I got lucky, I was an LA Galaxy fan from when I lived in LA, even though I live closer to another (crappier) team now. The MLS is a strange league. It is a lot tougher than people give it credit for being. It's nowhere near the elite European leagues yet, but I watch a team in Spain like Real Madrid, and expect them to destroy any MLS team. Then I watch a team like Villareal, and I think, "Oh the Galaxy would just slaughter them, even on a bad day." Watching the MLS is literally like watching Ligue Un, if you took away the top 6 teams. The fans are actually kind of brilliant. They are really starting to become like true European fans (obnoxious at times, and with cheeky chants). The thing they don't quite get yet, is that the talent from abroad is still light years better.
I look at Stevie G, and think the man is a genius. My friend who is an MLS fanatic thinks we paid too much for him. He's only scored one goal, and two assists. But I watch him, and the magic is still there, he's just not sure how to play with these guys. The MLS is a different kind of beast. It's almost a thug league where creativity is a shortcoming, and you really have to power your way to goals. Like 80's English football, I guess. But it's still Steven Gerrard. The passes are magic, you can see the years of instinct there, and what he wants to do with plays, but the other guys on the team just don't seem to play at that level. I think the Galaxy was a poor fit for his style and abilities, so he gets the "old" label. He'd have done better with DC or Columbus. I would never wish playing in Columbus on my worst enemy though. That town is awful. Of course, the Stadium in LA is near South Central and Watts, so it's not exactly a wonderland either.
Lampard. Frak me I hate that guy, still. And New York FC might as well be Man City's bench. I don't really know what's going on with him. Last I checked, he has only been in 1 game, and barely played 15 minutes of it. That team is loaded with Midfielders though, and I think Pirlo gets played more often. There's a US National Team player named Mix Diskerud, he's one of the stars of the league, and the MLS really encourages US Men's team players get a lot of starts. But he's still floating around 16 games, 3 goals and a few assists. So NYFC isn't lighting up the league. At this rate, I think Lampard is going to be leaving New York soon anyway. If he doesn't retire, he may go off to someplace like Bristol Rovers. Frankie is probably having the harder time of it. For now anyway, Gerrard gets more first team action.
Yeah, that sucks. Hopefully Celtic will move on to the group stage. The only thing I really have against the Champions League is the monotony of the teams that are in the final rounds each year. It may be an American thing, but I'd really like to see a team like my Lorient, which has no chance of ever competing against the PSG's, and Lille's of the world, win the cup. Instead Real Madrid will probably get their 11th. Although I'm still confident that Barca is unstoppable. But that's the only real reason I would like to see Celtic and Rangers in the Prem, and maybe fold the Scottish league in to England. The theory is that it would force those teams to compete. Don't think it would work in practice. I mean, Swansea isn't getting anywhere near Europe for a while. But its a nice thought.