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[Askani]

Oof. Anyone ever seen Vulgar The Clown? "Here comes the shame."

 

[v1lla21]

He's not wrong, America was playing really rough in the first half and a lot of fouls never got called. America did play better, but also super rough and if the ref called half their fouls the game might look different now.

This is over, the ref should just blow the final whistle now.

Both were rather dirty in the first half. Montreal was parking the bus the first game and this one too. They just managed to have good counter attacks. You can only play defensively so long before you start to concede goals.

 

[Osorio]

A bit too late.

 

[Omega Kirby]

Arriba America

 

[Cystm]

 

[ZZMitch]

Kinda glad I had my exam in missed it lol. Sort of killed the sadness when I saw the final score because I hadn't gone through the anxiety of having to actually watch the game

Props to Montreal though! Who would have thought one of the worst teams in MLS would make it this far. Bodes well for MLS teams in future tournaments IMO

 

[Turok_TTZ]

Kinda glad I had my exam in missed it lol. Sort of killed the sadness when I saw the final score because I hadn't gone through the anxiety of having to actually watch the game

Props to Montreal though! Who would have thought one of the worst teams in MLS would make it this far. Bodes well for MLS teams in future tournaments IMO

*laughs internally*

I very much doubt that.

 

[jamesinclair]

Shit I thought it was Tuesday and completely missed the game.

I'm surprised that after all Montreal did during the cup they still experienced the traditional mls meltdown.

I mean, after holding strong at freaking Azteca they collapse at home thirty minutes away from the trophy?

For fucks sake.

Oh well, now America gets to lose to the African team at the club world cup as per Mexican tradition

 

[jamesinclair]

Also my prediction from last week ended up pretty damn close. I even got the minute right!

Montreal scores first.

America ties at the half mark

Still tied at minute 63

Final result: America 6, Montreal 2

 

[smokeandmirrors]

*laughs internally*

I very much doubt that.

well one of the worst teams in the league managed to keep with America for 130 minutes, I don't see how it isn't at least somewhat encouraging.

LA, Seattle, Vancouver, DC, and RSL are in line for the next CCL so maybe one of those teams will take it seriously considering all of them are better than Montreal.

 

[B-Dubs]

well one of the worst teams in the league managed to keep with America for 130 minutes, I don't see how it isn't at least somewhat encouraging.

LA, Seattle, Vancouver, DC, and RSL are in line for the next CCL so maybe one of those teams will take it seriously considering all of them are better than Montreal.

I think MLS's best shot would be LA or Seattle, if either team sent in their starters they could probably make it to the final.

 

[Dartastic]

well one of the worst teams in the league managed to keep with America for 130 minutes, I don't see how it isn't at least somewhat encouraging.

LA, Seattle, Vancouver, DC, and RSL are in line for the next CCL so maybe one of those teams will take it seriously considering all of them are better than Montreal.

I also legitimately don't think it was Montreal's fault. Over the two legs of the final, America should have gotten at least 2, maybe even 3 red cards. There were a ton of bad calls. There's the DOGSO, the card that got Bush sent off for (lol, sorry, that was not a card for Bush), there's the fighting on the half of the final half of the first leg on the way off the pitch... (or was it full time? doesn't really matter...) there's the lack of cards for legit bad challenges in the second half of this game.... Fuck, I could go on and on. How is it a stretch to say that Montreal got Concacafed? It's not. It's not at all. Refs controlled this series. Period.

Also. Peter Moore is a Revs fan. So uh, yea.

 

[Mully]

Barely saw the Metro game and didn't see the final while bartending tonight. I'll have to re watch both games tomorrow.

I may be going to Foxboro on Saturday now. My manager is weird and a drunkard.

Fuck Peter Moore.

 

[Osorio]

next year's final is going to be LA vs. Puebla

 

[gutter_trash]

the fix was in when Evan Bush was sent off at the very end of game 1 of America vs Impact

and the fix was confirmed when the refs inaction during game 2.

Granted that Montreal got sloppy in the 2nd half of game 2 and that their backup goalie allowed in a beachball

 

[ActStriker]

Also. Peter Moore is a Revs fan. So uh, yea.

say what now?

 

[Dartastic]

say what now?

I asked him last night on Twitter. He responded. He's a Revs fan.

 

[Mully]

Life is a mystery.

 

[Cornballer]

Game this weekend:

 

[Cornballer]

CCL analysis and navel-gazing:

- Brian Straus: America goes to Canada, wins another CONCACAF CL crown for Mexico

Ultimately, this rebuilt Montreal team lacked the depth and quality to best América over two legs. Shifting midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker to right back, which was necessitated by Camara and Cabrera’s injuries, hurt the team in two key areas. The Impact have no big-name stars. Club América has several. But Montreal earned its way to the final and showed well despite the odds. It may not have won gold, but it should win some respect.

- Sciaretta for ASN: MLS Has Itself to Blame for Champions League Record

THE BOTTOM LINE
Liga MX has more talent overall than MLS but there is a big overlap and it is certainly within the capabilities of MLS to perform well in the continental championship. Sadly, MLS seems determined to strangle itself with rules and regulations that are geared toward creating league parity.

The salary cap isn't going anywhere—not for at least five years—and I am OK with that. That is not the major culprit. Instead, opening the system up for greater player movement would encourage creativity among front office staff at clubs to build better teams.

Combine that with a strong dose of leaguewide priortization of the CONCACAF Champions League from a scheduling perspective and suddenly MLS teams would stand a much better chance against Liga MX competition.

The point is, if MLS wanted to do better in this tournament, it could. But will it make the necessary adjustments?

It might take a while to find out.

- MLS Analyst: Mind the gap and find the solution for CCL success

Depth. That's the word, and that's the issue.

We saw ad hoc Montreal right back Nigel Reo-Coker get torn up in the second half of Club America's 4-2 win last night, and we saw the Impact jump through a bunch of hoops to get a 'keeper they trusted on the roster following Evan Bush's suspension. We saw Andres Romero score a great goal, then fade badly playing a position that would have been Justin Mapp's had Mapp been healthy. We saw Club America eventually figure out the weak points and prosper.

"For me, the 'Oh ****!' moment was always coming," said MLSsoccer.com's own Andrew Wiebe, who traveled to both Mexico City and Montreal over the last two weeks. "Montreal expended all their energy (physical and mental) in the first half. You could feel how drained they were before Benedetto got the goal, which is crazy because they were the ones who were supposed to be rested."

- Twellmann on Twitter:

- Doug MacIntyre @ ESPNFC: Money, not magic, needed for MLS to surpass Liga MX in CONCACAF

Yet as Klopas, with his staff by his side, held court afterward in his post-game press conference, pride was the evident emotion. Klopas knew better than anyone that his team -- a monumental underdog in this competition long before losing five regulars to injury or suspension ahead of Wednesday's tilt -- couldn't have given any more. And then he explained, in 14 words, why MLS teams simply can't and won't compete on even footing for regional superiority with their Mexican counterparts, whose utter dominance of CONCACAF continues with no end in sight.

"These players here," Klopas said, "they don't make millions of dollars like the America players do."

And that's it in a nutshell. As the richest team in the continent's richest league, America spends up to 10 times more than the humble Impact on payroll. And while it may be true that MLS teams get more bang for their buck -- underrated Impact midfielder Callum Mallace, who started both legs of the finale, had a base salary of $50,848 last season -- money, more than anything else, is the reason why MLS hasn't won a regional title in 15 years.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Roster rulez and CBA stuffz (which hasn't been ratified yet)

Jeff Carlisle
‏@JeffreyCarlisle
CBA has yet to be ratified by players. #mls

Jonathan Tannenwald ‏@thegoalkeeper 29m
The weighted lotteries for Americans coming into the league from abroad are dead. Everyone entering goes through the allocation ranking.

Jonathan Tannenwald ‏@thegoalkeeper 28m
Mark Abbott: The number of players on a team’s discovery list has been reduced from 12 to seven.

Jonathan Tannenwald ‏@thegoalkeeper 8m
Confirmation that the roster size per team is now 28 players.

Jonathan Tannenwald ‏@thegoalkeeper 4m
Basically, any foreign player who comes into the league would be on the Discovery List. Including Cristiano Ronaldo.

(lol)

Kevin Kinkead ‏@KevinKCBS3 2m
Everyone must go through allocation now, even though Seattle and Toronto received preferential treatment with Dempsey and Bradley

 

[Askani]

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Full roster rules: http://pressbox.mlssoccer.com/content/roster-rules-and-regulations

Players occupying roster spots 1-20 count against the club’s 2015 salary budget of $3,490,000, and are referred to collectively as the club’s Senior Roster.
Roster spots 19 and 20 are not required to be filled, and teams may spread their salary budget across only 18 Salary Budget Players.

A minimum salary budget charge will be imputed against a team’s salary budget for each unfilled senior roster spot below 18.

The maximum budget charge for a single player is $436,250.*

(was $387,500)

Players 28 years of age and with eight years of MLS service who are out of contract, or have not had their option exercised, will have the ability to select their MLS club, subject to certain restrictions.

 

[Cornballer]

- MLS Analyst: What I'll be watching for in Week 9 of the 2015 season | Three Things

Bonus awards for the first part of the season:

We are staring at the quarter post of the 2015 season. The last two months were kind of a blur, but here are some impressions so far:

Best Forward: Kei Kamara, Columbus Crew SC - Numbers, hold-up play, relentless physicality.
Best Playmaker: Benny Feilhaber, Sporting KC - He'd have a shout at MVP if his team were higher up the standings.
Best Winger: Fabián Castillo, FC Dallas - Devastating in the open field and now showing increased playmaking abilities.
Best D-Mid: Perry Kitchen, D.C. United - By a nose over Dax McCarty. And yes, in my world, d-mids get their own award.
Best Defender: Omar Gonzalez, LA Galaxy - Brings more to the table than any other central defender in the league.
Best Fullback: Chris Tierney, New England Revolution - And it's actually not close.
Best Goalkeeper: Tyler Deric, Houston Dynamo - He had that howler vs. Orlando and shipped four vs. Sporting, but I don't care. Dude's been legit.
Best Coach: Jesse Marsch, New York Red Bulls - That's the MLS Digital bump.

 

[The Culture Vulture]

From MLSsoccer.com

The US national team have reportedly added one more Gold Cup warm-up to their plate with a friendly against Guatemala set for July 3 in Nashville.

The Tennessean reported earlier this week, citing the match listing on the FIFA website, that the game will be played at LP Field. The listing has since been removed, and U.S. Soccer has yet to confirm the fixture.

If the match does go off as reported, it will take place just four days before the USMNT kick off their 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup run with a July 7 match against Honduras in Dallas.

The Guatemala friendly would mark the first time back in Nashville for the USMNT since 2011, when they lost to Paraguay by a 1-0 scoreline. The US national team’s confirmed upcoming friendlies include a June 5 matchup with the Netherlands in Amsterdam and a meeting with World Cup champion Germany five days later in Cologne.

 

[Arials]

underrated Impact midfielder Callum Mallace, who started both legs of the finale, had a base salary of $50,848 last season

My man has a UK passport. He could easily earn more than that if he attracted interest form a club in the English lower leagues, time to get a better agent.

 

[Nesotenso]

Increasing the salary cap will help with importing better foreign talent but doesn't magically improve the domestic players. MLS has to hope that the academies produce some really good players because that has to play a part in closing the gap along with a cap increase.

 

[Cornballer]

Dallas currently beating up on Houston. RSL-San Jose starts in about a half hour.

 

[Askani]

Eesh. 8 goals in two games.

 

[Dartastic]

Tesho only got my fantasy team one point. ARGH. I need to do a better job on picking my forwards. Maybe change up my formation also?

 

[Askani]

@thegoalkeeper: Press release just in from the @philaunion: C.J. Sapong was arrested and charged with reckless driving and DUI.​

We're coming up as a major league. A few drug or weapon charges and some domestic violence and we'll be right there.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

@thegoalkeeper: Press release just in from the @philaunion: C.J. Sapong was arrested and charged with reckless driving and DUI.​

We're coming up as a major league. A few drug or weapon charges and some domestic violence and we'll be right there.

:\

fucking asshole. Zero tolerance for drunk driving. I hope he doesn't see the field for the rest of the year.

I hope he gets the help he needs but come on bro.

 

[Cornballer]

Juuuuust a bit offside:

Oh well, I'll take it.

 

[Cystm]

BWP, is my captain this week.

 

[Cornballer]

#SJEarthquakes with 59.9% passing accuracy vs RSL; the worst pass completion rate by any team so far in MLS 2015. #RSLvSJ

Ugh. Good point on the road, though.

 

[jamesinclair]

This is a few days old but I didnt see it discussed here:

Wednesday's Club America-Montreal Impact game for the second leg of the Concacaf Champions league final averaged 1,891,000 viewers across three U.S. networks, UniMas, UDN and Fox Sports 2.

That was slightly more than the U.S. television audience on ESPN, UniMas and UDN for MLS Cup 2014 (1,887,000).

In Canada, French-language TVA Sports set a record for a television audience for a match played in Quebec with an audience of 402,000 for the CCL deciding game. That represented a market share of 13.3 percent watching television.

http://www.socceramerica.com/article/63551/tv-report-ccl-final-outdraws-mls-cup-2014.html

Maybe (most) MLS teams will stop pretending it doesnt exist?

I for one am glad the viewership is growing for the tournament. Even more impressive is that the english language version was relegated from ESPN to some channel no one has ever heard of.

 

[Delicious Waffles]

Tesho only got my fantasy team one point. ARGH. I need to do a better job on picking my forwards. Maybe change up my formation also?

Play that wild card.

 

[sazabirules]

It's great that Hamid signed a new contract with us but I'd still like him to sign overseas eventually.

 

[Mully]

Heading up to Gillette inside the ESC bus. Anyone else from Metro-GAF going?

 

[Nesotenso]

@thegoalkeeper: Press release just in from the @philaunion: C.J. Sapong was arrested and charged with reckless driving and DUI.​

We're coming up as a major league. A few drug or weapon charges and some domestic violence and we'll be right there.

dumbass

 

[smokeandmirrors]

ugh this is going to be awful

 

[zroid]

As much as TFC still stinks, watching Giovinco makes it all worthwhile

 

[Osorio]

Lol findley

 

[Azuran]

Findlay it was harder to miss that tap in than score.

My god.

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Fernando is the lifeblood of our attack.

 

[B-Dubs]

LOL PHILLY

How do you miss that?

 

[smokeandmirrors]

Playing with possession is weird. We never do.

LOL PHILLY

How do you miss that?

It's just what we do.

 

[zroid]

Did I mention I love Giovinco

 

[B-Dubs]

Giovinco is insane today, it's only a matter of time until Toronto scores at this rate.

 

[ATF487]

Going down to Gilette, hope you red bull lads play poorly and lose!!!