Soccer isn't broken, so don't try to 'fix' it

Everton coach David Moyes had a interesting response when asked during last week's MLS All-Star festivities about the possibility of a salary cap for European soccer leagues.

"Soccer is the world global game; it's far bigger than American football, it's far bigger than basketball, it's far bigger than any of the sports you have over here, so you Americans can't start changing it and tempering it. It's what we do," said Moyes.

When it comes to soccer, he's right. Anti-soccer Americans insist the sport could be more popular in this country if the goals were bigger or if they did away with offsides and there was more scoring.

It's a flawed way of thinking. The game is popular as it is, even in this country. Upwards of a million fans are packing stadiums this summer to watch European super clubs in a bunch of exhibition games.

It's proof that soccer can make it in this country, but it was to be a quality product. Major League Soccer is a work in progress in this area. In addition, to survive, MLS needs to be authentic, not some Americanized product where the goals are bigger.

The need for authenticity makes comments made last week by Real Salt Lake owner Dave Checketts slightly mind-boggling.

The RSL boss said he enjoyed the penalty kick shootout so much in last week's MLS All-Star Game against Everton he's appealing to commissioner Don Garber to make it a permanent part of the regular season.

Is he nuts? Is there anything more unauthentic in soccer than a regular-season shootout. Wouldn't that be like the NFL abandoning overtime altogether and having more ties, or perhaps baseball deciding games after 12 innings with a home run derby?

Ties are a unique aspect of the strategy of soccer. Die-hard fans get it. If you can't best an opponent in 90 minutes, you shouldn't be awarded the full three points.

Checketts believes MLS could adopt an NHL rule by giving a bonus point for a shootout win. He believes it would make the end of matches more exciting. It reeks of an American trying to Americanize something that isn't broken. Soccer works in this country, and sells, and it doesn't need tampering with.