I'm sure I would if I paid for cable Doesn't change the fact I'd never heard of it till this thread. That is a bad sign if you are trying to attract casual fans.
I don't think they are trying to attract casual fans. They are trying to attract hardcore soccer fans. They have DEEP pockets though as they are funded by the government of Qatar.
one of those teams is US soccer and players on that team play in leagues around the world. Also, do you not want to be familiar with the teams that the team you root for plays against? How else could you know if they were playing well. "I can't believe we let that guy cut inside on his left, that is his only move!"
I always love it when people think they need to tell others how to be fans....If I cared about watching other match ups/found them entertaining I'd watch. If you think you are a better fan than me because you do watch all that other stuff, awesome. I don't care what you watch/don't watch and don't judge other fandom based on it. Soccer fans are amusing though, instead of seeing someone who used to watch the US in the World Cup exclusively and has slowly expanded to watching most US soccer games (friendlies still do nothing for me) and has found a team to root for and watch (Sounders) and going, 'cool, glad to have you on board' its all about criticizing. Despite the amount I post on here (currently) I do in fact have other interests (work, golf, snowboarding, coaching, other sports, etc..) and I have no interest in watching soccer 24 hours a day. I don't apologize for that and if that disqualifies me from posting here in some of your eyes, that is a you problem. I'm gonna log off and watch the Mariners on my TV and the Sounders US Open Cup match on my computer while getting ready for my trip to Seattle where I'll attend both teams games on Sunday.
As a soccer fan, the sport is growing just fine with or without you. We really don't need you. Stick to golf.
We're attacking the guy who likes to watch the US national team and the Seattle Sounders instead of the idiot who's screaming about how ESPN hates soccer?
I don't think they stop at 24. I truly believe that 30-32 teams is the end game here. Almost every major sports league in the US has 30 teams or more and I really think MLS will follow suit. I can believe that in 2022, if an ownership group comes up with the $ to put a team in Indianapolis or Cleveland that the league is going to say "no". They'll take the money and expand.
They will continue building up Minor League Soccer as well. The MiLB model is well underway to being realized. The B teams will continue to populate USL-Pro, and more and more affiliations will happen as well. This will be a fun ride.
http://www.mls4mn.com/soccer-downtown-minneapolis/comment-page-1/#comment-18587 A nice start and it would be great to see a stadium in downtown Mpls. It's going to be an interesting off season for United.
Wow, talk about an over reaction. MLS academies are just now starting to pump out some really awesome talent (Yedlin, Fagundez, Zardes, Najar, etc etc), and the quality of coaching in MLS is continuing to improve....especially with these young guys who were former players (Robinson, Kreis, etc). All I'd like to see happen is having the academies go down to the U-10 level, raise the salary cap to better compete with the Mexican clubs, and get rid of the silly travel restrictions in regards to chartered flights. Otherwise, I love where the league is going.
Anyone who thinks expansion means talent dilution ("watered down") in a global game like soccer where MLS is a middle of the pack league isn't worth arguing with (yes that includes Steve Nicol)... I guess MLS was SOOO much better when there were only 10 teams right??
Vegas? Just the other day they were talking about building a 20,000 seat stadium downtown. Do they have a chance? I don't think they have much of a shot* but if they come I say bring back the Quicksilvers*
Everyone (that has a rich ownership group willing to put in the money for the expansion fee and a stadium, in a top ~40-population metropolitan area) has a "chance"... expansion is obviously not stopping at 24. The people who were arguing that it would have disappeared just like the people who once argued it would stop at 20.