LAG Confidential - LA Galaxy stars on MLS Press TourThe Jewel of MLS Blogshttps://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/50693/lag-fav.png2014-02-18T15:24:13-08:00http://www.lagconfidential.com/rss/stream/51878212014-02-18T15:24:13-08:002014-02-18T15:24:13-08:00NY Times, Sports Illustrated on MLS Media Tour
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<p>As the MLS Press Tour continues on, it's not all stops at daytime television programs. <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110934/landon-donovan">Landon Donovan</a>, <span>Omar Gonzalez</span>, and the whole group of MLS stars have been speaking with print media as well. This morning they stopped in at the New York Times for a group interview, but they've also spoken to Sports Illustrated and some of the online only outlets as well.</p>
<p>The focus continues to be how much the league has changed in the years since <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110920/michael-bradley">Michael Bradley</a> left, and what it means now that players at his point in his career coming back. Certainly if <span>Clint Dempsey</span> were available he'd be part of the story too, as the national media asks the question "what's made MLS the happening place to be".</p>
<p>In Bradley talking about why he chose Toronto to the <a href="http://www.nytimes.com/2014/02/19/sports/soccer/for-bradley-toronto-is-the-place-to-be.html?_r=0" target="_blank">New York Times</a>, he admits enjoying his time at Roma but wanting to go somewhere that there was responsibility to take charge of a club. It's an aspect not often explored in the "Americans need to go to Europe to get better" narrative. That perspective values the advanced skills players can gain in Europe, but those players aren't always called on every weekend. Is it better to keep fighting for more time, or to go somewhere you'll be the centrepiece.</p>
<p>Alexi Lalas often gives the advice for youth soccer that if your child is the best player in their league, find a better league. Yet at the same time he's a clear sunshine pumper for MLS. It's a difficult line to find.</p>
<p>Donovan and Gonzalez don't feature prominently in the NY Times article, and to be fair the big story this season is Bradley coming home. Even in speaking to <a href="http://soccer.si.com/2014/02/17/landon-donovan-michael-bradley-mls-usmnt-la-galaxy-toronto-fc/?eref=si_soccer" target="_blank">Sports Illustrated</a> Donovan's answers are more on what these players coming back does for the league.</p>
<p>It's great that Toronto made these offseason moves. The league needs more tough teams than it does cupcakes.</p>
<p>There are also bloggier posts. <a href="http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/02/18/us-soccer-stars-impress-with-intelligence-and-class-at-mls-media-day/" target="_blank">NBC Sports</a> had a reporter in Harrison NJ who spends two paragraphs talking about himself so, y'know, if that's what you're into. <a href="http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/inside-mls/mls-emerges-as-preferred-destination-for-top-american-players-021814" target="_blank">Fox Sports</a>, a news agency, also filed.</p>
https://www.lagconfidential.com/2014/2/18/5423888/new-york-times-sports-illustrated-donovan-bradley-mls-press-tourJosie Becker2014-02-18T14:26:16-08:002014-02-18T14:26:16-08:00Watch: Landon Donovan on Morning Joe
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<figcaption>Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Landon Donovan went out with Michael Bradley to go MSNBC's morning show Morning Joe. Joe, who along with his son is a soccer fan, was sick so Donovan and Bradley got more of the "what's that weird soccer thing" treatment.</p> <p>The MLS preseason media tour of New York continued today as Landon Donovan went out with <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110920/michael-bradley" class="sbn-auto-link">Michael Bradley</a> to go MSNBC's morning show Morning Joe. Joe, who along with his son is a soccer fan, was sick so Donovan and Bradley got more of the "what's that weird soccer thing" treatment. The video is embedded above.</p>
<p>Morning Joe can be one of those shows where the guests are more invited to watch the hosts entertain them than they are to actually speak. The famous interview with Russell Brand where he refused to allow them any sort of ground leaving them in fits of nervous laughter made went viral. Here it's 1:45 into the video before the hosts say great to have you and start with questions.</p>
<p>Here we get almost two minutes of gushing over <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110934/landon-donovan" class="sbn-auto-link">Landon Donovan's</a> infamous goal in the 2010 <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014" class="sbn-auto-link">World Cup</a>. From a hostess who didn't know if you call it a goal when the ball goes into the net.</p>
<p>Can we talk about Donovan's goal for a second? Especially now during the Olympics where we've got nightly attempts to celebrate Americans being exceptional, there's inevitable comparison between events. Was the US goal in the shootout over Russia better than the Landon Donovan goal? Reaction videos have to be compared. Why do we care?</p>
<p>The Miracle on Ice, Go Go USA, and now the Overtime shootout goal, none of these things even decided championships. We're comparing reactions to goals that happened in group stages as to which one was the biggest American moment. All to do with nationalism and little to do with sport.</p>
<p>See I don't watch Morning Joe often, so I re-watched the Russell Brand interview to get context. Mika Brzezkinski has to ask Donovan if goal is the proper term, but she spends more time on how cute he was and that Donovan is old now in soccer years.</p>
<p>It reminded me of the Brand interview, and I almost wanted Donovan to look into the camera and say "Hello. We're players in Major League Soccer. I play in LA, this is Michael Bradley he plays in Toronto. It's going to be our biggest season yet and it kicks off in March so we'd like you to come out to a game and watch us on TV." Just hijack the interview.</p>
<p>Instead we get Brzezinski asking Donovan how big could MLS get. Apparently the regular host Joe is a huge soccer fan (the video begins with him just gushing over getting to interview Donovan in 2010), but Brzezinski has already given up the ground that she only knows the sport as a vehicle to American Exceptionalism, and views MLS as a curiosity.</p>
<p>When Donovan says Bradley coming back to MLS is huge, that a player choosing soccer in MLS when their is still European interest is a big deal, she has no context for that. When the inevitable next question of why soccer hasn't taken over America like it has overseas, like European football is some new phenomenon like the Beatles, again please hijack the interview.</p>
<p>This is our third stop on the media tour interviews, and there are two very clear categories emerging. Hosts who love soccer and are excited to finally get to talk about it, and hosts who see this on the level of a fun squirrel video and are confused as to what they should ask these people.</p>
<p>In all three interviews, the associated media corporations have soccer contracts. Just like when an NBC sitcom star ends up Ellen, there's no reason for the alien treatment. "Hey did you know NBC Sports broadcasts MLS matches?" should have been question one.</p>
https://www.lagconfidential.com/2014/2/18/5423638/watch-landon-donovan-on-morning-joeJosie Becker2014-02-17T16:49:37-08:002014-02-17T16:49:37-08:00Watch: Omar Gonzalez on The Crowd Goes Wild
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<figcaption>Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>Omar Gonzalez continued his MLS Media day tour ending up in an afternoon appearance on Fox Sports 1's The Crowd Goes Wild.</p> <p><span>Omar Gonzalez</span> continued his MLS Media day tour ending up in an afternoon appearance on Fox Sports 1's The Crowd Goes Wild. Watching the show for the first time it came off as something like ESPN2's old series Cold Pizza that was replaced by shouting match First Take. The hosts are a bit more tongue in cheek, and the segment ends with a game trying to score basketball goals while only using soccer moves. Check it out above.</p>
<p>The Crowd Goes Wild makes Good Morning America look like Johnny Carson hosting The Tonight Show. The host oscillated between calling it football and soccer, the co-host had to read off his notecard (which is why they're there but it always looks awkward). The interview was saved by the third host sitting behind a laptop making snarky comments about things the players had posted on social media.</p>
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<p>Gonzalez' video of him playing saxophone in his underwear was explained, that he was at his girlfriend's house for Thanksgiving and decided to see if he still remembered the songs he played as a child. Apparently, young Omar Gonzalez was into George Michael.</p>
<p>All in all, good to see MLS getting a preseason push in the media. Hopefully it'll lead to a few more eyeballs.</p>
https://www.lagconfidential.com/2014/2/17/5420774/watch-omar-gonzalez-on-the-crowd-goes-wildJosie Becker2014-02-17T11:12:55-08:002014-02-17T11:12:55-08:00Watch: Omar Gonzalez on Good Morning America
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<figcaption>Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption>
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<p>The MLS preseason media tour is underway in earnest back in New York, and LA Galaxy players were involved in several events. Omar Gonzalez and Landon Donovan are back east representing the club</p> <p>The MLS preseason media tour is underway in earnest back in New York, and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="https://www.lagconfidential.com/">LA Galaxy</a> players were involved in several events. <span>Omar Gonzalez</span> and <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110934/landon-donovan">Landon Donovan</a> are back east representing the club on several platforms, including an appearance on Good Morning America by Gonzalez in the above video.</p>
<p>Gonzalez is asked about seeing the league improve and choosing to stay in MLS despite interest from Europe. Michael Bradley joined him to speak on what has been happening in MLS that made him want to come back. The talk then led to the upcoming <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/world-cup-2014">World Cup</a>, and host Josh Elliot was just gushing over his love of the game and his upcoming role with ESPN covering the 2014 World Cup.</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet"> <p>. <a href="https://twitter.com/MLSWORKS">@MLSWORKS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23dontcrosstheline&src=hash">#dontcrosstheline</a> video shoot, <a href="https://twitter.com/landondonovan">@landondonovan</a> rocked it. <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23ItAllStartsHere&src=hash">#ItAllStartsHere</a> <a href="http://t.co/OSVCPz00VQ">pic.twitter.com/OSVCPz00VQ</a></p>— Major League Soccer (@MLS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MLS/statuses/435469042040975360">February 17, 2014</a> </blockquote>
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<p>That wasn't all the LA Galaxy players got up to in the New York Area, with Red Bull Arena serving host to some more video making. There's Landon Donovan recording his bit for this year's version of the Don't Cross the Line PSA.</p>
<blockquote lang="en" class="twitter-tweet"> <p>It's <a class="sbn-auto-link" href="http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/fifa/players/110250/thierry-henry">Thierry Henry</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Tim_Cahill">@Tim_Cahill</a> vs. <a href="https://twitter.com/landondonovan">@landondonovan</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Omar4Gonzalez">@Omar4Gonzalez</a> in <a href="https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FIFA14&src=hash">#FIFA14</a>. Who ya' got? <a href="http://t.co/UZudTobsTX">pic.twitter.com/UZudTobsTX</a></p>— LA Galaxy (@LAGalaxy) <a href="https://twitter.com/LAGalaxy/statuses/435482669615304705">February 17, 2014</a> </blockquote>
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<p>Donovan and Gonzalez then teamed up to take on Thierry Henry and <span>Tim Cahill</span> in a FIFA 14 battle. The Galaxy stars won 1-0, a surprisingly defensive score for a FIFA battle. Henry also took over the @MLS twitter account for a Q&A session this morning as MLS is in full gear for its big preseason media push.</p>
<p>The GMA interview was well done, with Josh Elliot an admitted soccer fan. He knew exactly who these players were and what they meant to MLS and the national team. The interview was mixed with b-roll of MLS footage, including Gonzalez' header in the 2012 MLS Cup.</p>
https://www.lagconfidential.com/2014/2/17/5419818/watch-omar-gonzalez-la-galaxy-good-morning-americaJosie Becker