North American Pro Soccer 2018

[MJWalker45]

13 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

It's weird that they're claiming it's based on that tree when nothing in their explanation graphic had anything to say about this famous tree. The explainer was hilariously hypocritical, though, with bullshirt like "for club and city", which leads me to believe Precourt is a petty enough bastard to make his entire badge a middle finger to the people in Columbus who made it harder for him to steal their team. 

It doesn't even look like said tree!  At least Robb Stone threw out a #savethecrew last night during the Liga MX broadcast, which I totally forgot about because of the other team in Columbus kept teasing information all night. Even Stew holden was like, "I love Texas, but I don't know if putting another team down here is a good idea"(Paraphrasing).

[RichardWitham]

honestly, it seems to me anthony precourt has a case of LIGMA

[4_tattoos]

Does Austin even want an MLS team? Haven't heard any rumblings about that prior to the Crew relocation coming to light.

[MJWalker45]

45 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

Does Austin even want an MLS team? Haven't heard any rumblings about that prior to the Crew relocation coming to light.

MLS2ATX has made sure to fill up the council chambers any time there's been an expected decision. The biggest issue for PSV has been Richard Suttle sticking his foot in his mouth and speaking condescendingly to members of the council who are against the stadium issue. Since the original group was not truly an organic creation they aren't considered trustworthy by even other soccer fans in Austin. 

[Digby]

1 hour ago, 4_tattoos said:

Does Austin even want an MLS team? Haven't heard any rumblings about that prior to the Crew relocation coming to light.

 

This remains a big giant enormous question! Austin seems to get decent ratings for big international matches. Beyond that, who knows. It seems like the working theory is that it's the biggest metro without a pro sports team, and it seems to fit the mold that soccer suits want these days (i.e. the right mix of young professionals and immigrants). But those facts, alone, don't exactly seem like a slam dunk (or a tap-in as it were). Doesn't seem like a great sign that the Aztex made two goes of it in USL and didn't really move the needle either time. Trading a Columbus for another Dallas or Houston doesn't really seem like a trade up.

[Crabcake]

Yeah seems pretty obvious at this point that this is a move that makes pretty much zero sense and is only happening cause of the neuroticism and overall jerkiness of one dude. Hopefully common sense prevails in the end, but hey, this is American sports we’re talking about! Nothing makes sense!

[Digby]

1 hour ago, Crabcake47 said:

Yeah seems pretty obvious at this point that this is a move that makes pretty much zero sense and is only happening cause of the neuroticism and overall jerkiness of one dude. Hopefully common sense prevails in the end, but hey, this is American sports we’re talking about! Nothing makes sense!

And then that's the doubly shocking thing, is that it seems like Precourt is so clearly a small-time dip :censored: and you'd think the MLS single-entity structure would make it easier to push him out. Maybe not. I'm sure Bob Kraft and MLSE and whatever Emirati oil baron must be thrilled about having to schmooze with a deeply mediocre MBA graduate at league functions.

[rams80]

11 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

MLS2ATX has made sure to fill up the council chambers any time there's been an expected decision. The biggest issue for PSV has been Richard Suttle sticking his foot in his mouth and speaking condescendingly to members of the council who are against the stadium issue. Since the original group was not truly an organic creation they aren't considered trustworthy by even other soccer fans in Austin. 

 

Well, the Coyotes do the same with Glendale, and we all know how that has played out in real life.  Shame municipal leaders don't notice.

[MJWalker45]

9 hours ago, Digby said:

And then that's the doubly shocking thing, is that it seems like Precourt is so clearly a small-time dip :censored: and you'd think the MLS single-entity structure would make it easier to push him out. Maybe not. I'm sure Bob Kraft and MLSE and whatever Emirati oil baron must be thrilled about having to schmooze with a deeply mediocre MBA graduate at league functions.

I'm pretty sure Bob Kraft doesn't show up at MLS shindigs unless Garber picks him up.

[4_tattoos]

Austin is going to be THE most hated club in MLS isn't it?

[MJWalker45]

35 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

Austin is going to be THE most hated club in MLS isn't it?

Pretty much, unless it's an expansion side. 

[4_tattoos]

What's the likelihood of a Columbus Crew 2.0 coming into the league after a probable relocation of the original Crew? I keep hearing about potential ownership groups forming to buy the club from PSV, but should they be prepared to possibility bring Columbus back into MLS via expansion?

[MJWalker45]

1 hour ago, 4_tattoos said:

What's the likelihood of a Columbus Crew 2.0 coming into the league after a probable relocation of the original Crew? I keep hearing about potential ownership groups forming to buy the club from PSV, but should they be prepared to possibility bring Columbus back into MLS via expansion?

I think Garber won't let it happen since he was contacting Austin as far back as 2014. 

[Red Wolf]

I've watched at least some of every game this week (RIVALRY WEEK!). After watching Chicago and Houston home games last night, it feels so refreshing to watch games in Orlando and LA. Maybe we should move Houston and Chicago to Austin instead.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

LAFC/LAG games seem really intense. It looks like an awesome environment, though I hope they keep LAFC supporters from leaving for a long time after the game. It could be combustible.

 

Zlatan is awesome. I'm sad he didn't play in Seattle last week (I was there), but he's definitely making the biggest part of the game so far tonight.

[Red Wolf]

6 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

Zlatan is awesome. I'm sad he didn't play in Seattle last week (I was there), but he's definitely making the biggest part of the game so far tonight.

That's what you get for having artificial turf.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

3 minutes ago, Red Wolf said:

That's what you get for having artificial turf. 

 

We also get a 5-0 win, so I'll take it.

[gosioux76]

On 8/24/2018 at 8:07 PM, Red Wolf said:

That's what you get for having artificial turf.

I find it fascinating how MLS appears to stand alone in world soccer for its use of artificial turf, and how much of an issue it's become. I don't disagree with the notion — I can see why some players hate it. I'm just amazed that it's become a thing.

 

I'm not certain, but I think the issue here in Portland has to do with the Timbers sharing Providence Park with Portland State University, whose (sparsely attended) home games would threaten to tear up a grass pitch. This year, PSU is only playing one game at Providence Park — probably due to its ongoing expansion — and the rest of its home schedule at a suburban high school field. This has sparked some hope among Timbers fans (on Twitter, anyway) that this arrangement could become permanent and the pitch could revert grass. 

 

Anyway, I find it interesting how surface question remains a uniquely North American problem. 

[MJWalker45]

8 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

I find it fascinating how MLS appears to stand alone in world soccer for its use of artificial turf, and how much of an issue it's become. I don't disagree with the notion — I can see why some players hate it. I'm just amazed that it's become a thing.

 

I'm not certain, but I think the issue here in Portland has to do with the Timbers sharing Providence Park with Portland State University, whose (sparsely attended) home games would threaten to tear up a grass pitch. This year, PSU is only playing one game at Providence Park — probably due to its ongoing expansion — and the rest of its home schedule at a suburban high school field. This has sparked some hope among Timbers fans (on Twitter, anyway) that this arrangement could become permanent and the pitch could revert grass. 

 

Anyway, I find it interesting how surface question remains a uniquely North American problem. 

Some Eastern European teams use turf, mainly because if they didn't the grass would die halfway through the season every year. An English team was allowed to use it until they made it to League Two, then had to decide if it was worth tearing up the pitch and puttign in grass, which would have obliterated any incoming money to buy players. 

[Red Wolf]

8 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

I find it fascinating how MLS appears to stand alone in world soccer for its use of artificial turf, and how much of an issue it's become. I don't disagree with the notion — I can see why some players hate it. I'm just amazed that it's become a thing.

 

I'm not certain, but I think the issue here in Portland has to do with the Timbers sharing Providence Park with Portland State University, whose (sparsely attended) home games would threaten to tear up a grass pitch. This year, PSU is only playing one game at Providence Park — probably due to its ongoing expansion — and the rest of its home schedule at a suburban high school field. This has sparked some hope among Timbers fans (on Twitter, anyway) that this arrangement could become permanent and the pitch could revert grass. 

 

Anyway, I find it interesting how surface question remains a uniquely North American problem. 

Houston uses grass despite having MLS, NWSL, and NCAA Football. Climate might make a difference, or Houston's field might suck. I don't really know.

 

I find it interesting in college football how everybody started moving to field turf to save money, and now some of the big programs with too much money are starting to go back to natural grass. And then the opposite is happening in college baseball where all the money programs are starting to move towards those weird turf baseball diamonds where even the base paths are turf but colored brown like dirt.