North American Pro Soccer 2020

[Corvus 338]

On 8/26/2020 at 9:49 AM, GDAWG said:

 

A player with a big of a name as Messi will need to do one thing that Beckham, Henry and Zlatan were able to do: conduct interviews in English.  As far as I know, Messi speaks no English at all, although I could be wrong about that.  Ronaldo can speak English and I think Suarez does too.  If Messi arrives in the US now, he will need a translator the first time he does media.  If he spends a few years with Man City he may not need a translator by the time he gets here.

 

Folks, the most watched soccer league in the USA is LigaMX yes? Messi not speaking English is not a reason not to bring him over. I mean, sure, having english fluency is better for promotional purposes, but the amount of $$$ you'll make on merch sales, improved TV rights deals, etc, is more than worth any growing pains. 

[SFGiants58 13,752]

1 hour ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

Which teams would you contract?

 

Austin FC and Nashville SC. Maybe Inter Miami and St. Louis City if they don’t work out. 

[DG_ThenNowForever 15,414]

Messi is staying at Barcelona after all, but I don't think that precludes him from coming to MLS in a few years.

 

He'll look great in a Galaxy uniform

[Brian in Boston 2,541]

1 hour ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

Messi is staying at Barcelona after all, but I don't think that precludes him from coming to MLS in a few years.

 

Messi's staying at Barcelona for now. Why? Because he wants to avoid having to engage in what would likely have been a protracted, ugly, and expensive legal battle to ensure that he could walk away from Barça without his new club having to pay an exorbitant buyout fee. Said fee, north of $800 million, is too rich a price for any club... even for a player of Messi's caliber.

That said, Messi is on record as saying that team management - led by president Josep Bartomeu - is a "disaster". While Bartomeu supposedly said he'd be willing to step down immediately if Messi pledged to stay, what's to hold him to that? Technically, his term isn't up until elections are held in March. New manager Ronald Koeman has reportedly informed Messi that the player will no longer receive the special treatment he has long enjoyed as the undisputed star at Camp Nou. How's that going to sit with Messi? There's no question that FC Barcelona needs to be rebuilt, but can such a makeover be accomplished while simultaneously meeting Messi's desire to compete now?

There is a single season remaining on Messi's current contract with Barça. In January - just four months away - he can begin to negotiate with any other team in the world. In June of 2021 he will be free to leave. Though it appears that FC Barcelona has won the current contractual battle, they may yet lose the war for his ongoing services.    

[DG_ThenNowForever 15,414]

49 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

There is a single season remaining on Messi's current contract with Barça. In January - just four months away - he can begin to negotiate with any other team in the world. In June of 2021 he will be free to leave. Though it appears that FC Barcelona has won the current contractual battle, they may yet lose the war for his ongoing services.    

 

That's a great read on it. Plus, Messi essentially has a deal in place waiting for him at City, which is either The Deal, or a floor for an agreement with a new team.

[Digby 6,126]

Feel like an under-discussed soccer story this year has been NWSL losing a ton of talent, given COVID uncertainties. Last year's World Cup USWNT was entirely based in the States. Now these two are out, with Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett already having decamped to Europe this year.

 

 

[MJWalker45 5,502]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

Feel like an under-discussed soccer story this year has been NWSL losing a ton of talent, given COVID uncertainties. Last year's World Cup USWNT was entirely based in the States. Now these two are out, with Sam Mewis, Rose Lavelle and Emily Sonnett already having decamped to Europe this year.

 

 

Mewis played today for City, Rose Lavelle is still waiting to clear quarantine. Rachel Daly is heading to West Ham as well. I think we'll see a few stay over there but most of them will probably return after the Olympics. I wonder how a majority of the national team leaving NWSL permanently might affect how US Soccer views paying into the league if half the national team is outside the league.

[Digby 6,126]

On 9/4/2020 at 1:11 PM, SFGiants58 said:

 

Austin FC and Nashville SC. Maybe Inter Miami and St. Louis City if they don’t work out. 

 

Why would you contract teams before they've even had a chance to establish themselves?

[SFGiants58 13,752]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

 

Why would you contract teams before they've even had a chance to establish themselves?

I just think over-expansion might water down the product, especially when there’s a clear divide in talent levels between the major areas (LA, PNW, arguably NYC, and Atlanta) and the areas that DNGAF (Texas, the teams that have struggled to con taxpayers for money, and lower-tier markets). Not every major metropole in the country needs an MLS team. But hey, the expansion fees are ultimately keeping this loss-leader of a league flowing with cash.

[DG_ThenNowForever 15,414]

Pity Martinez GONE from Atlanta. What happened to them? They were supposed to be the chosen ones!

[Brian in Boston 2,541]

Nipun Chopra of SocTakes and Grant Wahl are both reporting that the Oakland Roots will move to the USL Championship in time for the 2021 season. Apparently, this is the result of the team having acquired developer Mark Hall's USL East Bay expansion rights. The San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate website is citing Chopra and Wahl in its coverage of the story.  

[QCS 2,344]

1 hour ago, Brian in Boston said:

Nipun Chopra of SocTakes and Grant Wahl are both reporting that the Oakland Roots will move to the USL Championship in time for the 2021 season. Apparently, this is the result of the team having acquired developer Mark Hall's USL East Bay expansion rights. The San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate website is citing Chopra and Wahl in its coverage of the story.  

Excellent, that was probably the best outcome for USL East Bay. Once that stadium in Concord was shot the Roots became the obvious choice. Plus, that glorious identity will be moving up to USLC, a win for all parties involved.

[sportsfan7 412]

On 8/25/2020 at 2:24 PM, sportsfan7 said:

I would like to see Chattanooga, Roots, and Detroit City join USL, but I think the planned USL East Bay team and Chattanooga Red Wolves may complicate this.

 

3 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

Nipun Chopra of SocTakes and Grant Wahl are both reporting that the Oakland Roots will move to the USL Championship in time for the 2021 season. Apparently, this is the result of the team having acquired developer Mark Hall's USL East Bay expansion rights. The San Francisco Chronicle's SFGate website is citing Chopra and Wahl in its coverage of the story.  

 

You heard it here first, folks. My rampant speculation proves that even a blind squirrel is bound to find a nut.

[GDAWG 1,785]

I wonder if Mark Hall will be involved with the Roots ownership now that they have acquired his expansion rights?

[QCS 2,344]

52 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

I wonder if Mark Hall will be involved with the Roots ownership now that they have acquired his expansion rights?

I feel like if he was involved he would've bought part of the team and moved them up with his expansion rights but the way it's worded, with the team acquiring the rights from Hall, makes me think he's done with USL East Bay. 

[MJWalker45 5,502]

https://www.espn.com/soccer/united-states-usa/story/4176366/carlos-bocanegra-elected-to-us-soccer-hall-of-fame-hope-solo-left-out

Carlos Bocanegra is the only one entering the Soccer Hall of Fame this year. A lot of dust getting stirred about Hope Solo, Steve Cherundolo and Jaime Moreno not getting in. So much that no one's even mentioned David Beckham only got 45% of the necessary votes to get in. 

[Digby 6,126]

The Athletic reporting that Houston Dynamo are considering a rebrand, and maybe a sale. Good luck with that.

[SFGiants58 13,752]

Just merge them with the Earthquakes.

[schlim 681]

You think if there was any MLS team being put up for sale with the possibility of a rebrand, Utah's entry would be the first mentioned, but I guess not!

[Dilbert 899]

2 hours ago, Digby said:

The Athletic reporting that Houston Dynamo are considering a rebrand, and maybe a sale. Good luck with that.

I hear some guy really wants to put a team in Austin.

Honestly I like the Dynamo name and branding. If they rebrand to Houston United City FC I'll be pissed.