MLS Pre-season

The preseason is a glorious time for a team. Hope springs eternal, and your record is once again flawless. For The Crew, 2011's preseason was compelling. The team was still adjusting to a post-Black Monday world, and fans were still reeling from its impact. Lucky for me, they selected Arizona for their training sessions. This allowed me the unique opportunity to take in four of their matches with virtually no one else there. I could hear all the on-field chatter from the comfort of my camping chair, situated directly at midfield on the sideline. Here were some of my impressions, coupled with what actually went down in 2011:

• There were hordes of new signees and trialists fighting for roster spots. Unless you're a starting 11 talent, preseason is brutal from a player perspective.
  
• Dilly Duka had transformed into a phenom and would push Robbie Rogers for a starting spot (This was going to happen, except that DD was injured for much of the year. I'm still on the DD bandwagon and am expecting the goods to be delivered in '12)
• Andy Iro was filling the power vacuum in the back and establishing himself as a vocal leader. (O-H-I-ro never got his footing after JJ showed up. He was traded to TFC but kept his Crew pride close to heart by playing terribly for them. For such a loyal gesture, I award him figgy pudding.)
• Miranda was an extremely solid pickup at right back. I saw him make only one mistake in about 180 minutes worth of time, and it was basically a communication letdown. (Held true.)
• Mendoza was a jerkface diva, who in one match picked up a red card and was sentenced to running laps. I sheep you not, he had to run laps around the park like he was late for practice in high school. And he didn't even run them; he half-jogged it. (Acted a fool all season, is still a jerkface but thankfully dropped by Crew brass right after season ended.)
• Sporting Kansas City had more A/V support for coaches than The Crew. SKC had a bona fide videographer employed and recording their first training match, while the extent of the Crew's video team was my unwatchable UStreaming of the match off my iPhone.
  

I say all this not to toot my boot about predicting The Crew's future based on a few early season matches, but to point out two things.

1. MLS preseason can be both interesting and fun for fans. With a time frame that aligns with MLB's, league brass would be wise to nurture the spring training concept and help support true cactus (AZ), grapefruit (FL), palmetto (SC) and lone star (TX) leagues. With teams in close proximity, player travel time is reduced and more field time is possible. It would also make for predictable annual travel and bonding experiences for supporters. With the promise of annual use, local facilities across the southern US would be able to rationalize facility improvements that would improve the experience for both players and fans. Spring Training single-handedly transforms Phoenix each March, and with a bit of effort MLS Preseason could generate a similar vibe and product.
   
2. Why not show preseason matches online? I know some matches this year are being streamed; let's send Ashley I to the matches and have her present some Crew-centric content. Should streaming matches on thecrew.com be an operational priority for 2012 or '13? Maybe not. But it would be a fun, relatively low-cost bone to throw to supporters that would build excitement. It would further show that the organization was reaching out to fans to give them a unique perspective into the season. It would give bloggers more game tape & data to stew over, generating podcast fun and more buzz within the established Crew fan base. And while that may not sell another 3000 season tickets, as any GOP presidential candidate would tell you it's never a bad time to solidify your base.