Can't we just get back to our league, please?

Gotta love Ives Galarcep. The first paragraph says it all.

"Major League Soccer has developed a nasty addiction. The league got a taste of what having its teams face European competition could mean with friendlies against the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan and Chelsea and now it cannot kick the habit."

This is what happens when you have a promotion/marketing arm like SUM running things. Suddenly, competition for competition’s sake is not enough. Suddenly, there is greater worth in something that can create “buzz”, can “raise the profile of the league”, or compare “our product with that of the best of the world.” For the MLS fan, friendlies, regardless of opponents, are chewing gum for the eyes. For SUM, the chewing gum is worth more than anything MLS can produce…. Other than that other piece of chewing gum, the MLS All-Star game.

Another great quote –

"MLS cannot be serious. Would the English Premier League do this to the FA Cup? Would any other league that claims to be legitimate on the world stage even consider this? Would Real Madrid consider playing a friendly in the United States during the heart of their club campaign. No. Never. Period."

If Real Madrid did that, there would be riots in the street. President Florentino Pérez Rodriguez would be strung upside down in La Cibeles, the fountain where Real Madrid goes to celebrate winning any major title.