In 2009, Major League Soccer found itself on the best seller lists thanks to    “The Beckham Experiment”, written by Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl, who played storm chaser to the inevitable tornado of avarice, duplicity, hubris, stupidity, and good-intentions-turned-Satan’s-pavement that accompanied the insertion of a global celebrity into a typical MLS team circa 2007 and 2008. Each line of text was the track on which the train wreck unfolded, and the tome was a rubbernecker’s delight.

Beau Dure, the longtime USA Today journalist and editor, has written an entirely different book. Rather than immersing itself in a single topic, Dure’s “Long-Range Goals: The Success Story of Major League Soccer” serves as the league’s first general history volume. From the soccer-less soup from which MLS emerged, to the present day, and even a speculative glimpse into the issues of the future, Dure expertly leads readers through the first decade and a half of Major League’s Soccer’s existence.

“This league has fans. This league has players. And this league has history,” Dure emphatically writes in the preface. And he also admits, “In 14 short years, too much has happened to compile into one book” and that “telling the stories of the many great characters on the field and in the offices would take many books, not one.” This is undoubtedly true, but Dure handles those limitations well. The history tour that he offers briskly moves the time line along, offering a Cliff’s Notes recapping of teams and seasons, but then strategically pauses to delve deeper into meatier subjects, always with the help of extensive interview excerpts from the pertinent parties.

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While I realize that as a “Rumblings” column it is by definition rumor, innuendo and conjecture, Bob Hunter’s comments in today’s Dispatch were so far off base that I felt the need to respond. First, to suggest that this club thinks we are not capable of beating Toluca and have conceded that winning is ‘so unlikely’ that we would compromise our team’s chances with cost cutting measures is unfounded and insulting. I believe we demonstrated in the competition’s group phase our commitment to do everything possible to win the CONCACAF Champions League and become the first MLS Club to advance to the FIFA Club World Cup.

Our medical staff and team doctors have advised us on the physiological impact of traveling to altitude and told us that playing within a 48-hour window of arrival minimizes the impact - a fact which we have taken into account on every trip for years where altitude is a factor. I am not aware of any team that believes incurring the stress of flying and playing a game in the same day is a prudent plan. In fact, our plan to train in Los Angeles is more expensive than other options but this decision was made to take advantage of the best direct flight to Toluca, therefore minimizing travel stress on the players and avoiding a lengthy bus ride from Mexico City. While in Bradenton, Fla., last week, I personally sat in on these travel-logistics discussions, and as our team operations director was presenting options and budget impact, I specifically said “I appreciate your focus on fiscal management but, in this case, we need to make decisions that give our team the best chance to win.”

Finally, CONCACAF substantially underwrites travel cost for teams participating in CONCACAF Champions League, making it a moot point regardless. Mr. Hunter places words like “appear”, “apparently” and “may” to achieve conjecture in his perspective, but his message is irresponsible and offensive to a team that has accomplished as much as this one. Rest assured, his speculation is unfounded.”

Sincerest regards,

Mark McCullers
President & General Manager

Crew defender and hometown hero Danny O’Rourke recently made a cameo appearance in C Magazine, as he appeared in a striking ad for Astor & Black Custom Clothiers/Stained Skin Tattoos &  Piercings. You can see the full-size image by clicking the thumbnail to the left and be sure to check out C Magazine at local newstands throughout central Ohio.