This week our topics range from the DeAndre Yedlin transfer from the Seattle Sounders FC to Tottenham Hotspur to the retirement of Los Angeles Galaxy midfielder Landon Donovan and everything in between. Enjoy the responses from our writers in this week's Major League Soccer Roundtable.
DeAndre Yedlin is close to finalizing a transfer to move to Tottenham Hotspur in January. Spurs has a solid young right-back in Kyle Walker meaning Yedlin would probably be loaned out for 2014-15. Would you rather a promising USMNT player play in the English Football League Championship or Major League Soccer? (This transfer was announced by Tottenham and Seattle after the question was posed to our writers)
Liam McMahon: I would much rather see a player like Yedlin playing in MLS over the Championship. Obviously, if he is to go to Spurs and play regularly then that's great. They're a top British club. But if he is to be loaned to the Championship, I think that is a step down from MLS. The Championship plays in the same style as the Premiership, but at a slower pace and with less skill. The MLS style of play is much, much quicker than the Championship and I think of a far higher quality. If Yedlin is heading to Spurs, I hope that when/if they decide to loan him out, it is continually back to Seattle where he can hone his talents in MLS.
Michael Axmith: Yedlin would be better off in MLS then in the Coca Cola League which is a rough league filled with bitter players angry to not be in EPL. The matches I have seen have been rough affairs and there would be more role models in the MLS.
Stockton Mair: I would rather have them in Major League Soccer, to be honest. I mean, I know the English Football League Championship is a great league, but most of the US Soccer players will be coming from MLS now. It really has shown how the league has grown. If they come from MLS, they will have been able to study each player's playing pattern, so they can either play against the player, or with the player. Them being in MLS is best for the league, and could possibly be better for their International Career.
Eevry Goren: With the sheer number of injuries to Tottenham defenders last season, namely Yedlin's competition Walker I wouldn't be one bit surprised to see him play in the EPL in all honesty, especially since Spurs are in the Europa League too. That being said I think the experience of playing and living in a foreign country is great for a younger player like Yedlin and working hard at the Championship level, while some may view it as beneath him I think would be great experience for Yedlin (who seems to me as very humble.) That being said I'd also like to see us keep our best players in MLS, but you have to strike a balance between shipping them out because they're good enough to play in Europe and keeping them so we can grow the quality of the league.
Steve Graff: It depends on what happens with Kyle Walker. Yedlin is obviously competition for the young English right back, but Yedlin can also be deployed in a wide midfield or wingback role with Walker still on the pitch. If it looks like Spurs are using Walker more with Yedlin being on the outside looking in, I would like to see him loaned somewhere--just to a club on the [European] continent or Mexico.
Matthew Evans: I am of the opinion that it doesn't matter where he is playing as long as he is playing. There is only a certain amount of growth that can come on the training pitch, it is that game action that adds the extra little push into superstardom. When it comes to MLS vs. League Championship, it's got to be League Championship for me. The quality of play is similar maybe a little behind that of Major League Soccer but there is so much more opportunity to play in that league.
The League Championship has 24 clubs in the league with a true home-and-home scheduling model. That means that a club will play 46 matches just in the league itself not including any matches in the League Cup or FA Cup. Compare that to the 2012 Seattle Sounders FC who played 49 total including MLS, Playoffs, CONCACAF Champions League and U.S. Open Cup Play.
Which of the 5 MLS clubs that are participating in the CONCACAF Champions League will do the best in the competition and why?
McMahon: Sporting KC. Montreal have been terrible this year, they won't get past New York in their group. New York, Portland, and DC are all quality teams, but I think that SKC are the second best team in the league, and are so strong top to bottom that they're built for a run deep into this tournament. After them the next best team in the tournament is either Cruz Azul or Club America, and SKC nearly beat Cruz Azul in the semis last season. I think this may finally be the year that an MLS team wins the CCL.
Axmith: If the NYRB play their top squad they will be very frightening for any opponent. Sporting Kansas are also hungry with their recent MLS success wish to build on their run in CONCACAF.
Goren: Sporting Kansas City, for several reasons. Not only do I think they have the best squad depth of any of the 5 MLS Clubs, but they have a squad with prior CONCACAF Champions League experience, and I think they have the best coach. Some could argue Montreal because they have nothing more to fight for in MLS this season, but I think their struggles in MLS are bound to affect their form in the CCL between the travel and poor form of players.
Graff: This is an interesting case, but DC United would be the best suited. Their squad is not incredibly top-heavy and Ben Olsen has had to rotate the side many times throughout the season. They still need a left back on the transfer market--but their depth in the midfield and organization (at times) will help them.
The Liga MX teams that are in this edition of CONCACAF Champions League are much better than the teams MLS sides faced last season. Last year's winners--Cruz Azul--might be the side MLS teams are licking their chops to take on based on how they've played so far.
The others---the Bicampeones (Leon), America, and Pachuca are ridiculously good in many positions. Based on what I've seen so far from them in league play, unless somebody puts the CCL on the backburner, I don't see an MLS team getting past a Liga MX side this season.
Evans: The Portland Timbers. The biggest thing for the Timbers will be getting as many goals as possible against the weaker opponent in Alpha United of Guyana. If they can do that and win the tricky match in Tegucigalpa against C.D. Olimpia, I think they will be in a good position to possibly make the semi-finals.
Now that it looks like David Beckham’s bid for an MLS club in Miami is fading away, do you see him making a play for Chivas USA?
McMahon: I don't really think that Beckham would make a move for Chivas USA. Not because he's worried about alienating Galaxy fans, no Brand Beckham is strong enough to withstand nearly anything. The reason why this won't happen is that Chivas USA are owned by the same people who own Chivas de Guadalajara, one of the most popular clubs in Liga MX. While Chivas USA are nowhere near as popular, if Beckham is going to make a move for them they would have to undergo a massive re-branding and a relocation. After Miami, LA would clearly be the most attractive city for Beckham to own a team, and they really don't need or seem to want a second team in LA. I see no scenario with Chivas USA where Beckham owns the team.
Axmith: I see Beckham starting fresh in another city that does not have MLS. A place like San Francisco, or Charlotte would not surprise me. And no Ottawa would not be his target! Chivas would be the last resort
Mair: I can see him trying to buy it. It's probably very unlikely, but I can see it. I don't think Beckham will give up on getting a team in Miami soon. I think he's going to keep trying to make that work
Goren: I can't say I do. Even with things in Miami the way they are, I think MLS and Beckham are much more likely to stick to Florida, maybe working out something with the Tampa Bay Rowdies ownership and hoping it doesn't wind up like last time. Chances are I think an LA or at least California based businessman will go in for Chivas. Lord knows there are plenty of soccer fans and businessmen in California, I'm sure they'll find another interested party. If worse comes to worse, MLS can go back on their word to keep Chivas in LA and just move to Vegas were you have two very interested parties already working on getting a stadium.
Graff: The problem for David Beckham is that he did not bother to go into "real Miami" and many other narratives I've heard from Miami-based media friends. Although Beckham might make a play for any team, I don't think Chivas USA is the right one. Whoever does takeover Chivas USA, a lot of their long-term future will depend on how pervasive "the "3four3 way" will become--and how managers and technical directors communicate with them to mold a well-structured, organized, technical team.
Evans: I do not see him purchasing Chivas but I think that it would be a good move on his part to consider it. The league wants Chivas to have their own stadium, which Becks had planned on building in Miami, and it would be a club in the second largest media-market in the United States.
Alan Gordon was traded to the LA Galaxy from the San Jose Earthquakes on Monday. Is he the missing piece to bring the Galaxy a Championship in 2014?
McMahon: I'm not really sure that LA needed another forward. I've been really impressed with the movement between Donovan, Ishizaki, Keane and Zardes over the last few weeks, and I don't think Gordon will bring them anything they don't already have.
Axmith: Gordon has been having temperament issues over the past year. I've seen it in his play and interactions with teammates. He may be more liability then asset.
Mair: I don't think so. I mean, he's a good player and is going to a good team, but honestly, I think there are better teams in the west right now. Real Salt Lake has found their stride again, and have gained a new offensive weapon almost as good as Alvaro Saborio. Now, it would be good for them to get Landon Donovan one last championship, but I doubt it's going to happen.
Goren: Absolutely not. He had an excellent time with the “goonies” particularly in 2012 when San Jose won the Supporter's Shield and he had 12 goals in the regular season, but his form has dipped as of late and I don't think he's going to be playing any smash and grab soccer in LA which got him goals in San Jose. As far as I'm concerned, it's a nostalgic move given his previous stint with LA, and he's a slight upgrade on Rob Friend.
Graff: Alan Gordon brings depth, but the beauty of LA Galaxy's "Los Dos" team is that they can re-introduce Jose Villarreal and others into the first team side. Gordon has scored late goals, but that was on a team that played some of the ugliest soccer in MLS.
Evans: Not a chance. He will be a great attacking option off the bench though. His height will add another target to look for on set-pieces late in matches but will that be the thing that brings the Los Angeles Galaxy a Championship in 2014? No. That will be the continued solid play of Jaime Penedo in goal.
Landon Donovan has announced his retirement at age 32. What impact will retiring now have on his legacy?
McMahon: I think it does his legacy no damage whatsoever. He left when he wanted to, on his own terms. We will never have to see a slightly overweight Donovan who doesn't have the skill or speed he once possessed still running around. He will be able to move on to whatever he wants now, and we will forever remember him as the best player who ever represented the United States Men's National Team and the best to ever ply his trade in MLS.
Axmith: Landon's early retirement can hurt his legacy as it seems like he retired after JK cut him. However I am of the school that if Everton came calling he would be back at Merseyside in a heartbeat. It was a shame he did not play there longer as he really seemed to thrive and could have carried that energy to the US team.
Mair: I'm not sure. Major League Soccer won't be the same without him, but I think it'll actually become better. LD has changed the league AND US soccer, but sometimes losing these league changers can have a positive impact. I'm not sure what, but I'm sure the impact will be positive.
Goren: I think Donovan's retirement is generally ill timed but overall it's a mixed bag. There seem to be two schools of thought as far as retirement goes: continue to play for as long as I feel capable, or go out on top. In the case of Donovan, his value may have taken a hit following his sabbatical, poor form and the exclusion from the national team for the 2014 World Cup. On the flip side, he regained his form, beat the all-time record for goals scored in MLS and has played an important part in a revitalized LA Galaxy. However, having won essentially all he could as a player for the Galaxy, with his future with the USMNT potentially nonexistent and a cycle of sabbatical followed by poor form having already occurred I think his decision to retire now is likely a wise one, with him going out relatively on top. Another MLS Cup at the end of the season would be the perfect sendoff (and very Beckham-esque) it may be unlikely, but at the very least some good form from him until the end of the season would definitely help. As far as his overall legacy goes, the man is regarded by many as the greatest ever to play for the US, and he's the all-time goal scorer for the US and MLS. I'm sure he'll have a very cozy spot in American soccer history for years to come and we'll be able to have said “I was alive when Landon Donovan played.” Hopefully the first of many greats for an ever improving US Soccer.
Graff: I don't think Donovan stays retired for too long. But its Landon Donovan's decision--and one that defines his genius as well as to justify why others thought of Donovan as an 'enigma.' But the game is full of enigmatic stars--Ronaldinho, Riquelme, Juninho (Pernambucano), Rafa Marquez, etc.--who were brilliant in how they played, yet people did not understand their genius until after it was all done.
Evans: His early retirement will not impact his legacy, his sabbatical after the 2012 season affected his legacy. I can understand having "soccer burnout" but the way that situation was handled by Donovan was not right. It seemed more like he was trying to have people pity him and show that they wanted/needed him to return. I did not like the way that went down and that will be what tarnished his legacy in my opinion.