2019 Leagues Cup

Super.

 

So how were/are participating teams decided?

 

According to Lester Gretsch, Wilmer has already come out and said it is going to be a mostly RGV lineup instead of Dynamo regulars. That’s one hell of a way to sell tickets, promise to play minor leaguers!! Where can I buy Presidents Club tickets doe this one ???!!!!

http://mobile.twitter.com/lesterdeportes/status/1133809167746162688?s=21

 

I'd say they picked cities with large Mexican populations, but RSL doesn't really fit.

 

C'mon, we all know that either way the stadium will be packed with Club America supporters.

 

Oh yeah, but on the day that the tournament is announced with some fanfare - ostensibly to build support for MLS teams with a crossover audience (still not likely) - your head coach declares it a reserve tournament!!! It’s one thing to think it and then throw out a lineup full of Kevin Garcia-type players on game day but to declare it a reserve match 8 weeks out before a single ticket is sold is nuts.

 

Do you freaking blame him? I wouldn't let any of my starting roster touch the field in this competition. We are trying to not look like a shit show in MLS and possible repeat in the US Open Cup. The Gold Cup is already taking our best players for a month, making them play that is only going to ware them out even more. 75% of the people coming to that game will be there to see CA not our team anyways. I will go just to see Club America play and the CA Ultra's

 

not to mention its another fixture in a very congested summer schedule of playing games on less than a weeks rest fairly regularly

 

Doesn’t matter, can’t believe MLS is happy with a participant coach crapping on the event on the day they announce it.

 

It does matter. Protecting your roster that is geared toward WINNING THE MLS CUP is far more important than some attempt to get Mexican fans to watch MLS Teams..... news flash most won't. He is just willing to say what most of those coaches are thinking.

That competition is a distraction from the goal and what really matters.

 

It’s stupid of him to say it publicly. It’s funny because he’s mostly banned media from most of practice as I understand it which doesn’t help getting media interest up in the club but in one case where they are trying to drum up interest (this League Cup event) he tells a media member that it’s essentially meaningless to him and the club.

Wilmer acts like he’s accomplished a lot in MLS at times which is not really true. Can’t pull the Bruce Arena routine when you have nothing to show for it (and spare me the USOC accolades)

 

^^^^ !!!!!!!!!

yeah, throw the Marketing Dept and ticket sales a bone and find abetter way to say it.

 

I’ll pass. I have 0 interest in Liga MX, just like most Liga MX fans have 0 interest in the MLS.

 

you're either a masochist (most MLS is unwatchable) or a Central American D. Liga Mx is pretty decent for this side of the world.

 

I agree in that sense. I didn't say it wasn't stupid, just that it's pointless and opens us up for more injuries and/or fatigue.


Ps.... I'd never throw winning the USOC around as a accolade, but as a team still something to be proud of when adding it with 2 MLS Cups.

 

I don’t disagree that these are mostly meaningless friendlies (although that won’t stop Glenn Davis talking it up for the next 8 weeks) and coaches aren’t getting fired for losing in the League Cup, they get fired for not making playoffs.

But Wilmer has got to be smarter than cracking on it and declaring it a reserve match a week before the pre-sale!!

BTW, I actually liked Superliga, Dom emphasized it because at the time it paid out a higher bonus to the squad than MLS Cup did and far more than USOC.

 

I don't question the quality of Liga MX, but since I have no connections to Mexico I have no interest in their soccer... sorry, amigo. I follow La Liga because of family tradition (Sevilla) and Campeonato Brasileiro (Palmeiras) because I married into a Paulista family. Add River Plate (ARG) and Arsenal (EPL) because that's what was available on the local TV when I was a kid.

I was born in Panama, so technically speaking it's Central America, although we don't consider ourselves central american because of historical and cultural reasons. Not dissin' the fine futbol played in the region... and after all, soccer is kind of a new thing in Panama... we're good at baseball, boxing and horse racing.

 

This has to be basically slapped together last minute, which means more for us than MX.

It looks to me like the teams involved were picked from the list remaining after eliminating (a) teams playing the Sunday before (b) teams playing the Saturday after and (c) Canadian teams playing in their tournament. The last one means this doesn't turn out much different looking than Superliga despite that evolution that would make this different to see. I'd like to have seen a Canadian team involved.

Cup games and friendlies are always more novelty and buyer beware, given our history of putting league first. But this is not usually spelled out until the last minute for, among other things, competitive reasons. You usually don't want to horribly telegraph who to expect showing up so the other team can plan.

And of course for marketing reasons both us and MLS probably wouldn't like a cold water bath tossed on ticket sales the day it's announced. It is, ironically, the honest "sell" -- here is the real value of that ticket before you buy it -- but we're used to the slicker alternative.

Bears reminding Cabrera was voted last in the league on whether coaches were liked.

 

As NB points out most of the ticket sales will be CA fans just happy to see the other team play

 

I have 0 interest in these particular teams but if I were in town I'd go. Only white dude in the stadium, leaning forward and trying to find cheap, talented purchases for the Dynamo. What better what to spend an evening?

 

Every time I talk about fixture congestion in MLS and fatigue, my friends in Europe laugh. Granted, they don't have to travel like we do and roster depth tends to be greater (obviously especially at the top flight, but I'm talking lower league here too), but 3 matches per week is not abnormal. 50+ matches per season.

 

Iirc, first ever international match our Houston Dynamo played was a 1-0 victory against Club America at The Rob. Would be cool to keep beating on them all these years later on. Kinda cool to confront them again now that I think about it like this. Club America is as well the New York Yankees of Liga MX when spending power and biggest city n media pull is combined.