Two Points Well Taken

There were two areas in the critical commentary FIFA President Sepp Blatter made on Al Jazeera TV that have some value. He was critical of the low television ratings for professional soccer in the U.S., and he once again expessed the belief that the top players will not come to play here as long as Major League Soccer does not adopt the international calendar of split seasons, thus eliminating playing league games through the summer.
While attendance at MLS games is up all across the league, television ratings continue to be low. However, given the choice between one or the other, people in the stadiums is the better reality.
For many reasons it would be a good thing if soccer was played in the spring and in the fall in a split-season format with winter and summer breaks. However, the thought of going up against college football and the NFL for the entire fall does not give comfort for better television ratings for soccer. The second division North American Soccer League will go to split seasons this year. We’ll see how that works out.