North American Pro Soccer 2017

[Gothamite]

I think the minor-league model is not necessarily incompatible with that kind of player development.  It just needs a little tweaking.

 

The new USL third-division is the key.  It seems to me that the clubs solely focused on player development would be better off there than in D2.

 

Let D2 be for the larger markets, for teams whose primary focus is on making money.  D3 should be for teams focused on developing players and markets too small to support D3.

[FiddySicks]

Yeah those [MLS TEAM NAME] 2 clubs are usually pretty hard to watch. I've been to more games vs MLS 2 teams than I can remember, and the vibe is almost always more subdued (except vs Los Dos. Those matches are always great). Our ticket office always seems to struggle to sell most of those matches as well. 

 

Also, the players always seem to sleepwalk through those games as well. Timbers 2 are like 2-16-4 this year, and I'm pretty sure both wins were over Republic ?

[Corvus]

Hope you like MLS teams in Adidas, 

 

https://twitter.com/MLS/status/892784204068638720

 

 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

2 hours ago, Corvus said:

Hope you like MLS teams in Adidas, 

 

https://twitter.com/MLS/status/892784204068638720

 

 

 

On the one hand, I was kind of hoping to see Nike take over, or, preferably, teams being able to choose their supplier. But the latter is over in American pro sports, so I would have been happy with any change.

 

That said, Nike's kind of blowing it with the NBA license so far, so I guess better safe than sorry.

[TBGKon]

3 hours ago, Corvus said:

Hope you like MLS teams in Adidas, 

 

https://twitter.com/MLS/status/892784204068638720

 

 

Dumb question, but does Adidas (or for any manufacturer for that matter) make size 3xl jerseys?

[Corvus]

3 minutes ago, AstroBull21 said:

Dumb question, but does Adidas (or for any manufacturer for that matter) make size 3xl jerseys?

 

Looking at the online store for the Whitecaps, MLS mens jerseys go up to 2XL only 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

FS1 is coming in like garbage on Sling TV, but this game is pretty fun from what I can see.

[Sport]

FC Cincinnati is in the semifinals of the US Open Cup!

 

http://deadspin.com/fc-cincinnati-continue-their-thrilling-surprising-u-s-1797486838

 

Hey Deadspin, they're not called the Metrostars anymore. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

14 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

FC Cincinnati is in the semifinals of the US Open Cup!

 

http://deadspin.com/fc-cincinnati-continue-their-thrilling-surprising-u-s-1797486838

 

Hey Deadspin, they're not called the Metrostars anymore. 

 

It was a perfectly fine article until that snark at the end. Deadspin simply can't resist taking shots at MLS and I don't know why. It's so dumb.

 

Congrats to FC Cincinnati though. My hometown Rochester Raging Rhinos won the US Open Cup back in...1999? and they're still the only non-MLS team to have won it since MLS has participated. It was a great run when they did it, and it'd be cool if FCC could as well. Even better for Cincinnati if they parlayed that into an actual MLS franchise. Rochester was almost there, but sat on its collective thumb too long in building an SSS, and is now destined to be lower tier for forever. (It also turns out the once-amazing 11,000-per-game attendance 1.) wasn't sustainable and 2.) isn't so amazing anymore.)

[Gothamite]

1 hour ago, DG_Now said:

It was a perfectly fine article until that snark at the end. Deadspin simply can't resist taking shots at MLS and I don't know why. It's so dumb.

 

Large portions of the former Gawker are unreadable; they repeatedly mistake "snark" for "wit".

[MJWalker45]

And Miami FC is taking MLS to the Court for the Arbitration of Sport to force promotion/relegation. Doesn't sound like tgeir owner's bitter or anything.

 

http://soccer.nbcsports.com/2017/08/03/nasl-npsl-teams-file-claim-over-promotionrelegation/

[Digby]

Just another week, another publicity stunt by the bored rich dip :censored: who owns Miami FC. 

[Pharos04]

The best thing if this winds up getting forced (it won't but let's play with this) is that USL becomes the relegation league and NASL is left out in the open or loses its Division 2 status, so Miami FC is still tossed aside from getting into MLS

[Still MIGHTY]

6 hours ago, McCarthy said:

FC Cincinnati is in the semifinals of the US Open Cup!

 

http://deadspin.com/fc-cincinnati-continue-their-thrilling-surprising-u-s-1797486838

 

Hey Deadspin, they're not called the Metrostars anymore. 

 

Pretty sure it's just about Deadspin not calling not calling them the Red Bulls as some sort of statement/joke. As the writer said in a comment reply to the point, "Deadspin is still waiting on its check from Dietrich Mateschitz." (Mateschitz is the co-founder of Red Bull, the drink.)

 

I know Deadspin does take its share of shots at MLS, but I don't think this is directly one of them.

[MJWalker45]

I'd say it is since they intentionally call Red Bulls their original name instead of the current. At least they didn't ask if Cincinnati can win the World Cup. 

[Digby]

Deadspin also doesn't call corporate named stadiums by their corporate names. They're just trying to take a noble stand at the expense of clarity.

[Gothamite]

Noble?   Well, self-aggrandizing at least. 

[tBBP]

I don't know how many of y'all are aware (or care ), but apparently all the talk and huff-puff--mostly of our Mayor, Megan Barry--of bringing MLS into Music City has reached the ear of Commissioner Don Garber.

 

Mayor Barry has been on this one for a while, now, aided by the chairman of whats now Nashville SC (formerly Nashville FC while in the NPSL; the soon-to-be USL side bought and absorbed the identity from the latter recently), and now that, somehow, Nashville landed on the list of 10 finalists for future MLS clubs, they're really trying to push for this thing. All this without a stadium or site, although they're pitching the fairgrounds in town as a potential site (which while being physically maybe 4 miles outside downtown, really ain't the easiest spot to get to).

 

I'm not really wild about this--but that's because this city has larger problems than trying to secure an MLS side. (Of course, I'm also of the opinion MLS really needs to cool it with the  Oprah-esque expansion ambitions and let this game grow organically at the lower levels and get the overall quality of play on the pitch up first, but that's just me.)

[MJWalker45]

On 8/2/2017 at 2:58 PM, DG_Now said:

 

On the one hand, I was kind of hoping to see Nike take over, or, preferably, teams being able to choose their supplier. But the latter is over in American pro sports, so I would have been happy with any change.

 

That said, Nike's kind of blowing it with the NBA license so far, so I guess better safe than sorry.

I feel like Nike doesn't do enough to add changes to the collars or neckline on the newer templates it uses with it's bigger teams too. That's the main reason I'm fine with MLS staying the course with adidas. 

[Gothamite]

3 hours ago, Buc said:

I don't know how many of y'all are aware (or care ), but apparently all the talk and huff-puff--mostly of our Mayor, Megan Barry--of bringing MLS into Music City has reached the ear of Commissioner Don Garber.

 

Mayor Barry has been on this one for a while, now, aided by the chairman of whats now Nashville SC (formerly Nashville FC while in the NPSL; the soon-to-be USL side bought and absorbed the identity from the latter recently), and now that, somehow, Nashville landed on the list of 10 finalists for future MLS clubs, they're really trying to push for this thing. All this without a stadium or site, although they're pitching the fairgrounds in town as a potential site (which while being physically maybe 4 miles outside downtown, really ain't the easiest spot to get to).

 

I'm not really wild about this--but that's because this city has larger problems than trying to secure an MLS side. (Of course, I'm also of the opinion MLS really needs to cool it with the  Oprah-esque expansion ambitions and let this game grow organically at the lower levels and get the overall quality of play on the pitch up first, but that's just me.)

 

Yeah, but that list of 10 is essentially everyone who put in a bid and hasn't yet folded of their own accord.  

 

As for expansion, it will absolutely elevate the level of play.  At this point, adding the right teams will increase the amount of money coming in from sponsors, which means MLS can raise wages and chase a better class of foreign player while keeping more of their local talent.  To say nothing of the academies that MLS clubs are pouring money into. 

 

Besides, "organic" is my most-hated word and should never be applied to a soccer discussion.