I was playing “FIFA 11” the other day and a funny realization came to me. I was playing with my favorite team, Manchester United, and I thought, “I have never, in years of playing FIFA games, played with an MLS (Major League Soccer) team.” As I was trying to figure out why, I came to the quick conclusion that it’s because MLS teams just aren’t very good. I remembered why I had become a Manchester United fan to begin with: I was flipping through the channels and I happened to pause on a Man. U versus Liverpool game. Within a few minutes, my now favorite player, Wayne Rooney, scored a massive goal, blasting the ball right past the keeper. From that point on, I was hooked on the English Premier League. I tried to watch an L.A. Galaxy game at the time, because I knew how good Beckham was, and I figured I’d give MLS a shot. Let’s just say I kept my DVR away from MLS games, and so did the rest of America apparently. Soccer has been dwindling down for years in this country.

It wasn’t until the World Cup 2010 that I actually stopped and thought about the American league again. In case you missed it, the U.S. played fairly well this summer after winning their bracket in group play. It had me thinking, have I been missing great soccer in my back yard? Of course, many of the U.S. players don’t play in the MLS and that needs to be taken into account, but for the players that do, I was really surprised in their overall play. This also reinvigorated Americans to watch soccer again.

I didn’t really think about it much after that until I heard that the MLS all-stars were going to play none other than my favorite team. I thought, “Well, this will be a good game for the U.S. because it has the possibility to prove that the MLS doesn’t stink horribly.” Man. U came into the states and massacred the MLS 5-2. This made me really question whether or not the MLS should even exist. I mean, if the all-stars couldn’t even keep up with one EPL team, then why the hell would I keep watching?

I was actually kind of angry and ashamed, even though it was my team that won. I guess the only answer is for the MLS to just try and improve. Maybe I’m just expecting too much. The EPL is arguably the best league in the world, and I doubt the MLS will be able to compete for a while, but hopefully with the World Cup success, the American sports fan’s jump back into soccer will spark the MLS. Time will tell, but until then, Go Red Devils!

Patrick St. Pierre is a senior English and psychology major and a columnist for the Daily Kent Stater. Contact him at [email protected].