North America Pro Soccer 2024

[Digby]

Alexi Lalas will well-actually anything.

 

I'm sure there's a kernel of truth insofar as MLS Next Pro looks like glorified training scrimmages or junior-varsity most of the time. But of course it's about the money.

[Dilbert]

USL Championships Rio Grande Valley FC Toros have ceased operations after 8 years. Their home, H-E-B Park will become home to UTRGVs new football program.

[MJWalker45]

4 hours ago, Dilbert said:

USL Championships Rio Grande Valley FC Toros have ceased operations after 8 years. Their home, H-E-B Park will become home to UTRGVs new football program.

Sad to hear that. They always had great games against SAFC.

[Brian in Boston]

The Athletic is reporting that the New England Revolution is finalizing a deal to secure the services of Caleb Porter - an MLS Cup-winning manager with both the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew - to take the helm of the club.

[GDAWG]

8 hours ago, Dilbert said:

USL Championships Rio Grande Valley FC Toros have ceased operations after 8 years. Their home, H-E-B Park will become home to UTRGVs new football program.

 

For a league whose fans want them to get D1 Status in order to stick it to MLS, two teams folding isn't going to help that.  

[Sykotyk]

On 12/15/2023 at 8:45 PM, 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. 

One way they always could do the MLS in Open Cup is to co-op one weekend of the season as a 'play in' for Open Cup. Take the 13 games, every winner enters the Open Cup. A draw or loss and you're not in the Open Cup. This would keep teams from throwing games with backups because it is a league game. So, half the teams save one game from their schedule.

 

Want to go further, take the next two weeks, and schedule the weeks to coincide with the first week's matchups. Any game pitting two Open Cup teams becomes another play-in round/elimination game. Same thing, win moves on, draw or loss and you're out of the Open Cup. There would, theoretically, be anywhere from 0 (all draws) to maximum of 7 teams entering actual Open Cup play. Any open spots would be a bye for the other side in the Open Cup tournament.

 

Easy way to schedule is it make sure over a three week span the same four teams play eachother three straight weeks.

 

Week 1

A v. B

C v. D

 

Week 2

A v. C

B v. D

 

Week 3

A v. D

B v. C

 

If A & C win, Week 2's A v. C is the next play-in game. If A & D win, Week 3's A v. D game is the next play-in. If B & C win, Week 3's B v. C game is the play-in. If B and D win, Week 2's B v. D is the next play-in.

 

If either Week 1 game is a tie, the other winner gets into the Open Cup and Week 2 and Week 3 games go on as normal. If both are ties, neither team advances to the Open Cup and Week 2 and 3 go on as normal.

 

They'd be MLS regular season games regardless.

 

 

With 26 US teams, there'd be one two-team 'group' and six four-team 'groups'.

 

Only a small number of MLS teams would face extra games. With up to 7 teams making it into the Open Cup, that's no more than 4 rounds Open Cup playoffs for no more than 2 teams. 3 rounds for no more than 4, 2 rounds for no more than 7.

[crashcarson15]

 

Gonna be honest, I didn't have "the nation's top soccer league gets into a war with the federation over the Open Cup" on my "society tries to run back the roaring '20s" bingo card, but hey!

[Dilbert]

Good to see US Soccer sticking to their guns. Allowing MLS to not follow the guidelines of all eligible teams participating in the tournament would break division sanctioning guidelines, would also show advantage to the defunct NASL in their ongoing lawsuit with USSF

[Digby]

I'm just shocked that USSF actually had enough spine for this. I thought the incestuousness of the suits that run the game here would be too much to overcome. I still don't have a lot of faith that this will ultimately resolve in a way that benefits the American soccer fan, because these things rarely do, but I'm at least interested to see the fight.

 

Maybe MLS is finally running into the limits of incorporating the worst of Big 4 N. American sports with the worst of the modern global game!

[MJWalker45]

1 hour ago, Dilbert said:

Good to see US Soccer sticking to their guns. Allowing MLS to not follow the guidelines of all eligible teams participating in the tournament would break division sanctioning guidelines, would also show advantage to the defunct NASL in their ongoing lawsuit with USSF

 

1 hour ago, Digby said:

I'm just shocked that USSF actually had enough spine for this. I thought the incestuousness of the suits that run the game here would be too much to overcome. I still don't have a lot of faith that this will ultimately resolve in a way that benefits the American soccer fan, because these things rarely do, but I'm at least interested to see the fight.

 

Maybe MLS is finally running into the limits of incorporating the worst of Big 4 N. American sports with the worst of the modern global game!

 

1 hour ago, crashcarson15 said:

 

Gonna be honest, I didn't have "the nation's top soccer league gets into a war with the federation over the Open Cup" on my "society tries to run back the roaring '20s" bingo card, but hey!

 

On 12/18/2023 at 11:07 AM, Digby said:

Alexi Lalas will well-actually anything.

 

I'm sure there's a kernel of truth insofar as MLS Next Pro looks like glorified training scrimmages or junior-varsity most of the time. But of course it's about the money.

To be fair, all MLS had to do, is exactly what they've done for years. Put all their bench players in as starters and call up MLS Next kids to fill in the rest of the roster. Treat it with the same disdain as EPL teams treat the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup up until the 5th Round. Garver needed to get smacked down about something, and this is just a start to what he deserves. The only good thing about MLS Cup this year, according to the fans, was not allowing the jackhammer celebration after Crew goals. MLS banned "Wise Men" being sung before the match, so the fans just sang it over the MLS Processional march instead. I also wonder if FIFA may have made a call to US Soccer to remind them to finally hold MLS to account.

 

SIDE NOTE:

Also, looking at who Inter Miami are bringing in the door, reportedly, I'd like to hear how that's happening without changes to the salary cap nor the designated player rules. 

[Burmy]

And here I was looking forward to the USL, NISA, NPSL and other lower leagues finally having a chance this year...

[MJWalker45]

12 minutes ago, Burmy said:

And here I was looking forward to the USL, NISA, NPSL and other lower leagues finally having a chance this year...

They probably will, because we'll still see teams that host MLS teams playing the backups and kids, just like most years. I wonder if the lower league teams will have to do a lottery to see who hosts Miami. 

[crashcarson15]

17 minutes ago, Burmy said:

And here I was looking forward to the USL, NISA, NPSL and other lower leagues finally having a chance this year...

What's the point of having a "chance" in a competition that loses all its meaning? Any mid-major college basketball program would rather make the NCAA tournament than have a "chance" to win the NIT.

[MJWalker45]

26 minutes ago, Burmy said:

And here I was looking forward to the USL, NISA, NPSL and other lower leagues finally having a chance this year...

 

8 minutes ago, crashcarson15 said:

What's the point of having a "chance" in a competition that loses all its meaning? Any mid-major college basketball program would rather make the NCAA tournament than have a "chance" to win the NIT.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/mls-statement

And MLS basically says, "We're just going to use those same MLS Next Pro teams and dress them  in first team uniforms, because the non-MLS teams in that league are allowed to play in the Open Cup". 

 

[MJWalker45]

The 2024 USL Championship Divisions

 

Also, in USL Women's news, San Antonio Athenians have moved up to USL-W starting in 2024. I'd expect they'll play at Toyota Field as well, but I haven't seen that confirmed yet. 

https://www.uslwleague.com/news_article/show/1294776

[GDAWG]

4 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

The 2024 USL Championship Divisions

 

This is under the assumption no more teams fold, which doesn't look like it's likely, but Miami FC is on shaky ground.  

[MJWalker45]

MLS Schedules have come out. Items of note for the Columbus Crew:

-No Columbus Crew vs Austin games AGAIN. I know people don't like to have these two on the field at the same time, but why keep putting this off? Are Garber and Precourt that scared of the game getting out of hand? In fact, they're not in Texas at all this year!

- Home Opener/Season Opener vs Atlanta United. 

- Hell is real, @ Home 11MAY24, @ FC Cincinnati 14SEP2024.

 

 

[Digby]

33 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

-No Columbus Crew vs Austin games AGAIN. I know people don't like to have these two on the field at the same time, but why keep putting this off? Are Garber and Precourt that scared of the game getting out of hand? In fact, they're not in Texas at all this year!

 

 

It's a Very MLS thing that there's no set formula for cross-conference matchups and they're arbitrarily set every year. I saw a Reddit comment that Chicago has still never played Austin, and hasn't played someone else (LAFC maybe?) since 2019.

[MJWalker45]

30 minutes ago, Digby said:

 

It's a Very MLS thing that there's no set formula for cross-conference matchups and they're arbitrarily set every year. I saw a Reddit comment that Chicago has still never played Austin, and hasn't played someone else (LAFC maybe?) since 2019.

It's disappointing, because I want to see the Crew live this year, but based on this, and the time I know I'll be in Ohio, it will be another year without seeing them in person. 

[Dilbert]

2 hours ago, Digby said:

 

It's a Very MLS thing that there's no set formula for cross-conference matchups and they're arbitrarily set every year. I saw a Reddit comment that Chicago has still never played Austin, and hasn't played someone else (LAFC maybe?) since 2019.

Cincinnati has yet to host Austin or Dallas, and will host St Louis for the first time in 2024. Cincinnati has yet to play at Portland, Kansas City, or LA Galaxy. We will play at Dallas and San Jose for the second time (both previous meetings in 2019). We also havent played the Galaxy since 2019. Meanwhile we play Colorado and Minnesota for the fourth time (fifth against Minnesota if you include Open Cup in 2018 prior FCC joining MLS), LAFC for the third time.