MJWalker45

13 minutes ago, Digby said:

 

I've imagined it would end up being something like, MLS 1 gets to be in Leagues Cup and MLS 2 doesn't. Maybe they get to be the bone thrown to the US Open Cup, at least the American teams. But that would get logistically dicey given the MLS geographic element that other soccer leagues mostly don't have, and even if it doesn't carry the stink of true "relegation", I just don't see any group of owners consenting to a system where they won't have a guaranteed date on the Messi World Tour/its sequels, or miss out on the big funds of Mexican fans that Leagues Cup is designed to provide. Feels like those big spectacle business models are designed to wean MLS off the expansion fees and toward something that, idk, "sustainable" doesn't feel like the right word here but you know.

Since the biggest complaints appear to be that MLS teams are losing players to Copa America, the Euros and the Olympics, if US Soccer has any balls, they need to make sure this doesn't happen. FIFA may need to throw their weight into the conversation as well. Liga MX killed the Mexican version of the Open Cup several years ago with the same excuses MLS uses today. 

17 hours ago, aawagner011 said:

Possible changes on the way for Mississippi

 

https://www.si.com/college/olemiss/football/ole-miss-athletic-director-keith-carter-hinting-new-rebels-football-uniforms-lane-kiffin
 

This scares me because Ole Miss has top tier uniforms, and their only problems is they have too many pieces in the wardrobe and should simplify things a bit.

If they added a red stripe inside of the blue stripes, I think that's a good move. I understand tradition, but wearing plain white pants hasn't improved their look. Just don't go back to the sleeve stripes they used for a few years. 

3 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

As expected, nothing significant, only a few tweaks.  

The only one I expected a possible refitting would be Memphis, and I think they probably won't change at all based on what we're seeing with Birmingham and Michigan. Does UA have a cut that is straight across like the Showboats uniforms were last year? The closest I can think of that matches that is the template with the UA logo at the neck. If they went with that and color the inserts and the yoke the same color, I think it could look pretty good. 

https://imgur.com/a/HUyhoQV

On 3/4/2024 at 9:00 PM, Dilbert said:

Did we really need a Leagues Cup preview? I guess its better than MLS whoring out Messi by giving us a Inter Miami vs MLS All Stars matchup. I mean we all know he's gonna be on the all star roster anyway.

I'd expect Suarez to make the roster as well, and possibly even Busquets, thought the latter has proven to be stuck in the mud when dealing with some of the younger outside middies. 

Looks like they're not changing much.

2 hours ago, dont care said:

You knew Russ was washed just from his last 2 seasons in Seattle. Everyone who regularly followed the NFL knew his body had given out on him and he couldn’t just run around the field for 45 seconds until a guy got open.

The way Denver treated him this year, I'm sure he's happy to be out of there. He still has the ability to win games and they apparently didn't want that this year. I hope it blows up in their face. He's not a likeable person, but neither is the Bronco brain trust.

11 hours ago, GDAWG said:

Messi is the guy the MLS promotes for a few years, he retires and the MLS waits a few years more to see if Neymar and/or Mbappe wants to make the jump.  So as soon as either expresses interest in playing in America, the MLS will tell both LA teams, both New York teams and Miami to make their bids, while the rest of the MLS use their DP slots on third and fourth tier players from South America and Europe.  

 

FYI, I think we'll see Neymar in MLS before Mbappe and there's a chance we see a few months of Messi and Neymar in the MLS at the same time in late 2025.  Right now I am of the opinion that Mbappe is two leagues away from going to the MLS.  

Mbappe also hasn't hit 30 yet. I think he'd have to be 35 or older before he makes the move. Neymar could be here as soon as 2025 or 2026 since he was brought in to help the Saudis get the World Cup, which they have in the bag at the moment.

10 minutes ago, TBGKon said:

I don't think its been confirmed, but why would they jam all teams two bye weeks into the current 9 week period (currently weeks 5-14, week 8 had no bye weeks in 2023)?  I could see them making the bye week period a little longer, maybe even having two "sections" so bye weeks aren't too close and each team has one in the first part and one in the second part.  Maybe even a rule stating the two bye weeks could be no less than "x" weeks apart.

 

I'm no lawyer, but I would have to think that the broadcast contracts have clauses built in about adding more games to the schedule as a cause for renegotiation or specific stipulations.  The league added an extra game 2 years ago without major hiccups.  

What was the average space between byes the last time the NFL had them?

https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/39646626/mls-all-star-game-set-host-best-liga-mx-third

MLS vs Liga MX once again for the All Star Game. I looks like the European teams aren't arriving until just a few days before this game, so it makes sense they didn't want to play this one. The most annoying part is that EPL teams will be playing at Ohio Stadium on a temporary grass field instead of playing in an actual soccer stadium. Unfortunately I'll just miss out on seeing it in person as I'll be in the state earlier in July.  I'm pretty sure we can expect next year's game to be at Hard Rock Stadium, right? 

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C4D7CBJulhz/?igsh=NW1vbnBlZ3JzdzE5

New AFL schedule coming out tomorrow.

Crystal Palace Women's team will wear the third kit for a home game due to kit clashes. 

I'd expect Seattle will have green socks, or could use last year's socks in a pinch. Austin could also wear their home socks.

change to Renegades helmets. 

Disregard. Both videos are from today

14 minutes ago, upperV03 said:

It’s possible, but I would be pretty surprised. Due to the deal with DaBella being signed late last year, I believe the club received blank shirts before the season and were applying the DaBella logo in house. If that is indeed the case, I would assume the EQ staff still has enough blank shirts to use going forward instead of having to apply a box like that over the top^. The Timbers’ CEO has already confirmed that the shirts will be blank tomorrow, so at the very least they won’t have to take the Chelsea route. 

I hope that's the case. Otherwise they might have to order a bunch of replicas from the UK adidas store, until the others get in. At least they're right next to adidas USA's headquarters. 

12 minutes ago, YelichGraphics said:

It'll change again next year as well. At least the performance gear which I don't really know if it matches the interview gear or not.

I was talking more the supplier than the designs.  But I would expect the overall designs to continually change. 

8 minutes ago, YelichGraphics said:

I want to say this changes year by year

It's been changing at least over the past four years. It was Under Armour, then New Era, and now No Bull. Under Armour had it for a long while after Nike took over the gameday uniform contracts. 

I wonder if we'd possibly see something like this on the weekend for Portland? As was pointed out by the mothership, Chelsea simply kept wearing what they had last year when Three cancelled their partnership, but mainly because they couldn't print new shirts per UK rules concerning the club.

13 minutes ago, MrOrange said:

Vancouver Whitecaps 2023-2024 "Bloodline" primary jersey without sponsor - from Sportcheck.ca

 

 

 

Is there some rule I'm missing out on? I can understand the Galaxy jersey missing a sponsor in Europe because it's a MLM, but what's with the others? 

4 minutes ago, LaGrandeOrange said:

 

What a frustrating career- never should have left Juventus.

I feel like the same thing could have been said about leaving United the first time. The second time he came through he was constantly getting hurt and dealing with royal bell ends like Graeme Souness didn't help. That guy still tries sticking the knives into him and he's been away from England for three seasons now. 

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68433101

Ronaldo banned one game for making hand gestures at fans who chanted "Messi" after he beat then 3-2 on the weekend.

https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/68436828

Paul Pogba four year ban upheld. Not sure if CAS can knock it down a bit, but even if it's 2 years it could all but end his career. He's 29 and 4 years out of organized soccer won't help him. 

On 2/26/2024 at 10:30 AM, hereandthere said:

If anyone is intereste, the European Adidas store is selling the new Timbers kit in a sponsorless version 

I'm guessing these should be appearing on US sites soon now. 

Season ticket members should start seeing access to their tickets now. Here's the body of the email as well. I think we already knew the XFL site was to become the UFL mobile site. The email also includes a season ticket member code for 20% off, but same as last year you can't use it at the stadium. 

20 hours ago, MDGP said:

It makes me think the "he picked the color to match Notre Dame" is just another thing made up by someone years later. Reminds me of how when I was at Penn State, there was this persistent myth that they switched from Black and Pink to Blue and White because the colors faded in the sun (I want to say that's the same myth surrounding the Arizona Cardinals' name origins too)

 

Kent State had the same myth about changing to the Golden Flashes from Silver Foxes because the purple and orange uniforms somehow got washed out to blue and gold because the red dye used was pretty cheap. The name change happened separate of this because when the president that picked it was run off the campus, they needed a new name and that's when they chose Golden Flashes. I think the uniform choice was then retrofitted to make the story sound a little more prescient than, "We already had gold uniforms so we just went with that".