ESPN Doesn't Care About Major League Soccer

MLS Cup – the final match of the 2010 Major League Soccer season – takes place this weekend. You were planning to watch, right? Oh, what’s that? You were confused where it was being held? You wouldn’t be alone.

ESPN.com posted the wrong venue and didn’t bother to post the TV options for a game it is televising.

Now, this mistake could be a simple typo, but it’s indicative of the Worldwide Leader’s attitude toward American soccer. Despite shelling out millions and earning kudos for its coverage of the World Cup, ESPN can’t be troubled to truly support MLS. Viewership is down 12 percent as a result. Furthermore, ESPN.com’s Soccernet is shockingly devoid of US news, while SI.com’s soccer page and MLSsoccer.com (full disclosure: I write for them) continue their commitment to growing the sport in the US.

As league, MLS continues to move in the right direction. It’s a shame the network that’s supposed to help it grow isn’t doing a similar job.

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