Especially, playing in a league like the English Premiership which includes 38 league games, the Charity Shield, the FA Cup, the Worthington Cup and the Champions League.

BBC: Sport Academy | Football | Features | Patrick Vieira

You are right about Onyewu but I would go farther and suggest the competitive focus is incorrect in MLS. The European Cup of MLS or the Supporters Shield shows the players who are on top of their game, not the LEague cup called the MLS Playoffs.

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"I think the top three Welsh regions go into the European Cup and the fourth goes into the shield next season, " he said.

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His side certainly went into the game in good form after winning the Turkish Super Cup - the equivalent of the Community Shield in England - and opening their league campaign with an away victory.

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Even then they still managed to win the FA Cup in 2004 and the Carling Cup in 2006. (If we include the Community Shield there has only been four seasons since 1993 in which United has failed to hoist silverware).

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Chelsea's 2012-13 season officially began when the Blues faced Manchester City on Aug. 12 in the FA. Community Shield, the annual curtain-raiser between English soccer's league champion and the FA Cup winner.

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