I wrote a long screed the other day and sent it to my assistant editor. He looked it over and highlighted a couple of things. Then he said, “there’s some story ideas in here, but without research and journalistic work, it reads like old man yells at sky.” I decided not to run it, so instead you get this: a series of my complaints about this offseason so far (yeah, and we’ve got months to go). So prepare yourself for my gripes and my views are my views, not the rest of the staff’s views.

I don’t like league cannibalization. This has happened all over the grassroots already and it has happened the year before and the year before, but I do not like it. Bigger leagues come in, make promises, maybe waive entrance fees, and add the clubs they need. And typically this leagues are picked apart by the league above them and so on. MLS does it to USL, USL does NPSL, NPSL does it to UPSL and GCPL, UPSL does it to smaller regionals, it goes on and on. It sucks. It’s bad for business, long-term.
I don’t like how grassroots leagues are being part of the problem. Grassroots fans, supporter groups, and even clubs condemn what MLS does, decry the lack of promotion/relegation, and point fingers at USSF for not fixing the problem. But the grassroots leagues are doing the same thing. How is it any different if a national league swipes from a regional? Isn’t that the same thing that MLS is doing? Why do we pretend it’s different? The clubs that went to NISA didn’t earn promotion from NPSL, they just jumped to a new league and started paying their players.
I don’t like that the people in charge seem content with chaos. Yes, it would be great if US Soccer would come in and sort the pyramid out for us. Maybe they could toss in promotion/relegation while they did that? But that hasn’t happened and will almost certainly not happen anytime soon. So why do all these regional/state/national leagues just keep murdering each other for clubs? Why can’t all the adults get to a table and work things out? I’ve heard (NEVER ON THE RECORD) too many egos, too much money, not enough money, lack of interest, everyone wants to be the boss, and the list continues…but certainly the state of affairs in the grassroots isn’t leading to sustainable growth. Why can’t the big leagues work things out? Are they even trying? Maybe that should be discussed at the upcoming league meetings?
I don’t like that Zlatan is leaving MLS. Yeah, this also pissed me off. Zlatan is fun. If you don’t like him, you’re somehow older than I am. This is oftentimes a boring league and Zlatan was a bright spot every time he was interviewed.
I don’t like that the USMNT is such a trainwreck. Like, why doesn’t anyone feel any pressure to be better? Why are the people in power so content with the train going off the rails? It sucks to be a fan of a national team that doesn’t care about people like myself.
I don’t like how clubs and leagues seem to like operating in the dark. We reach out to clubs and league officials every day looking for information on moves, including some of the big off-season ones, and NO ONE WILL GO ON THE RECORD. EVER. Clubs are hinted at, but never named. Officials are criticized but never publicly. Transparency is a good thing and helps fans stay interested. If you do things in the dark, you’re no better than the big leagues you criticize. Just sayin.
I don’t like clubs that don’t seem to care about their fans. There’s a difference between being an extension of an academy system and being a soccer club. There are fans of soccer who want to back a club, but when you don’t care about creating atmosphere, running social media, connecting with your fans, you’re not a soccer club. I don’t care if you put SC after your name, a club is about commitment to the fans in the stands. And it’s no surprise some clubs couldn’t fill a honda, let alone a grandstand. It’s like there was a two part class on how to run a soccer club and you missed the second part.
I don’t like the cold. This isn’t entirely true. I just don’t like it right now.
I don’t like soccer purity tests. Why can’t someone cheer for an MLS side and a NPSL side and their local high school? Take for example Josh Duder, and yeah, I didn’t ask him if this was ok to mention, he loves the Timbers. He also loves PDX. He also loves several local Portland sides. And he’s starting his own women’s side! So maybe just maybe, we can celebrate fans and their support of clubs all over this country and stop beating up someone for also watching MLS. Most of you purists still watch euro clubs, why is that ok? Let people be.

That’s it. That’s my old man yelling at the sky routine. Hope you all have a great day.

- Dan Vaughn