Toronto is desperately trying to pull a 2017 LA Galaxy right now. EDIT: OMG, bounces off the post and in, hilarious. 2-0.
A quick search doesn't find anything so it's entirely possible it didn't happen and my brain conjured it for some reason. That's not a good sign for my mental health.
Wait. Dumb question - does Toronto visit Justin Trudeau now rather than the White House? I'd take that trade.
Congrats to perhaps the greatest Galaxy defense ever. As TFC's coaching braintrust, Greg Vanney, Robin Fraiser, and Dan Calichman have just won the MLS cup and a domestic treble.
The domestic treble is pretty darn impressive. EDIT: Excited to see what this Toronto team can do in CCL.
Happy to see Seattle lose but it's annoying to see people call TFC the best team in MLS history. They're de finitely a fantastic team but best of all time? No. The Canadian cup is now considered a major domestic trophy lol.
Enjoyed the game - Toronto was the best team and deserved it. Congrats to them. Do NOT ask me to praise Michael Bradley - I must have missed the stuff that's inspiring @TrickHog and Taylor Twellman and Matt Doyle. Jozy and Giovinco finished that goal, from a good buildup. Lots of forwards could have missed that and Jozy did very well. Kept thinking - why can't we get a goalkeeper like Frei? Sigi, find us something under the Christmas tree please.
How about Michael Bradley today for #MLSCup winner @torontofc! For all the times he handled the ball, just 6 passes not completed.Also, incredibly, 28 defensive actions.That is flat out getting it done.— Steve Davis (@SteveDavis90) December 9, 2017 He was pretty darn good this game. Won't erase his USMNT performances, but this MB was stellar.
At this point he is a very good club level player. But if the Nats can't find or develop someone better, we are in bad shape.
28 defensive actions for Bradley, 1 foul, no cards. That's pretty masterful. And Jozy's goal was very well-taken. When you look at the TFC project, where that team has ended up from where they started and the role Jozy and Bradley have played in getting them there, I think it vindicates them for all the folks who said they took it easy by coming back to MLS. When people talk about all the things they would've faced by sticking it out in Europe -- it's hard to argue these guys haven't faced pressure to perform and improve, the pressure of expectations, the pressure of being marquee players in this league, and risen to the occasion. At the end of the day, sports is about winning titles -- not fighting for a spot on squad that isn't competing for anything. These guys are going to rue missing out on the World Cup in their prime years for the rest of their lives. That's going to be part of their legacy. But so is being part of turning around a team that used to be a laughing stock in this league to one now being considered the best in MLS history.
I was crushed to see Seattle improved on last year's performance. I think they picked up two late SOG.
I think the Ciman situation is worth discussing. LAFC acquired Ciman, and apparently Ciman was not aware of this at all. Ciman and his lawyer apparently had a verbal agreement with Montreal that he would not be moved. As many of you probably know, Ciman's daughter is autistic, and the main reason Ciman came to Montreal was so he could get the best treatment for her possible all the while have a french speaking doctor. Also to add insult to injury, Ciman had just completed the building of his new home in Montreal before the trade. Now Ciman is in a strange spot. He came to the MLS for his daughter's well-being, and now has to either retire to stay in Montreal, move his family to LA and get a new doctor, or work in LA while his family stays in Montreal. MLS is the only soccer league where a player can have his rights traded away and the player has no say in the matter. Basically retire, or comply. It's messed up. I remember when Rogers wanted to come back to the MLS, Rogers made his opinions know on twitter how he hated that he had no say in his own soccer career. Whoever traded for his rights was going to get Rogers even if Rogers did not want to play for that club.
Doesn't this happen to a lot of players in the NBA, MLB and NFL? My impressions is that in professional sports a player having say over where he/she will go is the exception more than the rule.
The US is generally the exception in this aspect. While those big leagues (and the NHL) certainly are in the forefront of American minds, most pro and semi pro team sports players cannot simply be traded to another team. I think certain foreign leagues like the KHL and AFL (Aussie Rules) allow trades but generally it does seem that unilateral trades are the exception rather than the rule. Certainly within the soccer world (which on it's own represents a rather large part of the pro/semi pro team sports market), it's pretty rare. MLS isn't completely unique though. Liga MX has something similar with El Pacto de Caballeros. Rights are held indefinitely by a Liga MX club. If your rights are traded, you can only play with the team who holds your rights or you're forced to leave Mexico entirely. They even hold a "draft", which is more akin to MLB's winter meetings, where lots of player trades happen in the off-season. What happened to Ciman is unfortunate (and really, he should have not signed without a no-trade clause), but supposedly LAFC talked with him prior to the trade and hopefully they go the extra mile for family and daughter.
In the US perhaps. In the EU at least, that doesn't fly. The Bosman case was precisely this kind of scenario and made this completely illegal. You cannot legally make a player move to a team he doesn't want to play for.