San Diego MLS expansion

[kmccarthy27]

9 minutes ago, Sykotyk said:

No one is spending $500 million to get a spot in the league and then demoted to the second tier.

I would rather see a linear type thing. Like a AL & NL for example, both Division 1, but just the last 2 place teams in each swap leagues which allows it to have an ever changing schedule from year to year. Its not really a demotion as much as its just a way to keep the schedule fresh. 

[WestCoastBias]

2 minutes ago, kmccarthy27 said:

I would rather see a linear type thing. Like a AL & NL for example, both Division 1, but just the last 2 place teams in each swap leagues which allows it to have an ever changing scheduled from year to year. Its not really a demotion as much as its just a way to keep the schedule fresh. 

 

I think a 20 team eastern and western conference is the most likely, with the two conferences only meeting each other in the MLS Cup final or US Open Cup and other tournaments. 

[Sykotyk]

1 hour ago, WestCoastBias said:

 

I think a 20 team eastern and western conference is the most likely, with the two conferences only meeting each other in the MLS Cup final or US Open Cup and other tournaments. 

Years ago FIFA had rules about top flight leagues in countries. Not sure if it still exists, but I don't think a top flight league can only cover parts of a country. Unless things have changed.

 

I think in an east/west scenario, you'd still have to play cross-conference games. I don't think too solid lined leagues would work. Especially since the middle of the country would lose out on some chief rivalries just due to being near the imaginary border.

 

If you took the 30 right now, and split east west, this would be the leagues:

 

WEST

Vancouver

Seattle

Portland

San Jose

LA Galaxy

LAFC

San Diego

Real Salt Lake

Colorado

Austin

FC Dallas

Houston

Sporting KC

Minnesota

St. Louis

 

EAST

Chicago

Nashville

Atlanta

Cincinnati

Columbus

Orlando

Charlotte

Miami

Toronto

DC

Philadelphia

Red Bulls

NYCFC

Montreal

New England

 

No STL-CHI? No MIN-CHI? No STL-NASH?

 

That'd be a tough plan to sell to the teams in The Middle™

 

[MJWalker45]

15 minutes ago, Sykotyk said:

Years ago FIFA had rules about top flight leagues in countries. Not sure if it still exists, but I don't think a top flight league can only cover parts of a country. Unless things have changed.

 

I think in an east/west scenario, you'd still have to play cross-conference games. I don't think too solid lined leagues would work. Especially since the middle of the country would lose out on some chief rivalries just due to being near the imaginary border.

It think what you could see as well is the East-Central-West pairings for setting up schedules, but a single table where the top 16 to 20 teams make the playoffs and getting seeded out based on the current playoff setup.  I believe the four time zones thing was a US Soccer issue, not FIFA, so they would just get that overturned pretty quickly. It's part of what helped kill off the NASL. 

1 hour ago, WestCoastBias said:

 

I think a 20 team eastern and western conference is the most likely, with the two conferences only meeting each other in the MLS Cup final or US Open Cup and other tournaments. 

This would be good for an All Star setup, but I think fans in the East would want the LA teams to make the trip out, and fans in the West would want to see the best Eastern teams play in their stadiums as well. 

 

[Sykotyk]

2 hours ago, MJWalker45 said:

It think what you could see as well is the East-Central-West pairings for setting up schedules, but a single table where the top 16 to 20 teams make the playoffs and getting seeded out based on the current playoff setup.  I believe the four time zones thing was a US Soccer issue, not FIFA, so they would just get that overturned pretty quickly. It's part of what helped kill off the NASL. 

This would be good for an All Star setup, but I think fans in the East would want the LA teams to make the trip out, and fans in the West would want to see the best Eastern teams play in their stadiums as well. 

 

I think we may see a two-stage approach to the season as well.

 

Take the 40 teams. Split them into 10 team conferences, everyone plays everyone else twice (18 games), play everyone in another conference once (10 games). That gives you 28 games in the first stage.

 

Take the Top 8 from each conference (32 teams), and put them into groups of 4 (random draw, by placement, whatever, just 8 groups of 4). 4 teams from each of the 4 conferences, one each. Have home and away (6 games).

 

Take the winner and runner-up of each group (16 teams), and hold first round, quarterfinal, semifinal, and the MLS Cup Final.

 

That's 28 games for 8 teams, 34 games for 16  teams, and only 16 teams will play more. Whether it's single elimination (preferable) or two-leg (acceptable), that's between 38 and 41 games for the finalists depending on tournament format (single or two-leg)

 

One thing for the first stage is, after 3 years you'd play everyone in the league at least once, after 6 years you'd play everyone both home and away. Plus, the second stage would be played against two teams that are entirely new that year.

 

The playoff tournament could be seeded one of two ways:

 

Group A #1 hosts Group B #2, Group B #1 hosts Group C #2, etc.

 

OR

 

Take the 16  qualifiers and seed them #1 through #16 based on total points for all Stage 1 and Stage 2 games.  #1 v. #16, #2 v. #15, etc. This still gives impetus to do well in Stage 1 once you're assured of a position in Stage 2.  And keeps teams wanting to win even if they know they're #2 in a Stage 2 group, a win might help them in seeding the elimination tournament.

[bosrs1]

6 hours ago, gosioux76 said:

 

This is something I'd never considered, having both MLS and Liga MX teams in the same metro. It's only a 30-minute drive between Caliente Stadium and Snapdragon, according to Google Maps. That's really interesting. 

 

I mean I think the Wave attendance, which is head and shoulders above the rest of the league had something to do with it. As did Snapdragon Stadium which is a great place to see a game. That and the Chargers departure, COVID, border politics, and the Xolos having sucked for years now also play into it. 10 years ago I’d have agreed with you but the landscape changed. Only thing that never really mattered was the other SoCal teams. Galaxy and LAFC are non factors in San Diego and probably have a dozen fans down here between them. 

[BrySmalls]

San Diego FC or FC San Diego

[WestCoastBias]

I vote San Diego FC

[McCall]

The only thing about a "3 conferences of 10 teams" alignment is that it still doesn't split well. You only have 9 teams from the Pacific Coast to Colorado, meaning one team from either the Midwest or Texas would be put into that "West Conference", separating them from their geographically closer opponents.

[WestCoastBias]

On 5/17/2023 at 11:38 AM, MrOrange said:

speculation in some places online and on the ground is:

 

colors to include black, red, gold/yellow inspired by:

• San Diego flag
• SD (State University) Aztecs
• Egyptian flag (primary owner)
• Kumeyaay tribal flag (secondary, local owner)

 

 

 

 

 

Makes sense but also kind of a weird choice with Tijuana's team also being red and black, unless they go more red and yellow than black. 

 

 

 

With the Loyal's color scheme sadly appearing to be out of the picture, I wouldn't mind seeing them use the Padres brown and yellow but also add the orange from the 80's. 

 

 

 

Alesmith uses these colors on their .394 beer and it looks great

 

 

 

[AstroCree]

22 hours ago, BrySmalls said:

San Diego FC or FC San Diego

Daring today, aren't we?

[Digby]

"San Diego Loyal" is a stupid name on its face, but "San Diego FC" is the sort of predictably sterile, anodyne genericism that MLS hangs its hat on. 

[FiddySicks]

4 hours ago, Digby said:

"San Diego Loyal" is a stupid name on its face

Too clever by half, no doubt about it. It’s like the catty version of Sac Republic. 

[SCMODS]

San Diego Sockers, baby!!!

[Digby]

1 hour ago, FiddySicks said:

Too clever by half, no doubt about it. It’s like the catty version of Sac Republic. 

 

It's the sort of dorky nonsense that was all over the previous women's pro leagues in North America and now has slid all over the lower leagues on the men's side -- Loyal... One... Forward... campaign slogans that befit a local tourism board more than a sports team, IMO.

 

That said, still feel like USL at large is running circles around MLS as far as new branding and design goes.

[FiddySicks]

Like, I get it, and it worked in the previous Warren Smith project. But that was organic and the branding was built around the state and all of its features. The “Loyal” brand is built around how much San Diego got :censored:ed by the Chargers. Like, I get it, but it’s kinda cringe to base the name of another team in a different sport after a perceived slight. 
 

 

Speaking of Warren Smith, he is NOT taking the news that Loyal won’t be included in the San Diego bid well. I feel for the guy. He saw an opening and JUST missed final gate. It’s a bad break to have it happen once, but has to be a total kick in the nuts to have it happen to you twice. 
 

 

I do kind of think a biopic of some sort on his involvement in all of this would be very interesting. At least, to me. 

[Sykotyk]

On 5/18/2023 at 6:37 PM, BrySmalls said:

San Diego FC or FC San Diego

FSDC

 

It's the best of both worlds! 

 

[MrOrange]

7 hours ago, FiddySicks said:

Like, I get it, and it worked in the previous Warren Smith project. But that was organic and the branding was built around the state and all of its features. The “Loyal” brand is built around how much San Diego got :censored:ed by the Chargers. Like, I get it, but it’s kinda cringe to base the name of another team in a different sport after a perceived slight. 
 

Speaking of Warren Smith, he is NOT taking the news that Loyal won’t be included in the San Diego bid well. I feel for the guy. He saw an opening and JUST missed final gate. It’s a bad break to have it happen once, but has to be a total kick in the nuts to have it happen to you twice. 
 

 

 

the "Loyal" name/reasoning is indeed dumb for the reasons stated above, among others.

 

 

If they can't achieve a miracle to survive in USL once SanDiegoMLS is here, they will likely either

• cease to exist as a pro (outdoor) soccer team
• or
• betray the "loyal to the soil" -mantra and have to move elsewhere (example Austin Bold FC)

 

I know USL has some deteering terms in their contracts, so it disincentives the USL>MLS path especially business wise (brand, exit fee) .

 

I really wish San Diego Loyal and SanDiegoMLS could have or will find a compromise to work togther - whether that is the Loyal becoming part of their soccer community/academy partnership, their reserve team, the community outreach and to get Landon Donovan involved with the MLS part.

 

Think about it: the man whom the MLS MVP award is named after and one of the "faces of the league", who helped (along with many others) to bring pro (outdoor) soccer back to San Diego currently isn't even mentioned, let alone involved - even if it's just as a "ambassador" or whatever.

 

 

the San Diego Loyal colors are also ace in my view and what they have been building community wise for the last 5ish years - not just at the games - but also  how they handled certain events (walking off for racism and more) are very admirable.

[McCall]

[Lights Out]

On 5/18/2023 at 6:37 PM, BrySmalls said:

San Diego FC or FC San Diego

 

How about neither?