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Major League Soccer Thread

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
well, all 3 Texas teams are shit, so that's not a surprise.

Austin - Expansion team
Dallas - Feeder team for Europe
Houston - The Chicago (dumpster) Fire of the West

Houston is the one where you go “What the fuck happened here?” I mean you had a supporter’s group openly at war with the fans at one point during the season and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.
 

doh

THANK YOU Dermott McHeshi
Also looks like the 30th team will be announced next year. I’d be utterly shocked if it’s not Las Vegas. Which Las Vegas bid it will be is the question.
Vegas is the only place without a team that 100% should have a team.

Wake me up once they get to 36-40 and go with MLS I/II. Current set up is not that interesting. So many franchises just do not care at all about winning.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Vegas is the only place without a team that 100% should have a team.

Wake me up once they get to 36-40 and go with MLS I/II. Current set up is not that interesting. So many franchises just do not care at all about winning.

I think East/West is more likely than 1/2.

I’m not sure teams don’t care about winning, it’s just so many to them have spent poorly (Cincinnati, Chicago, Miami and Toronto) or have done a great job alienating their fan bases (New York City, Montreal, Columbus, Houston and San Jose).

The league really needs to increase the cap. Maybe in 2023 when the new TV deal kicks in.
 

Orlando

Well-Known Member
Utopia Moderator
Probably the wrong spot for this, but I got a little invested in the USL after going to a game. This championship game has been so sloppy, but FUN. Kind of shocked it’s on regular ESPN tbh.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
So this is the state of play in MLS in the five biggest markets in the US

New York: New York City still doesn’t have a stadium and are nomads. They won MLS Cup but doesn’t seem to have resonated in the city. Red Bulls have a nice stadium no one seems to want to go to. Both teams don’t have any stars that fans are interested in either.

Los Angeles: LAFC has been good but still hasn’t quite figured it out in the playoffs. Outsider view but it seems like LA Galaxy has stagnated a little bit. Still the only big market that will sign big name players but also take a chance on youth.

Chicago: Still recovering from the disastrous Hauptmann era. Soldier Field was a good move and it looks to be a permanent one now. Homegrowns have been a bit underwhelming save Slonina. Shaqiri helps but like New York needs a star fans are genuinely interested in. Just look at the attendance when Chicharito and the Galaxy visited last Saturday.

Bay Area: It seems like the Earthquakes have taken the worst owner in the league mantle from Chicago and it’s starting to show. Hate to say it Quakes fans, but you’re in for a long period of suck and whenever the rebuild happens under a new owner, it’s going to be slow. Just a lot of similarities I see with San Jose that I saw in Chicago.

Washington D.C.: D.C. United has had a very slow decline from 2004, their last MLS Cup. They’re starting to look like the Aston Villa of MLS. New stadium hasn’t had the impact I thought. Hasn’t been as active in the international market as they should be considering the city they’re in. Have been very mediocre even when Rooney was there.

MLS can trot out Portland, Seattle, Austin and Atlanta but in the grand scheme of things those cities don’t move the needle much. If you want to be a big boy league you have to figure it out in these five markets. They’re 1/5 so far.
 
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Schauwn

Well-Known Member
So this is the state of play in MLS in the five biggest markets in the US

New York: New York City still doesn’t have a stadium and are nomads. They won MLS Cup but doesn’t seem to have resonated in the city. Red Bulls have a nice stadium no one seems to want to go to. Both teams don’t have any stars that fans are interested in either.

Los Angeles: LAFC has been good but still hasn’t quite figured it out in the playoffs. Outsider view but it seems like LA Galaxy has stagnated a little bit. Still the only big market that will sign big name players but also take a chance on youth.

Chicago: Still recovering from the disastrous Hauptmann era. Soldier Field was a good move and it looks to be a permanent one now. Homegrowns have been a bit underwhelming save Slonina. Shaqiri helps but like New York needs a star fans are genuinely interested in. Just look at the attendance when Chicharito and the Galaxy visited last Saturday.

Bay Area: It seems like the Earthquakes have taken the worst owner in the league mantle from Chicago and it’s starting to show. Hate to say it Quakes fans, but you’re in for a long period of suck and whenever the rebuild happens under a new owner, it’s going to be slow. Just a lot of similarities I see with San Jose that I saw in Chicago.

Washington D.C.: D.C. United has had a very slow decline from 2004, their last MLS Cup. They’re starting to look like the Aston Villa of MLS. New stadium hasn’t had the impact I thought. Hasn’t been as active in the international market as they should be considering the city they’re in. Have been very mediocre even when Rooney was there.

MLS can trot out Portland, Seattle, Austin and Atlanta but in the grand scheme of things those cities don’t move the needle much. If you want to be a big boy league you have to figure it out in these five markets. They’re 1/5 so far.
Genuine question, is Washington DC a bigger market than Dallas or Houston? We at the bar...?
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Metro area-wise, Dallas and Houston are bigger but D.C. is next after them.

I went CSA as opposed to MSA since MSA splits Los Angeles (Los Angeles and Inland Empire) and the Bay Area (San Francisco/Oakland and San Jose). Washington and Baltimore are considered a single entity in the CSA but separate as MSA’s.

That said, MLS isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire in Dallas or Houston either.
 
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BasinBictory

OUT with the GOUT
I went CSA as opposed to MSA since MSA splits Los Angeles (Los Angeles and Inland Empire) and the Bay Area (San Francisco/Oakland and San Jose). Washington and Baltimore are considered a single entity in the CSA but separate as MSA’s.

That said, MLS isn’t exactly lighting the world on fire in Dallas or Houston either.

I mean, it's soccer.

Kind of wondering if it might be smarter for MLS in the near term to try to prop up mid-level markets where the MLS team won't face so much entrenched competition from the more established sports. LA is an outlier because it's LA and there's a huge population of soccer fans from Mexico (as well as white folx from OC who claim to be lifelong Chelsea/Liverpool/Arsenal/Man U fans). Not sure if the other big markets have that.
 

Schauwn

Well-Known Member
For sure, but Dallas is 3rd in West right now? With two USMNT "stars".

I think Basin has the right idea here, Austin is a great example of that, the team sucks hard, but the stadium is awesome, the fans are behind them and the place is fun to go to on game day. Columbus seems to be doing well for now, we'll see how it goes long-term there though
 

silverwheels

PLAY LA BAMBA BABY
Youth soccer in Oklahoma was huge when I was growing up. I thought for a long time that an MLS franchise would do pretty well here in OKC, at least until Clay Bennett stole the Sonics. 1.5ish million people in the area is plenty for one pro franchise but not really two, especially with college sports being pretty big in this state. Would still gladly trade the Thunder for an NHL team, though.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Need to change the name back too. Also shouldn’t be lost that they used a blue background in that message. Hope they use that blue instead of black.

Congrats to Seattle as well. Hope they do well at the CWC.
 
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Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
Chicago was up 2-0 at the half and lost 3-2.


I was at the game, it was brutal.

I’m not sure Ezra knows what the sub rule is. Left two subs on the table when half the team was on yellow cards. Miguel Navarro should have never been on the field to pick up a second yellow which became a red after VAR.

Fans are pretty much at the end of their rope here.
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
Finally seeing Brandon Vazquez live tonight. Feels LIKE Berhalter has no excuse not to invite this guy to camp.
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
I didn't know Chiellini went to LAFC, but I'm watching this game and saw the top of his head and knew it was him right away lol
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
When did MLS become good? This game is FUN
 

kella

Low IQ fat ass with depression and anxiety
Staff member
Administrator
Operations
What the hell is USSF doing? I'm sitting here watching Kimarni Smith running circles around NYRB. Look him up, English passport but played college here at Clemson and presumably has no shot to make the England squad. How can we not just convert these guys? USMNT not exactly bursting with serviceable left backs.
 

Snorky's Shame

Well-Known Member
There’s a rumor Luis Suarez will join the LA Galaxy after the World Cup.

Giorgio Chiellini is at LAFC.

The jokes write themselves.
 

bruin228

Well-Known Member
NCAA Moderator
Imagine playing on some crap MLS team and a month later you’re celebrating goals with Messi in front of a sold out stadium lol
 
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