ARe their too many games on the schedule?

Discussion in 'MLS: General' started by Soccerprep, Jan 25, 2008.

  1. Soccerprep

    Soccerprep Member

    Aug 26, 2005
    Lafayette, LA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    First off, I am not talking about the league schedule, but doing some research here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Major_League_Soccer_season, as well as on some of the links, I have discovered, that winning the league/supporters shield, cup, whaterver, qualifies you for this

    CONCACAF Champions Cup (this is the final year)
    CONCACAF Champions League
    Superliga
    COPA Sudermaricana
    Pan-Pacific Tournament

    Now I am indifferent towards the Dynamo, but the Dynamo will have a potential for the following.

    MLS league...............30
    MLS Playoffs.............4
    US Open Cup.............4
    Champions Cup..........5
    Champions League.....11 (a guess)
    Superliga...................5
    *COPA Sudermaricana..8
    Pan Pacific.................2

    Total.......................69 games

    Obviously this is a potential, and you can not expect them to "win out." But am I the only one that feel that this is a potential for a lot?

    BTW.
    DC United------59 games
    **Chivas USA--56 games
    **New England-56 games
    La Galaxy-------40 games
    Toronto---------34 games
    Everyone else---38 games

    So is there to many international competitions? Are upper tier MLS teams equipped to play 50-70 games in a season? Should there be requirements other than the MLS Cup Winner and Runner Up and the Supporter's Shiled Winner and Runner Up?

    For instance in England, the winner of the FA Cup recieves an invitation to the UEFA Cup, but if the winner recieves a bid based on league merit to the UEFA Cup or Champions League, then the runner up recieves the bid. As Dallas was the runner-up to the USOC, perhaps they could be entered into an event. I do not have the answers (obviously), but I personally feel that this is to may games.

    It will also be interesting to see how the Champions League works, because it appears that some games will take place during offseasons when roster changes occur.

    Please let me know what you think, I am prepared for any negative responses. But if this has already been discussed please let me know in a tactful manner.

    * Houston has not yet accepted the bid.
    ** Chivas and New England Revolution have to go through a preliminary qualification to get to the group stage. I am assuming this will only be one round of aggregate games, and therefore have adjusted the 11 Champions League Games to 13.
     
  2. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    You shouldn't count Pan-Pacific. That's a meaningless preseason tournament. If they weren't there, they'd be in South Carolina or somewhere else playing preseason games. Also, not all of the Champions League games will be this year. It runs through next May. And there is no guaranteed Sudamericana spot for MLS.
     
  3. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    And if an MLS team does go to Sudamericana, it will likely have to be different team than ones in the CCL since the competitions are running at the same time.
     
  4. jade1mls

    jade1mls Member

    Jul 9, 2006
    Seattle
    It's all good. More soccer for us to watch. These kind of international competitions are what are going to eventually force MLS to increase squad size and raise the salary cap.
     
  5. krudmonk

    krudmonk Member+

    Mar 7, 2007
    S.J. Sonora
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Too many money-maker exhibitions. I hope they get squeezed out when Champions Cup goes to Champions League.
     
  6. Dyn-MO

    Dyn-MO Red Card

    Nov 18, 2007
    Soccerville
    F***ing Alexi Lalas will make America get sick of Beckham by the end of 2008, he's forcing meaning-less games to make money out of Beckham 'til the casual fans get tired of seeing Beckham. Save Beckham for MLS games, you f***ing dick head! Let the casual fans come to MLS games and hopefully we can convert some numbers to become MLS fans. Don't force them to go to Hawaii and crap. That guy must be the dumbest GM in the entire world.
     
  7. NebraskaAddick

    Aug 26, 2005
    Omaha, NE
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    The reason why MLS clubs are ranked so low on the IFFHS World Club Rankings (highest last year was DC United at #288) is because we've had scant success on the international stage, and that's largely how they measure clubs and the leagues they play in.

    If MLS want to get respect, we have to do it on the pitch, and that means winning international games. So I figure the more exposure to that, the better.
     
  8. lawrenceterp

    lawrenceterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 2, 2006
    Virginia
    Nitpicking here, but I think DC United has 67 potential games using your list. The only difference in tourneys between Houston and DC is the Pan Pacific tourney. Also, I agree with someone else about the preseason nature of the Pan Pacific tourney. If you count that, then you need to include preseason games for everyone and probably any friendlies they play during the season.
     
  9. lawrenceterp

    lawrenceterp Moderator
    Staff Member

    Sep 2, 2006
    Virginia
    I just realized that you forgot the Club World Cup as well. Houston and DC both could qualify by winning the CCC.
     
  10. Soccerprep

    Soccerprep Member

    Aug 26, 2005
    Lafayette, LA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    DC also will not be in the Copa Sudermericana. On their website, it only mentions Houston as an invitee. Also good catch on the Club World Cup, that could be another three games.

    I realize that someone said that the more soccer the better, but this is just to much, if we had fewer international game dates, perhaps, our results in the ones that mattered would be better.

    You guys are right about the pan-pacific. Good catch. I still can not believe the US Open Cup winner gets nothing but a trophy.
     
  11. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    On what website? On the official CONMEBOL site (look at the bottom right column), I don't see Houston -- or any CONCACAF team -- listed:

    I'll say again, I don't think a team in the CCL will be able to participate in Sudamericana since they are going to occur during the same time period
     
  12. dredgfan

    dredgfan Member+

    MLS
    Nov 5, 2004
    Denver or NOLA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Complaining MLS can make some absurb complexity that I've never heard of : too much money, and on top of that, too many games. MLS may have made it, seeing how that's a problem. :rolleyes:
     
  13. FijiUnited

    FijiUnited Member+

    Feb 21, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Me neither. In fact, I think that the winner of the USOC should get the 4th American spot in the Superliga. This way, it opens up the prospect of a USL side playing in Superlga even though MLS will probably have a stranglehold on the tournament until the USL is assimilated.
     
  14. krudmonk

    krudmonk Member+

    Mar 7, 2007
    S.J. Sonora
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    So you wouldn't want CL games over Hawaii games when both generate $$$? If they play the same amount of games, I don't see the problem in wanting more of them to be significant.
     
  15. chapulincolorado

    Jul 14, 1999
    McAllen, Texas
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    Mexico
    Man. I guess MLS is changing. Back in 1999 or 2000, folks were complaining about nil international games. :D
     
  16. Soccerprep

    Soccerprep Member

    Aug 26, 2005
    Lafayette, LA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    unforunately it is just the wikipedia website. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copa_Sudamericana_2008, as we know the truthfulness of some things on there is wrong, but it is the best I could find. I understand what you were saying about the CCL and COPA Sudermericana, but I was still opperating under the belief that there may be some truthfulness to the wikipedia page.
     
  17. ThreeApples

    ThreeApples Member+

    Jul 28, 1999
    Smurf Village
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I could edit Wikipedia to say that the Caribou of Colorado have been invited to Copa Sudamericana.
     
  18. Soccerprep

    Soccerprep Member

    Aug 26, 2005
    Lafayette, LA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    yes you could. perhaps that may have been why i stated:

    "as we know the truthfulness of some things on there is wrong"

    did you miss that?
     
  19. SideshowBob

    SideshowBob Member

    Jan 12, 2007
    Maryland
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Okay, I see what you are saying. I think it's easy to explain -- the site is wrong. There's no citation which invariably means there is no evidence to back the change.

    Historically, the spots for CONCACAF teams haven't been determined until the summer prior to the event (DCU officially announced their involvement last year about 2 days before the draw for the tournament). Especially with the details of the CCL not being clear yet, I'd expect more of the same.

    We do know the CCL will begin (the prelim rounds) during the summer (July/August sometime). The group stage will follow after that. My impression, from press releases, is that the group stage will be home and home with 4 team groups -- that's 6 games. It's likely to be played over 2-3 months -- that probably means somewhere in the August to December range for those games. Given that Sudamericana occurs in the same time period, I really don't expect any group stage teams from the CCL to participate in Sudamericana. I might be wrong, but it just would be too many games and too hard to schedule.

    If an MLS team (or teams) does go to Sudamericana, I think it's not likely to be DC/Houston/NE/Chivas due to their involvement in the CCL.
     
  20. Andrés_

    Andrés_ Member

    Nov 16, 2007
    Argentina.
    Club:
    CA Independiente
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Like Club's World Cup, you should list Sudamericana as optional because if like the 2 MLS teams get eliminated in the first round of the CCC then no Sudamericana for any of them.
     
  21. yellowbismark

    yellowbismark Member+

    Nov 7, 2000
    San Diego, CA
    Club:
    Club Tijuana
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Houston will not run the table in all of those tournament games. When has an MLS team progressed beyond the first round of Copa Sudamericana, let alone taken it all the way to the finals?
     
  22. Soccerprep

    Soccerprep Member

    Aug 26, 2005
    Lafayette, LA
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    like i said

    we are not discussing could they win out, the question is even if it only becomes 50 games or whatever...is it to much?
     
  23. NebraskaAddick

    Aug 26, 2005
    Omaha, NE
    Club:
    New York Red Bulls
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    One of the marks of success for a soccer club in this world, is to not have any time off. It's the losers who have the cushy off-seasons.

    To measure up against the world's best, you have to succeed abroad. You can't just win your own league--and a league is measured against other leagues by how its clubs fare in international tournaments. So you're not just representing your own fans, you're representing all of MLS when you play in these tournaments. If MLS clubs declined to play in these things, then MLS would forever be considered bush-league by the world community, because if you think you're better, then you have to prove it!
     
  24. dredgfan

    dredgfan Member+

    MLS
    Nov 5, 2004
    Denver or NOLA
    Club:
    Colorado Rapids
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To anwser, is it too many games: Again, no.
     
  25. Shopping Cart Man

    Sep 21, 2006
    Jacksonville, FL
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I'd like to see this also. The best teams should go to the best international competitions, but the best teams should go to all the international competitions. Since Mexico is still sending invites to the Superliga, I'd like to see that as our UEFA Cup.
     

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