L.A. Times: Foreign soccer stars no longer putting down MLS

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Sporting Kansas and Real Salt Lake, so awful.

I've heard people push for the Miami team (if it ever happens) to be named Inter Miami

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I hope MLS surpasses Baseball, aka the worst popular sport in America.
LOL what the fuck is this comment?

Anyways I always thought MLS was viewed by foreign places as an easy place to retire but it's great to see they're actually respecting it.
 
Laaaa la la la wait till they get their money right...

Soccer is growing here and I'm super excited about it. Once they expand/drop the cap and teams have the freedom to pass out some real mother fuckin money, it's only a matter of time before some legit talent makes its way to America. We'll probably never be EPL level, but we don't have to and fuck the smug assholes who judge solely by that metric.
 
I would love to have the haters in this thread watch the Portland v. Galaxy game today at 4pst on Fox Sports 1. You might be pleasantly surprised.

Also, re: Bradley Wright Phillips, he was playing next to Henry. That explains a lot.
 
It's revenue is growing and their recent TV deals are huge in Canada and the United States.

The NHL is growing among younger demographics as well.

The NHL has MUCH higher average ticket prices than the MLS and the NHL TV deals in Canada and the US dwarf the MLS. They aren't really comparable at all.

They aren't even close when you pull out the revenue drawn from just Canadian teams.

Let's also compare the quality of the players.

Sidney Crosby, Alex Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, Claude Giroux, Steven Stamkos, Pekka Rinne, Shea Weber.

The NHL has the best players in the world. They are the biggest league around in an international sport that spans continents.

The MLS will never recruit a Sidney Crosby level talent to come over to the MLS in their prime. The MLS isn't competitive with the NHL in terms of compensating their players either.

The NHL is much closer to catching the NBA than MLS is to the NHL. It's not close.

2015 NHL Winter Classic posts lowest TV ratings in event's history

EPL Games Garnering More Viewers Than NHL Games on NBCSN, Rights Fees for Next TV Deal Should Only Increase

If EPL can do that, it's only a matter of time before MLS does it as well. It won't happen tomorrow or in 5 to 10 years but, eventually, it'll happen. Hell, even NASCAR has surpassed the NHL.

Remember, MLS is 20 years old. It's still growing but its come a long way from where it was when it first started.
 
I hope MLS surpasses Baseball, aka the worst popular sport in America.

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But on the topic, I do hope the mls continues to grow. they're trying to improve their image but they're gonna need to fix up some of the team names like sporting kc and real salt lake before they can be taken more seriously.

I do like my local teams name, the union, but their home uniform could be better.
 
If EPL can do that, it's only a matter of time before MLS does it as well. It won't happen tomorrow or in 5 to 10 years but, eventually, it'll happen. Hell, even NASCAR has surpassed the NHL.

Remember, MLS is 20 years old. It's still growing but its come a long way from where it was when it first started.

From the 2nd link you posted:

There are obviously a couple ways to look at this and as we know television ratings don’t always tell the whole story, although with the EPL in America it’s a bit different since the game is only available through television vs. attending the games in person. There’s also the time factor of when the games are broadcast. The EPL — on Saturday and Sunday mornings along with occasional midweek afternoon games — faces little, if any other competition in terms of live sports aside from the late Saturday kickoff at 12:30 p.m. which butts into NCAA football and basketball. Through its first 1.5 years NBCSN has done an excellent job, too, of making soccer fans want to stick with the channel from the first kickoff to the final whistle … and sometimes beyond that with their highlight packages.

Nighttime NHL games are shown at the same time as the NBA, NCAA basketball, other NHL games and even Monday night football. Much like baseball on television, hockey is a regional sport meaning casual viewers are likely less-inclined to watch two teams play whom they don’t have a vested rooting interest. Put it this way, if NBCSN is airing Penguins-Flyers and you’re a Red Wings fan and they also play at the same time, which game are you going to tune in to watch?

I'm a fan of the MLS, but come on, the triumphalism here is ridiculous. The league has a long, long, long, long, long way to go before it's anywhere near the NHL, NBA or MLB.
 
I've heard people push for the Miami team (if it ever happens) to be named Inter Miami

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Inter is short for Internazionale.

"This wonderful night will give us the colours for our crest: black and blue against a backdrop of gold stars. It will be called Internazionale [International], because we are brothers of the world."
—9 March 1908, Milan

Miami is diverse as fuck and naming the club after that same idea is not at all as bad as you think.

The biggest problem with teams being named in a similar fashion to Euro clubs is American ignorance.
 
Inter is short for Internazionale.

"This wonderful night will give us the colours for our crest: black and blue against a backdrop of gold stars. It will be called Internazionale [International], because we are brothers of the world."
—9 March 1908, Milan

Miami is diverse as fuck and naming the club after that same idea is not at all as bad as you think.

The biggest problem with teams being named in a similar fashion to Euro clubs is American ignorance.

I get where the name comes from, I just don't get throwing those names on teams in countries where they don't have that same kind of meaning. Stuff like Sporting or REAL doesn't mean anything over here. Neither does "Football Club". It just feels way too on the nose, and feels like they are trying to hard to crib an identity rather than letting one develop on it's own, naturally.

It'd be like an overseas American Football league team calling themselves the Packers or Steelers.
 
From the 2nd link you posted:

I'm a fan of the MLS, but come on, the triumphalism here is ridiculous. The league has a long, long, long, long, long way to go before it's anywhere near the NHL, NBA or MLB.

I don't agree with it having a long way to go. Again, it's slowly building. It's only a matter of time before EPL fans decide to tune into MLS and start supporting the local product. Is MLS on the same level? Absolutely not. Could that turn off EPL watchers? It's disappointing but it definitely happens. However, those who stick with it help the game in this country.

I do agree with tuning into NHL locally, you'll care more about your team and watch them than tuning into a national game. The real bump in viewership comes playoff time. I heard this on local sports radio just this past week. One of the hosts mentioned that a recent Wednesday game got horrible ratings. These games can include the top names in the NHL and, still, people aren't watching. People bash MLS as a "retirement league" but people will tune in to see that older soccer star battle it out.
 
I'm moving to Atlanta soonish and I hear a team might be forming there in the next 2 years. If that happens I'll buy a season ticket. As a fan of the PL that hasn't been able to get into the MLS seriously yet. I think that would do a lot for me to help me get more interested. I'd really like the league to get more competitive to the point where they can compete with the smaller European leagues for talent in the next say 5 years. That would be significant progress.
 
I'm moving to Atlanta soonish and I hear a team might be forming there in the next 2 years. If that happens I'll buy a season ticket. As a fan of the PL that hasn't been able to get into the MLS seriously yet. I think that would do a lot for me to help me get more interested. I'd really like the league to get more competitive to the point where they can compete with the smaller European leagues for talent in the next say 5 years. That would be significant progress.

Might? They are slated for 2017. You can even put down a deposit for season tickets now.
 
While I agree the names are stupid, people will get used to them in time.

Red Sox is a stupid name that would be derided if a new team was named that. However, history has made it okay. There are many similar examples.
 
Anecdotal of course, but the Crew have built a super loyal following at my work. It's gone from being 90% Buckeye's football talk to probably 75%, with the Crew and then the Jackets starting to become more mainstream.
 
Anecdotal of course, but the Crew have built a super loyal following at my work. It's gone from being 90% Buckeye's football talk to probably 75%, with the Crew and then the Jackets starting to become more mainstream.

Their rebranding was one of the best I've seen in the league, and they have a good squad this year. Good mixture of international veterans and young talent.
 
2015 NHL Winter Classic posts lowest TV ratings in event's history

EPL Games Garnering More Viewers Than NHL Games on NBCSN, Rights Fees for Next TV Deal Should Only Increase

If EPL can do that, it's only a matter of time before MLS does it as well. It won't happen tomorrow or in 5 to 10 years but, eventually, it'll happen. Hell, even NASCAR has surpassed the NHL.

Remember, MLS is 20 years old. It's still growing but its come a long way from where it was when it first started.

It's nowhere close to the NHL in terms of overall revenue, gate revenue, or media revenue.

The NHL is much closer to passing the NBA than the MLS is to passing the NHL.

The MLS is still in its infancy comparatively, so I will buy that argument, but right now, there is no impending changing of the guard.
 
Their rebranding was one of the best I've seen in the league, and they have a good squad this year. Good mixture of international veterans and young talent.

Yeah I get the feeling that this is a year of pretty high expectations. The couple of games I've been to have been really enjoyable as well. Good to see Columbus-area sports diversifying somewhat.
 
I wonder how Americans would react to the concept of relegation which does not exist in their country.


Also, as foreigners, football connoisseurs often forget that one major impediment to the sport is the immensity of the country. It's twice as large/wide as Europe.

Geography is a big part of how the sport develops in any country.

No, it's not.
 
The caveat would be that non-European teams that are far away (eg. not North African or Middle Eastern teams) would have to base themselves in Europe.

North African teams would be a perfect fit because they aren't far away, they are really close. Middle Eastern teams would be a worst fit but logistically doable considering Kazan can be in today. Don't see it happening in either case though.

North American teams forget it, it just wouldn't work on CET. Play Libertadores instead.
 
Say what? NHL..growing? I understand it's a very regional sport but I'm amazed to hear it is growing by any metric. It feels like a shadow of itself from the 90s. MLS already averages greater attendance figures than NHL and that number is continuing to improve especially with Chivas gone. MLS TV ratings are still not particularly great, but will improve over time especially as European soccer regularly draws better ratings than the NHL despite the unfortunate start times comparatively speaking.

You know you've hit a true believer when they pull this shit out of their ass
 
Thinking about sports in America while watching college basketball, realizing that college soccer isn't even on the radar.

The sport has a long way to go in the US. decades, not years.
 

To be fair most a huge portion of the US is over the ocean in that image, and there is no Alaska.

Comparing the US to the entire continent of Europe is kind of missing the point as well. The more relevant comparison would be to western Europe or nations that can support a top level pro league. To which if you compare it to the smallest NA league(NHL), is only 3 nations really. The EPL, Bundesliga, and La Liga are the only 3 bigger than the NHL in terms of revenue. Serie A is close, but not quite. Also this comparison is by revenue per team, if you use flat revenue, the NHL dwarfs every soccer league but the EPL because they have fewer teams.

Basically every team in the big 4 NA sports leagues is one of the top 150 teams in the world in revenue and player salary. That's like 120+ out of 150 spots.

European soccer is extremely top heavy, once you get past the top 15 or so teams, you are left with broke ass teams that survive solely based on selling prospects to the big guys.
 
Thinking about sports in America while watching college basketball, realizing that college soccer isn't even on the radar.

The sport has a long way to go in the US. decades, not years.

Honestly, it probably never will be. The draft has minimal importance in MLS and the clubs are attempting to get their talent from academies rather than colleges.

College programs will attempt to improve their standing, but those players will still be at a disadvantage.
 
For those who are too lazy to click the link.

Major League Soccer (18,807)
National Hockey League (17,455)

Whomp whomp.

I've not watched a full game of hockey in my life, but that comparison doesn't mean much when you consider that the NHL has 30 teams and each one plays more than twice as many games (82) as any MLS team. The overall attendance numbers are staggeringly different: NHL had over 21 million fans in attendance for the 2013-14 season, while MLS had a little over 6 million for the same period.
 

I've not watched a full game of hockey in my life, but that comparison doesn't mean much when you consider that the NHL has 30 teams and each one plays more than twice as many games (82) as any MLS team. The overall attendance numbers are staggeringly different: NHL had over 21 million fans in attendance for the 2013-14 season, while MLS had a little over 6 million for the same period.

Not to mention the massive difference in venue capacity.
 
Sporting Kansas and Real Salt Lake, so awful.

Sporting Kansas City used to be the Kansas City Wizards (prior to that, The Wiz) and their mascot was a freaking alligator (at least that's what it looked like. I think it was supposed to be a dragon) ... So, it's an upgrade. Honestly, it's not nearly as bad as Real Salt Lake. Shouldn't even be in the same conversation.

Their shield is awesome, though. The representation of the MO/KS state line as the focal point is a great touch.
 
First: stop calling it soccer, please.

Second: no, I don't believe MLS is going to be relevant any time soon. The few top players that go there only do when their careers have ended, and that's not changing. Let's trust Wright-Philips and Kaka, yeah.
Third: Stop complaining about people calling a sport by a distinctive name in a country that supports multiple codes of football.
 
The crappy us FOOTBALL league will never have any importance until they remove the "s" and call it as it really is: Major League FOOTBALL.

It would help if they change the name from their handegg league, but 'muricans are too stubborn to understand facts (like evolution or the concept of social security).
 
The crappy us FOOTBALL league will never have any importance until they remove the "s" and call it as it really is: Major League FOOTBALL.

It would help if they change the name from their handegg league, but 'muricans are too stubborn to understand facts (like evolution or the concept of social security).

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I get where the name comes from, I just don't get throwing those names on teams in countries where they don't have that same kind of meaning.

Real is a bit weird, as they could have just went with the English translation of Royal Salt Lake or something more traditional like the Salt Lake Elks or whatever, but from a marketing stand point, it just makes more sense to go with the Spanish naming.

As the league grows and garners the attention of fans of other leagues, particularly LA Liga and the EPL, it makes sense to give them a gateway into ours. Those markets are huge, and they would love a piece.

Neither does "Football Club". It just feels way too on the nose, and feels like they are trying to hard to crib an identity rather than letting one develop on it's own, naturally.

We've debated the FC/SC thing a lot in the American Soccer thread, and it really comes down to knowing the origins of the various games different countries refer to as "football" and if you really think that names like the "Lakers" or "Buccaneers" are really any better.

American Football is actually just Gridiron Football and European Football is just Soccer Football.

It's really only confusing if you don't understand the origin of the word Football.

The other argument is it not being "creative" enough while others like myself contend that our "creative" names are fucking stupid.


You all should turn on ESPN2 and Watch NYFC take on New England. Game is on right now. Yankee Stadium is packed.
 
Say what? NHL..growing? I understand it's a very regional sport but I'm amazed to hear it is growing by any metric. It feels like a shadow of itself from the 90s. MLS already averages greater attendance figures than NHL and that number is continuing to improve especially with Chivas gone. MLS TV ratings are still not particularly great, but will improve over time especially as European soccer regularly draws better ratings than the NHL despite the unfortunate start times comparatively speaking.

Yeah, surpassing the NHL is certainly possible in the future. Hockey will always have a ceiling because no matter how much they try, most cities in the Southern US simply don't give a shit about the sport.
 
MLS is getting bigger and bigger, but has some way to go to match the quality of 2nd tier European leagues (Erdevisie, Ligue 1 and arguably Seria A) and obviously even further before it can compete with the big guns (Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga).

I think it'll be comparable with the 2nd tier in 4 or 5 years though, which is great news for football fans.
 
MLS is getting bigger and bigger, but has some way to go to match the quality of 2nd tier European leagues (Erdevisie, Ligue 1 and arguably Seria A) and obviously even further before it can compete with the big guns (Premier League, La Liga and Bundesliga).

I think it'll be comparable with the 2nd tier in 4 or 5 years though, which is great news for football fans.

Put me in the 10-15 year camp for that level of play, and that's being quite optimistic.

I'd love for it to happen sooner, but the difference is too big to be surmounted in 5 years - 5 years is one generation of players, you'd be asking for a lot of players currently in MLS to become substantially better than they are right now. Remember it's not (just) about having great stars, it's about raising the level of journeymen players as well; In 5 years we may have some more Designated Player-caliber talent in the high end, but the low end will probably be more or less the same as we have now.

In 10-15 years you'll have a whole new league from a personnel standpoint. It's possible that by then, with growing interest and the youth academies, the 'replacement level' player (to steal a line from baseball) will have improved enough so the league as a whole is Ligue 1/Serie A level. But I don't think 5 years is enough for that to happen, unless there's massive turnover in MLS rosters in that timeframe.
 
North African teams would be a perfect fit because they aren't far away, they are really close. Middle Eastern teams would be a worst fit but logistically doable considering Kazan can be in today. Don't see it happening in either case though.

North American teams forget it, it just wouldn't work on CET. Play Libertadores instead.

Geography 101

Washington dc is closer the Moscow than it is to Buenos Aires
 
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