It may be my devious mind, or, I am over analyzing the game within Major League Soccer, but, I seem to find that the skill of the game seems to be slowly degrading over the years. Yes, do not get me wrong, there have been outstanding set pieces and fabulous passes, but, the overall technical finesse of the game is missing. There are too many instances where the pace of the game is dictating the player’s skill and it makes for a poor quality of the game.
Soccer is a game of skill, it is a game of durability, and overall, it is a mental game. If the player becomes too caught up in the pace of the game, they ignore the simple steps of controlling and passing the ball. There are many teams in MLS that have gone to an “all or nothing” philosophy in which they bring all the players up and control the flanks and basically barrage the goal in hopes of the ball finding the back of the net. It feels as though that the teams are playing to please the American Fan that enjoys a fast and high scoring game. While, at times, this is enjoyable, mistakes that should not occur are occurring at an alarming rate. True fans of the game are taking notice, and expressing themselves through social media.
Technical Skill and Possession
The aspect of soccer that is pleasing to those who are passionate about the game is the fact that there is incredible control of the ball which in turn, controls the flow of the game. The passes are crisp and the playmaking is clean and concise. Set pieces are well thought out and usually results in either an incredible play or a goal. The players on the team are a well oiled machine that can process a play on the fly and know, in good faith, that their teammate is expecting the quick change and adapts almost instantaneously. Yes, the matches are usually low scoring, but, soccer is about the play on the field, not the final outcome. The game, as of right now, has lost that magic; it is a shell of its former self.
Faster High Scoring MLS Games
The game today is much faster, higher scoring, but, the quality is lower. Players are not on the same page when it comes to the passes or the set pieces. There are too many missed opportunities that should have been made, but, because of the pace of the game, mistakes are much more common. Players have become more vocal about the missed opportunities and this has caused more players to be selfish and try to win the game all on their own. Instead of slowing the pace down and setting up a play, players are taking it upon themselves to quicken the pace and force a play to occur and it usually results in a turnover or a foul. A common fan may not notice the changes within the quality of the game, but, it is there and to a league that is trying to compete on a global scale, it is not a pretty site.
Soccer is known as the “Beautiful Game”, but, in MLS, it seems to have gone AWOL this season. The plays that many fans are speaking of this year are results of forced plays that happen to turn out extremely well. I would like to see the game slow down and the players play as a team and bring back the skills that made the sport of soccer that once “Beautiful Game”.
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