Major League Soccer

For some reason this reminded me: Do you guys know who T3d W3st3rv3lt is by any chance?

I know the name.

huh, coincidentally this comes out, pretty good https://sports.vice.com/article/puppet-killer-one-mans-controversial-twitter-quest-to-save-american-soccer

http://soccergods.com/2014/11/19/mls-salaries-low-cba-negotiations/

If we look at the Daily Mail’s data on average attendance in the world’s major soccer leagues, MLS ranks eighth, with a healthy 19,149 attendees per game (6,185,127 total, annually). This puts the league below only the Bundesliga, Premier League, La Liga, Serie A, Liga MX, Ligue 1 and the Eredivisie – all big leagues that existed in a strong capacity before the rise of MLS.

Compare that to the league’s average salaries, here. Look long enough and you’ll see MLS down at 22nd, behind the Superliga of Denmark, Premiership of Scotland and Super League in Greece. If you compare the two studies, you can easily see that MLS dwarfs those leagues in attendance. Comparing ticket prices for games won’t do anything to diminish that fact.

KEANO

Lando?

Doesn't matter I h8 MLS.

Only good thing is after tomorrow we don't have to hear about Landycakes.

Yeah a lot of the reporting surrounding him started to take on a messiah-esque tone.

This is the best thing to come out of yesterday's final:

http://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4WQ70fIEAMN0cl.jpg

Doesn't matter I h8 MLS.

― dan m, 08 December 2014 02:13 (Yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I dont know if youre kidding or not but is this a general feeling of dissatisfaction with the league or just pissed off cos your team are doing so badly?

Mostly kidding, but yeah, general dissatisfaction with a lot of the bullshit the league pulls on the regular including, but not limited to:

-repression of non-league media for legitimate criticism
-completely fucked single entity structure and the ways it screws players, especially young American players
-tacit approval of absentee, non-spending owners (Chicago, New England until very recently, Colorado, Chivas USA until that cancer was excised, etc)
-Calvinball rules on player acquisitions, especially high-profile players

I still watch the Fire, argue/speculate online, am and a fan in general but mustering enthusiasm becomes harder and harder with both terrible results and further exposition of just how bogus a lot of league actions are.

Also the players' union CBA is up for renegotiation this year and I won't be surprised at all if there's a lockout/stoppage.

xp - dan, i can't really argue with any of that - so much of the weird financial shit seemingly exists just to ensure margins (or, uh, "parity" - and bear in mind that i even feel pretty squeamish about the results of that as a dc fan)

i do wonder how much the players union is going to be able to accomplish this time, up to the point of wondering whether a strike might actually be a necessary evil - they aren't even going to try to dissolve the single-entity structure, which seems like the primary thing that keeps the wage structure so unbalanced and unfair at this point. i don't know if raising the salary cap is going to accomplish anything given the way DP money is structured, and i doubt raising the minimum even to the mid-five figures (!) is going to do all that much without legit free agency

Fire should be signing this guy in the coming days, which will definitely pick up my interest for next year...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qy4JfHDtu4

Have heard a current MLS coach, not with the Fire, describe him as "Dominic Oduro Who Can Shoot".

Anyone know when the schedule comes out? I gather the expansion announcement doesn't come until next year.

I saw hints that the opening weeks of the season would be announced this week, but nothing concrete. With the new NY team playing at Yankee Stadium I'm sure there's a lot of problems to work out.

http://www.blackandredunited.com/stadium-news/2014/12/17/7407643/dc-united-stadium-buzzard-point-washington-dc

DC stadium bill officially passes

took em long enough

erick torres to houston for $7.5 million apparently (!)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/soccer-insider/wp/2014/12/17/d-c-united-stadium-approval-improves-its-playing-field-in-mls-in-many-ways/

The size of the Buzzard Point venue remains undetermined. For the time being, United has been using 20,000 as the working number. However, Levien said “we want the opportunity to expand it as some point. We are going to figure out the right number for Day 1 and the right number for Year 5.”

schedule starting to take shape now:

WEEK 1

Friday, March 6
LA Galaxy vs. Chicago Fire (StubHub Center) – 10 pm ET, Unimas

Saturday, March 7
D.C. United vs. Montreal Impact (RFK Stadium) – 3 pm ET, RDS1
Vancouver Whitecaps FC vs. Toronto FC (BC Place) – 6 pm ET, TSN1 and RDS2
Houston Dynamo vs. Columbus Crew SC (BBVA Compass Stadium)
Philadelphia Union vs. Colorado Rapids (PPL PARK)
Portland Timbers vs. Real Salt Lake (Providence Park)
FC Dallas vs. San Jose Earthquakes (Toyota Stadium)

Sunday, March 8
Orlando City SC vs. New York City FC (Orlando Citrus Bowl) – 5 pm ET, ESPN2
Sporting Kansas City vs. New York Red Bulls (Sporting Park) – 7 pm ET, FOX Sports 1
Seattle Sounders FC vs. New England Revolution (CenturyLink Field) – 9:30 pm ET, FOX Sports 1

WEEK 2

Saturday, March 14
Chicago Fire vs. Vancouver Whitecaps FC (Toyota Park)
Real Salt Lake vs. Philadelphia Union (Rio Tinto Stadium)
Columbus Crew SC vs. Toronto FC (Columbus Crew Stadium)

Sunday, March 15
New York City FC vs. New England Revolution (Yankee Stadium)

WEEK 3

Saturday, March 21
New England Revolution vs. Montreal Impact (Gillette Stadium)
Colorado Rapids vs. New York City FC (Dick’s Sporting Goods Park)

Sunday, March 22
New York Red Bulls vs. D.C. United (Red Bull Arena)
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Chicago Fire (Avaya Stadium)

WEEK 4

Saturday, March 28
Montreal Impact vs. Orlando City SC (Olympic Stadium)

WEEK 10

Sunday, May 10
Toronto FC vs. Houston Dynamo (BMO Field)*

looking forward to fire getting pasted by LA in the opener just like the season before last

think most or all of the preseason schedule's been out for a while. i want to know about the regular season. should have been out by now.

It isn't.

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/12/30/major-league-soccer-release-complete-2015-regular-season-schedule-jan-7

smh

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B6xDG1pCEAAfJ6s.jpg

btw the full schedule is out now

https://soundcloud.com/siriusxmfc/tfs-taylor-twellman-these-mls-players-are-ready-to-strike

It's so American soccer that the player union reps from Chicago are grads of Brown, Northwestern, and Notre Dame.

http://screamer.deadspin.com/why-mls-may-be-headed-for-a-work-stoppage-1679956810

very good

so this starts a week on friday!

are we all stoked for the madness? i'm not really but im going to go to more games this season.

whitecaps season-opener is a mouth-watering all-greatwhitenorth matchup at home against the mighty tfc.

quite like the new shirt

http://www.whitecapsfc.com/sites/vancouver/files/WFC15-003-2015jersey-620x620_0.png

http://i.imgur.com/0QumfvE.png

lmao

https://twitter.com/barrabravanycfc

double lmao

mls supporter culture never will cease to befuddle me

Some of it is really genuine, if a bit nerdy and earnest. Some, like that Hearts of Oak thing, are downright hilariously stupid.

I bought a ticket to go out to SJ for Chicago's 3rd game of the season, won't be too upset if the players are still on strike then but it'll be a little disappointing.

Been reading a few articles from this site, some minor lols including the Onion-esque headline "Irate Fan Posts Screed To Reddit"

http://www.thenutmegnews.com/

Also this reminded me, if you think Hearts of Oak is lol, what about The 1906 Ultras

A footnote to the game came very early on, when within minutes of the opening kick-off, members of the 1906 Ultras that had traveled to the match were escorted from Bonney Field by stadium security. Davis Enterprise reporter Evan Ream learned that the Ultras voluntarily left the stadium because they refused to adhere to policies regarding supporter behavior. Republic officials confirmed this account to Ream. The Ultras, via Twitter, expressed their disappointment at what were perceived to be conflicting policies on foul language use for them as a visiting supporters group and the home side Tower Bridge Battalion.

Just caught myself wondering if benbbag is joining Hearts of Oak.

Watching Timbers v Fire and the Portland stadium is playing "I Will Dare" by the Replacements at halftime.

http://www.phawker.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/Folder_7/Ted_Leo.jpg

ay so the san antonio scorpions just beat fc dallas does that mean we take their place now or nah

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2015/02/17/mls-strike-players-have-resolve-if-not-upper-hand-in-labor-negotiations/

Strike is looking more and more likely. There are finally leaks coming out that indicate the impasse they've come to. Goff has some good quotes from sources, including one that says the owners have offered free agency for players that are 1. over 32 years old and 2. have played at the same club for at least 10 years. A friend compiled a list of such players: there have been 21 players in the 20 year history of the league that would qualify.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B_M16MTU8AAYBH4.png:large

I still fully support the players in this.

Oh, all of those players are retired except for Marshall and Davis afaik

I'm totally with the players, too. Raise the cap, raise minimums, and allow free agency after a certain point. It's entirely unfair.

owners have apparently cut it to over 28 years old/8 years of service, the ol' generous so-and-sos

damn, i was kind of looking forward to the game on saturday. obv support the players tho, bring on the strike.

Ahahaha bad news for the owners that this leaked

http://www.prostamerika.com/2015/03/04/talk-about-sht-timing-huge-audimls-deal-leaks/112852