I'd think the salary cap will be considerably higher in the coming years. Are there not salary caps in other major American sports? And aren't there super clubs in those sports?
If its not already ovbious, the Dynamo are one. Including thier stats in San Jose, this team has won 4 MLS Cups in the last seven seaons.
HAahaha....as good as Houston is/was in recent years....Winning the MLS a bunch of times doesn't make you a superclub...you need to get out in the world and win against the other leagues if you want to be a super club. The Dynamo do have the ability to go further in international competition, however they have a long way to go before super-club can be used in the same sentence as their name.
MLS also needs to bloody well take the international tourneys seriously. That aspect is really making my blood boil. I don't understand their stance in US Open Cup either. Come on here! If there is hardware on the line, go get it!
Don't we already have two, or arguably, three. DC and LA both have won the CONCACAF Champions Cup. DC with four MLS titles (and a slew of Supporter's Shields). LA with two (and more appearances). Also, as mentioned above, SJ/Houston has four of the last 7.
Without looking at the alternatives per se I boldly states that the first MLS superclub must fullfill these criteria... 1) Attractive place to live. 2) Lucrative sponsorship deals. 3) A stadium of their own. 4) A large and passionate fanbase. 5) Constantly a top team. The reasons are that the salary cap makes the area even more important as MLS can´t just offer more money, sponsorship deals are together with having a stadium of their own a must for financial stability apparently and finally the fans must be there to create a buzz around the team. As for being a top team I shouldn´t have to explain..or? Does any MLS teams live up to this...not yet I think but several might aspire to in the future. LAG or RBNY for example but don´t forget about Chigago, DCU or Houston.
While I would love to say Toronto FC, I'll be more realistic and say DC United. Not only have they got an unmatched domestic record, they have been at the vanguard of the MLS, in terms of competing and succeeding in international competitions. Now, if only they could do better than they did in the Sulamericana last year, and maybe aim for a potential shot at a Libertadores berth, then things could et really interesting... ...that said, if they can win the CCC and/or SuperLiga this year, and go on to do well at the Club World Cup in December and acquit themselves well in the CCL, maybe CONMEBOL might open a berth for them?
DC United: 1) Nations Capital, best public schools in the nation (in the burbs) 2) Will have a huuuuuge sponsor deal this year (probably Verizon) 3) Should have a stadium but the mayor has a vandetta against us, but RFK is ours only now 4) best fanbase in MLS 5) always wins supporter's shield, 4 mls cups, various international trophies LA Galaxy: 1) LA... really? who wants to live there? 2) herbalife 3) kind of-- but another MLS team plays there too 4) season tickets down 15% 5) clearly not a top team in mls, forget internationally Chicago Fire: 1) Too damn cold during the winter 2) Best Buy 3) yes 4) decent fan base 5) not really a "top team" NY Redbull: 1) "greatest city in the world"--- if they were actually in new york 2) their owner is their sponsor 3) yes 4) no fans what soever 5) have never won anything Houston Dynamo 1) really not a great city 2) amigo energy 3) no 4) decent fan base 5) 4 mls cups, nothing else. one of MLS' top teams
Back to TFC: 1) Toronto is a fine city to live in, with more going on than any other English-speaking city in Canada - though comparing it to magnificent Montréal is another matter entirely! 2) Does the Bank of Montréal count? Um... 3) BMO Field - ah, there's where that Bank thing might help! Well, and the City of Toronto, too. 4) Two season ticket sell-outs in a row, a packed crowd in 07 and hopefully for 08, and a pretty decent travelling support. 5) Well, um... eh, heh heh heh. We'll have to get back to you on that one. Assuming that T.O can get a winning team together some time this century, they might be in for a shot - but as I said in my previous post, I'd sooner bet on D.C. United getting to 'superclub' status first.
dc will get there before anyone..... not a dc fan but i would like to see a powerhouse that one of the lower teams can beat for some upside for their season ....
from how dominent dc was early on you could almost say that they were a super club. have they ever even missed the playoffs??
LA dude. Lalas already said so. wait, before that, he said metro/RB was a superclub crap, now I don't know
D.C. United is most likely to bring in better South American talent that will play attractive football and be able to win in the MLS, CCL, and other international competitions.
dont forget that attractive soccer ist always effective soccer, although dc usually blends the two pretty good.
Well isn't a super club the team that plays attractive football AND wins leagues and international competitions?
thats a complicated question in my book, depends what you mean by attractive soccer, most people think its individual creativity, so we will stick with that. in my opinion though too much individual creativty or too many creative players(how ever you look at it) takes away from the concept and organization of the team, which again in my opinion ist good and could cost you the game. of course going the other way it ist good either because play becomes too bland and perdictable which could cost you the game, there has too be a balance between the two i believe for optimal results. although id rather see a win with not so attractive style than lose and play pretty. its really about the win, so whatever helps you achieve that should be appllied. also the best team on the field ist always the one that plays the most attractive, it just seems like alot of people dont relize this.
Right now the parity in the league is so good I don't think we'll be seeing a superteam any time soon, but LA and NY are definitely going to have the required resources once the salary gets bumped a bit (read: a LOT) in the next 20 years or so. Since LA is shooting themselves in the foot with an Uzi right now, I picked NYRB.