Why Wasn’t Liverpool Playing the Revolution?

During the World Cup, someone wondered what it would take to get America excited about soccer. One response was the common opinion that America likes watching the best. As long as they considered their national league, MLS, to be so inferior, their interest in soccer would lag behind. How to get MLS up to snuff? One way was using the AFL-NFL theory that once MLS can prove their mettle against the real teams, it would go a long way.

Naturally, I immediately thought of Liverpool and the Revolution. From all accounts, all the owners in Boston get along pretty well. This would seem to be the perfect opportunity to help each other a bit. The Revolution could use an EPL team to match up against to try to show their worth. I imagine that John Henry wouldn’t mind expanding his LFC fan base in New England. Why not have a “home” and home series with the Revolution? They can each get some additional ticket sales in their building. What would be the downside?

The only thing I could come up with was embarrassment. Maybe LFC would be afraid of losing to a lowly MLS team. But, couldn’t they just slough it off as a training exercise? Like when a college team sometimes beats a MLB team in spring training. Sure, they beat them when the MLB team wasn’t trying and wasn’t playing their best players. It doesn’t mean anything. Just like last night, when Liverpool was resting anyone good. Or, maybe the Revolution would be afraid of being embarrassed. Losing 15-0 to the LFC back-ups wouldn’t exactly scream “level playing field.” I decided that MLS wouldn’t let that happen.

Then I noticed that last night, a few MLS teams played EPL teams. They lost, but the world didn’t end. And, I bet none of those match-ups had the same mutual benefit that LFC-NER would have produced. None of the EPL owners had their own location in the States trying to sell their merchandise. No other MLS owner had an owner from across the Pond that they had such a great working relationship with.

You know me, I love cross-pollination. I love it when different industries user their assets to complement each other. I don’t know why it didn’t happen here.

Why weren’t the Revolution at Fenway last night?