Weird lineup. Basically 5 attackers starting.
Weird lineup. Basically 5 attackers starting.
Achara Has scored again.
Since we can’t see any of this I am going to draw the obvious conclusion Achara is the best MLS goal scorer since Robbie Keane.
Not even based on this game alone.
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/LAGalaxy/status/1228833007877771270
Preseason...only preseason. But what a strike.
2-1 preseason win for TFC over LA Galaxy. Achara again and Pozuelo on a PK with the goals.
Anyone know where Pozuelo played tonight? On the outside or in the middle? I hope Vanney doesn't play him on the outside with Bradley out.
Q had a beautiful save shutting down Chicharitto, great to see.
Remember The Man, The Legend, The Goal 5-12-07 and All That #9 Left On The Pitch, Thanks For The Memories !!!
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/TorontoFC/status/1228877916349485056
Not bad actually
A comparison of MLS to the top 5 leagues in Europe
https://football-observatory.com/IMG/sites/mr/mr52/en/
Which is why the concept of not allowing the stronger teams continue to get stronger and evolve the league into Pro/Rel doesn’t make sense. I know they don’t want a repeat of the NASL but doesn’t 30+ (and counting) mediocre teams do the same thing. Create a strong fan base, build a team culture and have teams and MLS aspire to compete with Liga Mx (5 years) and beyond 10 years from now.
Just having a few strong teams killed the NASL. We don't have 150 years of tradition in soccer where weak teams will be supported no matter what. So a certain level of parity is essential.
For contrast look at the traditional sports. The Leafs get support despite mostly failing for decades. The Buffalo Bills have never won the SuperBowl. They all still have good fanbases
They are already allowing some non-parity in MLS. However, it's actually a feature that better management is what gets you ahead instead of just spending silly money.
Because MLSE is behind our team we like financial clout having some effect, but imagine if they sold the team to a less rich owner. It might get frustrating to have a decade of LAFC winning and us on the outside looking in.
The solution to MLS being behind is to raise spending for the whole league, and the best way to get that is a richer TV deal, so get all your friends who aren't going to the game to watch it!
I didnt say over night, i said 5 - 10 years.
The problem of flooding the league with weak teams does the same as just having a few strong teams. I am not saying go crazy, but a realistic goal of Liga Mx parity is attainable.
If MLS doesn’t think we have enough quality in North America, then don’t dilute what what we have, with so many teams. Build 20 good teams (with parity) but 30-35 weakened teams is just wrong, unless the long term is Pro/Rel. The new CBA has some good provisions to increase budgets and salaries but there is no floor, so quite frankly there is no penalty, (Other than potential poor results and fan disenchantment) for team owners to just to put the minimum viable team on the pitch.
I am not even saying having the younger DP isn’t a smart idea, but i must have missed that MLS were also going to manage it other than recommended guidelines, so teams are penalized. If you are going to have a ceiling there needs to be a specific floor, not just recommended guidelines... thats why i think Pro/Rel makes so much sense. Get to a League 1 with 20 teams and a League 2 with 20 teams. You can then have parity in scheduling and a real incentive to be competitive.
Last edited by Bushmancan; 02-17-2020 at 10:32 AM.
I would just like to point out an NBA analogy, that the weakest NBA teams are comparable to the strongest Euroleague teams. If MLS builds parity throughout the league over time, eventually they will become a top world league. But the tightrope they have to walk is gaining enough interest from around the world to increase media revenues to allow them to compete with the Big 4, I think they only have a small window for that, probably in the next 10 years. They've set up the latest CBA to slowly take the operational cost training wheels off (higher minimum salaries, charter flights, greater player movement) at the cost of a possible DP slot. I bet they never institute that option and after the next media deal (I'm betting it's ~$300M/yr, comparable to the NHL) they'll double the salary cap for all teams, just in time for the World Cup lead-up.
I've given a lot of thought to the Conference setup that fans would find palatable, do you think that when the league hits 36 teams, they might do a reorg? Say they move the top 9 teams from East and West into a new Elite Conference, and the remaining teams will be placed in a Championship Conference. Playoffs will be as now but between the top 8 Championship teams and the bottom 8 Elite teams, with the teams that make the Quarterfinals being moved to the Elite Conference and the losers being moved to the Championship Conference. Winner of the playoffs get the MLS Cup, but the top Elite team at the end of the season gets the Supporter's Shield. This is not Pro-Rel, simply an annual reorganization within both Div 1 Conferences.
the number of people entering the stadium means jack shit. That number doesn't affect things like TV ratings or social media numbers.
Go and take a look at their recent followers. Majority of them are bot created accounts. I can guarantee if you did a inventory of the number of potential BOT accounts, you would probably see them being the majority.
This is very common with companies / people with prominent social influence / politicians and political parties who have bought followers in order to punch up their numbers.
In other news - FCC coach has resigned. Apparently tendered his resignation soon after the full report on his behaviour was given to him & the team & the union.
FCC using the same interim coach who was nice but not all that good last year.
MLS Players Union statement on the Cinci situation
Basically telling Cinci & Cinci media to have a rethink
Complaints were widespread and not just on one issue
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/MLSPA/status/1229846816943955975
This is really serious stuff.
Much worse of a tire fire than we had in the Anselmi/Johnson era. It calls into question the entire management of the club.
I feel for their fans, they don't deserve this. How many of them will just walk away unless the owner/operator takes this seriously?
Cinci leadership doing a very painful presser basically saying they were lied to by the coach.
Pablo Maurer saying it best
Check out this tweet at https://twitter.com/MLSist/status/1229866948294594560
Really interesting that they made Jozy the captain in the last preseason game. Guess they're trying to get him to understand to put the club first and not just blurt stuff out when he doesn't have all the facts.
Not sure if anyone has been following the Darren Mattocks story but it’s not looking good for him based on what I have read. Here is the short version of it;
Late January he was driving a Mercedes with his friend and was travelling through Pennsylvania state. At around 9:55am he hit a patch of ice and rolled the car. He and his friend were taken to hospital although neither suffered serious injuries. Apparently the Mercedes was not insured. Around 11:55am the same morning Mattocks took out a new insurance policy on the car.
3 days later he put in an insurance claim for the accident, the claim was worth $48,000. He told them he took out the policy at 5:55am of the morning of the accident and that the accident took place later that morning. Needless to say the insurance company became a little suspicious lol.
He has been charged with 2 felonies for fraud and released on $50,000 bail.
What a freaking mess(assuming all these reports are accurate)
Last edited by anto7; 02-19-2020 at 04:40 PM. Reason: Grammar error