MLS parity leads to league blandness

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From its inception, Major League Soccer, built on the single-entity model, has worked to create parity.

And after nine years it appears to exist, but is it quality or mediocrity? Most MLS players would argue the former.

"When I came into this league I was playing outside-back and I was getting up and down the line," said United defender Mike Petke. "That's not what I do. I can't do that now because the level of play has gotten so much better."

If Petke is right, shouldn't quality translate into consistency? Only two teams this season have put together a three-game winning streak (the Columbus Crew won four in a row and the Colorado Rapids three) and only three teams -- all in the Western Conference -- boast a winning record.

One week the Los Angeles Galaxy look impressive, then fizzle the next. Same goes for the San Jose Earthquakes, the Columbus Crew and the MetroStars. The days of seeing a team like D.C. United dominate the league seem to be over.

Surprisingly, United leads the Eastern Conference with a 5-5-5 record. Twenty of a possible 45 points at the halfway mark is not too exciting. The Chicago Fire won the Conference last season with a 15-7-8 record and 53 points.

Still, United's 6-2 pounding of the MetroStars last week was long overdue. But can the team, or any team for that matter, continue its winning ways? Consistency is the sign a team runs deep with talent.

MLS's single-entity structure, a sort of semi-socialist idea designed to avoid a salary war, may have fulfilled is purpose. The four-year dynasty of D.C. United was slowly and systematically leveled by the tyranny of the salary cap. Now it is a guess which team rises or falls each week.

"It gives an element of surprise from week in and week out," said United defender Ezra Hendrickson, who joined MLS in 1997. "There's no runaway favorite."

Some critics argue that it is good to have a dominant team in the league for fans to love and hate. The English have Manchester United, Spain has Real Madrid and Germany has Bayern Munich. MLS once had D.C. United.