Well one of those is supposedly going to a DP striker. And I don't think either of those two guys is officially gone...gone. At least we've heard they're potentially renegotiating with Imperiale. And some green cards could have been obtained...you never know. So, we'll see how much it hamstrings them regarding other signings.
Yeah, my point is that there is no good reason to keep either of them. They are not good enough to warrant use of an international slot. You shouldn't use them on backup players unless you have them to burn.
I assumed that Colvey's absence would free one up, but I see that he was born in Hawaii, so nevermind about that. Still, there are other non-returning players that were using them up, and Dawkins could still have his contract bought out, or the Quakes could trade for another one like they did with Atlanta earlier in the year. There's a long time yet before the roster has to come under compliance. Heck, this playoff cycle has been drawn out so long that the 2017 season isn't even over yet (although for the majority of fans it was over more than a month ago).
The MLS season is insanity. The beginning of March until the middle of December? Ridiculous. It should be April - October like baseball...
Extending the season beyond November is bad for two main reasons: first, people lose interest. The vast majority of fans stop caring once their team is eliminated, and most teams were gone before October ended. Seattle and Toronto have a lot of fans for their individual teams, but how many general MLS fans care about either team? MLS doesn't get the casual audience viewership of any other major American sport. Second, it's really bad for the players. Sandwiching in bunches of games in midweeks like they did to complete some arbitrarily decided number of games increases the liklihood of injury and shortens the career expectancy of those players. MLS probably wants it that way to make sure very few players can hang around long enough to make any actual money, but there's a reason playoff games are usually not very exciting, the players are seriously fatigued. Is it really worth it to watch too exhausted teams limp into a penalty shootout for the final? That's where we're likely headed for the second year in a row.
I haven't lost interest. Merely offering my personal preference, here. I'd rather there was a Quakes game this weekend, all else being equal. As for fatigue, if they made the rosters bigger and played Kip Colvey once in a while, then Sarkodie could have a breather.
A February start would be basically impossible. You do know how cold it gets in places like Montreal, right? It's bad enough they start as early in March as they do. Heck, even the early Quakes games this year were uncomfortable, and we have the mildest climate in the league by a huge margin. You'd have to fill your whole team with Qwibergs and pray they never acclimated to warmer climates.
Cold weather teams can play indoors or in the warmer weather climates to begin the season. Then they can take a few bye weeks or international breaks at the beginning of the season instead of at the middle or the end of the season. The clubs in colder cities are already starting on the road so I don't see much of a difference. European league start each season in late August, play 1-2 games then take an international break in September, October and November. If they can do it at the start of their seasons, I see no reason why MLS can't.
Global warming is going to ensure a year-round MLS schedule, especially in Miami during hurricane season.
So you want a longer season but with more breaks to accommodate inhospitable weather + FIFA dates, plus some very lopsided road trips for more than half the league (which cannot be done). If they are already taking bye weeks in the beginning of the season, why wouldn't they just start later? How is what you've proposed better than a more evenly distributed and shorter season, exactly? I feel like you just want the season longer for the sake of a longer season, and not for any practical reasons or in an effort to solve a problem.
This isn’t the right thread to talk about this but Lopsided schedule? How can it be worse than what it is? If anything, we need more games and a better evened out schedule as MLS clubs don’t even play every other team twice. A few years ago, I remember the Quakes had a two or three week by in June not to mention a month of road trips or 3/4 games away in the summer months. I don’t see how that makes sense.
Precisely my point. There ought to be a moratorium on any further development of any sort in Miami, if reports of climate change are to be credited. And yet MLS persists in seeking to build a stadium there. Either the climate threat is not really serious or MLS lacks a modicum of foresight.
https://jugadorfranquicia.net/2017/...from-his-roots-and-will-settle-in-california/ Good interview with Joel Qwiberg about his life and heading to the Quakes.
Now I understand his connection to Colombia (born there, has a Spanish middle name I think). I thought maybe one of his parents was Colombian, but he was adopted by I believe Swedish parents. Seems like a really good fit, given that the guy wants to be in the "Americas", and has big goals - to play for Colombia.
This line stood out to me: “Some things were important to me when I was thinking about my next choice, but one of them is that it’s well known by now the professionalism in MLS, the facilities and the fact that as players we only have to take care of training well and perform well in games”. That’s part of the reasons why Joel is leaving his home country and Europe for United States. I wonder if he's referring to more demand to engage with press or what other responsibilities he means specifically that don't seem to be a factor for MLS players. I know that bigger name players often comment on the relative obscurity they get to live in upon arriving in the US, but for a guy like Qwiberg, I wouldn't think that would be as big a concern. Although maybe the smaller size of Sweden means there is a lot of attention paid to the players they have there.
Yeah, that line puzzled me a bit too. Do the Swedish teams make them mow the lawn too? I guess it could be the media / notoriety thing. And are the facilities really that much better, let alone the "professionalism"? I guess compared to Swedish 2nd division it might be...
.@JoelQwiberg is officially ⚫️ & 🔵.#WelcomeJoel | #ForwardAsOne pic.twitter.com/YAcMpI279P— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) January 11, 2018 Arrived today.
Roll with us to pick up @JoelQwiberg from @FlySJC as he sets foot in America for the first time! Plus a couple of special appearances from head coach Michael Stahre & @tomthom11. #ForwardAsOne ⚫️🔵 #WelcomeJoel pic.twitter.com/zwoNmEvMGS— San Jose Earthquakes (@SJEarthquakes) January 12, 2018