Tigres will face Toronto in the first leg of the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, and during their stay in Canada, coach Ricardo Ferretti expressed his thoughts on the MLS.
The 'Tuca' considers that the soccer league in the United States is still very young, but he highlighted the improvements they have made in recent years.
"I believe that the soccer league is very young, 'very young', and it has had a fairly good acceptance and has progressed a lot," he said.
"The match tomorrow (against @torontofc) will be complicated due to many factors, such as the quality of their players, the weather, etc.," says Ricardo Ferretti. pic.twitter.com/zWxVwgw6YF
— CLUB TIGRES OFICIAL (@TigresOficial) March 6th, 2018
Ferretti recalled the victory of the United States 2-0 over Mexico in the 2002 World Cup, an argument he used to talk about the growth of the MLS.
"We must not forget that in the Korea-Japan World Cup, the United States beat Mexico. The level of American soccer is as good as any. They have very good players and a fan base they didn't have before. Soccer competes with sports that have been around for many years. Today, in the United States, the sport that is most practiced at the youth level is soccer. With the elimination of the United States for the World Cup in Russia, they have stagnated because they were progressing. It was said that in 10 years they could reach a final. They're on the right track," he said.
Ferretti believes that in order to stand out, the MLS should have activity throughout the year and not just nine months.
"There are certain details within the league's own organization that need to be addressed. Having a short tournament and a long pause is not appropriate. I understand that certain things like the weather can affect it. If they had a year-round season, they would progress faster," he mentioned.
LIGA MX REMAINS UNCHANGED
For Ricardo Ferretti, his priority remains winning the Liga Bancomer above any international title.
"If we had to prioritize and choose, it would be the Mexican championship. But we give the utmost seriousness to this tournament that we're participating in. It's my personal point of view, mine alone, not anyone else's," he said.