North American Pro Soccer 2019

[dfwabel]

Damn!  Orlando City dude may have gotten his jaw broken in addition to a concussion.

[dfwabel]

James Harden joins the Dynamo/Dash ownership group.  Reportedly at 5%

[Gothamite]

17 hours ago, Magic Dynasty said:

It’s because there were a bunch of (fake)* stories about Orlando fans doing a ton of bad things to NYCFC fans after the Open Cup game. Since Atlanta fans have even more of a history of violence here than NYCFC fans do, this is probably why they’re doing it.

 

*How do we know they were fake? Despite claims that NYCFC employees were injured, no official report was filed by the club. Despite claims of injury and theft, not a single 911 call was made in regards to these “attacks”. There has been no statement by either club, the police, or MLS as a whole. It’s pretty obvious that these events never happened.

 

I can assure you that the reports weren’t all fake - I personally know people who were attacked, and who had scarves and other property stolen from them.  No surprise that the clubs want to keep it quiet. 

[PrimalCookie]

1 hour ago, Gothamite said:

 

I can assure you that the reports weren’t all fake - I personally know people who were attacked, and who had scarves and other property stolen from them.  No surprise that the clubs want to keep it quiet. 

I’m sure that a few stories are true. However, there were so many reports made after the game - many of them disproven after a few hours - that it was easy to write most of them off. 

 

Anyway, why didn’t they call the police? They’re not going to refuse to help and investigate just because you’re on the other side of a rivalry. No matter what, NYCFC shouldn’t be quiet about it. The Ruckus are already hanging on by a thread, and this would probably be the last straw to OC disbanding them. The entire fanbase would be better off without their hooliganism, which was the last thing American soccer needed to take from Europe.

[Gothamite]

1 hour ago, Magic Dynasty said:

Anyway, why didn’t they call the police? They’re not going to refuse to help and investigate just because you’re on the other side of a rivalry. 

 

Yes, they are.  I heard that enough back when I was in SG leadership.  Unless it’s happening at the time, or somebody needs to seek medical treatment, local police are apparently encouraged to refer to stadium and MLS security.

 

1 hour ago, Magic Dynasty said:

No matter what, NYCFC shouldn’t be quiet about it. The Ruckus are already hanging on by a thread, and this would probably be the last straw to OC disbanding them. The entire fanbase would be better off without their hooliganism, which was the last thing American soccer needed to take from Europe.

 

That would be good.   But many of us think that Orlando City doesn’t actually want to disband them. 

[The_Admiral]

lol at soccer hooligans stealing scarves

[SFGiants58]

1 minute ago, the admiral said:

lol at soccer hooligans stealing scarves

 

 

NO REST TIL PRO/REL!!

 

American association football hooliganism is the sports equivalent of backyard wrestling. It's a pale imitation of the real thing that just looks pathetic when seen from the outside.

[-kj]

The "real thing" is also pathetic when seen from the outside.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I doubt anything bad will come from tons of LAFC fans dressed in full fatigues!

[4_tattoos]

30 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

I doubt anything bad will come from tons of LAFC fans dressed in full fatigues!

I saw that and immediately shook my head. So what's the over/under on the number of arrests from that section alone? I'm thinking 12.

[Rockstar Matt]

54 minutes ago, DG_Now said:

I doubt anything bad will come from tons of LAFC fans dressed in full fatigues!

 

Lol, I know. The 3252 can be a bit... theatrical at times. 

 

I would have preferred for them to just wear our standard black and gold but alas.

 

Also, I can’t wait until Zlatan is no longer a member of the Galaxy. To their credit, they’re playing well in this first half, but he’s literally their sole offensive threat. 

[Digby]

I’m so old I remember when MLS supporters groups were just painting signs and drinking/grilling in the parking lot.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

Zlatan with a hat trick is pretty great. When he's on, he's the best thing in MLS.

 

But I think that describes most of his career wherever he's been.

[FiddySicks]

Zlatan talks a Mt. Everest sized game and backs it up with the hat trick vs the cross town rivals (who were out for blood), keeping them winless in El Trafico. 

 

Seriously. Screw every single member of USMNT, past and present. We’re adopting Zlatan as our national hero. He’s an absolute gift. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Also, Phoenix Rising FC absolutely obliterated Austin Bold FC 6-0 tonight for their tenth straight USL win (tying a league record) and making them 12-0-0 on $1 beer night. 

 

Its gonna be so much fun to upset them in the first round of the playoffs this year. 

[Seadragon76]

I will say this, El Trafico has the makings of a great derby. Watching the game last night has taught me two things...

 

-Never, ever, EVER try to get under Zlatan's skin. The dude will make you pay dearly for doing so... case in point: Hat trick against the cross town rivals. When he's on, it's scary.

-Things were pretty chippy in this one. The next time they meet, it might get ugly.

[dfwabel]

12 hours ago, DG_Now said:

Zlatan with a hat trick is pretty great. When he's on, he's the best thing in MLS.

 

But I think that describes most of his career wherever he's been.

If you haven't read the longform which ESPN published on Thursday, do so. He takes shots at MLS too.

https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-league-soccer/story/3901444/zlatan-has-something-to-tell-you-i-dont-need-to-dream-i-am-the-dream

[alxy8s]

If his ideas for elevating MLS to truly global status are to eliminate the salary cap, cancel the postseason, and operate every club at a loss, it's just not happening.

 

He does have an interesting point about MLS ownership not truly wanting to elevate the league to that level because of the cost involved. I often wonder about what it would take to push MLS into the Premier League/La Liga/Bundesliga stratosphere. Is it as simple as getting one ultra wealthy owner to bite the bullet and offer $100M to a Messi/Ronaldo/Neymar in his prime and hope the audience and advertising comes flooding in to make up for the investment? With revenue sharing, does that even work? I think it'd take at least two such players to come over at once and sign to rival teams or it's just a high-priced gimmick. Then again, would a player like that even do it? As impressive as the fanbases in Seattle, LA, and Atlanta are, it doesn't seem as if anyone is really living and dying with their club (though I can really only speak to ATL on that).

 

I don't know that it's even worth it. People online might like to sneer at us for not knowing any better or not appreciating *~*the beautiful game*~* correctly, but they can kick rocks. The game itself is fun enough as is, and I've never had an experience ruined by the knowledge that the game is better in Europe. The United States can handle having only 4/5 of its major sports leagues being the world's best in their respective sports. If it happens for MLS one day, cool. No need to force it.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I bet I can appreciate the NBA more than some dude in London anyway.

[MJWalker45]

4 hours ago, alxy8s said:

If his ideas for elevating MLS to truly global status are to eliminate the salary cap, cancel the postseason, and operate every club at a loss, it's just not happening.

 

He does have an interesting point about MLS ownership not truly wanting to elevate the league to that level because of the cost involved. I often wonder about what it would take to push MLS into the Premier League/La Liga/Bundesliga stratosphere. Is it as simple as getting one ultra wealthy owner to bite the bullet and offer $100M to a Messi/Ronaldo/Neymar in his prime and hope the audience and advertising comes flooding in to make up for the investment? With revenue sharing, does that even work? I think it'd take at least two such players to come over at once and sign to rival teams or it's just a high-priced gimmick. Then again, would a player like that even do it? As impressive as the fanbases in Seattle, LA, and Atlanta are, it doesn't seem as if anyone is really living and dying with their club (though I can really only speak to ATL on that).

 

I don't know that it's even worth it. People online might like to sneer at us for not knowing any better or not appreciating *~*the beautiful game*~* correctly, but they can kick rocks. The game itself is fun enough as is, and I've never had an experience ruined by the knowledge that the game is better in Europe. The United States can handle having only 4/5 of its major sports leagues being the world's best in their respective sports. If it happens for MLS one day, cool. No need to force it.

You'll need several owners to sign off, not just one. I could see the LA teams, Seattle and Miami jump to the front of the league if the chains are taken off. The big problem is that teams that currently can't pay those fees will float straight to the bottom of the league.

[The_Admiral]

1 hour ago, MJWalker45 said:

will float straight to the bottom

 

In soccer, both the clock and buoyancy go in the opposite direction