North American Pro Soccer 2020

[-kj 2,215]

MLB is also limiting opponents, but....

[Digby 5,289]

I think at this point everyone understands the benefits and drawbacks of bubble play vs. normal-ish play. Posts that have nothing to say beyond “lol IF the season finishes” or similar add nothing to the conversation.

[GDAWG 1,629]

So what is the plan for Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in regards to MLS?

[Brian in Boston 2,309]

36 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

So what is the plan for Montreal, Toronto and Vancouver in regards to MLS?

During the first phase of Major League Soccer's revised regular-season schedule, Montreal Impact FC, Toronto FC, and the Vancouver Whitecaps will play each other three times for a total of six games each. Said schedule is necessitated by the closure of the Canada-United States border to non-essential travel until August 21, 2020. Teams will take chartered flights. Matches between Montreal and Toronto will see the visiting club arrive in the host city on match day and depart immediately after the game.  

[Digby 5,289]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2020/08/13/mls-announces-schedule-3-canadian-clubs-resume-regular-season-home-markets 

 

details are that link, but the schedule is thus. Basically a round robin of two home/one away against one team, vice versa for the other.

 

• Tues., Aug. 18: Toronto vs. Vancouver (8 pm ET)
• Fri., Aug. 21: Toronto vs. Vancouver (8 pm ET)
• Tues., Aug. 25: Montreal vs. Vancouver (8 pm ET)
• Fri., Aug. 28: Montreal vs. Toronto (8 pm ET)
• Tues., Sept. 1: Toronto vs. Montreal (8 pm ET)
• Sat., Sept. 5: Vancouver vs. Toronto (9:30 pm ET)
• Wed., Sept. 9: Montreal vs. Toronto (8 pm ET)
• Sun., Sept. 13: Vancouver vs. Montreal (9:30 pm ET)
• Wed., Sept. 16: Vancouver vs. Montreal (9:30 pm ET) 

[Dilbert 805]

13 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

Said schedule is necessitated by the closure of the Canada-United States border to non-essential travel until August 21, 2020.

Welp the closure has been extended to September 21 now. After the Canadian teams play each other, I expect the Montreal Impact of New Jersey, Toronto FC of New Jersey and the Vancouver Whitecaps of Seattle or Portland for the remainder of the season.

[DG_ThenNowForever 13,879]

Christ we're a disgrace.

[Digby 5,289]

3 hours ago, Dilbert said:

Welp the closure has been extended to September 21 now. After the Canadian teams play each other, I expect the Montreal Impact of New Jersey, Toronto FC of New Jersey and the Vancouver Whitecaps of Seattle or Portland for the remainder of the season.

the early reporting on this rest of season plan kinda suggested this would be likely. 
 

May as well have the East bubble it up at RBA at this point. I know Newark isn’t exactly Disney World. (But hey, I’d prefer it.)

[_J_ 1,741]

CPL looks good so far.

 

[Dilbert 805]

Per a report from Brian Straus of Sports Illustrated , it looks like the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup is another victim of the Covid 19 pandemic. No word yet on how they will allocate the spot in the CONCACAF Champions League awarded to the tournament winner.

[Gothamite 22,664]

Give it to Portland. 

[WJMorris3 449]

1 hour ago, Gothamite said:

Give it to Portland. 

If it wasn't for the fact that Portland already gets a berth for winning the MLS is Back tourney - and that was the bid that went to the non-Supporter's Shield RS conference champion.

[Red Wolf 5,057]

Replace the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup with the Lamar Hunt Death Triangle. Take the teams he owned and face them off. Sporting KC v FC Dallas v Columbus Crew.

[sportsfan7 304]

Since the non-SS winning conference champ usually gets a berth, I'd think they would get it, although I would prefer that they play the USL champ for it.

 

Also, does anyone know how Canada's Concacaf League berth will be determined? Usually their cup champ gets the Champions League berth and the CPL champ goes to the Concacaf League, but this year the Canadian Cup will be between the MLS and CPL champs. If the CPL champ loses I assume they would go to the Concacaf League, but if they win and go to the Champions League, would the Concacaf berth go to the CPL runner-up or the Canadian MLS champ?

[Maroon 528]

St. Louis City SC just announced their sporting director as Lutz Pfannenstiel. 

Pros: two decades goalkeeper experience and a guy who is coming straight from a top four European league, which has never happened before in MLS history (he's coming from Fortuna Düsseldorf)

Cons: Only two years of executive experience for aforementioned club, and zero MLS experience.

 

 

Post-Dispatch article: https://www.stltoday.com/sports/columns/ben-frederickson/st-louis-city-sc-names-sporting-director-lutz-pfannenstiel/article_7fad889f-f653-5a34-954a-3673a1f7a9c4.html 

[sportsfan7 304]

https://www.si.com/soccer/2020/08/19/nwsl-sacramento-club-12-team-expansion

Edited August 19 by sportsfan7
Idk how to embed a Tweet

[MJWalker45 5,043]

NISA wants to be taken seriously, then have this crap happen. Apparently this may be why Eric Wynalda left the team. 

[BC985 1,313]

Saint Louis FC is closing up shop after this season:

 

 

[GDAWG 1,629]

On 8/21/2020 at 10:55 PM, MJWalker45 said:

NISA wants to be taken seriously, then have this crap happen. Apparently this may be why Eric Wynalda left the team. 

 

That's a bad move.  I think some NISA teams like Oakland should consider a move to USL

[Maroon 528]

1 hour ago, BC985 said:

Saint Louis FC is closing up shop after this season:

 

 

This makes me very sad. The presence of one league in a city shouldn't have to mean the death of another. Also, now there's no MLS OR USL soccer in St. Louis until 2023. All there is right now is USL2's Lions.