MLS breaks all-time sellout games record in 2014

Photo Getty Images

MLS fans were greeted by an interesting and welcome piece of news this morning. The league had its record-breaking 113th sellout game this season after the Toronto-Portland game. This is significant progress for the league and one that has been coming for a while now.

In 2007 MLS acquired its first bona fide international supertar in their prime: David Beckham. The pop culture icon transcended the game and MLS got a boost in attendance figures given the many sellouts at the Galaxy's stadium and throughout the country. This very blog site came into being as a way to track attendance per team in percentage number and median figures.

So what changed for MLS this year? Two factors: the World Cup and recruitment of American internationals in their prime. Such is the case with repatriated Michael Bradley (Toronto) and Jermaine Jones (New England). The marketing has been superb and more focus has been placed on player development and quality skill on the pitch.

Will this trend continue? Likely. With the expansion to new markets with NYCFC in New York and its superstars in Frank Lampard and David Villa, as well as Orlando City with Kaka, the upswing in attendance should remain. True, expansion might thin the league up a bit in terms of talent due to expansion drafts but quality players in academies are waiting to take over the ranks.

So now the league is breaking attendance without David Beckham, which means it's no longer novelty. In short, this is a good time for MLS. It's a good time for the fans and it's further proof that the game is here to stay.

Czech rewind: Gyau and Klinsmann's young crew

Photo: sportingnews.com

The game against the Czech Republic in this past Wednesday's international friendly had a purely experimental USMNT squad. Young players, uncapped players, and 24-year old Jozy Altidore as captain. And they won against a solid European team in Prague.

Perhaps the most impressive outing was that of Borussia Dortmund reservist Joe Gyau. He commanded the flank as a midfielder/forward in Klinsmann's 4-3-3 and looked great doing it. In fact, he was only outdone by Nick Rimando, who really, trully should be thanked for this unprovable win.

Was young Julian Green active? Sure, but not as much as we would like the heir of Donovan to be. Miskerud, on the other hand, showed why he's so special and why it was sad that he never got to play in Brazil this summer.

There was cohesiveness in the back for the USMNT versus the Czech Republic, at least In the first half. Orozco showed his steadiness in the back. Fabian Johnson also displayed his abilities and, perhaps, why his going to Moenchengladbach was ahead of the World Cup was perhaps not the best first choice. John Brooks also showed he wasn't just another lucky head against Ghana. Timmy Chandler also seems to have finally won over the American public. He can't go anywhere else now, folks.

Certainly, the channels weren't there for Altidore to thrive. He hardly had a chance and became more of a defensive midfielder far upfield. One would hope that this could be remedied with a more experienced midfield. However, shouldn't the team be expected to start doing better?

Klinsmann wasn't kidding when he said he would go young with his next set of international games. Joe Gyau showed that the coach still has an eye for young talent. This is, after all, how John Brooks won us the game versus Ghana and how DeAndre Yedlin went from experimental substitution in midfield to Tottenham Hotspur transfer over the course of two months. We can't wait to see others on the pitch like Luis Gil, Perry Kitchen, Jack McInierney, or dare we say, Geidon Zelalem?