It's official: MLS All-Stars to play Liga MX stars in L.A. https://www.latimes.com/sports/socc...jor-league-soccer-all-star-game-liga-mx-stars Contract Deadline Day 2019: Stay up to date with all the moves around MLS https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019/11/21/contract-deadline-day-2019-stay-date-all-moves-around-mls LA Galaxy announce roster decisions ahead of 2020 MLS Season https://www.lagalaxy.com/post/2019/11/21/la-galaxy-announce-roster-decisions-ahead-2020-mls-season Orlando City SC Announces 2019 End-of-Season Roster Decisions https://www.orlandocitysc.com/post/...sc-announces-2019-end-season-roster-decisions Sporting KC announces roster moves ahead of 2020 MLS season https://www.sportingkc.com/post/2019/11/21/sporting-kc-announces-roster-moves-ahead-2020-mls-season Ignacio Piatti returns; Montreal Impact announce roster moves https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/mo...turns-montreal-impact-season-roster-mls-2019/ LAFC picks up options on 4 players, cuts another 4 as core remains intact https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/lo...20-contract-options-signed-declined-core-mls/ Breaking down the Portland Timbers roster heading into 2020 https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/po...-2020-squad-cuts-contracts-analysis-salaries/ Atlanta United exercises contract options on Leandro González-Pírez, Julian Gressel https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/at...s-2020-julian-gressel-leandro-gonzalez-pirez/ Chicago Fire re-brand with new logo, colors, name https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/chicago-fire/chicago-fire-rebrand-new-logo-colors-name-2019-mls/ Chicago Fire FC arrive as part of major rebrand https://soccer.nbcsports.com/2019/11/21/chicago-fire-fc-arrive-as-part-of-major-rebrand/ Inter Miami co-owner Jorge Mas shares latest on coach and preseason training camp sites https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article237615604.html New Austin FC sporting director Claudio Reyna promises global search for talent https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/ex...ing-director-claudio-reyna-global-talent-mls/ Seattle Sounders GM Garth Lagerwey quashes rumors of interest in move to Chicago Fire https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...wey-quashes-rumors-interest-move-chicago-fire No Rooney, no Zlatan, no Schweinsteiger, but does MLS need Europe's aging stars anymore? https://www.goal.com/en-us/news/no-...-but-does-mls-need/16gftmzss0nsw1cumj4nr3gkcd New York Red Bulls decline captain Luis Robles’ option, announce roster moves https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/ne...line-luis-robles-option-wright-phillips-2019/ Montreal Impact get Romell Quioto from Houston Dynamo for Victor Cabrera, GAM https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/mo...cquire-romell-quioto-victor-cabrera-mls-2019/ Darwin Quintero is ready to get to work with the Houston Dynamo https://www.prosoccerusa.com/mls/houston-dynamo/darwin-quintero-houston-dynamo-tab-ramos-mls-2019/ Toronto FC confirm they are in talks with Michael Bradley, Nicolas Benezet for return https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2019...-talks-michael-bradley-nicolas-benezet-return How England’s mavericks and misfits of the 1970s found their place in the NASL https://theathletic.com/1396751/201...s-of-the-1970s-found-their-place-in-the-nasl/
Not that Fire fans should care one bit what a Crew fan thinks, but the new badge is awful. The old one was one of the best, if not the best, in the league.
http://www.insideworldfootball.com/...-32-teams-headlines-soccerex-usa-opening-day/ "MLS commissioner Don Garber, speaking at the Soccerex convention in Miami, said that the league’s “30th team will be announced before the end of the year” and that while there will be further expansion, the MLS is in no hurry to make it happen." "Citing the 60-70,000 mile players have to travel a year as a reason to put a brake on expansion, he said that “32 teams will happen at some point but it is not happening any time soon.”"
Depending on where they go I'd wager expansion will likely reduce travel by increasing the volume of teams closer to one another, no?
I think so, but that is yet to be seen. I have said it several times. This year's schedule will tell us a lot about MLS plans for scheduling going forward. I think we will see the first time in league history that teams don't play every other team at least once. At least, I don't recall that every happening before.
Conference/division alignments and scheduling formats have more affect on the travel burden than the raw number of teams does. Speaking of that, why haven't they announced a 2020 conference alignment and schedule format yet? Where does Nashville go? Usually these are things that are announced during MLS Cup week.
One theory had been they would put Nashville in the west but I never thought that would happen. Someone posed on reddit that they saw on Nashville MLS website they were in the east but I can't find that reference. I think Chicago will move West and Nashville will be put in the East.
Barring a change that completely revamps the current system, they just need one of Chicago or Nashville to be in the West for one year before switching to the East to make room for Austin. If I were running things I would give Chicago the choice due to seniority, but in any case they need to announce something.
Technically nobody has to move when Austin enters because there will be an uneven number of teams so one conference is going to have more teams no matter what.
My great fear is that Chicago and St. Louis will eventually be in different conferences, which would really suck for the team that would otherwise be the closest geographical rival. Plus, the new StL stadium has better rail access from the Chicago Loop than Bridgeview did.