North American Pro Soccer 2022

[Digby]

Puig very lucky not to get sent off right at the start of the game. Borderline headbutt over something innocuous in like the 12th minute of an elimination game? Brilliant decision making.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

10 minutes ago, Digby said:

Puig very lucky not to get sent off right at the start of the game. Borderline headbutt over something innocuous in like the 12th minute of an elimination game? Brilliant decision making.

 

He got very lucky. If it weren't a playoff game he'd have been sent off.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

This is a hell of a game.

[Rockstar Matt]

CHICHO!! What a game. Holy  . These games seems to always be absolutely insane but please next time something a little less dramatic. My heart cannot handle it. 

[TrueYankee26]

LAFC incredible. Galaxy fans had to be sick to their stomachs.

[Sport]

I was just happy to finish out of last place, but a playoff appearance with a playoff win was very fun. Maybe next year they'll actually beat Columbus!

 

 

[Dilbert]

LAFC moves on to the conference finals and will host Austin or Dallas.

 

Meanwhile, USL League One, who just lost FC Tucson to League Two has now gained One Knox SC from League Two. One Knox who just completed their first season in Knoxville in League Two was preparing to move up to League One upon completion of a new ballpark to be shared with the Tennessee Smokies minor league baseball team in 2025 but it looks like they are moving up early. They will now play at University of Tenneessee Regal Soccer Stadium.  No word if they still intend to move to the new Smokies ballpark as teams and the USL now tend to be shying away from ballparks.

 

[Rockstar Matt]

Conference Finals are set, both games next Sunday.

 

LAFC v. Austin at 12pm PT 

Philadelphia Union v. NYCFC at 8pm ET. 
 

Wish the LAFC game wasn’t starting so early. Was hoping to go to the game but with that start time I won’t be able to. 

[GDAWG]

2 minutes ago, Rockstar Matt said:

Conference Finals are set, both games next Sunday.

 

LAFC v. Austin at 12pm PT 

Philadelphia Union v. NYCFC at 8pm ET. 
 

Wish the LAFC game wasn’t starting so early. Was hoping to go to the game but with that start time I won’t be able to. 

 

Not surprised FC Dallas lost, but I am rooting for LAFC because I don't want Frat Boy Precourt to win an MLS Title.  

[DG_ThenNowForever]

It's time for LAFC. I hope they win. But kind of anyone but Austin. And even then, I got nothing against the final four.

[Digby]

All else being equal I default to the fanbase who's been suffering the longest; I will bite my tongue and root for Philly, I guess. They've been so good the last couple years that it's a bit shocking they haven't made the final yet. NYCFC obviously just won last year and are generally contemptible; Austin and LAFC need to suffer for 5-10 more years. 

[MJWalker45]

16 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

It's time for LAFC. I hope they win. But kind of anyone but Austin. And even then, I got nothing against the final four.

I think most of the US fan base outside of CenTex agrees with that sentiment. And San Antonio as well. 

[Digby]

30 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

I think most of the US fan base outside of CenTex agrees with that sentiment. And San Antonio as well. 

 

I don't know that I'd agree with that. I was a pretty big Austin skeptic but they've proven to be a worthy MLS market so far -- great atmosphere, cool stadium, strong art and jerseys, smart roster construction, my personal interest in seeing Diego Fagundez doing well again. Obviously the owner is still an :censored: and the initial desire to sandbag Columbus to get this was indefensible (and, it's proven, unnecessary in the end). I wouldn't begrudge a Crew fan from hating this team forever, but I think there's plenty to like for neutrals. Unless you're a petty neutral who thinks these sporting newbies need to suffer more first, like I do. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I think the whole Austin presentation is pretty great, but don't love how the team got there.

 

But in the end, Columbus won a title and got  a new stadium, and Austin got a team. Seems like everyone won (except Seattle, who should have won the 2020 MLS Cup).

[MJWalker45]

20 hours ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

I think the whole Austin presentation is pretty great, but don't love how the team got there.

 

But in the end, Columbus won a title and got  a new stadium, and Austin got a team. Seems like everyone won (except Seattle, who should have won the 2020 MLS Cup).

To be fair, Columbus did score 3 goals in the final. 

20 hours ago, Digby said:

 

I don't know that I'd agree with that. I was a pretty big Austin skeptic but they've proven to be a worthy MLS market so far -- great atmosphere, cool stadium, strong art and jerseys, smart roster construction, my personal interest in seeing Diego Fagundez doing well again. Obviously the owner is still an and the initial desire to sandbag Columbus to get this was indefensible (and, it's proven, unnecessary in the end). I wouldn't begrudge a Crew fan from hating this team forever, but I think there's plenty to like for neutrals. Unless you're a petty neutral who thinks these sporting newbies need to suffer more first, like I do. 

I think you have the presentation part right, but he's treated some of the Austin locals the same way he treated them in Columbus. Instead of paying for some of the events outside of the stadium and basically telling the vendors to be happy for the attention, and handing out discontinued Yeti products with a hastily stamped Austin FC/MLS logo on it, it looks like he hasn't changed. The fact he jumped the queue really annoys me since San Antonio was basically dropped as a consideration because as much as Garber talks about rivalries, I think adding another Texas city to the league would be like when NFL Europe moved all of the teams into Germany, at least in the eyes of most fans of teams outside of the state. I think we'll start seeing the same distain that most folks have towards Austin get passed on to Portland if their owner stays put, and he has earned it more than even Precourt. 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

6 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

To be fair, Columbus did score 3 goals in the final. 

 

I may be wrong, but wasn't the 2020 pandemic final supposed to be a neutral site, but it just happened to land in Columbus?

 

I remember them being allowed to have fans and Seattle not. I could also be misremembering.

[MJWalker45]

1 minute ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

 

I may be wrong, but wasn't the 2020 pandemic final supposed to be a neutral site, but it just happened to land in Columbus?

 

I remember them being allowed to have fans and Seattle not. I could also be misremembering.

I think the limits in the stadium was correct but not neutral site, since the teams had been playing home and away by then. But Columbus had not allowed away fans the whole year. 

[Digby]

It's an even numbered year which means, yes, "MLS considering significant overhaul of playoff format". 

 

https://theathletic.com/3730955/2022/10/25/mls-considering-significant-overhaul-of-playoff-format-sources/?source=user-shared-article

 

Key points: MLS wants way more postseason games to sell to Apple, considering a World Cup or UCL-style playoffs with four groups of four and then a knockout bracket. Fun idea and I feel like Grant Wahl or somebody else suggested that years ago at this point. Another option is keeping the current system but going back to two legs, which like...weren't they just doing that but then complained about how teams could lose the game they advanced in? That would be my preference, both for sporting reasons and because every playoff team ought to have a home game, but it's so MLS that they just continually change their mind on how to do this. Also this is going to amount to a long, long season with a whole lot of games.

[gosioux76]

51 minutes ago, Digby said:

Also this is going to amount to a long, long season with a whole lot of games.

 

I think this is the biggest issue. 

 

I understand why they're doing this, particularly in the first year of what could be a make-or-break opportunity with Apple.  But this current single-elimination MLS playoff format is ideal, particularly because it doesn't drag out what is already feels like a really long season that struggles to breath within a really crowded field of competing sports options. It makes those games considerably more important and worth tuning into. 

[Dilbert]

Anyone else wish they would just go back to the two legged playoff format?