MLS 2023

I got a horse in the race for the first time. The St. Louis team took advantage of one collosal error by Austin last week and pulled off the upset. This week Charlotte is in town for our inaugural home game. I'll be on my couch and not in the stands sadly. I did buy the MLS season pass so hopefully that's a $100 well spent.

 

Sorry to hear that! All those years you pined for a St Louis team...
First home game is a big deal! I did miss the Crew first home at the Horseshoe, went to 2nd, but was at the first in Crew Stadium, 1999 and then at Lower.com a couple years ago.
Cheers and go, you'll like it!

 

I got tickets to a game in April. The season ticket prices were obnoxious. I've worked too hard to get out of debt to pay what they were asking.

 

@stlouisbrad….Break up St. Louis!!! 4 games into franchise history and it’s 4 wins, now that’s called a good start.

 

Well, I'm bad luck. I show up and they lay an egg.

 

It’s probably not entirely you that’s bad luck. You probably didn’t wear the right underwear or step into the stadium with the right foot. You need to retrace everything and switch it up next time.

 

If you haven't been following what's been going on with the Galaxy (don't, I'll summarize), the organized supporters groups have been boycotting all season, calling for the dismissal or resignation of club president Chris Klein. One SG, the Angel City Brigade, announced just a few days ago that it will be returning to matches. It remains unclear what concessions exactly they received from the Galaxy, but the other SGs are remaining steadfast to the boycott.

It's getting ugly. Avoid Galaxy Twitter (Actually, avoid Twitter altogether, if you can).

I'm boycotting, though I think the odds of Klein leaving before season's end are about 0%. One of the key issues for the protest is a lack of transparency from the FO, so that's what I'd most like to see changed. I want them to step up and take some accountability and really speak to their efforts to improve the club. Without that, I'll be watching from home.

 

I'm really aggravated at MLS. Until this season, all of the Earthquakes games were available on a local cable. Now, with the new TV deal, I'd have to pay Apple TV for the privilege of watching the games on my computer. Screw that.

And now they've announced they're going to add a team in San Diego. There was talk of getting an MLS team in Sacramento when Chivas USA folded. Instead ... LAFC. The Sacramento metropolitan area has a larger population than Cleveland and Pittsburgh, to give two examples. We have the NBA's Kings and that's it. Sacramento Republic is at the top of the USL Championship at the moment. If they had promotion / relegation, we could get in that way.

 

San Diego baffles me for many reasons:

1) If the idea is to grow the sport/league, then adding another team in Southern California hardly accomplishes that.

2) San Diego already has a USL Championship team led by...Landon Donovan, the most prominent American player to ever participate in MLS. As of now, the Loyal say they're not going anywhere, but MLS stepping onto their turf is sure to alienate one of the American ambassadors of the game.

3) To sac and Don's points, there are other markets that have been in discussion for far longer and (I would imagine) would more quickly embrace a new club and rally around it than will a notoriously finicky San Diego fanbase.

But...when you've got a shady billionaire writing a check for $500 million, I guess you do what you have to do.

We can have the pro/rel conversation elsewhere (I have strong feelings about that), but this just seems like a bad move regardless.

 

MLS moving to San Diego makes sense once you accept that leagues moving or granting franchises to cities is partly due to the TV market (ie why Seattle got a hockey team) but also who ponies up the $$$ at the time of asking.

Its why the Bay Area is down to 1 baseball and football team, while Las Vegas, which had no major professional teams as recently as six years ago, is about to have three.

Also I havent followed any MLS not just because of their broadcast deal, but like the Olympics they also dont allow any highlights on other channels/shows like Futbol Americas. So not only does their regular season continue to be practically meaningless with expansion and larger playoff pool, I have no idea who is doing what unless I go out of my way.

 

I’m rather impressed that St Louis City rode their hot start all the way through the season to claim the top seed in the west. Congrats to them.

Now though… can someone please explain this Best of Three series format? In football!?

 

I like St. Louis city's chances against Kansas city. We press and attack well and I don't think KC can handle that. After that series I imagine they'll get bounced. They aren't great defensively

 

Saw a teaser yesterday on "Center of Soccer in Midwest - St Louis or KC?.".
Well... No offense. But just put faces on the respective hotbeds and you come up with Joe Gaetjens for St Louis' WC contributions or Lamar Hunt for KC... Open Cup, KC and Columbus MLS startups. Won't bother me a bit if StL bumps off KC, though. It's all good.

TV?!! Yep... The Irony of Apple anything being the defacto Peoples' Stuff. When it's probably the best model for Monopolistic Greed ... but young and hip status needs it. If you see or read an AntiCapitalist screed chance are itwas created on an Apple product. Followed by folks using an Apple product.

 

Pigs are flyin' and Hell is Real! MLS Eastern Final Columbus v Cincinnati. *
Cleveland Mo never got her wish for a team but a Cleveland event DID make the rivalry possible.
Read how...
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/hell...olumbus-crew-embrace-ohio-vs-everybody-spirit
* Which I wont be watching because I am both cheap and pissed off at money grubbing MLS and Apple. I pay for 4 Streaming channels as it is.
AND Crew win in ot after trailing 2-0 at 75'
Go Crew..