Let's Shut Down MLS For A Little Bit

USA Soccer's plan was going so well. Let all the Euro players injure themselves in the lead-up to the world cup, and head to South Africa with the only healthy squad. So much for that, Brian Ching.

Beckham went down with a ruptured Achilles tendon in a league game for AC Milan. Gallas is iffy for the World Cup after a calf injury exacerbated during a game in what seems like the 16th month of the Premiership season. Same for Fábregas, who cracked a fibula during this week's Champions League leg.

Sure, the US team has its own injuries to deal with. But at least they didn't happen in meaningless games. Oguchi Onyewu's own ruptured tendon came in a World Cup qualifier. And Charlie Davies just made some poor decisions after a night out on the town.

No, the Yanks have mostly avoided injury on the pitch. That is, until Brian Ching went down with a hamstring injury in last night's Dynamo-Real Salt Lake game. They haven't done an MRI yet, but he'll miss a few weeks - crucial training time.

So how about the MLS takes the next few months off, and allows the US to head to the World Cup with a full squad? A good showing there will do so much more for the sport's popularity than the first half of the MLS season would.

Oh, wait a minute. All the US players who will make a difference in South Africa are playing in Europe anyway. Carry on, then.