MLS rule changes: foreign players

It's really a tricky balance, isn't it? If the MLS is going to be respected around the world, it can't have the sort of restriction other leagues do not. My concern is that it'll be considered an oddball league among the American family of sports, which of course isn't true. MLB and the NBA are also multinational leagues.

Another concern is that we have to balance stability and growth. It is true that MLS needs to grow and include new regions to become [excuse the triteness] all that it can be. It is also true that overexpansion can be a deadly mistake. The next 3-5 years are critical in the life cycle of the league.

About the NASL concern, the big difference [for the two of us around here who remember the league, as opposed to just reading about it] is that the MLS is as much a breeding ground for developing talent [of many nationalities] as it is a "final resting place" for international stars. The NASL was never that. Another major difference is that the NASL never made itself a showcase for American talent in the international shopping mall of world football. The MLS is. I can't imagine a playoff match venue that isn't filled with scouts from Europe.

So, I don't think this will hurt the MLS. If it brings in more sponsorship money -- as Beckham certainly has -- it won't hurt. And the product on the pitch keeps getting better. Let's just get rid of that turf with those @%@# gridiron stripes.