Major League Soccer

every sport in the usa is way more communist than in the rest of the world

Carles must not rly follow MLS or else he'd know the trend is now buying up younger South American rising stars, using DP status to pay their transfer fees, and reaping the benefits of winning/selling down the road.

c'mon, Carles clearly never heard of Robbie Keane before Monday.

otm

biggest match in two years for us tonight, and they're doing it up in Seattle too

http://aol.sportingnews.com/soccer/story/2011-08-29/fire-coach-klopas-hopes-cup-greeted-with-open-arms

that's actually a pretty good article on the cup itself too

ok chi see u soon

rly didn't want to have to travel for this

MLS offers higher standard than SPL

hmmmmmmm

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5kmgPzBfFYw

one of the funniest MLS things I have ever seen

worst hooligans ever (apart from that wee hobbit guy)

nothing will ever beat that boy from toronto.

Why do people even

updated salary list is out

http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/September%201,%202011%20Salary%20Information%20-%20By%20Club.pdf

can't believe how much we're paying players to either be injured or play reserve games, also can't comprehend the accounting tricks that must be going on around the league

ahahaha marquez you dick

Speaking through an interpreter after New York's dismal 3-1 loss to Real Salt Lake on Wednesday, Marquez criticized his teammates, saying they were not on his level.

"I'm focusing on really performance at my highest level. That doesn't mean that the whole backline can perform at that same level, so that’s a problem," Marquez told the NYDailyNews.com. "I think this is a team game and unfortunately there isn't an equal level between my teammates and I."

surely he realizes that nyrb implodes every year, it's not solely his teammates fault

I caught the end of that game. Thierry Henry looks thoroughly bored with football.

I skipped that game--it was on a weeknight and also I'm running low on masochism.

imho this kind of thing shows just how much careful team-building matters in the league over outright spending. Salt Lake have been v solid top-to-bottom for a few years now and RBNY is a bit of hodge-podge with a couple of very shiny expensive parts.

Well, we'll see. At the NY v Portland game. Row 2!

nice article about mls supporters http://espn.go.com/sports/soccer/news/_/id/6992816/major-league-soccer-move-soccer-moms-league-hard-core-fan-groups-here-stay

I have to say I hate most teams and fans from philadephia but the Sons of Ben seem pretty cool.

The SoB started showing up at other MLS teams' games, singing to New York Red Bulls fans that even without a team they had just as many trophies as they did.

Oh kay. I realize that article is "about" the SoB but every other team with an active/promoted supporter's group at least got named...except literally not one mention of the ESC? Which is the oldest supporter's group in the league. It's fine, my club experience does not depend on articles like that, but it's weird unless it was purposeful.

The Chicago Fire lead the league with 14 recognized bands of hard-core groups.

:D

attn seattle I will be in yr area for the final on 10/4 w/ some friends

oh shit

http://espn.go.com/chicago/story/_/id/7027800/chicago-sting-honor-30-year-anniversary-nasl-title

ismael you might like that

carstens maybe u can help me out -- my friends and I are looking for a bar to meet up at pre-game that's somewhat close to the stadium. obv we'd prefer to not be among a shitload of seattle fans. is there anywhere you can think of that might be somewhat open & convenient? thx

I thought Kyle Beckerman was a hippie, into peace and love. This headbutt makes me reconsider!

http://www.mlssoccer.com/videos?catid=114&id=19528

Thanks for the Sting link dan, very entertaining. Not really favourite era tbh, though I'd love to see that shootout. In fact, the whole tale seems rather implausible - the idea of thousands of fans hanging on a sport, team and league that basically may as well have never existed five years later is just too weird.

that's the native chicago sports fan for you!

/notanativechicagoan

I do know more than a few people who credit that as the moment that made them a fan of the sport, actually.

dan, let's see...so, pioneer square is the neighborhood directly to the north of the stadium. there are lots of bars, old buildings, ambiance etc. but a lot of sounder fans. and because pioneer square is our meat-market club neighborhood nights/weekends, those bars attract what i'd call the dumbest sounder fans. just stupid obnoxious dudes. i don't go there, can't think of a bar i'd recommend.

if you wanted to stay physically close i'd consider chinatown. it's north and east of the stadium, a five minute walk, and there are lots of little dives and hole in the walls. i don't have a #1 suggestion unfortunately, esp considering that you'll have a group in tow. i wish i knew better.

you know what i'd do? if i were staying in the city or north, i'd start out in belltown. it's north of downtown. there's a block of great bars, 2nd between blanchard and bell, you could take your pick of places on that block and no one's going to care that there are a bunch of guys in red jerseys, won't even register i'd imagine. i'd drink all afternoon and then walk to 3rd and pine and take the train down to chinatown/international district station. it's a 5 minute walk to the stadium from that station.

if you're coming from the south (like, staying near the airport or something) i'd stop in my neighborhood, georgetown. it's 4 miles south of the stadium, so it's a fast bus or cab ride in, and the area is its own thing, a strip of bars on airport way south. if i had the day off i'd totally make you guys meet me at Jules Maes, an old old bar with a game room in back.

how many nights are you here? want to email me? it's jergins at gmail. it seems like we should meet up for a drink if you're coming all this way. i've met all of 1 ilxor-who-is-also-a-soccer-fan, laurel, and i'd like to meet another.

btw
http://i52.tinypic.com/2h3xyle.jpg

so ott but <3, getting excited for tomorrow
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zii7t13O23g&feature=player_embedded

I have had a gnawing pit of nervousness in my stomach for about the past 2 weeks.

Congrats, Chicago! I will hope for you.

but shit, you guys are playing so well lately. this'll be something. xpost on an mls thread!!

Yeah, they've been good lately. Klopas has re-engineered the team almost entirely compared to the lineups for the two league meetings with Seattle earlier in the year. I just think we're snakebitten on PNW turf fields.

also as an aside: the new USOC trophy is boring, wish they'd kept the Dewar in service

http://phillyunionfooty.files.wordpress.com/2010/04/usopencup.jpg

vs

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/e/e6/USOpenCupDewarTrophy.JPG

Sigh. Congrats carstens.

what a tense first 75 minutes that was. it probably wasn't pretty on tv but it felt like 22 guys bringing it.
i like this, reminds me when soccer moments slow down and speed up
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bZaKrYTEONY&feature=player_embedded

wow, that's a fantastic clip

u guys gotta do something about that turf man, it's like a different game entirely

also the fact we were missing our best CM didn't help :( smh

yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeehawwwwwwwwwwwww hoss

http://www.sportingkc.com/sites/kansascity/files/Car%20Design%20for%20Web.jpg

so uh playoffs, we are missing them

i am going to my first non-sounders MLS game this weekend, portland at RSL. looking forward to it. grass!

Hope you have lots of fun carstens!

How was RSL? I saw several alleged PTFC aurora borealis pics.

it was a lot of fun. lovely field, very intimate, way out in the suburbs. espindola's footwork up close had some dazzling moments.

beyond kenny cooper's crappiness, the timbers army had to be the most impressive thing there. at times they outshouted 20k rsl fans. loooved the half-dozen flares at the end. and they got a result. way to travel, TA.