Garry Ellers Jr. is an American, but he has spent time in Scotland. He loves soccer and he loves to write. After a few beers in a pub, he put two and two together and decided to have a go at writing soccer articles. He figures, this way, he gets to write what is on his mind about certain topics in the world of soccer, or football... whichever! The second edition of the Pan-Pacific Championship will begin February 18 in Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center. If you're wondering why the tournament will not be held in Hawaii (as it was in the first installment), well, I'm wondering that myself. Not only am I unhappy with the tournament's location change, I'm even more unhappy with what wasn't changed – what needed to be changed – to give this pre-season international tournament more creditability and appeal. I have three major complaints.
Let's start with the participating teams, shall we? There's Oita Trinita of Japan (2008 J. League Cup champions), Shandong Luneng Taishan of China (2008 Chinese Super League champions), Suwon Samsung Bluewings of South Korea (2008 K-League champions), and Los Angeles Galaxy of the United States (2008 Major League Soccer underachievers). Not what I'd consider a "fair" set up.
Now, for those of you that follow MLS, you'll know why Houston Dynamo (the other MLS representative in the first installment) isn't participating. They're busy preparing for the CONCACAF Champions League Quarterfinals. That's fine. So, why not Columbus Crew? After all, they are the 2008 MLS Cup champions.
Bottom line, Galaxy's inclusion in this year's tournament is undeserved. If the Pan-Pacific Championship aspires to be a respected international tournament, then it needs to (at least) have a criterion for all participating teams to adhere by, including the host. (Note: There shouldn't even be a host. Bring the competition back to Hawaii.)
Another major complaint I have with this tournament is its format: single-elimination, plus third place playoff. Basically, every team plays two matches. That's it. What's up with that?
This format would be fine if there were, for example, 16 participating teams. But, no, there are just four teams. That means each team misses out playing one opponent. With a tournament in its infancy, wouldn't it be better to have teams face each other in a round robin format? This way, fans get their money's worth to see their team play every other team in the competition.
Lastly, the Pan-Pacific Championship appears to get more publicity and media attention than it deserves. Okay, I admit this isn't really a major complaint, but I just don't get it. Actually, I do. It all has to do with David Beckham. Ironically, he's on loan in Italy with A.C. Milan right now and, therefore, will miss out. I'm sure sponsors of the tournament aren't too pleased. This is my point. Despite the contrary of what people say, I believe the publicity and media attention towards the Pan-Pacific Championship is not for the competition itself or the teams involved. It's about Beckham and his celebrity status.
For sure, he is the reason why Galaxy are in this tournament to start with. It's a move like this that removes any sort of creditability that the Pan-Pacific Championship is trying to gain. Also, it's a big insult to MLS and what the league aims to be.
Personally, I'd prefer to see Galaxy in pre-season play against any number of high-profile European teams, especially if they have winter break. Until the Pan-Pacific Championship establishes certain guidelines for entering and such, it will remain as another obscure pre-season international competition.