This was certainly an interesting week for MLS and US Soccer. We are gearing up for MLS Cup 2010. We saw a 17-year-old score his first goal—a game winner no less—for the US National Team against South Africa. And Don Garber delivered his “State of the League” address.

I was already feeling vindicated that my 2010 Most Valuable Country award for Colombia was pushed further from reproach as David Ferreira won the 2010 Volkswagen MLS Most Valuable Player award. With Jamison Olave’s already announced MLS 2010 Visa Defender of the Year award, my pick was looking pretty solid.

Little did I know that during the 2010 MLS State of the League address MLS commissioner Don Garber would offer up some tidbits to help my burgeoning soccer blogger ego by hitting key points that Soccer Soap Box has been focused on for some time.

I thought Mr. Garber touched on critical areas during his address that many fans knew were necessary: an improved and re-launched Reserve League, increased roster capacity that focuses on younger players, help for teams competing in the CONCACAF Champions League and a re-examination of the playoff format that saw two Western Conference teams compete for the Eastern Conference championship in 2010.

Mr. Garber also discussed the fact that MLS is at least considering a way its clubs could make good on an invitation from CONMEBOL to participate in Copa Libertadores. This is both a blessing and curse, as it would provide a higher profile experience for MLS teams in international competition, but would stretch MLS teams further than they can realistically go. Having a run-down MLS club get embarrassed in South America helps nobody.

It was already clear the MLS brass like the idea of a second MLS club in the greater New York area, so the fact that this issue got some focus isn’t really news.

Aside from all of that great information though, I was transfixed on something that was at the very end of the transcript. To me it was a direct correlation to our local New England Revolution.

Earlier in the year the Revolution offered a gesture to fans by having its Chief Operating Officer, Brian Bilello, and VP of Player Personnel, Michael Burns, take questions directly from fans on the team website. If the wound that was inflicted on them by a base of very frustrated fans had mostly healed over, some comments by Mr. Garber ripped off that scab and poured in the salt. At least for me.

Why?

Well, as I sleepily read through the transcript of Mr. Garber’s comments, there was a passage at the end that grabbed my attention in the way that news of the Revolution signing Ronaldihno would do to the Foxboro faithful. It was about how each of the MLS teams presents a business plan to the league, and his commentary about what he hoped to see left me slack jawed.

You see, I took the offer to lob questions at the Revolution, both on the official Revolution pages and then a longer version with my questions explained on Soccer Soap Box.

I expected most wouldn’t be answered, and let’s just say that belief was met. As the frustration of fans started pouring out based on what felt like boiler-plate answers, I simply sulked back into the dark corner where we bloggers so carefully grow our deep seated negativity and snickered (please note, sarcasm is welcome here).

My questions were probably too harsh, too unrealistic, too hopeful. Here, you can see for yourself: Bilello Questions and Burns Questions.

But then Mr. Garber spoke and I reconsidered.

My first question to Mr. Bilello: Do the New England Revolution have a “mission statement”—from an overall perspective? (not specifically on the field)

Unrealistic?

Well, Mr. Garber proclaimed that “Every team creates their brand vision and their mission as to how they want to go about achieving it. These visions or missions are things that they should be sharing publicly.”

Wow.

A key question I lobbed at Mr. Burns: I would imagine that it helps to have a specific “style” of soccer in mind when scouting players. I wondered, is there a “shared vision” of how the New England Revolution believe soccer should be played? What is it? Does it affect the choice of players we sign? Does this vision extend to your burgeoning efforts in youth development?

Mr. Garber added that “All of the clubs talk about what kind of team they want to be on the field. They discuss the style of play and the commitment to that style of play as it is part of their brand and part of what they’re trying to do in connecting to their audiences.”

Really Don, they do?

It’s too bad there wasn’t a platform for the team to answer such questions that were publicly lobbed at them and remove the doubt that the team is running on autopilot. If only there was a publicly posted question and answer session online where these questions came in...

Oh, never mind.

I do take some solace though that there’s a league office somewhere where the team does need to answer these questions.

Oh, to be a fly on that wall…

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