News: Saturday, Dec 30 , 2017

Re: Manneh to mexcio team- i commenter said:

Not that Manneh would have commanded much of a fee, but why is it that a guy who was heralded as one of the best things going in MLS and US Soccer can ship off to Pachuca on a free transfer? What am I missing?

3 things you are missing- and i saw kekuta play many times in vancouver and said as early as 2015 that he wasnt going to make it- professional soccer is more than just speed:

1. he went on a free transfer which means for pachuca a plane ticket and a billet of a couple of weeks- he was a sub on columbus, as he was in vancouver most of the time- showed flashes of promise, but like most players with speed, he lacks polish, ambition and overall skill, having relied on his speed to win attention, but it isnt enough at the professional level- manneh always played on the fringes of a game and rarely drove himself into the 18 yard box to score- what does that tell you?

2. pachuca have nothing to loose by having a look at kekuata, but i have a hard time seeing him getting a contract- if he cant be a starter-impact player in MLS, how will he find a place in the mexican league? speed players like him and darren mattocks get opportunities, but they dont last long (and darren is a much better player than kekuta)

3. kekuta was heralded in 2014- again the speed attraction- but has faded from 2 MLS teams which is all you need to know- at a $168 000 salary, he wasnt worth resigning and we can guess that no other MLS team is interested

 

Thanks for this breakdown. I only caught glimpses of him and wondered why he seemed to drop off a cliff in terms of expectations. Obviously in any league speed is attractive, but he’s going to a league where let’s just say it’s not the first thing they look for. Maybe he’ll learn something...

 

Herc Gomez did the biz.

We need to build a Herc Gomez altar somewhere, maybe a Musee de Herc Gomez.

 

Just a followup on the John Skipper story.

Apparently Skipper does not have a substance abuse problem. Rather, there were sexual assault allegations that Disney didn't want aired. Outkick is preparing an article.

 

So, player after player and manager after manager keep trying to tell MLS's leadership what is wrong with their league, yet they refuse to listen.

Why does MLS' leadership refuse to see reality?

 

Given that addiction is usually handled by a leave of absence and sexual assault/harassment is currently big news that any company would like to avoid, this would not be shocking.

 

What's your reality-based suggestion?

 

Adopting the international calendar, pro/rel, and solidarity payments. The serious leagues all do it this way. Soccer is a global sport and the world is our competition.

 

You could've just said, "No."

Solidarity payment for scholarship players is a good idea, the rest ranges from impractical to outright counterproductive.

 

Honestly and unfortunately before reading any story, that was my assumption.

 

Great idea, just a few questions.
How do you get networks to except the switch to new calender?
How do you get networks to except they may lose t.v.markets? New York for say Hartford.
What happens if teams start defaulting on stadiums from loss of revenue when being relegated?
How are teams going to survive the drop with no chance of parachute payments?
How are teams going to afford the cost of being promoted?I'm for solidarity payments but it will come out of players salaries in some way, especially with newly promoted teams, won't this hurt now even more now that teams are starting to compete for higher end young players?

 

Funny thing is I have always thought the MLS schedule helped us at World Cups. 2 and a half months of playing games is plenty enough time to get into your rhythm, with full fitness, while also being physically fresh. I have constantly heard complaints from other fans and managers about how tired the World Cup players are when they come to camp, after having just played a grueling 9 month campaign. But to each his own I guess.

 

Sweet. I look forward to the San Francisco Deltas in MLS next year. Almost as much as I look forward to the LA Galaxy being one of the 5 NASL teams. Or one of the 42,528 USL teams. And LAFC playing in NPSL. Fun!

Having pro/rel with an expanding first division and wildly unstable lower divisions is fun.

 

Why do people who don't understand that huge portions of the United States sit in a climate zone which is much more harsh in the winter (and summer, for that matter) than almost all of non-Russian Europe continue to comment as if that reality does not exist?

 

You know, their and there is one thing. But except and accept? Really?

 

It would be hit or miss for sure. I took a quick look at weather. It would be a balmy 40+ degrees F in Vancouver, Salt Lake City and Denver, which is similar to Milan, Italy. But, not so thrilled about the Minneapolis and Toronto temperatures. Even DC is in the 20s this week.

 

It's 7 in Chicago.

It's a whole 15-18 in most of Ohio.

 

His drug of choice was women. Or he developed a drug abuse problem in order to deflect the assault charges.

 

There is NO international calendar.......you should have just said: Adopt the European Calendar......

Might want to let all of CONMEBOL know that they are failing as a confederation because they don't follow the "International Calendar" while you're at it.

Ditto FMF, for their lack of Pro/Rel......because, honestly....their system is designed to prevent pro/rel just as much as USSF's is.

 

The high today in Lubbock was 31 and there was snow here on Wednesday. The forecast for the next two days is highs in the 20s and lows in single digits. The idea of adopting the international calendar is so stupid that anyone who suggests it should be neutered without question.

 

Try 32 here in Denver just before sunset. And colder the next two days.

There is NO European calendar.....he should have just said Adopt the English/German/Spanish Calendar. Because in reality the vast majority of people who write and support articles like the one that started this thread say we should do it like "the rest of the world" when they really mean "I want us to be like United/City/Arsenal/Liverpool/Chelsea/Bayern/Real/Barca (maybe Spurs) and i don't really know what happens in this sport outside those teams".

 

So the NFL, NBA and MLB are not serious leagues?