Super Liga

Many people have written about the Super Liga. Is it good or bad for the league? I think it's a little of both. There are some positives. The games are usually pretty entertaining so we get to watch some good soccer. It's also a way for markets like LA, Chicago, Dallas, and any other market with a large Mexican community to draw fans to their stadiums. Hopefully some of these fans are impressed with their local MLS team and they come back to watch some MLS games. The winning team also gets a pretty good bonus for winning the tournament. Extra money is always welcome if you're an MLS player, especially one who makes near the bottom of the ladder.

Well, there are some negatives as well. Teams have to take time off from the MLS season to compete in this tournament. You risk losing players to injury in games that don't matter (yes, the Super Liga doesn't really matter, I could care less who wins it). It just adds a burden to your team especially if you're still in the US Open Cup and/or the Concacaf Champions League.

So at the end of the day is it worth having this tournament? I'm not sure. It depends on how much weight you give the pros and the cons. In New England's case I'd say it isn't. There isn't a large enough Mexican population in the area for these games to draw a significant crowd. In this regard it's much more beneficial for the markets listed above. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy watching the games but in the end it's a tournament that just doens't matter. If New England wins in the final I won't consider the season to be more of a success because they won a meaningless trophy. Likewise, if they lose I won't be too disappointed.

-Andrew