The Real Show I'd started this long winded Ramble about the Galaxy's two games this last weekend but it just kept getting longer and really had no direction. Guess I've still got a lot to learn when it comes to writing. Thankfully, Nick Green at the Daily Breeze bailed me out with this piece. Fact is, while MLS has come a long way in the last 10 years, the league as a whole still has a lot more climbing to do. They (the league and teams) are so caught up on what's going on off the pitch, they just don't spend enough time on the product itself.

Mike Penner at the LA Times was even more harsh. Can't really say I disagree with what he has to say either.

Grant Wohl at SI.com had a good interview with AEG boss, Tim Leiweke, last week. It's well worth checking out as there are a lot of interesting comments from him. But what's interesting to what I'm talking about is that we'll be seeing more of these matches against top Euro teams.

Honestly, it's a win-win as Penner points out. The Euro teams has the chance to play sell some extra shirts and possibly find some new fans by playing here. MLS teams get to play the best and this will hopefully raise the level (eventually) of play here. Who knows? If Chelsea do play LA next summer, maybe Abromivich will want to sign Landon...if he can handle the language barrier that exists between LA and London.

I don't know. The fact that an MLS team got to play one of the best teams in the world is a good thing for the league and the sport in this country. However, to see Real play at half-speed and make one of MLS' best teams look like the Washington Generals in some ways is pretty depressing. Yeah, I could go on a Steve Sampson rant here...but the fact is, half the Real Madrid squad make more than the entire Galaxy roster...combined. Until there is money available for a squad (not just one or two token players) of quality players whether American or not, the league will still be second rate by most fans in this country. And the said fact is, they'll be right.

Bottom line, if American soccer fans want to see quality football in a domestic league here, we (yeah, I'm one) have to put up with the current quality and hope the numbers that attend games and watch on TV grow. Until the money is available, we'll continue to see our teams look like amateurs against the best in the world.  ¶ 3:00 PM