at a professional level within the states.
It's not because we don't want it...It's because we don't want to see another failure and we are smart enough to make business decisions based off emotions. Logically what the MLS is doing makes sense and will only help the grass roots movement of soccer in teh states.
Guillit's comments are illogical. He is saying that Beckham can't lift soccer in the US because the soccer association in the US doesn't want the sport to become too popular. Uh what???
He wasn't up for the job and he couldn't handle the nuances of the MLS, end of story. Sorry but there is no conspiracy in the US by the soccer community to suppress the sport so it doesn't become too popular.
I think hed may be right. look how long it took US too get good mexican-american player on the national team. they drag their feet and play player out of position. look at fredy adu. he should be the centerpiece of US team and in most country that follow football he would be. i think us soccer only want to promote the game to gringos and soccer moms so anglo players get top spots whil other adu, torres, altidor wait on benches,
es true. gullit es right
Gullit sound like he is criticizing the league for his failures in MLS. How can you be a coach who allows over 2.2 goals per game?
And Soccer will more than likely never be more popular than American Football, or Basket ball. It might be able to be up there with baseball. And in a dacade or two will be better than hockey, but its isn't popular because americans want the best. And MLS can't offer that right now.
Is soccer really the most popular sport in the world?
I read that because of the Chinese love affair with the NBA, that basketball is now the most popular sport in the world(in numbers)
They could bring in Pele in his prime, CRonaldo, 'dinho, Ribery, and whoever else and soccer would still be fourth at best in this country.
Basketball is indeed 2nd in the world in terms of participation rates, number of countries with pro leagues and competing national teams.
Ruud is an idiot.
But an idiot with a point, damnit.
The US has been conservative with the growth of the sport so that it doesn't suffer another collapse (as some of the failed previous incarnations). So for their hesitation, I can understand that. However, although we're not quite there yet, it is almost time to take the training wheels off and ride this thing like it was meant to be. I think that by the time this league gets to 20-24 teams, it will be solidified enough to take what may come.
For as conservative of a plan as it has in place right now, and despite the growing pains we all feel today, this league will be stronger and better in the forseeable future because of what we all do today.
Appreciate it, the next generation will (because it will still be around).
I think it's true. Why else NFL owners would be interested on these new teams?
Why else would NFL owners be interested on expansion teams?