Tuesday 12 Feb 2019

MLS at Daytona Speedway?
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/2019/02/12/mls-at-daytona-international-speedway-it-could-happen/

Uh wat.

 

Made a comeback with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers in 77. Led the league in GAA, iirc, with one eye. The sign in the stands - "Only Jesus saves more than Gordon Banks."

 

Interesting that Premier League and La Liga transfer fees are down so much this window.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevep...for-u-s-soccer/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

 

**DISCLAIMER**
THIS IS NOT A RECENTLY HATCHED IDEA FOR PROMOTION/RELEGATION
I have always felt that if MLS were to ever implement Pro/Rel, this is their path. They would only do P/R if they could control who was promoted or relegated. Handing out a MLS franchise to just any USL or NASL owner didn't fit in their business plan and neither did getting bumped to USL after investing millions to be in MLS.

For shits and giggles on this exercise, let's say they reach 32 by their target date in 2026.

Freeze it at 32 for four years to allow the league to adjust to the new teams and the afterglow of WC 2026.
Mid-January 2030, announce that applications for four new "MLS Franchises" in the upcoming "MLS 2" in 2034, announce it early in the day.
Announce on the same day just at the end of the business hours that there will be a four year aggregate point total in MLS and six teams will be relegated to MLS 2 after the 2033 season. The news cycle would be owned by MLS for days even during NFL playoff season. Do it a couple days after the conference championship games and you can benefit from the upcoming Super Bowl's international media blitz. They can get tons of free publicity as it would be dragged out over a week.

Going into 2034, MLS at 26 teams, MLS 2 at 10 teams.
Three teams get relegated after 2034, one promoted from MLS 2. MLS at 24 teams, MLS 2 at 12 teams

Three teams get relegated after 2035, one promoted from MLS 2. MLS at 22 teams, MLS 2 at 14 teams

January 2036, announce that applications for two new MLS 2 fanchises to start in 2038
Three teams get relegated after 2036, one promoted from MLS 2. MLS at 20 teams, MLS 2 at 16 teams

MLS goes to balanced schedule with 38 games(won't need Summer cash friendlies with Man U, Barca, Bayern etc)
Three teams get relegated after 2037, three promoted(German format or English playoff format). Permanent format

January 2038 announces applications for two more MLS 2 spots in 2040
2038 MLS 2 grows to 18 teams
2040 MLS 2 grows to 20 teams. MLS controls 40 teams, profit sharing on TV deals keeps the MLS 2 owners happy. Do what Germany did in the late 90s and turn Monday Night Futbol into MLS 2 National game of the week(No mid-week CCL commitments by MLS 2 squads)

2042 Nick Rimando retires

Shred away.

 

I really enjoyed the fact that the scoreboard rendering they chose to show the bigger scoreboard had the score as RBNY 4 NYCFC 0. And also managed to work in an ad for their home opener and a sponsor ad.

 

Reducing the capacity by 5,000 wouldn't do them any harm. Signing a moderately well-known DP wouldn't do them any harm either. Same goes for their Hudson rivals.

 

How would they set up the divisions with those cities? Assuming you go with 4 8-team divisions, the West would be pretty straightforward, with the "Pacific" division of all the west coast teams (LAFC,LAG, SJ, Sacramento, Por,Sea,Van and Phoenix). Then you'd have RSL,Colo,Dal,Hou,Min,KC, and St. Louis and Austin ( or San Antonio if Precourt screws it all up).

But there's no way to divide the East into 2 neat halves of 8 teams each. There are clusters of teams, but not enough to make groups of 8 without splitting them up. Toronto and Montreal need to be in the same division, and NE,NYC,NYRB, Phi, and DC should be together. Likewise Orl,Mia, Atl and the North Carolina team (maybe Nashville also). Then there's a group of Cin, Colum,Chi, and Detroit.

Or you could go all NFL with North/South/East/West: WEST= "Pacific" teams noted above. SOUTH: 3 Texas teams plus Atl,NC,Orl,Mia,Nash. EAST: DC,Phil,NYRB,NYC,NE,Mon,Tor,Det. NORTH: Min, Chi, RSL, Colo, KC, StL,Colum, Cin.

Not good that the "North" division spans 3 time zones, but whaddayagonnado?

 

Even with one eye, he was still a great GK with the Strikers...

 

Sebastian Giovinco scores in his Al-Hilal debut

https://streamable.com/0z3y6

 

MLS in 2009:
- 15 teams
- 24 roster spots- no reserves
- 7 team-owned and operated SSS
- $8 million annually in TV $

MLS in 2019:
- 24 teams 📈
- 30 roster spots, + USL affiliations ⚽️
- 18 team-owned and operated SSS 🏟️
- $90 million annually in TV $ 💰

MLS in 2029:
???? https://t.co/4YtLEZhDdt

— MLS Buzz (@MLS_Buzz) February 12, 2019

 

Does anybody have a link where the video actually works?

 

If you click on the video it will open in twitter where the video works.

 

Just do something that makes no particular sense, like the NHL Atlantic Division, which consists of three eastern Canadian teams not particularly near the Atlantic, the Great Lakes-adjacent Detroit and Buffalo, plus Boston and two Florida teams.

Or MTL/TOR/CLB/CHI/DET/CIN/NAS/ATL would be a fairly reasonable division for an inland/coastal split of the Eastern Conference.

 

Restarted my computer and got it working. That is Gov. Christine Gregoire with the Don, fyi. Fredy Montero and Brad Evans used to be young. And aren't anymore. Which means I am an old fart that watched Gordon Banks live and in person.

 

I did find it amusing how after Evans scored the announcer took it as an opportunity to compliment Sigi on believing in young players like Evans.

 

The finish wasn't great but, boy, that change of direction to run into the box was superb.

 

Evans was an example of how the game was evolving. Sigi recognized. I didn't. And it took me a long time to appreciate Evans properly. I think that just maybe possibly Sigi knew a little more about soccer than I do. Just maybe possibly.

 

Can't forget this contribution. Some things worked. Others did not.
http://www.flickriver.com/photos/smaira/3372327921/

 

And then there was 1999 (way before my time).

Los Angeles head coach Sigi Schmid was named All Sport Coach of the Year. The awards garnered by Schmid, Kevin Hartman (Pepsi Goalkeeper of the Year) and Robin Fraser (BIC Defender of the Year) marked the first individual awards won by the Galaxy (not including ATAT's Best-11).

The 46-year old Schmid, who finished ahead of Dallas' Dave Dir and DC United's Thomas Rongen, completed his first year as head coach of the Galaxy with a 17-9 record (.654) good for 49 points and a first place finish in the Western Conference. He was named the Los Angeles Galaxy's third head coach in team history on April 22, 1999 taking over for Octavio Zambrano. Prior to becoming the Galaxy's manager, Schmid served as head coach at the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA).

 

Dynamo, Chivas, and Crew have that honor..

 

So, this means I'm now ready for a head coaching position...*sigh*

 

..which in truth is kind of like finishing first in the 400 meter high hurdles competing against two guys in wheelchairs.