***Official Soccer Thread***

[POND_OF_RED]

Creating a new thread for soccer discussion since the Euro’s are done.

Most leagues are in preseason and Sporting KC are currently in a battle for the best record in the league to win the shield. We just sent Busio who’s a young Sporting youth academy player and possible future American star to Venezia to compete in the top division in Italy for a 6.5 million dollar transfer fee with up to $11 million with incentives and a 20% future sell-on rate if they sell him to another team. Not to mention another past youth academy player from Lee’s Summit and another possible World Cup starter Erik Palmer-Brown looks to be joining him at Venezia soon as well. If you’re looking for an Italian team to start rooting for with your new Paramount+ subscription they would be a good candidate with some local flavor.

The U.S has built a little power shift in the CONCACAF region with their wins over Mexico lately in Nations and Gold Cup finals and look to be in really good shape heading into the World Cup qualifiers next month.

Messi looks to be on the move as well. Let’s hope it’s not a worthless one to PSG for everyone’s sake.

Ok, CP feel free to remind me how gay soccer is now. Don’t care. Sporting is kicking ass and so is the USA. It’s a good time to be following along. Discuss…

Spoiler!

[Garcia Bronco]

Originally Posted by bdj23

I like soccer (more than your avg American at least) and I'll barely watch MLS.

I don't watch it and I watch probably 4 to 5 soccer matches a week. I've been following Liverpool for about a decade and I watch them every time they play if I can.

[Eleazar]

MLS refuses to allow clubs to increase spending in the slightest. We get Premier League season ticket prices while watching squads built on a League One budget. We will still be performing miracles if we can wil Champions Cup, despite having 10 teams in the tournament, but that’s okay because we’ll have another gimmick Leagues Cup tournament where we pull Mexican clubs out of their country for a month and treat Club America and Chivas like the Harlem Globetrotters.

The fact that MLS has refused to budge even in the slightest in a time as ripe as this is incredibly demoralizing. Maybe the changes in 2025 will be more in the direction of what we’re looking for, but honestly, what reason has the league given anyone to think that will happen?

So why is this?

It's true that MLS doesn't exist in a country that hates soccer any longer, the sport is popular and particularly so with younger people. The league is stable and isn't playing in borrowed stadiums anymore. So shouldn't it be growing by leaps and bounds?

I'm not trying to bash MLS when I say this, but I watch the Premier League every weekend and I pay extra for services to do so. I've been following it since 2008 or so. The reason I don't have any interest in MLS is because the level of play is so much lower.

Even people who follow MLS seem to realize it, during the WC you'd see US Soccer supporters bemoaning the fact that we had MLS players in the 11 because they don't belong on a stage like that.

What is their reasoning for not raising the cap or doing other things that could bring more talent into the league?

Why are salaries like the English 3rd tier in a country as large and wealthy as this if the fan interest is there?

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Eleazar

So why is this?

It's true that MLS doesn't exist in a country that hates soccer any longer, the sport is popular and particularly so with younger people. The league is stable and isn't playing in borrowed stadiums anymore. So shouldn't it be growing by leaps and bounds?

I'm not trying to bash MLS when I say this, but I watch the Premier League every weekend and I pay extra for services to do so. I've been following it since 2008 or so. The reason I don't have any interest in MLS is because the level of play is so much lower.

Even people who follow MLS seem to realize it, during the WC you'd see US Soccer supporters bemoaning the fact that we had MLS players in the 11 because they don't belong on a stage like that.

What is their reasoning for not raising the cap or doing other things that could bring more talent into the league?

Why are salaries like the English 3rd tier in a country as large and wealthy as this if the fan interest is there?

There are a few reasons.

MLS missed out on the golden age of crazy TV contracts...their popularity blossomed in a sports media universe where ESPN is on its heels and everyone is trying to figure out how to make streaming work in the right way. They are not the NFL so they don't get to print their own money.

The ghosts of the Cosmos still walk the halls of MLS headquarters. They simply do not want some team to go buck wild be in MLS what the Dodgers are in MLB right now. Some super team that gets some sort of wild backing that hurts the overall competitiveness and therefore the overall growth of the league. MLS is like NFL where they are very "the sum of our parts" oriented when you think of how much focus is on the shield.

Wages have grown but again they don't want it to get out of control Teams that want to spend money get to spend money. There are 3 and about to be 4 designated player spots which allow you to spend as much money as you want on someone with their cap hit being limited. That has struck a balance that has for the most part been very successful to reward teams who want to spend money but as I said before not let one or two teams wildly outpace the rest of the league.

It is not true that they have not raised the cap it gets raised all the time in lines with the CBA they have with the players. Should it be more? Should it be done differently? Hey there are a lot of smart people that have different and good ideas of how things should be run. I think there needs to be a lot of focus on the back end of the roster so that MLS teams can have more depths to do better in North American tournaments. MLS stacks up really well with Liga MX top to bottom but at the very top Mexico still has an edge...even though it seems to decrease each year.

[Hark Clunt]

new kit leak. one of the better away kits in a while. argyle is my favorite design pattern for us.

[Superbowltrashcan]

They put themselves on Apple TV and nowhere else. Just stupid…

[alpha_omega]

Originally Posted by Hark Clunt

new kit leak. one of the better away kits in a while. argyle is my favorite design pattern for us.

For those of us who aren't soccer regulars...

Is "kit" synonymous with "jersey" or "uniform"???

[DJJasonp]

Originally Posted by alpha_omega

For those of us who aren't soccer regulars...

Is "kit" synonymous with "jersey" or "uniform"???

yes

[Womble]

Originally Posted by alpha_omega

For those of us who aren't soccer regulars...

Is "kit" synonymous with "jersey" or "uniform"???

Both but most people use it just to describe the shirt. And a 'full kit wanker' is a grown man who dresses in the shirt, shorts, socks and footie boots. Also commonly referred to as a paedo.

[bdj23]

Originally Posted by Hark Clunt

new kit leak. one of the better away kits in a while. argyle is my favorite design pattern for us.

I dig it minus the gay advertisements plastered all over it

[Eleazar]

Originally Posted by Womble

Both but most people use it just to describe the shirt. And a 'full kit wanker' is a grown man who dresses in the shirt, shorts, socks and footie boots. Also commonly referred to as a paedo.

Fitting that they're both dippers

[GloryDayz]

Originally Posted by Superbowltrashcan

They put themselves on Apple TV and nowhere else. Just stupid…

Question about Apple TV. I haven't had an Apple phone for many years (except for a work phone), but I was able to log into the Apple TV "App" on my TV, does that mean I'd be able to watch these of is Apple going to make me buy Apple+ or subscribe to some Apple TV package?

I agree that it's stupid but sadly it seems like this a'la carte bullshit is the future. At this rate we're all going to have many many many "subscriptions" to watch the variety of things we like on TV.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by GloryDayz

Question about Apple TV. I haven't had an Apple phone for many years (except for a work phone), but I was able to log into the Apple TV "App" on my TV, does that mean I'd be able to watch these of is Apple going to make me buy Apple+ or subscribe to some Apple TV package?

I agree that it's stupid but sadly it seems like this a'la carte bullshit is the future. At this rate we're all going to have many many many "subscriptions" to watch the variety of things we like on TV.

Yea you don't have to have an apple device but just need to be able to see Apple TV...some games are free some of them are if you have MLS Season Pass.

The nice thing is for people with MLS season pass is its no blackouts no matter what time no matter where you are in the world and anyone who is a season ticket holder for an MLS team gets it for free.

[|Zach|]

I am just here for Octillo to come back around and make more excuses for his trash ass manager crush Klinnsman.

[Ocotillo]

Originally Posted by |Zach|

I am just here for Octillo to come back around and make more excuses for his trash ass manager crush Klinnsman.

The first player to score at least three goals in three consecutive World Cups.

[|Zach|]

Originally Posted by Ocotillo

The first player to score at least three goals in three consecutive World Cups.

Oh boy you know a trash ass manager is a trash ass manager if you have to pull from his playing days.