Opinion Piece: Why US Women's Soccer Victory Tour did the National Women's Soccer League a Diservice

Can we please do away with victory tours?

This summer the United States Women's Soccer Team was in the limelight of American sports.  People who have never even cared much for soccer in general all tuned in and were electrified by what the team did in the FIFA Women's World Cup in Canada, defeating Japan 5-2 in the final and claiming the gold medal after falling short against the same team four years ago in Germany.

Ultimately this was an enormous opportunity also get more eyes on our own women's soccer league.  But instead, the US Soccer team scheduled a "Victory Tour" and looked to bank off of the team's success financially.  This meant that all of the top players in the National Women's Soccer League were required for meaningless David versus Goliath exhibition games, destroying teams like Costa Rica 8-0.

While we trotted our heroes across the country to play cupcake teams, the NWSL played the final stretch of it's season missing all the players we actually know about.  It is also no secret that the last women's soccer league in our country actually went bankrupt only a little while following the 2012 Women's World Cup.

How are teams like the Portland Thorns and Kansas City FC going to get people interested in their product when they are missing their own stars and recognizable faces on their rosters?

It's also ludicrous that we needed to further prove how good our team is when we all just watched them dominate the runner-up in in the World Cup Final.  We have all of this talent, yet we cannot see them face each other on a high stage.

I understand the incentive to want to bank on their success, but why ruin the struggling women's league and enterprise in your own country where the players are actually employed and hope to make a living?

For that reason, I believe that this situation could have been handled better.  It is clear that the organization believed that it was most important to schedule those games as soon as it possibly could, in order to seize a window of opportunity.  They did not care much for what negative effect it could have on the player's teams.

I believe that they should simply have played friendly matches perhaps once a week or two instead of an entire tour.  That is what the US Men’s team does currently and in recent years those games have been rising in the ratings thanks to the influx of American sports networks like Fox Sports 1 and NBC sports network.

The tour was financially successful in the short term for Team USA.  But we can only hope the NWSL still draws attention in the years to come, or else it will have to fold for a third time.

2015 World Series Preview: Kansas City Royals and New York Mets

This year the fall classic comes down to two teams who've completed a full 180 within the last two years.  These are two teams who were easily considered laughing stocks and the butt of many jokes as recently as, well July for the Mets. 

The Royals now enter as a slight favorite, a different tone from last year when they made an appearance in the world series for the first time in 29 years.  Despite falling short to the juggernaut San Francisco Giants  who claimed their third title in five years, the Royals remained the dominant American league club in 2015. They now find themselves with home field advantage in the series where it matters most.

Kansas City will likely face a challenge in games 3,4, and 5 at Citi Field in New York. The weather could prove to be a difficult adjustment after having played all of their playoff road games indoors. The Mets have gone 3-1 this playoffs in their frigid home ball park, and only plan on providing the Royals with heaters of the fastball variety.

From what we have seen, these are two teams that appear equally strong and most analysts will probably tell you that there is no clear cut favorite to win. The Royals get the nod on experience however the Mets appear to be hotter of the two.

The key to the series for most baseball enthusiasts appears to be the difference in the two giants' greatest weapons. New York sports elite young starting pitchers and Kansas City has arguably the greatest cast of relief pitchers we have seen in the modern era. The Mets appear capable of handing the ball to all of their starters and relying on spectacular late inning performances. Meanwhile, the Royals really only need four or five innings from their own due to their versatile arsenal of arms out of the pen.

All eyes will likely keen on New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy who had exhibited an otherworldly performance in this postseason. What he has done has been nothing short of remarkable, but will he be able to continue what has now become a historic post season hot streak on this the biggest stage? Perhaps an even bigger question may be, do the Mets need him to do so in order to win the championship.

The Royals attack is a model of balance and their defense is top notch. The Mets are definitely seen as a streakier team, however they do have wildcard bats in their oder with players like Yoenis Cespedes and Lucas Duda. Even young catcher Travis D'arnaud has been swinging a hot bat in these playoffs.

I predict that the series will include two stanzas in Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City. The logical part of me believes that the Royals are the better overall team and that they are twice as hungry and ready for this inter league battle. However I believe that baseball defies logic in a way that is unlike any other sport. The Mets seem to have that magical quality and are simply the hottest team at the moment. Even though Kansas City is the best team on paper, the Amazing' Mets are burning up the scouting reports. I say the Mets win in seven games.

If you want to hear another interesting take on the world series check out Buster Olney and Jerry Krasnick's analysis of the fall classic on the ESPN Baseball Tonight podcast.

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