5 Things Major League Soccer Must Do

There's quite a bit to not like about Major League Soccer. The ridiculous two-conference setup. Utilizing playoffs to determine a league champion. David Beckham. MLS does, however, have quite a bit of promise. With a few tweaks here and there, the league could strengthen fan bases, obtain a larger following and even become, dare I say, respectable in the eyes of the casual American sports fan.

5 things Major League Soccer must do #1: Just say no to Cosmos

Adding the New York Cosmos to MLS anytime in the near future is nothing short of an idiotic maneuver thought up by a room full of both Mets and Yankees fans. On paper, a Cosmos vs. Red Bulls feud looks promising. The Red Bulls, with Thierry Henry, a brand new arena and one of the best clubs in Major League Soccer, couldn't sell out matches last season, not even what was essentially a one-and-done playoff match. Local television ratings for Red Bulls matches are horrendous when compared with any major professional or collegiate sport. Splitting the New York soccer fan base in any way in the next five years is dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb.

5 things Major League Soccer must do #2: Shorten the !#$%&*! season

Starting in 2011, MLS teams will play 34 games during the regular season. Why? This amount of games is completely unnecessary as long as the two-conference format remains intact (more on that later). Do the Red Bulls really need to face off against Los Angeles during the regular season? Absolutely not. If the league insists on a 34-game season, that's fine. It's time to schedule multiple matches per week throughout the season. Currently, the MLS season runs longer than MLB's. The season ends just as the college football and NFL seasons hit their stride. Not smart.

5 things Major League Soccer must do #3: Eliminate the conferences

Yes, American sports fans are used to conferences in both NCAA and professional sports leagues. The two conferences in Major League Soccer are not helping the league one bit at this point. If anything, the format turns off international soccer fans that are living in the states. Make the league one table and be done with it.

Oh yeah, get rid of the stupid playoff format. It's ridiculous and doesn't bring in any new viewers whatsoever.

5 things Major League Soccer must do #4: Shoot player promos

Remember the Bart Scott "Can't Wait" promo? This was shown on national television roughly 45,000 times during the week leading up to the AFC title game. MLS needs more men like Bart Scott and Jets head coach Rex Ryan. These two guys, just by behind themselves, draw attention to both the team and the league. Every team in MLS needs at least one "LOOK AT ME" player. I want to see Thierry Henry on television cutting a WWE-esque promos on New England and D.C. United during the season. It'd be nothing but good for the Red Bulls, their opponents and MLS. Casual American sports fans couldn't name more than five players in all of Major League Soccer. These promos/press conferences would change that in just a few weeks.

5 things Major League Soccer must do #5: Grab Gus Johnson

Not joking in the slightest. There's a reason the Big Ten Network has made Gus Johnson the face of the network . Whether you love him or can't stand him, Johnson creates memories that stick with fans for years. He has called college basketball, NFL and even MMA events. I'm sure that, after a few weeks of preparation, he could handle a weekly MLS match. Make it so, Major League Soccer, and let the magic begin.

For more : Why I Love MLS