North America Pro Soccer 2024

[Brian in Boston]

The Columbus Crew are the MLS Cup Champions for 2023! Can their "Hell Is Real" derby rivals FC Cincinnati shake off a gutting loss in the 2023 MLS Eastern Conference Final and add a Cup win of their own to the 2023 Supporters Shield? Will 2024 see Luis Suarez join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami? Have LAFC stars Carlos Vela and Giorgio Chiellini played their last games in Major League Soccer? Can Robert and Jonathan Kraft convince the Massachusetts Legislature to approve construction of a soccer-specific stadium for the New England Revolution? Does Commissioner Don Garber's solution for addressing schedule congestion involve decreasing MLS participation in the U.S. Open Cup? How successful will USL Championship side Rhode Island FC be in its inaugural season? What will the arrival of Bay FC and the return of the Utah Royals mean for the National Women's Soccer League? Will the launch of the USL Super League as a second Division 1 women's circuit be a boon for the sport? The New Year will hold the answers to those questions and more.  

[BrySmalls]

8 hours ago, Brian in Boston said:

The Columbus Crew are the MLS Cup Champions for 2023!

1. Can their "Hell Is Real" derby rivals FC Cincinnati shake off a gutting loss in the 2023 MLS Eastern Conference Final and add a Cup win of their own to the 2023 Supporters Shield?
2. Will 2024 see Luis Suarez join Lionel Messi at Inter Miami? 
3. Have LAFC stars Carlos Vela and Giorgio Chiellini played their last games in Major League Soccer? 
4. Can Robert and Jonathan Kraft convince the Massachusetts Legislature to approve construction of a soccer-specific stadium for the New England Revolution?
5. Does Commissioner Don Garber's solution for addressing schedule congestion involve decreasing MLS participation in the U.S. Open Cup?
6. How successful will USL Championship side Rhode Island FC be in its inaugural season? 
7. What will the arrival of Bay FC and the return of the Utah Royals mean for the National Women's Soccer League?
8. Will the launch of the USL Super League as a second Division 1 women's circuit be a boon for the sport?

The New Year will hold the answers to those questions and more.  

 

1. It'll be challenging for FCC to have the same success in 2024 that they did in 2023. I don't see them rebounding from a crushing loss or adding silverware next season.
2. Yes, Suarez will join Miami.
3. Yes, they both have played their final matches in MLS.
4. Yes, they might have a deal in place to build a stadium in Everett, MA. Being closer to Boston should help!
5. Sounded like Garber was devaluing the U.S. Open Cup, which would be a huge step back for MLS  I hope that all US-based MLS clubs continue to participate. 
6. I don't follow USL that much, but I'd hazard a guess that new clubs don't perform that well in their inaugural season.
7.  Increased attendance, exposure, and revenue for NWSL.
8. Too soon to tell. The USL Super League starts in August and operates on a different season schedule. My gut feeling is that one league will become the bonafide Division 1 and the other will become Division 2.

[GDAWG]

Former Toronto FC Draftee Brandon Aubrey is kicking lights out in the NFL for the Cowboys.  

[WJMorris3]

Dean Smith coaching a soccer team in North Carolina. Wow.

[Brian in Boston]

Giorgio Chiellini Announces Retirement From Professional Football

We're going to miss this guy in Los Angeles. One of the most wonderful experiences of my life was getting to introduce my son to him after a Los Angeles Football Club match last year. Giorgio couldn't have been kinder and my son was absolutely thrilled. We were blessed to have him suit up for the Black and Gold.

Molte grazie, Giorgio. Non puoi essere sostituito, né in campo né nei nostri cuori. Ti vogliamo bene!

[Digby]

4 hours ago, WJMorris3 said:

Dean Smith coaching a soccer team in North Carolina. Wow.

 

I know Apple TV wants more content with this whole deal, but installing a real-life Ted Lasso in MLS is a little much!

[Dilbert]

USL League One is now jumping on the in season tournament bandwagon.

[Digby]

1 minute ago, Dilbert said:

USL League One is now jumping on the in season tournament bandwagon.

 

Kind of strange to me to have it League One only, but wonder if it's a trial run for some kind of all-USL equivalent to a League (not Leagues) Cup. Especially if MLS fully breaks away from the Open Cup.

[MJWalker45]

The newly renamed Concacaf Champions Cup matchups have been announced. 

 

Inter Miami gets Nashville FC/Moca FC (Dominincan Republic) winner. Columbus Crew get either Houston Dynamo or St. Louis FC. Orlando will play Calvary FC, but there are rumors that Calvary's match could get moved to Vancouver to minimize issues with frozen pitches. Would Hamilton get moved to Montreal, or do they have heaters under the turf? I'm still surprised only one Mexican team got a bye into the Round of 16, but I think they were expecting to win Leagues Cup instead of Miami. 

[Dilbert]

 

MLS is making some changes for next year:

 

-If an injured player remains on the ground for 15+ secs, they will have to remain off the field for 2 minutes. My hope is this will cut back on a lot of the diving and theatrics of trying to get a foul called. No need to roll halfway down the pitch like Columbus did in MLS Cup.

-Substitutes must exit the field within 10 seconds.  This should cut back on game delay, and stoppage time added.

-Referees will make in-stadium announcements for VAR decisions. Finally!

-Stadium clocks run past 90’.  My thought is they didnt have the stoppage time running to keep the players from giving up, or waste time until the final whistle.

-MLS is pulling out of the US Open Cup and having their MLS Next Pro sides take their place. While this doesnt affect CF Montreal, one has to wonder what DC United will do as they still dont have a Next Pro Club. While this may suck for MLS fans, this will be a big plus for the USL. It will also clear up the heavy schedule congestion, at least for 2024 anyway.

[MJWalker45]

Not a fan of MLS dropping out of the Open Cup, but unless it made them as much money as Leagues Cup they weren't going to keep juggling both competitions. 

[Burmy]

12 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

Not a fan of MLS dropping out of the Open Cup, but unless it made them as much money as Leagues Cup they weren't going to keep juggling both competitions. 

I'm frickin' ECSTATIC at the news...FINALLY the USL is gonna have a chance to win it again!

[DG_ThenNowForever]

MLS leaving the Open Cup is such a shame.

 

I kind of enjoyed the stadium clock stopping at 90. How does it work in Europe and other places?

[BrySmalls]

1 hour ago, Dilbert said:

-MLS is pulling out of the US Open Cup and having their MLS Next Pro sides take their place. While this doesnt affect CF Montreal, one has to wonder what DC United will do as they still dont have a Next Pro Club. While this may suck for MLS fans, this will be a big plus for the USL. It will also clear up the heavy schedule congestion, at least for 2024 anyway.

 

This is an embarrassment for all of US Soccer. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest club cup that we have and it's a fantastic way to grow the sport. It should be given more respect by MLS!

[Digby]

It's true that the USOC has been amateur-hour, but it was amateur-hour when MLS/SUM was marketing it too. Doesn't pass the smell test that it suddenly becomes a problem for Garber only after the contract's up. Crow about the crappy livestreams and poor-quality fields all you want, but even if you fixed that tomorrow, Garber and the owners see the Open Cup as an imposition. This was always going to happen and I'd put money on the next move being Leagues Cup inviting some non-US/MEX teams in exchange for kneecapping the CCL.

 

It's shameful stuff from MLS, though nothing new there. USOC has always represented a very unique competition relative to Big Four leagues, would've been nice to not screw it up. I like leaning into the history, the cross-divisional matchups, the opportunities to move home venues and barnstorm a little bit (at least for teams where it makes sense to do so). But anything that doesn't directly relate to seeing how much money we can squeeze out of Messi-mania seems to be tossed aside.

 

MLS is increasingly taking all the wrong lessons from the European game of the last 20 years.

[WJMorris3]

17 hours ago, BrySmalls said:

 

This is an embarrassment for all of US Soccer. The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the oldest club cup that we have and it's a fantastic way to grow the sport. It should be given more respect by MLS!

Just because the MLS owners might own the clubs...

 

...doesn't mean the clubs belong to them.

[Brian in Boston]

According to the United States Soccer Federation Professional League Standards...

II. Division 1 Men's Outdoor League:

a. Composition; Play
           i. League must have a minimum of twelve teams to apply. By year three, the league must have a minimum of 14 teams.
           ii. U.S.-based teams must participate in all representative U.S. soccer and Concacaf competitions for which they are eligible.  

To the best of my knowledge, the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is a representative U.S. Soccer competition. As such, unless granted a waiver from the USSF to sit out of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, all U.S.-based Major League Soccer teams must participate in said competition. If MLS unilaterally pulls its teams from the competition, it will be in violation of the USSF's standards for a Division 1 Men's Outdoor League and subject to having its sanctioning stripped. Without said sanctioning, MLS would become an outlaw league.

Which begs the question, will the United States Soccer Federation stand its ground and insist that Major League Soccer comply with the standard in question? While I think it's obvious that the USSF won't call Major League Soccer's bluff, I have to say that it would be interesting to see what the response - from Garber, CONCACAF, FIFA - would be if they did.

Further, one wonders how an attorney for any of the plaintiffs who have alleged over the years that too cozy a relationship exists between the United States Soccer Federation and Major League Soccer would paint the federation electing to not enforce its sanctioning standards in this case?

[nickp91]

Imagine England saying EPL teams are no longer part of the FA Cup and they need to play their Youth/Reserve squads

[Burmy]

On 12/16/2023 at 7:53 PM, nickp91 said:

Imagine England saying EPL teams are no longer part of the FA Cup and they need to play their Youth/Reserve squads

I'd imagine Championship, League One and League Two teams would be happy that they've finally got a chance...as are the USL teams under these same league names over here.

[GDAWG]