North American Pro Soccer 2020

[Digby]

Oh, now I get it. Can still quote tweet though? I mean the guy is right.

[sky1324]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

Oh, now I get it. Can still quote tweet though? I mean the guy is right.

Yeah, you can still quote retweet tweets with replies disabled. I think only people tagged in the original post can reply but either way it's a dumb tweet from MLS.

[Dilbert]

Well since the first Dutch coach worked out so well, FC Cincinnati have hired another, Jaap Stam. No word yet if interim coach Yoann Damet will be retained as an assistant. FC Cincinnati are waiting on immigration paperwork for him to come to the United States but are having issues with the covid situation. Ever since Dutchman Gerard Nijkamp took over as GM in May of 2019 FCC has had a fascination with bringing in more and more Dutch talent, hiring Ivar van Dinteren and Said Bakkati as assistant coaches, the disaster that was Ron Jans as head coach and has brought in players Maikel van der Werff, Siem de Jong, and Jurgen Locadia. By next season I fully expect the team to be the Dutch national team

[JayMac]

6 minutes ago, Dilbert said:

Well since the first Dutch coach worked out so well, FC Cincinnati have hired another, Jaap Stam. No word yet if interim coach Yoann Damet will be retained as an assistant. FC Cincinnati are waiting on immigration paperwork for him to come to the United States but are having issues with the covid situation. Ever since Dutchman Gerard Nijkamp took over as GM in May of 2019 FCC has had a fascination with bringing in more and more Dutch talent, hiring Ivar van Dinteren and Said Bakkati as assistant coaches, the disaster that was Ron Jans as head coach and has brought in players Maikel van der Werff, Siem de Jong, and Jurgen Locadia. By next season I fully expect the team to be the Dutch national team

They do have the proper colors to be the Dutch national team.

[sportsfan7]

Of all the things Garber could focus on in order to improve MLS, too much transparency is what he chose. Also, a kind of funny scenario.

 

https://awfulannouncing.com/soccer/don-garbers-memo-warning-against-leaking-to-the-athletic-immediately-leaked-to-the-athletic.html

[MJWalker45]

Monarchs Morelia have officially announced their move to Matzatlan. 

https://www.espn.com/soccer/mexican-liga-bbva-mx/story/4105489/liga-mx-club-morelia-moves-to-mazatlan

[kmccarthy27]

Looks like MLS is going to Disney as well:

https://www.mlssoccer.com/mls-is-back-tournament?utm_source=facebook_major league soccer (mls)_c0b7c5ea-a532-4019-ab9c-b03f7e1cc446&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=news&utm_campaign=unpaid

[Digby]

I'm a little surprised that there will be some overlap between the MLS and the NBA Disney World bubbles, in terms of timing.

 

Also, how is that six-team group going to work? Teams just don't play everyone in the group, I take it?

[-kj]

This tournament idea seems incredibly stupid to me.

[Gothamite]

I like the tournament idea.  Especially if resuming the season doesn’t end up to be feasible. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

57 minutes ago, Gothamite said:

I like the tournament idea.  Especially if resuming the season doesn’t end up to be feasible. 

 

Me too. I don't think a return will be feasible, not for a gate-driven league, so a one-off tournament to create a season champion feels like a really great compromise.

 

And if they can continue a season into the fall, all the better. But absent a longer season, I think a group stage/knockout champion would be totally legitimate for the 2020 season, all things considered.

[Dilbert]

FC Cincinnati still wouldnt have a chance in the tournament if they were lucky enough to be drawn in the pool with Miami, Nashville and NYC.

[Digby]

Thumb already on the scale. WTF.

 

Quote

Start whetting your appetites. We now know the opening game of the MLS is Back Tournament will see Florida foes Orlando City SC and Inter Miami CF go head to head for the first time.

 

Ahead of Thursday's draw to determine the group placings for the tournament beginning July 8, MLS announced that expansion club Inter Miami would join Orlando City in Group A as part of the league's decision to restart the season in the state of Florida. 

 

Orlando City is the seeded team in the group ("A1"), as the "home" team for the tournament that will take place at ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World Resort. Inter Miami CF will be designated as "A2." 

 

[Digby]

Now we have the full results of the ~random draw~ for the group stage.

 

We'll have the Florida, Canada, Ohio, and LA local derbies happening.

 

Admire the restraint in the New York derby and Seattle/Portland also not getting shoehorned in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sportsfan7]

10 minutes ago, Digby said:

Now we have the full results of the ~random draw~ for the group stage.

 

We'll have the Florida, Canada, Ohio, and LA local derbies happening.

 

Admire the restraint in the New York derby and Seattle/Portland also not getting shoehorned in.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The West has a suspicious amount of rivalry games. Some intern probably swapped Portland and Dallas on accident.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I am SHOCKED Seattle and Portland aren't grouped together. Positively shocked.

[Red Comet]

4 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I am SHOCKED Seattle and Portland aren't grouped together. Positively shocked.

 

They do have Seattle and Vancouver grouped together if you're looking for NASL nostalgia before our time. 

 

As a very very casual if non-existent fan of Sporting Kansas City if only because its local, I like their odds of winning their group. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

4 minutes ago, Red Comet said:

 

They do have Seattle and Vancouver grouped together if you're looking for NASL nostalgia before our time. 

 

MLS is still a relatively small league, so some rivalries are unavoidable. Vancouver/Seattle is a rivalry, but nowhere near the level of Portland/Seattle.

 

However, being that the games are in Orlando, I wonder if a little bit of shine is taken off of the match-ups. Are they as intense if the crowds aren't as amped?

[Digby]

3 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

MLS is still a relatively small league, so some rivalries are unavoidable. Vancouver/Seattle is a rivalry, but nowhere near the level of Portland/Seattle.

 

However, being that the games are in Orlando, I wonder if a little bit of shine is taken off of the match-ups. Are they as intense if the crowds aren't as amped?

 

They absolutely aren't, but I'd imagine they're still more likely to draw in eyeballs than Colorado vs Nashville or something.

 

Not sure why we needed this draw contrivance. Just draw up the groups based on geographic regions, you'll get your compelling rivalries in, and then call it a day. Can't see why anyone would complain about that.

[Red Comet]

8 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

MLS is still a relatively small league, so some rivalries are unavoidable. Vancouver/Seattle is a rivalry, but nowhere near the level of Portland/Seattle.

 

However, being that the games are in Orlando, I wonder if a little bit of shine is taken off of the match-ups. Are they as intense if the crowds aren't as amped?

 

Yeah, I do notice that MLS is trying to build rivalries with Sacramento and St. Louis potentially being rivals of Portland plus San Jose and Kansas City plus Chicago, respectively. Not to mention Nashville and Atlanta. Still, proximity doesn't build rivalries so much as constant encounters in high-impact games do. 

 

Florida crowds might as well be golf if it isn't college football. Add the masks and the noise gets lowered even more. Still an improvement over no crowds IMO.