No EPL for USA.

For a minute there it looked as though the US (along with a few other non-European countries) might get an EPL (39th) match to visit them, spreading the good word, so to speak. But, alas, it is not meant to be, at least not for the 2010-2011 season.

The original plan was that the "39th" match would be added on to the regular-season schedule, and the twenty teams would be involved in 10 overseas matches at five sites, two per location. This initially sounded like a very fair deal, especially to someone that had recently looked into traveling to see a match or two in Europe and finding the expense to be much too much. My thoughts, "they're gonna come over here!?! Sure, i'm game!"

Turns out adding a single match to the already full schedule of 38 matches (each team 2 matches X the other 19 teams) throws things truly off balance. This couldn't work even though the adding of a match gets around the idea of the "locals" missing out on a home match. How would the new matches be chosen? What if the top two teams are only seperated by a point but the number two team plays the last place team and the number one team plays number three. Doesn't seem fair does it. Who decides which teams play which and when would they play?

To really balance things out they would probably need to actually balance the schedule by having the teams play each other three times instead of only twice. This would create a schedule of 57 matches and the season would last more than a full calendar year...well, I suppose they could shedule more than one match a week but with all the Champions League FA Cup matches... it's rather impossible.

I think another option would have to be a democratic one. Since the adding of a match is supposed to prevent any teams from missing a home match, maybe the teams/fans could volunteer to give away a home match for this endeavor. Obviously not all the teams are going to be up for this. There would need to be some sort of an incentive (discounts to an away match or maybe free tickets to another home match). I realize this idea is totally out in "left field" (forgive me for using that phrase), but with the extra money made on the overseas match it seems something could be dangled like a carrot. And if only a handful of teams go for this option, then one of their home matches could be played over seas, thus giving at least a few overseas markets a match at a stadium "near" their home.

So, any teams up for this, or any fans ready to volunteer their team? ...I didn't think so.

Should this 39th match (or some version of an overseas EPL match) somehow end up happening anyway, expect a bit more of this...

I was initially very much for this plan, and i'm not even a big EPL fan. But, I don't see how they could make this work without truly screwing up the regular season or without screwing over a team, or several, and its fans. Gotta say no go if you ask me. Not that you did, but i'm just sayin...