From the West Coast

I've lived everywhere, man. Why is travel so difficult in Major League Soccer?

Here is the good news - I am back and set up after a week of transition, beginning to live up the good life here in the Orange County area.

You can expect a new pod to kick off soon.

In the meanwhile, let me tell you about my (abbreviated) experience here on the West Coast.

• Coming from DC, people told me the weather is unusual lately. It’s rainy. It’s chilly. They even had snow. That’s kind of normal for east coast folks, so I’m not sure what they are talking about.

• The soccer fields out here are gorgeous.

• I can get Orange County SC season tickets for cheap.

• Moving sucks.

With that out of the way, let’s talk about one of the biggest issues with having a true viable pro/rel league in this country.

Travel.

Say it with me - TRAVEL!

We left from the east coast by car, likely the cheapest option available to a family of four, and it took us four days of hardcore driving. In that time frame, we got hit by a wicked dust storm, saw plenty of snow and rain, and witnessed the immense dichotomy of gas prices. It’s just nuts.

I don’t think people realize how vast the West is and how you can drive for hours and not see a major city.

(On the plus side, we did not stop at a single McDonalds.)

Travel is a serious issue for soccer fans in this country.

And it bodes well for FC Dallas getting a home victory that they desperately need this weekend. Los Angeles Galaxy had to cancel their “home” opener because of weather that would make most Dallas-ites shrug. After the “blah” performance against Minnesota, it’s time to get the season on the right track. Use travel and weather to your advantage.

I hope this week in practice helped Dallas figure a few things out, because last weekend did not look great. A slow start is fine, as long as it leads to this team getting hot and using all of its tools (including travel) to its advantage.