International Club Matches for MLS

Houston Dynamo Coach Dominic Kinnear had this to say about the SuperLiga tournament between MLS and Mexican clubs, courtesy of Marc at The Offside:

What’s important for us is exposing players to a different style of competition, a different style from what we play in MLS. In our league, other than Chivas, which plays a Latin-type of game, our style in MLS does not vary too much. It’s also important for American guys who want to play on the national team to get exposed to the game internationally early in careers. I think it’s great.

I tend to agree, but there is one major caveat to this thought. Most of the international club matches and even the friendlies occur when the American teams are in the midst of their season and the international clubs in their pre-season. The MLS should look to schedule friendlies--both in other nations and here at home, when the MLS teams are in pre-season form and the international clubs in their mid-season form. This is likely to be a much better determinant of MLS club's ability to perform and compete on the highest levels of the game.