The MLS 2017 Season Thread

I like the playoffs, it's exciting.

 

Sporting Kansas City 1 - 0 Cruz Azul
Los Angeles Galaxy 1 - 0 Club Tijuan
San Jose 1 - 1 Toluca

 

It'll be hard but I think one of SKC and LA will be able to hold the first leg advantage. SJ I think (hope) won't go through.

 

that's what Cup's are for. Using playoffs to decide the league title is dumb.

 

1. It's how it's done in North America and MLS is obviously geared toward that market first.

2. As multiple people have already said, there's the Supporter's Shield which is considered equal to MLS cup. It's like having the Premier League title and the FA Cup be on equal footing.

 

That doesn't matter. The MLS had a choice to model the league after other American sports or to structure it like other football leagues around the world. Just because other American sports use playoffs and drafts didn't mean MLS had to. Look at Japan. They have playoffs in baseball, sumo wrestling, etc and yet their football league has a traditional single table with league title. Same goes with other Asian countries.

Maybe prior to globalization you could have made the argument that a domestic football league in America would be better off emulating other American sports. But in today's world where most American fans are being cultured into the sport through European leagues, it's a mistake not to structure the league to more European standards. A league with one table and promotion/relegation would be much more popular in America. And have much higher potential to pull in fans.

It's hard to argue against that. I read recently that Women's basketball games(WNBA) get more TV viewers than MLS matches. That's shocking. If you're getting beat by the WNBA you are really doing it wrong.

So, I think it was clearly a mistake for MLS to be modeled after other American sports. I don't feel I'm alone on this. My local pub in Los Angeles is the home to the American Outlaws (USNT supporters club) and whenever I've discussed MLS the majority there hold the same opinion. Now and then someone will disagree but its rare. In fact, the only time I've been called a "euro snob" or "euro phile" or whatever silly name they use now is on the internet.

 

Defoe with two goals 20 minutes into his MLS debut.

 

Both were sweet finishes .

 

The beginning was a mistake in many aspects. But a lot of those mistakes are being done away with. The draft is largely irrelevant. It has no bearing on signings outside of college, and due to the homegrown initiative it's becoming irrelevant there as well. So that's not really a reason to be upset. About the playoffs, I don't know if you're blind or illiterate, but I clearly said that there is something called the Supporter's Shield which is just as important as MLS Cup. It's the more traditional format for you. Liga MX has playoffs as well, by the way. It seems to do alright. Australia also has playoffs. Belgium now does as well (although their format is kind of weird). So let's delve into this a little more deeply than some simple talking points.

This is complete conjecture. Also, American owners wouldn't invest in that system (also the reason why Australia doesn't have pro/rel). Let's not starve off the money supply. Even if they had wanted to, there aren't enough MLS teams for a pro/rel system. NASL clubs don't have the infrastructure to compete, so you couldn't just merge the systems. Again, if you want to think about what you're saying and come up with real ideas for how to implement it financially besides "it's how it's done in Europe" then people might have more time for you.

First of all, that speaks just as much to the WNBA. Let's not denigrate women's sports. The largest soccer telecast in US history was the US-China women's World Cup final. Is that embarrassing? Not at all, it was an incredible moment in America's sporting history. Second of all, it's a result of horrible management at the beginning of MLS. It was initially marketed to mothers and little kids, not the prime TV demographic. It was recently changed to appeal to urban young men and it has absolutely exploded. Local TV ratings in MLS markets are substantially higher than the rest of the country. Due to the way it was managed early on, non-MLS market broadcasts were epically low. In a recent ESPN poll, MLS is now as popular in the 12-18 demographic as MLB, with 18% of people that age describing themselves as avid fans. That's an absolutely colossal increase in sports marketing terms.

I think you are clearly talking out of your *, no matter what your local AO chapter says. It's worth noting that the AO is more aligned toward supporting European-based players anyways, and derive their self-worth as fans from how Americans fare in Europe. So, to break this down:

1. There are not just playoffs. There is the Supporter's Shield.
2. Multiple leagues across the world have the same format, or at least a variant. It's not peculiar to MLS.
3. While you (baselessly) argue that American fans want pro/rel, people like the Hunts and AEG have come out publicly against pro/rel.
4. Ratings are low, but local market ratings are up, attendance is up, and for the first time in the history of the US, MLS (not just soccer, but MLS) has caught one of the "big 3" leagues in an age demographic.

If you want to actually debate one of those four points then I will be a) surprised and b) willing to correct you, but for now it's a waste of time as long as you just say "EUROPE! PROMOTION! PLAYOFFS!" or some ridiculous re-ordering of those words.

And finally, MLS is supported by millions. It is successful in relation to other leagues. Why on Earth would MLS change its structure to appeal to fickle fans like yourself at the risk of isolating those who already watch it? It's lunacy.

 

They were indeed. I'm excited by Defoe. He's the type of player who'll do very well in MLS (able to read the space left open by the athletic yet tactically deficient MLS defenses) and should force other teams to correct some of the more chronic problems in the league.

And Dempsey has become so disappointing.

 

If Defoe gets service he could take the scoring title I think.

 

Definitely. It's like Keane - somebody who understands space and finishes quickly and accurately can be devastating in MLS. Defoe, however, is younger and athletically able to create space for himself and so should score even more than Keane.

 

Diegan,

Cool it with the name calling. It doesn't make your argument any more valid.

My argument is that just because other American sports use playoffs it didn't mean MLS had to copy that format. They would have been much better off emulating how 90% of the rest of the world structures the game. Your first reply was MLS uses playoffs because other American sports use playoffs? So what? Other American sports don't have cup competitions.

Yes, there is the Supporters Shield, but whomever wins the MLS playoffs is called MLS Champion. That's a fact.

 

better how? they are courting an American audience used to the American system of sporting competition. Just because you and other foreigners might dislike it doesn't matter a jot to the MLS.

I'd personally like to see it run with pro/rel and a regular table and cups but totally understand that they're goal is to get an American casual audience watching. That audience isn't going to want to learn the nuances of a foreign competition format.

 

And where is the evidence that the American soccer audience wants this kind of format? Most Americans are watching the EPL.

That's my point. In today's globalized world, a rogue league is going to turn people off. Soccer fans in America are being brought up on the EPL, LA Liga etc.

The audience already knows these nuances. Heck, we have our version of the FA Cup (US Open Cup) and we have the Concacaf Champions League. So all the pieces are there to structure a "proper" league.

I mean, the MLS is getting beat in TV viewership by Women's basketball. That tells you right there that the majority of soccer fans in the US are turned off by how Americanized the league is.

 

How did Júlio César play?

 

He played good, made some big stops. Kind of got caught going the wrong way on a stoppable shot for his goal against but ultimately did enough to get the win.

 

Solid start for the Rapids. Drawing against NY away. I'm happy with the point.

 

Think any of the other US teams will make it into the semi finals of the Champions League? I can't see it to be honest.

Galaxy had one of the worst starts imaginable. Of course they can look at the home game as a positive, beating the team that almost knocked out Atlético Mineiro last year, but still, to crumble like they did is a bit embarrassing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gT5IqReNccU

 

San Jose did well but everyone else, well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T3XiSBpcGMk

Very embarrassing.