BrySmalls Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 17 hours ago, LaGrandeOrange said: I've seen this number a few times, and a lot of it seems to be built on the subtext that MLS's financials seem to rely somewhat heavily on these expansion fees. That said, the sky is kind of the limit for MLS- the "big 4" have a somewhat finite player pool, but MLS could probably easily get to 40 teams with minimal talent drain. The original NASL relied on expansion fees towards the end of the league's demise. MLS has ballooned from 12 clubs in 2006 to 30 clubs by the 2025 season. I'm just wondering how MLS will sustain itself if and when it's finished expanding. There's always the potential of an MLS, Liga MX, and maybe a CanPL merger in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJWalker45 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 On 3/4/2024 at 9:00 PM, Dilbert said: Did we really need a Leagues Cup preview? I guess its better than MLS whoring out Messi by giving us a Inter Miami vs MLS All Stars matchup. I mean we all know he's gonna be on the all star roster anyway. I'd expect Suarez to make the roster as well, and possibly even Busquets, thought the latter has proven to be stuck in the mud when dealing with some of the younger outside middies. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digby Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 The other benefit to 40 -- and this has never seemed to be a rumor, only speculation from online people, but it does make a lot of sense to me -- is that it would allow for MLS to form two tiers with pro/rel between them, but not outside of them. Is this likely to happen? I kinda doubt it, I think there are more "against" than "for" reasons that I can think of, even when I put on my cynical capitalist suit as a thought exercise. But I would never totally rule out MLS doing the sort of thing that looks like "traditional world football" on the surface but is actually the Mickey Mouse version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digby Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 Would be cool if Barclays hadn't done it 12 years ago/if we knew these things aren't just giant, obnoxious billboards for advertisements. For NYCFC anything is an upgrade, but ick, that stadium is looking like those big square modern cheap-luxury apartment buildings that everyone hates. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaGrandeOrange Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 2 hours ago, Digby said: The other benefit to 40 -- and this has never seemed to be a rumor, only speculation from online people, but it does make a lot of sense to me -- is that it would allow for MLS to form two tiers with pro/rel between them, but not outside of them. Is this likely to happen? I kinda doubt it, I think there are more "against" than "for" reasons that I can think of, even when I put on my cynical capitalist suit as a thought exercise. But I would never totally rule out MLS doing the sort of thing that looks like "traditional world football" on the surface but is actually the Mickey Mouse version. A big part of the high team valuations in MLS as opposed to in Europe is that there is no relegation, so I feel like even relegation to an MLS 2 is an...unlikely result, unless it's some sort of soft relegation where MLS 1 gets 12 playoff spots and MLS 2 gets 4 or something. I have heard the MLS/Liga MX merger rumours, and at that point it starts getting crazy- again it seems unlikely the MLS owners would consent to relegation so how do they break the league down beyond essentially a series of regional leagues with one large playoff (which is functionally what CONCACAF competitions are now anyway)? As a person whose only two real rooting interests in major pro sport are NHL and MLS teams, I really am tired of "best sport/worst league" behaviour! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digby Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 36 minutes ago, LaGrandeOrange said: A big part of the high team valuations in MLS as opposed to in Europe is that there is no relegation, so I feel like even relegation to an MLS 2 is an...unlikely result, unless it's some sort of soft relegation where MLS 1 gets 12 playoff spots and MLS 2 gets 4 or something. I've imagined it would end up being something like, MLS 1 gets to be in Leagues Cup and MLS 2 doesn't. Maybe they get to be the bone thrown to the US Open Cup, at least the American teams. But that would get logistically dicey given the MLS geographic element that other soccer leagues mostly don't have, and even if it doesn't carry the stink of true "relegation", I just don't see any group of owners consenting to a system where they won't have a guaranteed date on the Messi World Tour/its sequels, or miss out on the big funds of Mexican fans that Leagues Cup is designed to provide. Feels like those big spectacle business models are designed to wean MLS off the expansion fees and toward something that, idk, "sustainable" doesn't feel like the right word here but you know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJWalker45 Posted March 6 Share Posted March 6 13 minutes ago, Digby said: I've imagined it would end up being something like, MLS 1 gets to be in Leagues Cup and MLS 2 doesn't. Maybe they get to be the bone thrown to the US Open Cup, at least the American teams. But that would get logistically dicey given the MLS geographic element that other soccer leagues mostly don't have, and even if it doesn't carry the stink of true "relegation", I just don't see any group of owners consenting to a system where they won't have a guaranteed date on the Messi World Tour/its sequels, or miss out on the big funds of Mexican fans that Leagues Cup is designed to provide. Feels like those big spectacle business models are designed to wean MLS off the expansion fees and toward something that, idk, "sustainable" doesn't feel like the right word here but you know. Since the biggest complaints appear to be that MLS teams are losing players to Copa America, the Euros and the Olympics, if US Soccer has any balls, they need to make sure this doesn't happen. FIFA may need to throw their weight into the conversation as well. Liga MX killed the Mexican version of the Open Cup several years ago with the same excuses MLS uses today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digby Posted March 7 Share Posted March 7 Minor subject change but: I was surprised MLS agreed to put a team in Snapdragon, and this W Gold Cup semifinal in the rain tonight unfortunately is not a great showcase for it. Drainage on this field is roughly level with your median high school field. Worse than that snow game in Salt Lake in terms of anti-soccer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilbert Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 USL Championship and USL League One kicked off their seasons today. It appears Brooklyn FC, who are scheduled to begin play in 2025 at Maimonades Park (home of the Brooklyn Cyclones), will now begin play in the Championship instead of League One as originally stated. 1 Quote Signature intentionally left blank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MJWalker45 Posted March 10 Share Posted March 10 12 hours ago, Dilbert said: USL Championship and USL League One kicked off their seasons today. It appears Brooklyn FC, who are scheduled to begin play in 2025 at Maimonades Park (home of the Brooklyn Cyclones), will now begin play in the Championship instead of League One as originally stated. San Antonio was a man up for 65 minutes, only to let Loudoun United tie the game in added time, 2-2. Both teams spent the entire game playing long ball, so I'm not sure if SAFC has improved or not. Not having Connor Maloney at the back needs to be addressed though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sport Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 Saw DC United and FC Cincinnati kick it around yesterday. My thoughts: 1. Cold. 40 degrees in March is colder than a 20 degree Bengals game in January. I don't know why. 2. FCC has to work so much harder than they did last year. They miss Vazquez. 3. My first time seeing D.C. United since going to this game as an 8 year old in the first season of MLS. That game was in a mostly empty Ohio Stadium. Yesterday's was in a filled soccer specific stadium. We've come a long way. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilbert Posted March 11 Share Posted March 11 1 hour ago, Sport said: Saw DC United and FC Cincinnati kick it around yesterday. My thoughts: 1. Cold. 40 degrees in March is colder than a 20 degree Bengals game in January. I don't know why. 2. FCC has to work so much harder than they did last year. They miss Vazquez. 3. My first time seeing D.C. United since going to this game as an 8 year old in the first season of MLS. That game was in a mostly empty Ohio Stadium. Yesterday's was in a filled soccer specific stadium. We've come a long way. Cold in December and January is much different from cold in March. The windchill in the 30s didnt help either. FCC is off to a sluggish start. CONCACAF rotation doesnt help with that either. Vazquez has looked amazing with Monterrey. While its hard to fill his shoes, i have hope that Boupendza and Baird will start to wake up. We need better strikers coming from the bench. Santos aint it, Quimi is too inexperienced. 2 Quote Signature intentionally left blank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrySmalls Posted March 12 Share Posted March 12 I didn't watch the match, but kudos to Montreal Impact / Club de Foot Montréal / CF Montréal for being the first MLS squad to vanquish Inter Messi CF 3-2 on Sunday. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LaGrandeOrange Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 1 hour ago, BrySmalls said: I didn't watch the match, but kudos to Montreal Impact / Club de Foot Montréal / CF Montréal for being the first MLS squad to vanquish Inter Messi CF 3-2 on Sunday. Messi didn't play, although the others did. Coccaro was starstruck to get to play against his idol. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDAWG Posted March 13 Share Posted March 13 Expecting FC Dallas to make it to the playoffs and exit early, per usual. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digby Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Wonder how many of these we're going to see this year. I made sure to sell my Revs vs Miami tickets early on just to safely lock in those profits. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dilbert Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 Schedule and bracket for Leagues Cup was announced today. I wont be watching or supporting due to schedule congestion. Quote Signature intentionally left blank Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digby Posted March 14 Share Posted March 14 1 hour ago, Dilbert said: Schedule and bracket for Leagues Cup was announced today. I wont be watching or supporting due to schedule congestion. But how could you say no to games where one team's at home and one team's been traveling for three weeks, and also the rules are different for some reason?? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fowler2 Posted March 15 Share Posted March 15 Ron Burkle (We know all about him and the Sac Republic debacle) is selling the NWSL San Diego Wave for 113 million. A nice tidy profit from the 2 million expansion fee just 3 years ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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