MLS Needs the Time Off to Correct Its Mistakes

World Cup ’98 is 12 months away, but the tournament already has Major League Soccer’s hierarchy worried about its impact on the league.

This time next year, the soccer world’s attention will be focused on the 64 games in eight French cities from June 10 to July 12, which is the heart of the MLS season.

So, with Brazil, Germany, Italy, Mexico and 28 other nations battling it out in such locales as Paris and Marseilles--all shown live on U.S. television--what chance does the Columbus Crew or the Dallas Burn have?

Why watch Wynalda when Ronaldo’s on the tube?

Worse yet, if the United States qualifies, as expected, Eric Wynalda and the rest of the American stars also will be in France, not trotting out onto MLS fields.

But Commissioner Doug Logan and deputy Sunil Gulati fear that going dark for a month or more during the World Cup will hurt the league badly. The reality is that not going dark will hurt it more.

The fledgling league’s problems extend far beyond competition from France ‘98, however, and the World Cup offers the opportunity--excuse?--

to correct some obvious weaknesses.

One of the most noticeable is the perceived lack of importance of regular-season games. Because eight of the 10 teams qualify for the playoffs, there is little need during much of the season to worry overly about wins and losses.

The Galaxy, for example, is 3-9 one third of the way through the current season, but it is only one game behind the San Jose Clash (4-9) for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference.

In the Eastern Conference, the New York/New Jersey MetroStars are in last place with a 5-8 record but only one game behind fourth-place Columbus.

The league calls it parity, but parity also can be seen as mediocrity.

Next season the league will expand to 12 teams with the addition of Chicago and Miami. That offers an opportunity for MLS to get in line with the way leagues are organized worldwide and at the same time solve its World Cup dilemma.

Here’s how:

* Abandon the two-conference system and put all 12 teams into one group.

* Have them play each other once at home and once on the road.

* Either throw out the shootout and split the points in a tie game or split the shootout points with two going to the winner and one to the loser.

* The league champion is the team that finishes atop the league. It’s that simple. There are no playoffs.

* Have all 12 teams compete in the U.S. Open Cup, a knockout tournament that also features A-League and other minor league teams.

* In World Cup years such as 1998, split the season in two, going dark during the tournament or playing only international exhibition games during that month.

* Have each MLS team sign one player from the World Cup ’98 rosters to kick-start the second half of the season.

* Expand to 14 teams in 1999 or 2000 to increase the number of league games each team plays to 26.

The league’s stated goal is to eventually have a 16-team league. Under the format outlined, there would be a 30-game league season plus the cup games and international matches.

That should be more than enough to satisfy the fans and keep MLS out of the red.

EIGHT STEPS FORWARD, TWO STEPS BACK

MLS took a positive step in the above direction on Friday when it announced that eight of its 10 clubs would take part in the U.S. Open Cup this season.

That’s double the number that entered last year, but still not good enough.

The Galaxy and the Crew are not competing in the Cup, allegedly “because of scheduling difficulties.”

That is hogwash. There is no way that Los Angeles’ and Columbus’ schedules are any more complicated than the other eight teams’.

MLS should have insisted all of its teams take part in what is, after all, the United States’ oldest continuous competition, one dating from the mid-1920s.

SILENCIO, POR FAVOR!

Telemundo, a Spanish-language network, did fans a huge favor in broadcasting the just-completed Tournoi de France, a four-nation World Cup warmup tournament featuring the national teams of Brazil, England (the eventual winner), France and Italy.

But announcers Jorge Ramos and Ricardo Mayorga could take a lesson from their Univision counterparts, Andres Cantor and Norberto Longo.

Once in a while, let the picture tell the story. There is no need for the endless prattle that detracts from the game. If there is something worthwhile to be said, say it. If not, please shut up.

THE U.S. IN MALAYSIA

The ninth FIFA World Youth Championship begins Monday in Malaysia, and the United States has been drawn to play China, Ireland and Ghana in the first round.

U.S. Under-20 national team Coach Jay Hoffman selected eight Californians on his 18-player roster. With hometown and MLS or college team, they are:

Defenders Ramiro Corrales (Salinas/San Jose Clash), Brian Dunseth (Upland/New England Revolution) and Chad McCarthy (Clovis/Washington); midfielders Joseph DiGiamarino (Corona/Colorado Rapids), Jorge Flores (Los Angeles/Dallas Burn) and John O’Brien (Playa del Rey/Ajax Amsterdam); and forwards Tommy Polti (San Marcos/UCLA) and Sasha Victorine (Carmichael/UCLA).

SPORT OF THE ‘90S, HEH!

Soccer has passed hockey as Canada’s leading participant sport. The Canadian Soccer Assn. boasts 536,438 registered players. Hockey Canada and the independent Metro Toronto Hockey League have a combined registration of 533,571.

QUICK PASSES

Peter Bridgewater, president and general manager of the Clash, insists that--all rumors in Los Angeles to the contrary--Wynalda is not now and never will be joining the Galaxy. . . . Esse Baharmast, widely regarded as MLS’ top referee, is officiating at the Copa America tournament in Bolivia. His performance there will determine whether he is selected to referee in the France ’98 World Cup. . . . In winning its fourth U.S. Women’s Cup in a row, defeating Australia, Canada and Italy in the process, Coach Tony DiCicco’s U.S. women’s national team extended its unbeaten streak to 30 games. Mia Hamm, who scored a tournament-high six goals (for a total of 78 in 130 national team games) was the MVP. Next up for the women: a Nov. 1 game against European power Sweden at the new Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. . . . Former North American Soccer League commissioner Phil Woosnam and former U.S. national team coach Walt Chyzowych are among six being inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame today in Oneonta, N.Y. Also being inducted are former players Alexandre Ely, Johnny Moore, James Roe and Robert Craddock Jr.