Five Reasons to Watch MLS

We'll see. There's no guarantee UEFA will keep promotion/relegation if the money is right.

 

It makes a lot of sense, because they would make a lot more money than they're making now. It wouldn't be the EPL deciding to go along with a EURO league it would be Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool, and Chelsea doing it on their own.

The money making the EPL successful isn't coming from the British people, it's coming from people around the world... who mostly follow the Big Four teams.

The level of soccer would be awesome as well, because you'd have Champions League quality games week in and week out.

 

I think there's only one thing holding back the growth of the MLS, money.

Everything else is already there. The United States is the best market in the world. How many international players would love to be superstar soccer players in cities like LA, Miami, or New York? Add the fact that they can gain so much exposure here and it has great potential.

Now if they'd only do away the salary cap it could grow infinitely faster than it did last year, which was infinitely faster than any prior year. Teams like Chelsea, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Barcelona are successful because they spend ungodly amounts of money. The Yankees are successful because they spend ungodly amounts of money.

Imagine an owner like George Steinbrenner having ownership of an MLS team? He'd be willing to spend money to bring in some of the biggest name players. I know that there are many stars who would be willing to come to America if they could the right price.

Now, many people say that bringing in aging super stars only hurts the MLS in the longterm, much like it did the NASL, which is partly true. But, if young up and coming US athletes knew that they could get money in the MLS that was comparable to the NFL, NBA, or MLB, and get a chance to play with some of the greatest in the sport on their home country, it would only motivate them that much more to be successful in the league.

I think if MLS teams were allowed to spend all they wanted on players, then it would grow exponentially, and I think the first step to that is eliminating that stupid salary cap as many have said before. It's truly hurting the league.

 

Having relegation and strengthening diverse ownership are going to hard to do at the same time. If we have expansion, who is going to invest in a club that could drop leagues at the end of the year. In this country we don't need relegation to stimulate fan interest at both ends of the table. In America, almost everyone makes the playoffs. Playoffs spread out fan interest the way relegation does in Europe. I am not saying which one is better, it is sort of the way it is.

 

me. Hate the Crapids!!!

 

Do you promise?!?!

 

I think the MLS could do with raising the salary cap by $1M and increasing the roster size by 4.

The extra $1M isn't going to break the bank and will actually allow the MLS to be the best paid league in the country (USL-1 actually has a higher median salary); this will move USL-1 talent to the MLS and will keep more young American talent in the USA. The roster size increase is needed as MLS teams, especially the top ones, compete in the various club cup competitions (US Open, Concacaf Champions, Supaliga, etc.).

 

Well none of this is going to be happening this year obviously, and there will be no Eric Wynalda to entertain me during Thursday Night games. Nonetheless I think this is likely to be the best MLS season yet.

A full year with Beckham and our beloved Blanco can only mean a full year of highlights. And who knows who will be rumored to be coming over here this summer???

 

Heres a few reasons why the MLS is one of the worst leagues in the prominent American leagues(South,Central and North).



1- They treat the game as if it were made in the US and should follow all US sports. I don't need a damn all-star game with the MLS beating a tired Celtic team. This is complete crap. The game is a joke. Also how can you actually not have a break during the World Cup? What a bloody joke that is. Half of the damn league is gone. The best players are gone and your gonna actually go ahead with games? What a joke. The playoffs and the Conference system sucks. The games would be much better if there was 1 table with a winner at the end of the season. Imagine the drama of DC having to win at NY or LA wins the title. That would be amazing. Unfortunately we get crap playoff games and half the games in September are meaningless. With the equality of the league I could see a 4 team race in September for the title. Until they do this format the league will suffer in quality.


2. It actually hurts the USMNT. That's right folks I said it. The USMNT suffers because of this rubbish. If there was no league Adu,Donovan,Beasely etc would of all went pro in Europe to begin their careers. Who do you want teaching the youngsters, Sir Alex or Arsene or Preki and Frank Yallop. If you say Preki and Yallop you're an idiot. The fact is that these players would be better of in Europe at a young age rather than suffering in this league with the highest of expectations. Adu clearly suffered and his career might be ruined. If Adu was at Inter he would of not had as high of expectations and would of done dramatically better.


3. There is Euro Championships and qualifiers during the season. I could either watch Landycakes or Thierry Henry. Hmm...... tough call. Even when there is no championships there is still qualifiers that mean much more than any MLS game. I would rather watch France Vs Scotland rather than LA vs RSL.


4. Play the damn games during the winter like everybody else. Don't give me this excuse of it being 20 degrees in NY. Do you think Newcastle is much warmer? Of course not. This is the most horrible excuse i've ever heard of. I'm sure players would rather play in these conditions rather than absolutely baking during the summer. You lot know damn well that when they play in NY in July that it gets up to 95 degrees and it feels even hotter than that. The league would be better off with the schedule of every other league.

5. The games are not as exciting as the scorelines. The 6-5 games are even boring and crap. The individual brilliance is lacking and so is the teamwork. I have yet to see a goal that has 15-20 one touch passes lead to a quality goal. You see this alot in the good leagues. You can often see a goal start from the defense and work it's way to the attack quickly and precisely and be a goal. You don't see this in this league. The quality has barely improved in the last 5 years since I've been watching. Now you can win the scoring title with 15 goals. What a joke. This league sucks and should be abolished.

 

1) This is a way to draw fans. You can't expect a 12 year old league with teams that have been around for less than that to automatically be as good as S. America or Europe.

2) If there were no league then the MNT would be a lot worse off. You'd have to be something VERY special to come from the soccer boonies with virtually no top flight league and play in Europe.

3) Notice how I said that for MOST of the season. I even mentioned the Euro Championships and alluded to preferring to watch that (which i do)

4) Again, there would be no fans. How can a league have any revenue when no one shows up to play the games. It would be completely dwarfed by basketball and hockey (ok maybe not so much hockey). Really the only thing going on during the majority of the MLS season is the MLB. The MLB has games basically everyday during the season, plenty of time for people to take a break and watch a match.

5) Again, you expect too much from a 12 year old league, the infant among the rest of leagues. You're delusional misconceptions keep you from seeing the brilliance is there. Look past the flaws and appreciate what you have.

The MLS is a perfect analogy to the USA itself. It started off small and weak, but after it gained some momentum and the will to move forward became a superpower. I'm sure you wouldn't say America sucks and should be abolished.

 

Haaaa-Haaaaa! I knew there was a deep down reason I liked FFC24, and I found it. Son-of-a-bitch is right!

 

FFC 24

Let's tap the brakes here a minute. I know I'm a newbie here but I just want to make sure we're comparing apples to apples. Bad example. Let's just make sure we're not comparing apples to doughnuts. I'm going to agree with you on a couple of points but kindly disagree on a few more. So with your indulgence...

1. - I agree about the world cup 100%
- All star games I love. Remember the year before they played and beat a stellar Chelsea team. No, these were no shleps out there. I believe among starters were Terry, Drogba (who won the scoring title that year), Schevchenko sp?, Wright-Philips, Lampard, et al.
- This league is not yet ready for a 1 table system and DC/LA would have been a massacre last year.

2. -You may be right about Adu.
-I would like to see more quality coaches with "other than US" experience in the league
-having said that I think that Preki, Yallop, Nicol, Morrow and even Osorio have quality experience and are very qualified for this league at this point.
-also, I don't think it would have had a drastic effect on the MNT if those players would have started their careers abroad. Let's face it, it's easy to throw names like Ferguson and Venger around but in all likelihood they would have played for Ipswich Town or Leicester City and not one of the big 4. I don't think they have suffered to play here

3. -I couldn't blame you for picking Henry over MLS players but it doesn't mean that I hate hamburgers just because I like steak better. I don't think anyone is comparing leagues but everyone has a preference.

4. -personal preference but I don't know that I disagree with you

5. -I think you see what you want to see. I try watching Argentinian futbol (sp?) and they certainly play at a high level. Not what I would consider crap. BUT, I can't stand to watch it. Just too much showmanship, gamesmanship....just to much manship I guess. It's just not a style I enjoy watching. That doesn't mean they suck, it just sucks for me to watch it.
-15 to 20 one touch passes? what games have you been watching? I'm not saying it doesn't happen but I don't know that I would say that happens often.

Lastly, I'll leave you with a few numbers that I think will show that; a)the quality has improved in the last 5 years, and; b). the scoring analysis doesn't show inadequacy.

Top 5 goal scorers ---# of goals combined ---avg# of goals per game

EPL
'04-'05 ----- 86----- .45
'05-'06 ----- 98----- .51
'06-'07 ----- 83----- .43

MLS
'04 ----- 57----- .38
'05 ----- 68----- .45
'06 ----- 69----- .46
'07 ----- 82----- .54

The reality is there may be less goals scored but they play less games. And even though the top player or two in EPL may have a great season (see '07 Ronaldo/Adebayor) it's not like the whole league is scoring like that. In fact if you look back over the last few years in the prem at individuals in the top 5 who are scoring at the rate p/game that MLS top 5 are, you'll find a decline year over year. MLS rate for a 38 game season would equate to 20 goals for the season for a prem player. Since the season ending 2002, these are the number of players scoring 20 or more goals per season;
'02 --- 4
'03 --- 4
'04 --- 3
'05 --- 2
'06 --- 2
'07 --- 1

Now it looks like there will be at least 2 this season but I think my point is still valid. So which league (based on goal scoring ONLY) should we be concerned is slipping a bit?

I REALLY enjoy your enthusiasm for the game we both love and hope that my point/counterpoint is received in the spirit intended.

 

Per Garber, they can't put in International breaks because of the TV Contract with ESPN. When the contract comes around for renewel, and MLS has enough ratings to have some bargaining power, they'll be able to build those in, but for now, its a casualty of being a young business. I don't like it, but I understand it.

I'd like to see them go to a Spring-Fall schedule with a 4-6 week summer break that coincides with whatever major competition is going on (Gold Cup, World Cup, etc.). This would allow use of this "window" as the "Summer Transfer Window" for the MLS.

I do understand avoiding the winter schedule - Foxboro, MA; Toronto, ON; Chicago, IL - these are not places that you want to play outdoor soccer during the winter. There is a reason the Scandinavian leagues share our schedule.

 

Wow Bill, those are some impressive numbers and it's hard to argue against numbers...where did you find the time to get all of those???

 

Nice work Dallas Bill. Say what you want regardless of how long you have been on the site.

I enjoy this thread to hear both sides. I feel hungry. I guess I am going to have a steak for lunch watching the Champions League, and then a hamburger later when I watch the tape of the Galaxy and Hong Kong.

I have not seen 15-20 one touch passes leading up to a goal in a long time. Closest team to do that in my opinion is Arsenal. I think 5-10 would be a more realistic number. If 15-20 one touch passes leading to a goal is going to happen, then my thought is that it would be a severely lopsidded game.

 

Two things that the MLS could do to attrack US fans, or at least not turn them off, is to be very strick about diving and the officiating. Lots of Americans are turned off by the diving they see in soccer. As for the officiating, I've seen too many games where the ref makes himself a factor in the game or a bad call determines the outcome. More than once it has tested my patience with the sport. These are ways the MLS could make itself superior to the EPL if it put in the effort.

 

I went overboard, but my points still remain.



First i'm gonna start off with Bill.


1. The one table system should of been in place from the start. It would create alot more excitement for the league and it's followers. The games that mean jack all in April, would mean everything under this format. The MLS is gonna have about 14-15 teams by the year 2010 and that is certainly enough to have a 1 table format. Relegation and Promotion as about a hundred years away, but the 1 table system is certainly do-able now.
The all-star game in all sports should be abolished. What if LA were #1 in the league and all of a sudden Joe Cole takes out Landon and injures him for the rest of the season? That would be horrible. Too much risk and absolutely no reward for the league.


2.At the stage of 13 years old for Adu, Inter and many other top teams wanted him. If he would of signed, he would of been playing pro ball at age 17 with a Serie A club on loan. At age 17 Donovan signed with Leverkusen. He hated it and because of this league became super homesick and nobody can say that this league hasn't hampered his career. This is probably the point where I went the most overboard, but I think that the USMNTs' top players should be in Europe rather than this league at a young age. Your right these players would be playing on loan somewhere when they were in their early teens, but I think that Donovan would be playing in the Champions League right now if he was in Europe his whole career.

5. The one touch football happens alot in other leagues. In the MLS it is very sloppy and technically the league is worse than many of the south american leagues. Players are taught defense first and attack last in this league. All of this track back nonsense must stop if the league wants to improve. I'm not saying defense is not important, all I'm saying is that teams focus on this way too much, especially with attacking players. I would like to see a more fluid style to the game in the MLS. Peoeple have been saying the quality has improved, but I've yet to see it in the last 4 or 5 years.


The league has certainly slipped since it's beginning. You make a good point, but I think that even with 38 games these players would not be scoring 20-25 goals(Top goalscorer). You used to win the title with somewhere between 20-26 goals and it has slipped since then. I would like to see more players scoring over 10 goals. Also the leagues top goalscorers seem to be really inconsistent. That needs to changes too.


Now onto Ian.


1. What fans? NY seems to be an empty stadium and even in LA I see alot of empty seats. Shouldn't the MLS be catering to their base of support first? I'm sure that if you were to poll the most avid football followers they would be saying the same things I'm saying about this.

2. Read my other point above.

3. This point was mostly about preference. We could argue all day long and nothing would change.

4. This is wrong. There is 1 sport in the winter just like in the summer. The NBA also plays alot of games and there would be time for people to watch this league. I like Don's point on this. Have a winter break and usually that's when the worst weather is here. Then we could avoid most of the bad weather and still have games playing along the same time schedule as everybody else.

5. The MLS is not going to be a superpower league. The MLS is taking too much time trying to woo players out of retirement and such. You can't build a league on 34 year olds and expect it to work. We should be trying to get middle of the road talent from Europe in their mid 20's and such. Players that might be starters for a team like Derby, but would rather be stars in a league like the MLS.

 

I went overboard, but my points still remain.



First i'm gonna start off with Bill.


1. The one table system should of been in place from the start. It would create alot more excitement for the league and it's followers. The games that mean jack all in April, would mean everything under this format. The MLS is gonna have about 14-15 teams by the year 2010 and that is certainly enough to have a 1 table format. Relegation and Promotion as about a hundred years away, but the 1 table system is certainly do-able now.
The all-star game in all sports should be abolished. What if LA were #1 in the league and all of a sudden Joe Cole takes out Landon and injures him for the rest of the season? That would be horrible. Too much risk and absolutely no reward for the league.


2.At the stage of 13 years old for Adu, Inter and many other top teams wanted him. If he would of signed, he would of been playing pro ball at age 17 with a Serie A club on loan. At age 17 Donovan signed with Leverkusen. He hated it and because of this league became super homesick and nobody can say that this league hasn't hampered his career. This is probably the point where I went the most overboard, but I think that the USMNTs' top players should be in Europe rather than this league at a young age. Your right these players would be playing on loan somewhere when they were in their early teens, but I think that Donovan would be playing in the Champions League right now if he was in Europe his whole career.

5. The one touch football happens alot in other leagues. In the MLS it is very sloppy and technically the league is worse than many of the south american leagues. Players are taught defense first and attack last in this league. All of this track back nonsense must stop if the league wants to improve. I'm not saying defense is not important, all I'm saying is that teams focus on this way too much, especially with attacking players. I would like to see a more fluid style to the game in the MLS. Peoeple have been saying the quality has improved, but I've yet to see it in the last 4 or 5 years.


The league has certainly slipped since it's beginning. You make a good point, but I think that even with 38 games these players would not be scoring 20-25 goals(Top goalscorer). You used to win the title with somewhere between 20-26 goals and it has slipped since then. I would like to see more players scoring over 10 goals. Also the leagues top goalscorers seem to be really inconsistent. That needs to changes too.


Now onto Ian.


1. What fans? NY seems to be an empty stadium and even in LA I see alot of empty seats. Shouldn't the MLS be catering to their base of support first? I'm sure that if you were to poll the most avid football followers they would be saying the same things I'm saying about this.

2. Read my other point above.

3. This point was mostly about preference. We could argue all day long and nothing would change.

4. This is wrong. There is 1 sport in the winter just like in the summer. The NBA also plays alot of games and there would be time for people to watch this league. I like Don's point on this. Have a winter break and usually that's when the worst weather is here. Then we could avoid most of the bad weather and still have games playing along the same time schedule as everybody else.

5. The MLS is not going to be a superpower league. The MLS is taking too much time trying to woo players out of retirement and such. You can't build a league on 34 year olds and expect it to work. We should be trying to get middle of the road talent from Europe in their mid 20's and such. Players that might be starters for a team like Derby, but would rather be stars in a league like the MLS.