This post will be, in some ways, inconsequential. And I stand by that choice on the grounds that nothing manifestly consequential has happened in and around Major League Soccer in the year 2022. Also, don’t think too hard about when things become “manifestly consequential” during the MLS season, because that only leads to questions about why one tunes in at all.
That said, and to avoid any confusion, I love this messy, middling league as much as a man with a wife, two kids, two cats, and a proliferation of hobbies and interests possibly can. Moving on…
I’ve decided to move the MLS Weakly posts to mid-week, and for a couple reasons. First, once the season starts, I’m going to use them for reviewing the week just past and previewing the week ahead; as (all four score of my) regular readers already know, I’ve grown increasingly obsessed with results over time, so why not situate the discussion in a place that looks back to look forward? Your people call it Wednesday (or Thursday). Second, and related, that best fits what I have in mind for framing the 2022 season. And that follows from a thought that has developed, 1) over (too many) years of watching and writing about MLS, and 2) the seemingly relentless expansion of the number of teams in MLS. There is, in a phrase, too much shit to keep track of. More germane to the point at hand, very real liberation comes from ignoring shit that isn’t worth tracking. Related, this next bit might get a little unpleasant for, oh, about 1/3 of the regular (or semi-regular) visitors to this site.
I follow FC Cincinnati for a couple reasons, hometown love and sincere affection among them. I have motivation, in other words, but Cincinnati has given even the most rabid/devoted MLS neutral fan absolutely no rational reason to give them even one stray thought outside limited scenarios - e.g., your team plays them next week, you’re from Columbus and love the city a little too well, you need to think of another team to make you feel better about your team’s struggles, Cincy’s perennial, horrifying quest to lower the collective bar each season, etc. Judge my personal choices however you want, call it masochism and I’ll tell you where I like it and how hard, but arriving at the full meaning of Cincinnati’s permanent irrelevance led me to a long overdue rethink of the TOTAL COVERAGE framing that has been my greatest obsession and my greatest obstacle for as long as I’ve rambled about America’s best pass at The Beautiful Game.
That said, and to avoid any confusion, I love this messy, middling league as much as a man with a wife, two kids, two cats, and a proliferation of hobbies and interests possibly can. Moving on…
I’ve decided to move the MLS Weakly posts to mid-week, and for a couple reasons. First, once the season starts, I’m going to use them for reviewing the week just past and previewing the week ahead; as (all four score of my) regular readers already know, I’ve grown increasingly obsessed with results over time, so why not situate the discussion in a place that looks back to look forward? Your people call it Wednesday (or Thursday). Second, and related, that best fits what I have in mind for framing the 2022 season. And that follows from a thought that has developed, 1) over (too many) years of watching and writing about MLS, and 2) the seemingly relentless expansion of the number of teams in MLS. There is, in a phrase, too much shit to keep track of. More germane to the point at hand, very real liberation comes from ignoring shit that isn’t worth tracking. Related, this next bit might get a little unpleasant for, oh, about 1/3 of the regular (or semi-regular) visitors to this site.
I follow FC Cincinnati for a couple reasons, hometown love and sincere affection among them. I have motivation, in other words, but Cincinnati has given even the most rabid/devoted MLS neutral fan absolutely no rational reason to give them even one stray thought outside limited scenarios - e.g., your team plays them next week, you’re from Columbus and love the city a little too well, you need to think of another team to make you feel better about your team’s struggles, Cincy’s perennial, horrifying quest to lower the collective bar each season, etc. Judge my personal choices however you want, call it masochism and I’ll tell you where I like it and how hard, but arriving at the full meaning of Cincinnati’s permanent irrelevance led me to a long overdue rethink of the TOTAL COVERAGE framing that has been my greatest obsession and my greatest obstacle for as long as I’ve rambled about America’s best pass at The Beautiful Game.
