North American Pro Soccer 2018

[4_tattoos]

If the Timbers win the cup, the Trailblazers may need to consider relocation..... kidding, but I've mentioned before Portland is the only city in the North American sports scene where an MLS club can usurp a long established big 4 franchise as the city's number 1 team.

 

Better get good quick Blazers lol

[PrimalCookie]

46 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

If the Timbers win the cup, the Trailblazers may need to consider relocation..... kidding, but I've mentioned before Portland is the only city in the North American sports scene where an MLS club can usurp a long established big 4 franchise as the city's number 1 team.

 

Better get good quick Blazers lol

The Magic aren’t quite “long established”, but I’d say that Orlando City has already overtaken them in popularity. 

[Dilbert]

A lot of people here in Cincinnati have dumped their season tickets for the Bengals or Reds in favor of FC Cincinnati. Mostly out of them being tired of poor ownership and constant losing and disappointment. FCC has been quite the breathe of fresh air this city has needed.

[4_tattoos]

1 hour ago, Magic Dynasty said:

The Magic aren’t quite “long established”, but I’d say that Orlando City has already overtaken them in popularity. 

The Magic is closing in on 30 years of existence. They're long established in my book. I mean the franchise was technically born in the 80's lol.

[Gothamite]

15 hours ago, Magic Dynasty said:

The Magic aren’t quite “long established”, but I’d say that Orlando City has already overtaken them in popularity. 

 

How are you measuring popularity there?  If you can quantify it then I’d say the example qualifies. 

[dfwabel]

Gregg Berhalter..... okay, I guess.

[MJWalker45]

33 minutes ago, dfwabel said:

Gregg Berhalter..... okay, I guess.

This has been an open secret since October. Hopefully the Crew find a new coach that can keep the team moving forward. Not having to deal with crappier than most ownership should help though.

[FiddySicks]

Who wants to go to Quatar anyway? 

[MJWalker45]

3 hours ago, Bucfan56 said:

Who wants to go to Quatar anyway? 

At this rate? Copa Libertadores

[Viper]

According to The Athletic's Jeff Reuter (paywall alert), MNUFC has been working out former Premier League and Bayern Munich midfielder Jan Kirchhoff (currently a free agent), and could sign him as soon as the week after MLS Cup.

 

If that happens, Kirchhoff would instantly become the best #6 the Loons have had, and apparently his skill set applies to center-back as well. The only red flag is his injury history, though he's managed to stay healthy for over a year and he's still fairly young (28). He'd be a high-upside and relatively inexpensive add to the club and make its back half considerably stronger (especially if they can also land a dedicated #6 for more roster flexibility).

[JackieMoon]

On 11/30/2018 at 11:25 PM, Dilbert said:

A lot of people here in Cincinnati have dumped their season tickets for the Bengals or Reds in favor of FC Cincinnati. Mostly out of them being tired of poor ownership and constant losing and disappointment. FCC has been quite the breathe of fresh air this city has needed.

 

The Reds and Bengals have been a joke for a long time. The only team I have followed for the past 10 years is the Cyclones. I welcome the FCC. Should be fun!

[Sport]

On 11/30/2018 at 11:25 PM, Dilbert said:

A lot of people here in Cincinnati have dumped their season tickets for the Bengals or Reds in favor of FC Cincinnati. Mostly out of them being tired of poor ownership and constant losing and disappointment. FCC has been quite the breathe of fresh air this city has needed.

 

1 hour ago, sohiosportsfreak said:

 

The Reds and Bengals have been a joke for a long time. The only team I have followed for the past 10 years is the Cyclones. I welcome the FCC. Should be fun!

 

I think a non-insignificant factor in FCC's success has been due in part to the fact that they were finally a pro sports option that hasn't let the fans down countless times like the Bengals and Reds. The timing was huge. They show up the spring after one of the most devastating postseason losses in NFL history and during one of the least competitive and uninteresting stretches of Reds baseball ever and people went "hey a team in town that isn't actively trying to make me angry". 

 

I know I've passed up going to Reds games to go watch FCC and I never would've thought that even 5 years ago. 

[Gothamite]

28 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

I think a non-insignificant factor in FCC's success has been due in part to the fact that they were finally a pro sports option that hasn't let the fans down countless times like the Bengals and Reds. The timing was huge. They show up the spring after one of the most devastating postseason losses in NFL history and during one of the least competitive and uninteresting stretches of Reds baseball ever and people went "hey a team in town that isn't actively trying to make me angry".

 

Hope the city doesn’t turn on them when they inevitably struggle in MLS, be it their inaugural season or down the road. The level of their competition is about to go way, way up. 

[Sport]

1 minute ago, Gothamite said:

 

Hope the city doesn’t turn on them when they inevitably struggle in MLS, be it their inaugural season or down the road. The level of their competition is about to go way, way up. 

 

It's not just that the Bengals and Reds lose, because they do, it's that they lose while the front offices seemingly go out of their way to avoid winning, go out of their way to make moves completely counter to the fanbases' wishes. Example: If Mike Brown was actively trying to avoid selling tickets there's nothing he could've done better than re-sign Marvin Lewis last offseason. I think people would only turn on FC C if losing started to pile up due to a lack of common sense management.

 

What was so refreshing with FC Cincinnati, right off the bat, was the team demonstrated competent management and made fans feel like they had their best interests in mind. I don't get that feeling with the Reds or Bengals. The Reds give me the feeling that they're trying, but don't know what they're doing, and the Bengals give me the feeling that they literally hate me and that I'm a nuisance in their stadium. 

[PrimalCookie]

39 minutes ago, McCarthy said:

if losing started to pile up due to a lack of common sense management.

That’s a familiar predicament.

 

I just hope that FCC is the one of the two expansion buddies that does good, and Miami or Nashville (whichever one is considered Cincinnati’s “expansion partner”) is the one that does bad. Unless LAFC is counted as their expansion partner. Then, well, my condolences.

 

(Seriously though, the last few expansions have featured a team that instantly dominates - NYCFC, Atlanta, and LAFC - and one that never fails to make fans cringe when they watch/talk about them - Orlando, Minnesota, and [insert whoever is considered LAFC’s partner]. Why is that?)

[MJWalker45]

1 hour ago, Magic Dynasty said:

That’s a familiar predicament.

 

I just hope that FCC is the one of the two expansion buddies that does good, and Miami or Nashville (whichever one is considered Cincinnati’s “expansion partner”) is the one that does bad. Unless LAFC is counted as their expansion partner. Then, well, my condolences.

 

(Seriously though, the last few expansions have featured a team that instantly dominates - NYCFC, Atlanta, and LAFC - and one that never fails to make fans cringe when they watch/talk about them - Orlando, Minnesota, and [insert whoever is considered LAFC’s partner]. Why is that?)

Orlando's issue is it's fans, who had a bad reputation before they moved up to MLS. The bad decisions in the front office have helped make them the bane of other teams' existence as well. 

[Digby]

2 hours ago, Magic Dynasty said:

That’s a familiar predicament.

 

I just hope that FCC is the one of the two expansion buddies that does good, and Miami or Nashville (whichever one is considered Cincinnati’s “expansion partner”) is the one that does bad. Unless LAFC is counted as their expansion partner. Then, well, my condolences.

 

(Seriously though, the last few expansions have featured a team that instantly dominates - NYCFC, Atlanta, and LAFC - and one that never fails to make fans cringe when they watch/talk about them - Orlando, Minnesota, and [insert whoever is considered LAFC’s partner]. Why is that?)

 

Orlando City beat NYCFC in the standings that first season if I recall correctly, even if both were midtable; the cringeyness came later. Plus they did get a stadium together right quick, which is a win in some ways.

[Dilbert]

4 hours ago, McCarthy said:

 

 

I think a non-insignificant factor in FCC's success has been due in part to the fact that they were finally a pro sports option that hasn't let the fans down countless times like the Bengals and Reds. The timing was huge. They show up the spring after one of the most devastating postseason losses in NFL history and during one of the least competitive and uninteresting stretches of Reds baseball ever and people went "hey a team in town that isn't actively trying to make me angry". 

 

I know I've passed up going to Reds games to go watch FCC and I never would've thought that even 5 years ago. 

I pretty much dumped the Reds in favor of my second favorite MLB club, the Cubs, just after they hosted the all star game in 2015. Havent even been to a game since around 2014. Only been to one Bengals game my whole life, a game back in 1998 against the Packers. Both clubs have the same problem in which the ownership has done nothing to solve their problems or listen to their fans. The Reds pretty much live off of their farm system because they pay way to much for Joey Votto and for Homer Bailey to sit on the DL all year. As soon as a player becomes a decent player or a fan favorite they trade him away. Its come to the Reds being the farm club for the rest of MLB basically. They have had horrible managing from Bryan Price and Riggleman wasnt any better. I was hoping they would hire Joe Girardi or John Farell but instead we get David Bell who has zero MLB managerial experience. The ownership doesnt listen to the fans and relies on opening day, bobbleheads, anything Pete Rose, or whenever the Cubs or Cardinals come to get fans in the seats at GABP. As for the Bengals, apparently football knowledge skipped a generation in the Brown family. Marvin should have been gone years ago. When FC Cincinnati came to town, I honestly knew nothing about soccer but I watched a couple of their games and became hooked. The team is a breathe of fresh air to the city and not just because they have been winning. The ownership group listens to their fans and supporter groups.They have given us a product we can get behind without promotional gimmicks. Even when the winning dies down, I still think the fans will heavily support this team compared to the Reds and Bengals.

[Viper]

9 hours ago, Magic Dynasty said:

That’s a familiar predicament.

 

I just hope that FCC is the one of the two expansion buddies that does good, and Miami or Nashville (whichever one is considered Cincinnati’s “expansion partner”) is the one that does bad. Unless LAFC is counted as their expansion partner. Then, well, my condolences.

 

(Seriously though, the last few expansions have featured a team that instantly dominates - NYCFC, Atlanta, and LAFC - and one that never fails to make fans cringe when they watch/talk about them - Orlando, Minnesota, and [insert whoever is considered LAFC’s partner]. Why is that?)

 

For all intents and purposes, LAFC's expansion partner is... FCC. AUFC and MNUFC came in at the same time to take MLS from 20 to 22 teams. LAFC made it 23, and now FCC's making it 24.

 

The circumstances of MNUFC's entry into MLS were quite different from those of AUFC and LAFC, and pretty much guaranteed that the Loons were going to struggle for their first two years in the league. The short version is that AUFC and LAFC were true expansion franchises, each announced three years in advance of their inaugural seasons, which gave them that much time to plan and build their organizations and rosters; whereas MNUFC's move to MLS for the 2017 season wasn't finalized until deep into their 2016 NASL season, and even then they couldn't begin the transition in earnest until after that season was done - which left them about three months instead of years to blow up and rebuild their coaching staff and most of their roster. (Staying in the NASL until they were ready for a proper MLS debut in a new stadium wasn't really an option, as the NASL had already entered its slow death spiral at that point.)

 

Coming from the USL, and also not being finalized until midway through the previous season, FCC's situation resembles MNUFC's more than the other recent MLS newcomers. Judging from the Loons' experience, FCC's best strategy may be to leave their USL squad mostly intact at first, and just build as they go from there.

[MJWalker45]

14 hours ago, Viper said:

 

For all intents and purposes, LAFC's expansion partner is... FCC. AUFC and MNUFC came in at the same time to take MLS from 20 to 22 teams. LAFC made it 23, and now FCC's making it 24.

 

The circumstances of MNUFC's entry into MLS were quite different from those of AUFC and LAFC, and pretty much guaranteed that the Loons were going to struggle for their first two years in the league. The short version is that AUFC and LAFC were true expansion franchises, each announced three years in advance of their inaugural seasons, which gave them that much time to plan and build their organizations and rosters; whereas MNUFC's move to MLS for the 2017 season wasn't finalized until deep into their 2016 NASL season, and even then they couldn't begin the transition in earnest until after that season was done - which left them about three months instead of years to blow up and rebuild their coaching staff and most of their roster. (Staying in the NASL until they were ready for a proper MLS debut in a new stadium wasn't really an option, as the NASL had already entered its slow death spiral at that point.)

 

Coming from the USL, and also not being finalized until midway through the previous season, FCC's situation resembles MNUFC's more than the other recent MLS newcomers. Judging from the Loons' experience, FCC's best strategy may be to leave their USL squad mostly intact at first, and just build as they go from there.

FCC jumped aheadvof the curve signing MLS mid-level talent during the year. I think that puts them right behind Atlanta and LAFC as far as expectations entering the league.