North American Pro Soccer 2023

[TrueYankee26]

10 hours ago, GDAWG said:

NWSL joins MLB, NBA and NHL in having a first time ever champion!

 

 

YESSSSSS!!!!!!!!!

[4_tattoos]

Watched most of the USL Championship Final. It's good to see a team with the same colors as my high school alma mater win. Congrats to Phoenix Rising!

[GDAWG]

1 hour ago, 4_tattoos said:

Watched most of the USL Championship Final. It's good to see a team with the same colors as my high school alma mater win. Congrats to Phoenix Rising!

 

Another first time champion!  

[Dilbert]

Nobodys safe in the MLS coaching realm. Red Bulls dump Troy Lesesne. He picked up two yellow cards in his final match.

 

NYRB-Struber and CHI-Hendrickson (5/8, mutual agreement)

MIA-Neville (6/1, fired)

TOR-Bradley (6/26, fired)

MIA- Morales (6/28, end of interim period)

POR-Savarese (8/21, fired)

COL- Fraser (9/5, fired)

NE- Arena (9/9, resigned) and Williams (9/12, mutual agreement)

TOR-Dunfield (9/30, end of interim period)

MIN-Heath (10/6, fired)

DC- Rooney (10/7, mutual agreement)

POR- Joseph (11/6, end of interim period)

CLT-Lattanzio (11/8, mutual agreement)

MTL-Losada (11/9, mutual agreement)

NYRB-Lesesne (11/14, contract not renewed)

[GDAWG]

FC Dallas disappoints as usual.  They are still the last ones left standing of the major league sports teams in the Dallas/Fort Worth area without a championship.

[Digby]

A Revolution-associated LLC has a memo of agreement with the city of Everett on a waterfront stadium: https://www.theblazingmusket.com/p/city-of-everett-and-nrs-llc-enter

 

Now just needs the state Senate (and then Governor) to sign off on the necessary zoning changes. In the usual Massachuetts politics fashion, the budget bill meant to include that provision still hasn't been agreed upon despite the end of formal sessions for the year. Still, this is I think the closest and most "real" that the 15-20 year stadium saga has ever been.

 

[LaGrandeOrange]

Is Everett an acceptable location? My Boston-area geography is so-so....is there T access?

[4_tattoos]

2 hours ago, LaGrandeOrange said:

Is Everett an acceptable location? My Boston-area geography is so-so....is there T access?

According to Google directions, Everett is a little over 4 miles away from Boston. Gillette Stadium is over 26 miles away from Boston.

[Digby]

As someone who lives here, it's about as good as they'll get (well, the South End tow lot and the Olympics location and the old Expo site would've been better, but those ships have all sailed). Obviously Fenway and the Garden have set a high standard for accessibility but it'll be impossible to replicate that nowadays, so this works.

 

Transport-wise: driving over there is a total nightmare as-is. The leaked memo says only 75 onsite parking spaces, which I assume to mean ADA only and they'll tell everyone else that you simply can't drive to the stadium. It's a bit of a hike to the Orange Line right now, but there's supposedly plans to build a footbridge from the nearest Orange Line stop to the casino over the Mystic River, which would make for a scenic 10-minute walk and make some much-needed connectivity to Somerville. You could also do shuttles and, if we're really thinking big, a water ferry from downtown could stop right at the park.

 

There is, of course, a faction of Revs fans upset at this site because of the driving impossibility and the loss of the tailgate scene. To which I say, who cares.

 

This whole zone has been blight for years. The new casino was built 4 years ago across the way, and while I find it physically and morally hideous, it's the anchor for turning this blight into some kind of entertainment district that anyone will actually want to go to, and there's still enough empty space around that there aren't many neighbors to NIMBY the thing to death.

[GDAWG]

5 hours ago, 4_tattoos said:

According to Google directions, Everett is a little over 4 miles away from Boston. Gillette Stadium is over 26 miles away from Boston.

 

Isn't Gillette closer to Providence, Rhode Island?

[Digby]

1 hour ago, GDAWG said:

 

Isn't Gillette closer to Providence, Rhode Island?

 

Roughly equidistant. Depends what part of Boston you're starting from. An interesting tidbit for the usual SSS talking points of the last 20 years of MLS, Providence is a more diverse city than Boston at this point. The new location also drags the Revs away from the Mass/RI Portuguese belt, although the immediate close radius of the stadium site is very Central-American and Brazilian (though not of the tax bracket that will be affording whatever ticket prices this will cost).

[Digby]

On 2023-11-10 at 3:57 PM, McCall said:

It's California.

 

What does that have to do with it?

[McCall]

1 hour ago, Digby said:

 

What does that have to do with it?

It's the home of bleached buttholes. It's not that fartetched to believe "chrome buttholes" are a possibility.

[Dilbert]

After what seems like an eternity off , MLS Cup playoffs are back tomorrow night.

 

Heres a look at league awards thus far:

 

Supporters Shield- FC Cincinnati

Golden Boot-Denis Bouanga (LAFC)

AT&T 5G MLS Goal of the Year- Luciano Acosta (FC Cincinnati)

Sigi Schmid MLS Coach of the Year- Pat Noonan (FC Cincinnati)

MLS Newcomer of the Year- Giorgos Giakoumakis (Atlanta United FC)

MLS Young Play of the Year- Thiago Almada (Atlanta United FC)

Allstate MLS Goalkeeper of the Year- Roman Burki (St Louis City SC)

Allstate Save of the Year-Roman Celentano (FC Cincinnati)

MLS Defender of the Year- Matt Miazga (FC Cincinnati)

MLS Comeback Player of the Year- Alan Pulido (Sporting Kansas City)

MLS Referee of the Year- Victor Rivas

MLS Assistant Referee of the Year- Ian McKay

 

Still to be announced are:

Audi Goals Drive Progress impact Award (Finalists: Alejandro Bedoya-PHI, Darlington Nagbe-CBS, Taylor Washington-NSH)

Landon Donovan MLS MVP (Finalists: Luciano Acosta-CIN, Thiago Almada-ATL, Denis Bouanga-LAFC) (A press conference from MLS has been scheduled for Monday at TQL Stadium, where I expect Acosta to be awarded MVP. Last year MLS had a press conference at Geodis Park to announce Hany Mukhtar MVP)

 

 

 

 

[DG_ThenNowForever]

It has been an eternity! It's always an adventure with MLS playoffs. You never know what to expect.

[Fowler2]

57 minutes ago, DG_ThenNowForever said:

It has been an eternity! It's always an adventure with MLS playoffs. You never know what to expect.

 

Houston vs. Orlando for the MLS Cup. 

[Dilbert]

18 minutes ago, BottomlessPitt said:

 

Houston vs. Orlando for the MLS Cup. 

Im going Houston vs Cincinnati. Both teams faced each other in game 1 on February 25th this season in Cincinnati. Only fitting for Houston to come to Cincinnati to bookend the season.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

41 minutes ago, BottomlessPitt said:

 

Houston vs. Orlando for the MLS Cup. 

 

I'm a quasi-Orlando fan. If not Seattle, I'm okay with them. Especially since Miami didn't make it.

[Dilbert]

We got ourselves a HELL IS REAL Eastern Conference Final!

 

Columbus took advantage of an Orlando red in with two goals in extra time to win 2-0

Cincinnati saw a goal that may or may not have been offside (depending on who you ask) in 90th minute stoppage time to win 1-0

 

Western conference shakes down tomorrow night.

[DG_ThenNowForever]

I feel like I should have already realized the first round was best of 3 followed by knockout.