North American Pro Soccer 2022

[DEAD!]

3 hours ago, Rockstar Matt said:

 

Definitely already top 15. IMO, it's a top 10 league too, but like 9th or 10th. It's definitely growing and climbing. It could be near the top 5 in another 25 years, you never know. It's amazing how quickly the league went from a place that would exclusively sign older near retirement European/South American stars to what it is now, a league rich with young talent where countries (including the US and Canada) send their best young players to develop further. 

 

Even just from a American and Canadian standpoint, think of all the young players the MLS has discovered, developed and sent to Europe's top leagues. Insane. to consider where it was even 10 years ago to now. 

 

The MLS has definitely improved its stature in recent years, and I see it was a top 15 league, for sure, but I have a hard time putting it in top 10. It is still not even as good as Liga MX.  I do not see it as higher than Brazilian, Argentinian,  Dutch, or Portuguese leagues. It is possible the worst MLS clubs can beat the worst of those league, but not at the top.

I also think the MLS needs to  increase the wages at the lower end of the pay scale and increase the salary cap, or get rid of it altogether. Yes, if that results in "super club(s)" then so be it. In fact, I say the MLS needs a super club like a Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

In a perverse way, if that super club can compete on a global level, then it might actually draw more interest in the league from outside and you might get players who actually aspire to play in the  league instead of being a stepping stone. 

[Rockstar Matt]

54 minutes ago, DEAD! said:

The MLS has definitely improved its stature in recent years, and I see it was a top 15 league, for sure, but I have a hard time putting it in top 10. It is still not even as good as Liga MX.  I do not see it as higher than Brazilian, Argentinian,  Dutch, or Portuguese leagues. It is possible the worst MLS clubs can beat the worst of those league, but not at the top.

I also think the MLS needs to  increase the wages at the lower end of the pay scale and increase the salary cap, or get rid of it altogether. Yes, if that results in "super club(s)" then so be it. In fact, I say the MLS needs a super club like a Real Madrid or Bayern Munich.

In a perverse way, if that super club can compete on a global level, then it might actually draw more interest in the league from outside and you might get players who actually aspire to play in the  league instead of being a stepping stone. 

I’d agree with that. I think the leagues from 10th to 15th are pretty interchangeable depending from year to year, but it’s apparent that the MLS will continue to climb those rankings. Our top teams are already beginning to rival the top soccer teams in the world in terms of value. It’s only a matter of time until the product catches up too.
 

The MLS (once it becomes more and more financially stable) needs to get rid of that salary cap system. It’s fine for now and has been a saving grace for the league for years, but it’ll eventually limit the growth of the league. 

[BrySmalls]

Glad that the USMNT got 3 points last night, but oh boy, what an underwhelming performance. Seems they pressed for the win in the first 20 minutes of the match. They were lucky to score in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

They need to get 3 points against Canada on Sunday.

[Digby]

Being a "selling league" is a distinction that most leagues around the world have, so it's not good or bad per se ... but it does take some getting used to for the North American sports fan, who is presumably used to the dream being that your team has star players that stick around forever and build a dynasty. And it may not help with MLS's marketing and visibility -- presumably it's the dream to have a USMNT player your market can call its own, but does that lose its effect if they skip town after two years? Do you ever get an MLS player on the mountain when you play the "Mount Rushmore" game? All the more reason you really need to win a title when your window is open, because it'll slam shut very quickly through no fault of the team's own if the players are that good. 

 

Also wonder to what extent your usual MLS byzantine roster rules will affect a selling culture. There's all kinds of nonsense over what portion of a transfer fee, exactly, can go back into reinvesting in your team I think.

 

Ironically, the best recipe for longterm success in MLS seems to be importing players from big footballing nations who don't sniff their senior national teams or home top divisions, but get to be that super elite guy when they play in MLS. Thinking of Carles Gil, Joao Paulo, Mukhtar, Taty... 

[MJWalker45]

13 hours ago, QCS said:

I'm going to be honest, I don't like MLS teams selling their players. I understand the money they get is helpful, but I'd rather they keep their star players to improve themselves. I guess the selling of Riley McGree before he even played a game for CLTFC rubbed me the wrong way.

I don't like them selling players that will just sit on the bench for up to 3 years and come back to MLS when their contract runs out.  It's similar to when Josie Altidore moved to the Premier League before the 2014 World Cup, it made sense money wise but getting stomped every week at the bottom team in the league wasn't going to help him any at the World Cup. 

12 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

I think we want MLS to be good enough that American players don't necessarily believe that they have to go to non-big-four European leagues for the challenge; and we also want it to be a destination that some players from around the world look to go to for the challenge, in a way that's not true of, let's say, the Scottish league. 

Until USMNT fans believe this to be the case they'll always be looking for the big jump to Europe.  It's annoying that so many people got mad that the team had so few European players for this qualifying window, when those players they wanted to be in the team were either injured or not performing at the clubs. Too many people see the club crest as more important than the actual product on the field. Trust me, Manchester United fans complain about 3-1 wins like they lost to Brentford instead. It's embarrassing. 

[gosioux76]

12 hours ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

At the same time, the promotion of the perception that MLS is a league that a quality player surely must want to leave is destructive to the prestige of the league.  I think we want MLS to be good enough that American players don't necessarily believe that they have to go to non-big-four European leagues for the challenge; and we also want it to be a destination that some players from around the world look to go to for the challenge, in a way that's not true of, let's say, the Scottish league. 

 

But isn't that just the next stage of evolution? 

 

If it's taken this long for MLS to become a fertile breeding ground of talent for the top European leagues, the next level of growth would be to evolve into a destination league in its own right. It would seem reasonable that these things happen in stages. The long game appears to be working. 

[MJWalker45]

25 minutes ago, gosioux76 said:

 

But isn't that just the next stage of evolution? 

 

If it's taken this long for MLS to become a fertile breeding ground of talent for the top European leagues, the next level of growth would be to evolve into a destination league in its own right. It would seem reasonable that these things happen in stages. The long game appears to be working. 

I think we could see that whenever someone like Messi or Ronaldo comes over to finish their careers and some younger guys make the trip to see what they can do against the top dogs of the game.  I think we're still about 10 years out from seeing the league be equal to the Championship.  I still find it laughable that the Australian A League people were looking down on a player for transferring to Columbus this year.  He flat out said, "I'm trying to be as ready as I can for the World Cup and this is the best move". Especially since it's November-December this year. 

 

[DEAD!]

1 hour ago, MJWalker45 said:

I think we could see that whenever someone like Messi or Ronaldo comes over to finish their careers and some younger guys make the trip to see what they can do against the top dogs of the game.  I think we're still about 10 years out from seeing the league be equal to the Championship.  I still find it laughable that the Australian A League people were looking down on a player for transferring to Columbus this year.  He flat out said, "I'm trying to be as ready as I can for the World Cup and this is the best move". Especially since it's November-December this year. 

 

I would have thought a player actually would be better off playing in a league with a August-May schedule this year.  I think players will be well rested the get in more peak form by the time this world cup comes. 

 

2 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

 

But isn't that just the next stage of evolution? 

 

If it's taken this long for MLS to become a fertile breeding ground of talent for the top European leagues, the next level of growth would be to evolve into a destination league in its own right. It would seem reasonable that these things happen in stages. The long game appears to be working. 

I think the hope is that MLS can turn into that second-level destination where you can command larger transfer fees, but also can use that monies to get some quality in return. I am thinking the likes of Ajax, and the top Portugeses clubs. 

Heck, there are even teams within the top leagues that often act as a feeder club anyways.

I think,  for now, MLS needs to do better in the Concacaf CL, and have anyone of the Concacaf nations do well this world cup. 

[MJWalker45]

2 minutes ago, DEAD! said:

I would have thought a player actually would be better off playing in a league with a August-May schedule this year.  I think players will be well rested the get in more peak form by the time this world cup comes. 

With enough breaks in the MLS season due to international club tournaments in the USA, there's more breaks built in to the league calendar than in other places, where there's a big break in December and then a slog through to May.  If you look at it like the playoffs, the teams that are the most fit at the end of the year are the ones most likely to win . in the middle of the year, teams are still not up to full speed. Most European and playing maybe 8 to 12 games max would mean you're not as mentally fit as guys that have 20+ games in, as long as they aren't carrying a big injury with them. I think that's why you may see more MLS players on the US team than you'd expect had the games been played in summer this year.  Probably not Zardes and Morris, but a lot of the younger guys. 

[Brian in Boston]

I love LAFC bringing in Marco Antonio Garces as their Director of Football Operations .

 

As Chief Scout and Director of  Football and Sports Sciences at Pachuca, he had a hand in the club's 2016 Liga MX title, its 2017  CONCACAF Champions League crown, and their third place finish at the 2017 FIFA Club World Cup.  I also like the fact that he's had stints at Liverpool, Manchester United, and Real Madrid.

 

I can't wait to see what he can do for the further development of the Black and Gold.

[Sykotyk]

When judging Leagues, you have to do top to bottom and how many teams each has, not just the behemoths at the top. MLS really has every team capable of being within a year of contention for the title. Most leagues is a handful at the top that flip flop who wins it while the rest are just trying to avoid elimination. 

[Brian in Boston]

The Seattle Sounders have unveiled plans for the development of Sounders FC Centre at Longacres, a new state-of-the-art headquarters for the club. The facility - to be built in Renton, Washington - will feature four full-size training fields and 50,000 square feet of space for business, front office, soccer operations, and sports science  personnel.

Sounders FC Majority Owner Adrian Hanauer, noting that  also announced that Sounders FC is planning to "explore the club's identity" as part of an anniversary celebration dubbed "March to the 50th".  

Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Taylor Graham will head up the process which will incorporate talent from Seattle-based creative agency DNA, Seattle-based design studio Column, and New York-based creative studio Athletics. Graham reportedly said that the initiative could result in anything from a complete retooling of the Sounders' visual identity to a logo package that is barely changed.

Hanauer noted that the current Sounders brand is effectively disconnected from the historic brand and that the club's hope is to integrate the two during this process. He stated, "This will ultimately be our fans deciding the look and feel of our marks going forward."  

[DG_ThenNowForever]

23 minutes ago, Brian in Boston said:

The Seattle Sounders have unveiled plans for the development of Sounders FC Centre at Longacres, a new state-of-the-art headquarters for the club. The facility - to be built in Renton, Washington - will feature four full-size training fields and 50,000 square feet of space for business, front office, soccer operations, and sports science  personnel.

Sounders FC Majority Owner Adrian Hanauer, noting that  also announced that Sounders FC is planning to "explore the club's identity" as part of an anniversary celebration dubbed "March to the 50th".  

Chief Revenue and Marketing Officer Taylor Graham will head up the process which will incorporate talent from Seattle-based creative agency DNA, Seattle-based design studio Column, and New York-based creative studio Athletics. Graham reportedly said that the initiative could result in anything from a complete retooling of the Sounders' visual identity to a logo package that is barely changed.

Hanauer noted that the current Sounders brand is effectively disconnected from the historic brand and that the club's hope is to integrate the two during this process. He stated, "This will ultimately be our fans deciding the look and feel of our marks going forward."  

 

The training facility doesn't do anything for me but the promise of a new logo does; the team so badly needs it.

 

Maybe they can drop the FC while they're at it?

[Digby]

nvm!

[Jer15]

This better not be like Montreal. If Sounders isn’t part of the team name; just :censored: right off. 

[gosioux76]

3 minutes ago, Jer15 said:

This better not be like Montreal. If Sounders isn’t part of the team name; just right off. 

 

They'll never change the name. This is the same team that had a name-the-team-contest that didn't include Sounders, but half of all voters chose a name that was either Sounders or some variation of it. 

 

I definitely think a refresh of the brand, though, is a smart move. They never got the color balance right, and the crest carries an awkward shape. 

[SFGiants58]

I highly doubt the name will change. Seattle and Portland aren’t out-of-touch with their fans like Montréal’s ownership. Heck, Montréal might be a CPL team in a few years.

[Jer15]

Just now, gosioux76 said:

 

They'll never change the name. This is the same team that had a name-the-team-contest that didn't include Sounders, but half of all voters chose a name that was either Sounders or some variation of it. 

 

I definitely think a refresh of the brand, though, is a smart move. They never got the color balance right, and the crest carries an awkward shape. 

Oh yea. I recall. I was one of those voters. 
 

A refresh would be great. Dropping the forced FC (that really no one uses) and coming up with a better crest would be good. 

[tigers]

Most of the MLS teams seen all these new clubs coming into the league and seen their wonderful new logos and FC'c and CF's etc and thought it would be a great idea to jump on the bandwagon. 

Luckily some of them seen the light and changed their minds (some only slightly).

 

The only way i see Sounders fans not rioting is if the name is kept and to an extent the colours. 

FC as well as United, City (sometimes) and any other type of European, South American name grab is absurd and needs to be re-looked at in certain circumstances.

 

Hopefully they use the whale or the sound, instead of the Space Tower utilise the Bouy's in the Sound.

[MJWalker45]

16 hours ago, tigers said:

Hopefully they use the whale or the sound, instead of the Space Tower utilise the Bouy's in the Sound.

The Space Needle is the best know landmark in Seattle, they'd be silly to get rid of it. A buoy doesn't really stand out in comparison. The killer whale is also a logo of the sleeve sponsor so using that as part of the logo, even with a different design, could be confusing. The simplest action is sometimes the easiest, and that's just cutting the name down to Seattle Sounders. No FC, SC, United or anything like that.