Clint Mathis

[Omonoia9]

The Cypriot league is moving up, though. More and more foreigners, plus Cypriots are finally leaving Cyprus, and I don't just mean for Greece. Kinda like Americans need to do.

[DUDE]

interesting stufff here..i also have my own opinion(s) -

i've watched mls and for the most part, i've found it very mechanical. most teams are hampered by not being complete. there may be 1 decent forward, the other forward shouldn't be getting paid. 1 wide midfielder may have pace and decent crossing abilities, the other wide midfielder may be total crap. 1 central midfielder is active and has fairly good technique, the other central midfielder can't trap, control, nor pass the ball.

time is on the mls' side. certainly, their youth player developement is better than most greek sides - and in 2 or 3 years, more teams will be 'complete'. the mechanical part is important, players are more disciplined than most greek sides, especially defensively...but the mechanical offensive play is hard to watch, at times, you cringe. a wall pass predicted from 5 seconds before the move...etc. again, time in on mls' side, more creative players will emerge.

there are a handful of players that can walk in any greek side's 11. i think clint mathis' arrival has more to do with his injuries and temper and unstable personality. mls has collectively decided he's a further liability. i think he's worth the risk for ergotelis, i just see alot of frastika episodia...imagine if a no-nonense centerback cuts him down, like a dabizas, what will be the reaction?

anyways, what is interesting is that the mls arrow is pointing upwards...youth developement. soon, that player on the front end of a wall pass, will have the confidence to dummy that predictable wall pass, let the ball run and turn and be much more dangerous on a dribble facing goal.

in greece...i don't know which way the arrow is pointing, as far as future prospects. again, epo has it's own agenda in making money off the backs of greek internationals who's talents are honed in various other euro nations (courtesy of other national federations). the paes for all the clubs make side deals with the 'big' sides and the 'big' sides, only have salvation and room to improve from cl money. it's not healthy at all, and eventually, greed and power struggles between epo and epae may kill the golden goose.

in the past 4 years, i would estimate epo at having collected some 35-40 million euro in bonus monies (with at least 7-10 million euro more to come next summer). it can also be estimated that olympiakos has garnered some 55-65 million euro in CL prize money since 1997.

money has indeed come to greek football. the question is: what have epo & olympiakos done with that money? don't let the excuses of the greedy & corrupt (greece is a small nation...poor...blah, blah, blah) fool you. when it comes to protecting the status quo of power, greek machines of corruption are talented liars and will do anything (bribes, intimidation, look for political & media protection) to keep their power base intact.

the result is that greek club football stagnates and recently found itself in the mid-teens as far as uefa club rankings.

I agree with most of what you say... the arrow of the MLS is pointing upwards, that's for sure. I actually find their football enjoyable to watch. However, you haven't commented on MLS vs Superleague teams.

I'll go as far as saying that not 1 MLS team would break the top 5 in Greece, not 1. Anorthosis & APOEL are just as strong, or stronger than any MLS team imo.

As for corruption in Greece... everyone knows it, and it isn't just in football, it's in all walks of life. Whenever I speak to Greeks (born and living in Greece) I am stunned as to how apathetic they are about the whole thing. It's pretty sickening really. But regardless of whether corruption exists or not, we are talking about the quality of football here. Italy is corrupt too, but the teams are of a high quality. The Greek league has made great strides this season and I think it will continue. Marcio Amoroso to Aris is a great transfer... 3 years ago it would have been Olympiakos making that sort of transfer, now though Olympiakos are aiming higher (i.e. more youthful players) while teams like Aris are aiming for the experienced genius' like Amoroso. The point is, they've all increased their expectations and goals so the arrow for the Superleague is also pointing upwards. EPO will surely claim that the revamp of the league is what made this possible, however, I think alot also has to do with genuine lovers of football taking over at clubs. Nikolaidi, Zagoraki, & Remo all love football and their clubs and this is evident in the way they run their clubs.

Whether this rise continues or not, the fact remains that, at the moment and in the forseeable future the MLS is no where near as good as the Superleague... it's incomparable in fact.

[Omonoia9]

You gotta add Omonoia to that list. They may be 4th, but on paper they're very good.

[paxiotis7]

Mls is still a longs way behind the superleague but is catching them fast. Top teams like Dc and Houston are good enough for 7th, 8tyh, 9th finish. Thats top quality mls! New York is above averge in mls but would be under the top 10 of greece for sure. Mls is very lob sided, just like the greek league. Toronto Fc wouldnt win one game in the greek league but a crap veria could qualify for the playoffs. Mathis will be a good signing but no way will he become a superstar in greece

[Olympiakara10]

Man, MLS blows. Stamata tis m*****es. MLS is and always will be a crap league.

[Guest TheLegend]

MLS isnt that good but lets not take it for granted. Players playing there are still profesional players and must be good at the sport..

I know a kid who is in the training camp for Red bulls of NY. They will tell him friday if hes in the team ornot. He played at my high school years ago.

Our team know wins about 50%-60% of our games tieing a few and losing a few. He carried the team back then into a 56 game 4 season un deafeated streak. Scoring 30-40 goals in 15-20 games...

Yes its high school but players like these stand out. The kid wanted to play in Greece but has no connections or any help. Hes half greek half puerto rican so he saw a chacne in the MLS and took it

[evalagoal]

Man, MLS blows. Stamata tis m*****es. MLS is and always will be a crap league.

Dude you have to admit that MLS is trying..

Don't forget that they have the NFL, MLB, & NBA to compete with. When the Big Bucks start rolling in you'll see the MLS becoming a power league. (unless the other American Leagues don't let em-- but that's another topic)

[Kolokotronis]

I actually find their football enjoyable to watch. However, you haven't commented on MLS vs Superleague teams.

i think top to bottom, the greek league is better. i think from top side to #6/7 side, the greek league is even stronger.

of course, they don't play each other...hard to know for sure. each side on song, a low table larisa could easily defeat the mls champion, houston.

greece has had 'huge' signings, so terrific talent has come and gone, without really lifting greek sides. giovanni, zahovic, signori, reinke, rivaldo, toure, gamarra, asanovic, karembeau, henriksen and sousa come to mind in the past 7-8 years. all world-known names. yet, greek sides have fallen in the uefa rankings. those players' ages? well, how old is amoruso..so, being washed up is relevant, i suppose.

italy's football consumer base, advertising money and youth academies are terrestial in force compared to greece. whatever corruption does exist, it doesn't smother the talent and success of italian clubs playing in europe, hence, the money spigot runs for many teams.

in greece, the rampant corruption and incompetance is smothering greek football. the money spigot runs for only 1 side. so, i really can't say the greek club football arrow is pointing up. i hope it is...

the next few years are crucial.

The bottom tier of the MLS is better than the bottom tier of SL. There are no Levadeiakos or Veroia's in the MLS, except of course for Toronto, and that analogy isn't fair as its an expansion franchise (something that doesn't exist in Greece). And no, larisa isn't a bottom table side, nor would they beat the likes of Houston or DC no problem. I'd say outside of the first three in the SL, the leagues are fairly comparable.

You mention big names in Greece, yet fail to mention the likes of Matthaus, Campos, Alvarez, Stoichkov, Valderrama, Hernandez, Blanco, Beckham, Kubik, Angel, etc.... in the MLS.

I think that many people confuse a lack of football culture with a lack of quality on the pitch. Look at how MLS teams have fared against foreign competition in friendlies and official matches, then come back and lets discuss.

[drakos13]

Clint Mathis may have done better at Galaxy or whatever stupid names were made up in the MLS.... but playing for Ergotelis is not that bad...

Id rather play in Greek League to be honest...theres UEFA propsects (Not with Ergotelis) and the chance to compete with much better teams than MLS like PAO, OSFP, AEK, Aris, PAOK and Panionios......and you do get to play with some talented players Ergotelis have Kiliaras, Ogunsoto, Ogjenovic, and Darko Miladin.......

and also, dont forget you get to live on Crete!!!!

Honestly as an aging footballer - who the hell would want to live in Kansas City or New England over the Aegean.....playing football making money and living on the beautiful Aegean is something no club can really offer...and he has a challenge of keeping the team up..Playing and living in Greece is always an advantage for players who want to go to developing leagues.......how many big name players are going to Polish or Ukranian league ? I think climate and lifestyle can always be a big decision for players deciding where they want to play and live...