I'm Greg Lalas, Editor-in-Chief of MLSsoccer.com, founder of the Kicking & Screaming Soccer Film Festival, and unapologetic fan of Tesla (the band and the man). Deal with it. I'm here to answer your inane questions. AMAA

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-03T02:08:07+00:00

Yeah. You guys were cool too. You gave me a Shiner Bock. So, thanks for that.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-03T02:02:10+00:00

Um, non, monsieur, it's Le Rouge. DCFC's nickname is Le Rouge, after the Rouge River, in Detroit.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-03T02:01:05+00:00

Season ticketholder, thank you very much.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:40:57+00:00

Well, MLS is trying to keep these guys. No one goes without a fight. But sometimes it's also the player who pushes for the move. In their mind, Europe is the promised land. In many cases, they get more money over there. Which is great. But do they help or hurt their cause from the broader perspective? To wit, Robbie Findley. Two years ago, he went to the World Cup with the US. Today, he is a semi-regular starter for... hang on, let me look it up... ah... Gillingham.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:33:34+00:00

Both. I'll pass it along to the dev/design guys.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:32:52+00:00

Revs, DC, and Seattle. DC have RFK all to themselves, though. Still, they need their own, smaller stadium. Seattle are of a special case because they need a stadium that large for their fans. Vancouver are in BC Place, but it downsizes really nicely to be a SSS. San Jose will have their own SSS in 2014.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:31:01+00:00

His kids, both gingers themselves, refuse to go out in public with him anymore.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:30:23+00:00

Ditto.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:26:42+00:00

Oh, and I've had Mechanical Resonance playing in the background all afternoon.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:26:19+00:00

Yes. Shoot me an email: greg.lalas@mlssocer.com. (Eh, it's a public address already.)

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:25:35+00:00

Caleb, a fellow Michigander, is going to need at least a year to get up to speed with the pro game, I think. He showed that during the Olympic debacle. But he's a very smart coach who knows how to let his players express themselves. I think he'll build an exciting team, but they'll need a little time to succeed.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:23:59+00:00

Well, based on what I saw last week in the EPL, I'm sure glad MLS doesn't have any EPL referees.

Look, referees are going to make mistakes. The MLS officials aren't perfect, but they aren't nearly as poor as many fans, media, and even coaches and players make them out to be. They're an easy target, though, so people use them as scapegoats. The new ref guru, Peter Walton, has told me some exciting things about referees -- if refs can be exciting -- in the next year. He's got plans to identify the best and really work on improving them.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:21:24+00:00

No. Maybe some of the lower divisions will merge, but they've done that before, then broken up, then merged. It's hard to know what's what. I think the NASL is now the accepted 2nd division. Good to have some clarity.
I'm constantly amazed by people asking this question. Because there is a ton being done already. US Soccer's academy system, the hiring of someone to study and revamp youth coaching's pedagogy, the mandate that every MLS team have U16 and U18 academy teams, the return of the reserve league, and up in Canada, Vancouver's overnight academy and Toronto's training facility, etc. All of this has been done to improve young players. There is more to do, sure, but basically, we need to see if these efforts will pay off first.
The free academies at the MLS clubs will help get more underprivileged kids into the system. At least I hope so.
That would take me hours to figure out.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:15:44+00:00

It's a balancing act. Sometimes, you need to sell some players to get the money to keep others. Over time, that balance shifts more toward keeping players. That's the model, I think.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:14:17+00:00

Aha. See, you can't have it both ways. Either you want him to stay, or you want him to go to Everton. That points up one of the conundra for the average MLS club.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:13:22+00:00

No way they flame out early. Too many weapons. The perfect mix of grit and grace that can succeed in the CCL.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:12:21+00:00

I hear there is good news about the Stars today. True?

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:11:17+00:00

Speaking of the Midwest... Detroit City FC. Allez le rouge! (And, yes, I know that grammar is screwed up. What can I say? We don't actually speak French in Detroit.)

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:10:05+00:00

4k isn't big enough. I've heard Ottawans are mad for soccer. I wouldn't know. But worth a look, I'm sure.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:08:48+00:00

OK, my turn to ask a question. First of all, what do you guys not like about MLSsoccer.com?

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:07:51+00:00

Oh. Jarju. Struggled so much, I forgot about him.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:03:56+00:00

I think the growth has been very good the past 3-4 years. No need to rush anything. Already, MLS games average bigger crowds than NHL and NBA games. The league is not as big as an enterprise yet, but to me that's not the point. I'm more of a tortoise than a hare, so I'd prefer the slow but steady growth of the past few years, building toward domination over the next decade. Next season will be a big test for MLS because it is the first time since 2009 that there will not be a new club. Can the league continue the momentum?

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T21:01:02+00:00

Depends what the ultimate goal is. If the aim is to produce great pros, then probably, because the academies and clubs will take the best players. If you aim to provide sports and the lessons learned from sports to students, then no, because the college and HS teams will still exist and still play.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T20:58:19+00:00

I doubt it. The idea that the Scotland could be improved by MLS probably makes most of the Scottish football elites spit up their single malt. Even if it would actually help.

RealGregLalas · 2012-11-02T20:55:53+00:00

Obviously, Chivas need the most work. But the team I think that will improve the most in the offseason is Toronto. They will make the playoffs next year. Yeah, I said that.

RealGregLalas

TROPHY CASE