LA Galaxy - 2012 MLS Champions

[Mark in Ottawa]

Congrats to the Galaxy organization on a successful year.

2012 is done.

C'mon TFC!!! :scarf:

[Gazza]

2013 is ours, boys.

[[NBF]]

Garbe did an interview during the halftime break.

- He said they're looking to invest in a second New York team and they are investing in "American" youth.
- Lalas asked about the uprise in talented youth coming from central and south america and whether the trend would continue? He said that the MLS was always including players from central and south america....
- He said especifically they were investing in American academies in MLS and some day there would be a relegation and promotion system, but right now there's nothing to argue for the need for it.

[BuSaPuNk]

Seasons over time to start a new. Come on you reds!

[Shakes McQueen]

I wish Garber luck in trying to convince MLS team owners to agree to a promotion/relegation system down the road.

- Scott

[Code Red]

;1545604']Garbe did an interview during the halftime break.

- He said they're looking to invest in a second New York team and they are investing in "American" youth.
- Lalas asked about the uprise in talented youth coming from central and south america and whether the trend would continue? He said that the MLS was always including players from central and south america....
- He said especifically they were investing in American academies in MLS and some day there would be a relegation and promotion system, but right now there's nothing to argue for the need for it.

I hope that's sooner rather than later. I can see it happening when NASL are a fully stable and expanded league.

[bones]

yawn...

Another win for the team with special rules. So what happens if Landycakes leaves, do LA get to keep their 4th "DP" grandfathered in rule?

They should just allow the new NY team to have 4 DP slots too and it will be just like MLB.

[Yohan]

yawn...

Another win for the team with special rules. So what happens if Landycakes leaves, do LA get to keep their 4th "DP" grandfathered in rule?

They should just allow the new NY team to have 4 DP slots too and it will be just like MLB.uh, Landon Donovan is one of 3 DPs for LA...

[ryan]

Season is officially over. That means it's 2013 and we're tied for 1st. WAHOO

[Ajax TFC]

I wish Garber luck in trying to convince MLS team owners to agree to a promotion/relegation system down the road.

- Scott
Best way to do it is instead of saying making it so that teams can be relegated, you keep expanding until you need two leagues. You then Promote half the teams to a newly created "premier" league. You then create promotion/relegation between those two leagues. That way no team loses their spot in MLS, but rather it starts with teams getting promoted. Eventually The current MLS gets far enough down the pyramid that making a bridge to the other levels below wouldn't be a big deal. Of course that would take quite some time...

[Richard]

Anyone else feel the season should have ended 1 month ago? Just wierd to have i finish on Dec 1, it seemed like it dragged on. Anyways, congrats to the Galaxy and it will surly be a very interesting winter.

[Redpunkfiddle]

Anyone else feel the season should have ended 1 month ago? Just wierd to have i finish on Dec 1, it seemed like it dragged on. Anyways, congrats to the Galaxy and it will surly be a very interesting winter.

That would be due to an unknown quantity known as 'making the playoffs'. We can be forgiven for thinking it strange. It seems to early to speculate if we'd play in Rogers or BMO if we made the finals with the higer seed.

[ag futbol]

Best way to do it is instead of saying making it so that teams can be relegated, you keep expanding until you need two leagues. You then Promote half the teams to a newly created "premier" league. You then create promotion/relegation between those two leagues. That way no team loses their spot in MLS, but rather it starts with teams getting promoted. Eventually The current MLS gets far enough down the pyramid that making a bridge to the other levels below wouldn't be a big deal. Of course that would take quite some time...
We'd see a regional MLB style setup before that ever happened.

I'm surprised he said it, but I really doubt his ability to ever put something like this in place. The owners will never buy into something like that economically.

[Shakes McQueen]

We'd see a regional MLB style setup before that ever happened.

I'm surprised he said it, but I really doubt his ability to ever put something like this in place. The owners will never buy into something like that economically.

Exactly. I'd love to see it happen, but it's one of those things that would only happen if it was put in place from the get-go. No owner is going to vote to potentially relegate their own team at some point down the line, and severely harm themselves economically.

Never mind that such a system is unprecedented in North American top-tier sports, unlike the rest of the world.

- Scott

[Shakes McQueen]

That would be due to an unknown quantity known as 'making the playoffs'. We can be forgiven for thinking it strange. It seems to early to speculate if we'd play in Rogers or BMO if we made the finals with the higer seed.

Nah - it IS pretty mental that our soccer season didn't end until two days into freaking December. I don't blame anyone for thinking that's too long.

- Scott

[Redcoe15]

And to think that when things kicked off in March, TFC was rubbing it in LA's face during the CONCACAF Champions League quarterfinals, on the pitch and in the stands. *sigh!*

[Redcoe15]

Exactly. I'd love to see it happen, but it's one of those things that would only happen if it was put in place from the get-go. No owner is going to vote to potentially relegate their own team at some point down the line, and severely harm themselves economically.

Never mind that such a system is unprecedented in North American top-tier sports, unlike the rest of the world.

- Scott
Try telling that to some of the delusional fuckwads over at BigSoccer, who think pro/rel will magically create interest in soccer in both the U.S. and Canada, and that anyone who disagrees doesn't really like soccer that much.


Nah - it IS pretty mental that our soccer season didn't end until two days into freaking December. I don't blame anyone for thinking that's too long.

- Scott
After all the bullshit TFC went through this past year, this season just seemed very long.

[Shakes McQueen]

Perhaps pro/rel could very well be a good move for generating interest in soccer in North American - I don't know. But even if it was a great idea for the sport, that has nothing to do with whether it would actually happen.

The owners are all about protecting their own financial interests, and the leagues are all about executing the will of their owners. Either because they literally answer to the owners, or because they want to keep their owners happy and invested in the league.

- Scott

[ensco]

I know the story has been around for a couple of months, but this stuff about Donovan quitting is pretty unusual for a player of his age/stage.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/12/01/donovan-future-my-gut-says-get-away-awhile

He really did have a bad game, missing that early sitter, then there was a play late in the first half when Keane had done some incredible work deep, and Donovan wouldn't move to receive the ball

[Shakes McQueen]

I wonder if "walking away" could still means he tries his luck in Europe again.

Wouldn't blame him for being burned out on MLS - the dude has done everything there is to do in this league, aside from mere longevity records. And for a guy like that, it must kill him to have been given a taste of bigger things more than once. I don' think he ever fully "came back" to MLS after that Everton loan, when he became somewhat of a fan favourite.

EDIT: Oh, and as a TFC fan, not having to face him ever again would be nice - as much as we like to give him shit, the guy has game.

- Scott

[Fort York Redcoat]

I don't really want to mention this but it would be pretty short sighted of him to quit this year. Over shadowed by Becks this season and with a good season of goals under his belt he could ahem challenge the time record.

Groan.

[flatpicker]

The game last night had some entertaining moments.
Congrats to L.A.

As for Garber's comments about promotion/relegation in MLS:

I was also surprised to hear him mention it. But I don't think it's impossible to get owners on board. As long as financial interests are addressed, it could work. There would need to be some kind of revenue sharing between teams (in both tiers) that says to clubs,"if you get relegated, you still get your piece of the pie". It's all about economics; so if the numbers add up, and there is security in place, then it's possible. I for one like the pro/rel set-up. Not because it's "traditional" in football, but because it adds a high level of excitement for teams that are at the bottom of the 1st league. If it were up to me, I probably wouldn't have automatic relegation. I'd have a one-match playoff game between the 1st division bottom feeders, and the 2nd division top teams (to take place in the home of the 1st Div club). That would provide a chance for the 1st Div clubs to avoid relegation... and that would give owners some comfort in knowing that they won't automatically get booted down.

Anyhow... it's a long shot, and fun to discuss.

[Gazza]

I wonder if "walking away" could still means he tries his luck in Europe again.

Wouldn't blame him for being burned out on MLS - the dude has done everything there is to do in this league, aside from mere longevity records. And for a guy like that, it must kill him to have been given a taste of bigger things more than once. I don' think he ever fully "came back" to MLS after that Everton loan, when he became somewhat of a fan favourite.

EDIT: Oh, and as a TFC fan, not having to face him ever again would be nice - as much as we like to give him shit, the guy has game.

- Scott

Yes, he has pk drawing and taking down to a science.

[Beach_Red]

Perhaps pro/rel could very well be a good move for generating interest in soccer in North American - I don't know. But even if it was a great idea for the sport, that has nothing to do with whether it would actually happen.

The owners are all about protecting their own financial interests, and the leagues are all about executing the will of their owners. Either because they literally answer to the owners, or because they want to keep their owners happy and invested in the league.

- Scott

When there are small - and ambitious - markets, pro/relegation will help them. It won't do anything for LA or NY or the places that will never be close to the bottom 20 so it isn't really on the horizon for quite a while. For that to work there would need to be close to 40 good soccer markets in the US and there'd probably have to be 10 places where stadiums over 50,000 would sell-out consistently.

It seems that the next 20 years or so of MLS has been established with 20,000 seat stadiums and (maybe) 20 markets and if they can fill those and get good TV numbers the next stage may include another 20 markets, a few of which could try for promotion.

And you're right, it hasn't been easy to find owners willing to invest in MLS so the added riskof maybe getting dumped down to a 2nd division won't help with that. Yesterday's championship was between two teams owned by the same company that's for sale. Even the CFL managed to avoid having the same owner for both teams in its championship game (of course, it took the Stamps upsetting the Lions...).

[bones]

uh, Landon Donovan is one of 3 DPs for LA...

Woopsie! They had him grandfathered in before but he's full DP now yep you're right my bad.

Becks, Landycakes and Keane all DP's on paper and I thought Wilhelmsson being paid over $190k for a few months of work would make him the 4th but I guess being paid that much isn't a DP. Can we pay someone $600k (prorated) for a player and he not be a DP too ;)

[ag futbol]

;1545604']
- He said they're looking to invest in a second New York team and they are investing in "American" youth.
- Lalas asked about the uprise in talented youth coming from central and south america and whether the trend would continue? He said that the MLS was always including players from central and south america....
- He said especifically they were investing in American academies in MLS and some day there would be a relegation and promotion system, but right now there's nothing to argue for the need for it.
Funny from a Canadian's perspective - because our players get such a short end of the stick - the Americans are getting a little testy about the amount of foreign content in the league. The sad reality of the situation is that expansion happened quickly and the domestic talent base couldn't keep pace. It seems like MLS keeps trying to find ways around developing their own players, but I don't think they'll ever get it. Garber sounded pretty defensive in his answer and didn't really say anything we didn't already know.

It's nice they are investing in academies but that's not really the problem right now. It's that for guys who are physically mature at the age of 18, they have to go back to NCAA or find somewhere else to play, because they simply aren't ready. The pyramid is missing a step.

[ensco]

^MLS is actually doing a lot more for Concacaf than it is for the USA and Canada.

Most (all?) of the key players on the Honduras team that destroyed Canada are from MLS.

[jloome]

Exactly. I'd love to see it happen, but it's one of those things that would only happen if it was put in place from the get-go. No owner is going to vote to potentially relegate their own team at some point down the line, and severely harm themselves economically.

Never mind that such a system is unprecedented in North American top-tier sports, unlike the rest of the world.

- Scott

I disagree.

I think it's still a while off. But the league has recognized in the last two or three years, finally, that this is a fan culture driven game. They rightly believe we'll get to a point where, like in Europe, fans don't abandon their team if it's relegated. Given that sports teams are usually money losers in the U.S. and even when they shouldn't be often are for tax benefits, I don't think owners necessarily see it as so black and white.

[Yohan]

I want this for TFC


http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=33trfTClaPc