So ********ing jealous... Trade you Dempsey for Bradley? Would LOVE to have a central midfield pairing of Alonso and Bradley... ARGGHHHAHAHEWHEHEHEHHE!!!! :-( Nice move by TFC and the league. I have a feeling these type of moves are part of the 2020 plan. And as another posted mentioned, its going to be fun reading all the bitching and moaning going on over on the BS USA forums, lmfao...
I think it was tough for him to swallow. I think Bradley move is even tougher for him to accept. Will be interesting how he phrases it in the media lol
This simply isn't true. Not willing to spend money is far different than not being able to afford the money. Beyond NY, who obviously has the money, DC's owner is also a billionaire. Money is out there.
Nah that's still not going to get people to watch. Bradley going to Toronto, non-American team is going to sell tickets? I don't think so. All it will do is get Toronto on NBCSN few times. This doesn't improve overall quality of play in long term. For you, me, it's good to watch but for the fan on the fence or already with their noses stuck up to MLS this does nothing. New fans will come from good USMNT performance than Bradley playing in Toronto.
Ummmmmm, that's what people said the minute that Dempsey was signed to your team last year. How did that work out? Let's see these guys actually on the field first.
Yes Klinsmann tells everyone to look for better leagues. While he has done that the following players have re-signed with MLS. Bradley, Donovan, Dempsey, Gonzo, Zusi and Besler. Everyone of the them a lock for the WC squad next summer, IMO. And then you have the players who followed his advice, like Shea, Edu, Parkhurst, Lichaj, Sacha and others might be on the outside looking in. I can't blame people for ignoring what JK says since he does not reward players for just blindly going overseas, nor does he penalize players for coming back or staying in MLS.
Dempsey came straight to MLS from playing in EPL where he had very little off-season plus all that nat duty traveling is hard on the body. The best years of Dempsey in seattle wasn't gonna be last year.
IMO, you are 180 out of phase with this thought process. New MLS fans will come from USMNT performances when much of the Nats side is in MLS. The worst thing for MLS would be for good performances from the Nats when MLS is not represented because it reenforces the ignorant stereotype that the league is crap.
So if Bradley was offered to all MLS teams, and TFC is the one ponying up the dough, then this conversation from one of my favorite movies is more or less why Bradley will be in Toronto rather than somewhere else. It's from Heaven Can Wait, and the old owner is watching the LA Rams practice under the new owner (who is also QB): Former owner: He got my team. The son of a bitch got my team. Advisor to former owner: What kind of pressure did he use, Milt? Former owner: All I asked was sixty-seven million, and he said "okay." Advisor to former owner: Ruthless bastard.
wow, this is a good post. I never considered this but what you said appears to be happening. It certainly takes the air out of the clowns who continue to think play in MLS and you are hurting yourself for Nats chances.
It's fine if you had that opinion from day 1, but you and I both know that was NOT what was being said league-wide when he signed. It was all about how between EJ/Martins/Dempsey that they were clearly the best team in the league. It would be revisionist history to claim otherwise.
Indeed, though the acquiring of all these USMNT players makes this World Cup even more important for MLS. I think Lalas might have hit the nail of the head with this tweet: Alexi Lalas @AlexiLalas14m If #USMNT doesn't get out of their group it will be because of @MLS. If they do get out it will be in spite of @MLS. #narrative If the US gets knocked out in the group stage (which given it's the group of death there's a significant chance of this) then casual fans will have stereotypes reinforced. However I do think there's some hope that if we surprise and do well, it'll be an excellent advertisement for MLS. Last World Cup, MLS tried to promote the crap out of Donovan. But there's only so much you can do with one guy (since Bornstein, Buddle and Findley certainly weren't going to move the needle and they were the only other MLSers). But this World Cup, fans could get to see Besler, Gonzalez, Donovan, Dempsey, Zusi, Evans, Bradley all start for the team, and a bunch of others (EJ, Goodson, Beckerman) potentially contribute as well. It's a heck of an opportunity for the league.
They were the best when dempsey signed but the team forgot to how to play defense and the team collapsed the last 2 months of the season plus playoffs.
The dude is reading my posts. I've been pointing out the set-up by the detractors of this move in 2 different threads here on BS. But there is a problem with your last sentence ...... the opportunity ISN'T a good one. What Lalas (and I) are pointing out is that even if our MLS players make it, the same detractors are going to say that it was DESPITE them being in MLS that we did it. If we don't, then it was clearly MLS that sucked their talent from them and was the reason we didn't make it. As Lalas says, #narrative ..... meaning their IS NO narrative that gives MLS credit amongst the detractors. I've been commenting on it elsewhere.
Not disagreeing with you but I think reasonable, non-hysterical people can make the distinction between players looking for better, more challenging leagues to aid their development and relatively fully developed players, who've already tested themselves at the game's highest levels, coming home. Hopefully your head coach understands that distinction too. His behavior seems to indicate that he does. I'm not a fan of your national team but it IS good for the Sheas, Altidores, and Camerons to move out of their comfort zone and seek out greater challenges that will force them to sink or swim at a higher level. On the other hand, once a player has "made it" I'd suggest that there's little extra benefit; particularly if they're not a regular starter. Now, Bradley is still young by MLS (SuperDraftee) standards but has been an established European pro for years so he's right on the bubble. On the one hand he could make a sideways move and try his luck somewhere else but really, he's probably close to maxed out his advancement in Europe. He's very unlikely to end up a regular starter on another club with Roma's ambition. So for him, it's an interesting trade-off. But it looks like the money from MLSE might just be too attractive. And none of the crazies in your national team fan base seem to understand that you unequivocally DON'T need to be playing at the top level to be successful in the World Cup. In fact, there's a lot of evidence that, for the elite players in the Champions League playing 60+ highly competitive games in the build-up, that it's NOT good for your form in the World Cup. You want your players in a comfortable environment where they can focus on and build up to the tournament rather than show up for camp in mid-May already exhausted and carrying knocks they played through to keep their (far more lucrative) club position safe. The effect seems more pronounced in non-European World Cups: Who had a better World Cup in 2002: WORLD AND EURO CHAMPION France (with CL winner Zidane) or the MLSers on the United States? Argentina or South Korea? 2010: Did Italy benefit from having all of their players "at the highest level"? France (again)? England were insipid for all but about 1/3rd of one of their games. (Basically, no one other than Germany and Brazil manages to compete consistently. It's a short tournament, luck and form matter.) So yeah, if you're a USMNT fan and don't think that having your established stars back playing at home in your domestic league isn't a good thing for the game in your country... you're wrong, and crazy, and hopelessly looking for validation you're never going to get.
Happy for Toronto..Tim doesn't seem to be messing around up there.. I'm also glad overall for MLS its being very aggressive in the talent its pursuing and securing
If the rumors about Jones to Southern Cal pan out..... we're a 'Tim Howard surprise' away from a possible ALL MLS starting lineup....... (I can dream can't I) But yea, times have changed much in 4 yrs. The future turns out to be now.
I do agree there are risks that if the US bows out early it'll hurt MLS with that narrative. But I don't agree that if the US succeeds that the narrative will inherently be that it was in spite of MLS. Yes, Lalas was commenting on the fact that Eurosnobs will sneer at MLS no matter what. And it's certainly a concern that the narrative from a successful World Cup could be shaped that way. But I don't think that's inherently what would happen. I do think it would present an opportunity for MLS to change the narrative with a lot of people watching. Let's not forget that ESPN's commentators like Twellman and Lalas are MLS homers!