World Power Rankings 9/23

Recently on the latest episode of the tbrfootball.com video podcast my friend Nate and I gave our takes on the top 5 teams in the world right now. This was based off of the Power Rankings done by ESPNFC. We both had the same 5 teams in almost the exact same order. My list looking like:

1. Real Madrid
2. Bayern Munich
3. Barcelona
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal

With his list looking like:

1. Bayern Munich
2. Real Madrid
3. Barcelona
4. Manchester United
5. Arsenal

I think it's time to revise the list after Manchester United got totally dominated by Manchester City and I'll tell you why my list is the way it is.

1. Bayern Munich - Now in the upcoming episode I said Bayern Munich would only move up to number 1 over Real Madrid once they set a lineup, well this weekend against Schalke they played so well and dominated the game that I can't justify making the only reason they get to move up being a set lineup. Bayern played almost perfect football, controlling the tempo, passing crisply, attacking and defending with ease, and just making Schalke look completely inferior. Bayern are catching fire at the moment, with 7 goals in their past 2 games. Can anyone stop a fully realized Bayern side? Probably not, and early in the seasons of world football it looks increasingly likely the European Champions will repeat for the first time ever.
2. Real Madrid - Real Madrid get bumped down to number 2 on my list for really only one reason, the quality of the team they beat this weekend wasn't enough to keep them from holding off Bayern. a 6-1 win at Galatasaray in the Champions League followed by a 4-1 win over Getafe have Real Madrid flying right now. They are my picks to win La Liga and make a Champions League final unless paired up with Bayern in the Semis.
3. Arsenal - This is going to be the most controversial spot on my list, but Arsene Wenger's side are playing as well as any team on the planet right now. A great 2-1 win in Marseille was followed up by a good 3-1 win over Stoke City this weekend. Mesut Ozil leads the EPL with 3 assist and has only played 2 games in the league. Olivier Giroud is looking reliable, Flamini has added some fight to the midfield, and their back four are playing in top form. 
4. Barcelona - Now some might call me crazy for placing Arsenal ahead of Barcelona in my power rankings, but right now I feel that there is just something missing at the Nou Camp. Again, you might think I'm crazy after back to back 4-0 wins, but I just feel like Barcelona aren't playing to full power. Their back four is suspect, and that right now is my main concern with the Blaugrana. 
5. Napoli - Big spending Napoli make an appearance in my top spot this week. A win over AC Milan where Pepe Reina became the first keeper to ever save a Mario Balotelli goal and a good win over Champions League runners up Dortmund have Napoli in good form, and Gonzalo Higuain looks the deadly striker that many knew he would be. How long Napoli can keep up their great form remains to be seen, but they're my wildcard pick for the Serie A title this year. 

And there it is, my top 5 in the world as of September 23rd. What do you think? Am I crazy for putting Arsenal ahead of Barcelona? Should Man City be in the list after decimating Manchester United? Let me know in the comments below or on twitter @theinformsoccer.

Top Rivalries in the MLS

This week the MLS spotlights the rivalries created over the past 18 years. This is the type of week fans of the MLS wish would come around every week. For ESPNFC's take on the rivalry games this weekend click here. Here are my top rivalries in the MLS.

1. Seattle Sounders and Portland Timbers - The definitive rivalry in the MLS. These two clubs have arguably the biggest fanbases in the MLS and the atmosphere at a game between Sounders and Timbers rivals most games in Europe. This rivalry has it all: history, geography, passion, and die hard fans. This is one rivalry even MLS haters should watch.

2. Los Angeles Galaxy and San Jose Earthquakes - This might not be a rivalry game being played this weekend, but on the west coast only this comes second to Sounders and Timbers. It's a battle for California bragging rights and the games these two teams produce are always exciting and keep you entertained thoroughly.

3. New York Red Bulls and DC United - One of the most known rivalries in the MLS, New York and DC have a history of dislike for one another. DC has been more successful, but New York gets the media coverage and the revenue being in the Big Apple. The addition of Thierry Henry to the rivalry mixed with former MLS MVP Dwayne De Rosario have spiced it up even more than before. A game between these two never disappoints. 

What do you think? What are the top MLS rivalries in your opinion? What's your favorite? 

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Why you should stop being a Euro snob and watch the MLS

After reading the ESPNFC article "Can you call yourself a U.S. soccer fan if you don't support MLS?" (read the article here) I decided to give my take on this. And my answer to that question is yes, and no. The MLS is one of the most intriguing leagues in the world. You either think the league is filled with a mixture of over the hill stars and talentless rookies or you think it is a league full of potential and that others should give it a chance.

If you are one of those who thinks the MLS is a wasted league you fall into the Euro snob category. The loose definition of a Euro snob is someone who refuses to give leagues outside of Europe a chance to be a fun and exciting league. This category is filled with about 70% of the people who talk about the MLS. These people feel that the MLS is filled with bad passing, boring goals, and slow pace of play. Now in some instances they are right about all those things, sometimes watching a MLS game can feel like torture, but you could say that about any game where the play is sloppy and unorganized. I'm going to tell you why you need to stop being a Euro snob and give the MLS a chance.

Major League Soccer is only 18 years old. That is younger than most of the people that follow the league. So the fact people want to say MLS doesn't have any real talent in the league can be a valid argument, but not for long. We are slowly seeing more and more talent start to shine through the cracks of the MLS and these players are very promising. Young talent such as Juan Agudelo, Darlington Nagbe, Freddy Montero, and others look to be the next stars of the MLS.

With a young league comes young league mistakes. Many of the players are right either right out of college, have never played overseas, or are aging stars who are past their prime. In theory the mixture of inexperience and experience should produce for more exciting soccer and a better development for those inexperienced players, but as we have seen this isn't always the case. This is why we see bad passes, a lower game IQ, and a slower pace of play. But this can all change once the MLS teams start to adopt a youth system that really teaches their youth players how to play the game properly. The MLS should look to model itself after the Bundesliga, a league where big name stars are there but the focus is really on homegrown talent that starts at clubs youth levels.

The MLS also suffers from having a playoff system as their way of crowning a champion. It seems like they tried to appease the fact the American public wants to see a Super Bowl every time there is a champion crowned. They want to see underdogs win and upset favorites, but that is not the approach the league should have taken. Look at all the major leagues in the world and you will see a model that is proven successful: whoever wins the most games all season and racks up the most points wins the championship. Simple right? It seems like the MLS doesn't want to change for fear of this way of crowning a champion not appealing to the public, but as long as you keep the US Open Cup the way it is you still get your playoffs and a Super Bowl style game to crown a champion.

All that aside the MLS can be one of the most exciting leagues to watch. It seems like a lot of the time that amazing goals are produced out of thin air. Honestly I have seen more overhead kick goals scored in the MLS than in any of the top leagues in the world. Does this mean the MLS is better than any of the top leagues? No of course not, but it doesn't mean the league is in any way terrible. In the past few years the quality of the MLS has started to really rise.

I looked up a lot of responses and discussions about if you can really be a U.S. fan if you don't support MLS and why people say to give the MLS a chance and I agreed with what most people said. Yes, you can be a U.S. soccer fan if you don't support MLS but that doesn't mean you shouldn't give it a chance. Pick a MLS team, support it, follow it, maybe even go to a game and I swear to you that you will have a change of heart if you think the MLS is a terrible league.

Go watch kicktv's video about why you should watch the MLS, it might give you a little more incentive to give it a chance. (watch the video here)

What do you think? Is the MLS a terrible league? What should the MLS do to improve?

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