Someone Call Chicken Little...

Without getting into hysterics and dramatic, there is a sea change in progress. We are currently seeing the growing pains of a system, a pyramid, that is gradually beginning to establish its tiers. Much to the chagrin of the general Soccer Twitter population, it will not directly involve Pro/Rel. At least not for 20 years or so

With the demise of the New York Cosmos, and the NASL as a whole, the routine bitchings that are commonplace on Soccer Twitter have grown louder. But, that’s the standard fare, right? Instead of mourning, the hostility grows louder. Instead of pausing for reflection, the vitriol bites back harder. Instead of working to break down barriers in terms of tribalism between leagues/tiers/teams, the animus stews. Everyone thinks they know the right way. But no one wants to listen beyond the end of their own fingertips.

I’m personally saddened by the demise of the Cosmos. Their specter looms large over the US football landscape. They were the torchbearers. They were faces. They defined the fierce opposition to the elite in US football. They were the flag-waving establishment of the anti-establishment. They, effectively, took on the entirety of US football, and lost. And the toll of the loss hasn't been felt yet. But it will be.

Football in the US is in a period of growing pains. We are past the nascent, primordial phase. The ooze is beginning to combine, and multiply. And we are in the part of the gradual evolution of the US pyramid, that we can't really see what's going on. It's all microscopic and happening at a rate that we cannot comprehend. But it's there. And it's doing its job. And it's creating and destroying. Just as it should be.

In the US, prior to the emergence of the [original] NASL, the leagues had been predominantly regional. And, in all seriousness, given the size of the US, that's how it should be. Various attempts at reviving the long-dead ASL. The same league that had Bethlehem Steel FC, the proper. And the Fall River Marksmen. Just to name two big names. Those leagues never caught on. Plus, the clubs who were having the most success, at least in terms of the National Challenge Cup, were all amateur. And it stayed that way until the formation of MLS. 

That's the soup. It's grows. It dies. It turns into something else entirely. It grows more. It dies. Something else replaces it. Until ultimately, something catches on, and maintains its foothold. As easy as it is to panic, and to point fingers at the establishment in the USSF. Don't. It's a waste of time. Much like trying to force Pro/Rel is a waste of time. Give everything a chance to further establish itself. 20 years isn't a long time. Give it another 20-40, when our kids are having kids, or grandkids. Then we'll see. 

Right now we are still, really, in the phase where football is taking hold as a popular sport for people to watch. Between the proliferation of the Premier League games, or La Liga, or the Bundesliga, on television. Not to mention Liga MX, or our own domestic top flight. There's a lot of soccer available to anyone who wants to watch it. All they have to do is hit a button. With this in mind, it'll be the generation of my children, the ones who are growing up with the game being pushed to their forefront, who will make the changes necessary to make football successful in the US. Many clubs will fall. Many leagues will fall. But ultimately, there will be something stable that rises from the embers. It won't be as hyped as the PL. Or as heavily fellated as La Liga. But it will be something unique to the US, but will reflect the global taste that the supporters of the game here, have started to establish.

Unfortunately, with this evolution, giants must fall. Also, unfortunately, it was the time for the New York Cosmos to fal. But, we mustn't let their falling be in vain. We must lay the groundwork for the next generation to do what needs to be done. This means to end the in-fighting. To end the holier- than-thou preaching, and attacking. And end the tribalism. All of these measures are counter-intuitive to the end. And they're not means to an end. They're an end unto themselves. We must work together. For we lay the groundwork that will be built tomorrow. And we must do it for the clubs that have perished along the way.

A Challenge For the Upcoming Season

As a supporter of a football club, do you ever really think about how you support your club? It’s a weird place to be, reflecting on this. But someone brought up a point on Twitter regarding how one club’s supporters appear to be more about themselves and the spectacle, than supporting the club. It’s one opinion, but it has gotten me to think about my habits, and whether they serve a selfish purpose. Or if they’re actually for the betterment of the club I love.

This coming PDL season will be my third on the opposite side of the fence, from the boys. The second full season as an established supporter group. With this in mind, I’m thinking back to all of the times that attention and energies were spent being critical of a referee’s decision. Or a lino’s misjudging. There is at least one official that we cannot stand, as he seems to gleefully shatter the concept of home field advantage. There is no psychological advantage for my club, playing at their home ground. There’s no swing of calls going in their favor. Just shit calls, and what comes off as a dire need to be the focal point of the match.

This past Sunday (6 March), the Boarding Crew, SG for Derby City Rovers, went out to support the Rovers Academy. Something I’ve been excited to do since the possibility opened up to extend our support for the club, beyond the PDL level. It was a great day of football. From the age ranks of the 13s to the 18s. A fun day all around. But with the last 3 matches, the quality of the match officials denigrated drastically, compared to those holding the position previously. There were questionable calls made, as there always is. There were liberties taken on players, by other players, that were seemingly dutifully ignored. There was advantages played to the away side that had no place being given. And I grated on my patience as the day wore on.

As an aside, I understand that the match official’s job is to call the match interpreting the Laws of the Game. I understand that they have to make decisions on the fly, in the heat of the moment. And that their job is not exactly the easiest of any place on the pitch. I understand this. However, this doesn’t excuse the fact that myself, and my compatriots, and the club have felt aggrieved at points by referee decisions. US Soccer is supposedly the governing body of all match officials in the US. But there seems to be no system of accountability in place to enforce proper application of the Laws, and to enforce unbiased officiating.

It got frustrating to watch how the Rover kids were being muscled off the ball. They’re not as big as most sides. And the style they play is more technical and finesse driven. Their opposition, however, come did not seem to subscribe to that philosophy. I saw numerous elbows thrown, on runs. Numerous elbows to the back, or shoves to the back on aerial challenges. And I don’t know how many hacks on various midfielders. My club was just as guilty, but they didn’t act out to quite the same extent.

To me, part of a referee’s job, at the amateur and semi-pro level, is to protect the players. To be vigilant, and enforce liberties not be taken by one team against the other. Between that, and a free kick that should have been outside the 18 yard box, but was given as a penalty, I lost my cool. After repeatedly seeing one kick from the Ohio Elite Soccer Academy kicking at one of the Rovers’ ankles, I got spoke up. The center official yelled at me to “Shut up”. I quipped back, “No!” He retorted, “Do you want me to throw you out of the game?” I shot back, “No! I want you to do your job!” I was fuming. But I was tired of seeing the kids getting roughed up, unnecessarily. As a kicker to this, the full time whistle blew shortly after his threat of expulsion.

In thinking about this incident, and thinking about the question that was raised on Twitter; it got me really thinking about how I support my club. For the most part, I’d say that I support my club by raging against perceived injustice, in between chants of encouragement. Or the other random crap I yell at a match. But I do wonder, is my raging at a ref or lino a constructive exercise for my club? Does it help the players who are engrossed in the match? Or does it distract them?

This has also got me to thinking about how self-important a lot of referees are. You see all types of match officials who have to be the center of the show. Mostly through excessive stoppage of play. These match officials detract from the game, as they disrupt the match flow, and run of play. Sometimes, I think that certain match officials go about intentionally playing to the home crowd, drawing their ire; as a means to justify, in their own perverse way, adjudicating a match with bias.

With that in mind, I’m challenging myself to go through this coming PDL season focusing my energy on supporting my club. To not spend time criticizing referees, or loudly ruing decisions I disagree with, or riding an opposition player whom I feel using a bit of gamesmanship. To chant, and sing, and yell, and cheer. To go and be a positive force for the club I love. To pick them up when they concede. To encourage them as they push forward. To show the club, itself, that there is more to being a supporter than grousing about injustice.

I challenge anyone who supports a small club to try to do the same. It will be a challenge. It may be frustrating. And it will require discipline and sheer force of will to accomplish. But I’m interested to see if there may be any sort of reward. I’m also interested in seeing if a change in attitude, as it relates to supporter conduct, actually affects the players. This will be something that will be followed up on, toward the end of the season. I want to support my local club, Derby City Rovers, better than I have. And I think this may be the avenue to try it