First, this must be prefaced by several caveats:
+ Ty Keough loves the game, knows a lot about it and obviously cares whether MLS is a success.
+ We are all happy that there is _way_ more soccer on TV than there was before WC '94. Does that mean that we like everything about the way the game is presented and that there is no room for improvements? I don't think so.
+ This list is meant to both support soccer as well as offer criticism, most of which tries to be constructive Hence, expect comments which some might perceive as 'negative'.
+ It's a public forum in which we are trying to have fun so that we don't seem that we all are complely hopeless 'get-a-lifers'. Hence, attempts at humor (sometimes unsuccessful) frequently take place.
In that spirit:
8. IRRELEVANT 'FACTOIDS'. Somebody please take his note cards away from him. Or at least discard them after he reads one of these 'compelling tidbits' so we don't get them over and over again.
7. ALL-STAR 'PRECEDENTS'. Last year the Eastern Conference came from behind to beat the West, so does that mean that the Eastern players were actually thinking about this as the game progressed? Were they motivated to do this for the 'honor' of their conference? Gimme a break!
6. VOLUME. Why does it seem he's SHOUTING all the time?
5. ANALYSIS. if there were fewer irrelevant factoids, it might be possible to acually analyze what's going on on the field.
4. DON'T STEP ON PHIL. A play-by-play announcer is good if he actually has the time to call the game and ID the players. When the 'analyst' is prattling on, it literally robs (in this case) Phil Schoen of his capacity to do the job well.
3. COLLEGES OVERRATED. Ty is -- or was -- a college coach, but why pretend that a year in University X is in anyway comparable to professional play in another country? Sure's it's great that Ted Chronopoulos played at Something State in California for a year or so, and adds a 'local boy makes good' tone to things, but he wouldn't have made the Revolution, got to the All-Star game, or been called up by Sampson if he hadn't played professionally in Greece. Why is _relevant_ player experience neglected in favor of the _irrelevant_?
2. ALL STAR EXHIBITION. Contrary to Ty's bleatings, these players took this as a lark in which they tried to impress each other. It in no way passed as a serious competitve game of soccer. Would Valderrama and Campos 'yuk it up' with each other after a cheeky little chip almost fooled Campos in the MLS Cup in October? I don't think so.
1. LESS IS MORE. Ty creates the impression that he's getting paid by the word. I hope this is not the case.
----------Others may feel free to add 2 more to get this list to 10.
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