Yeah, a lot of people are going to suddenly become anti-training and anti-solidarity once they realize that MLS stands to make the most from it. I wouldn't be surprised if one sunny day the rules were revised so that schools and business which charge for instruction are explicitly ruled out of these things, too.
Doesnot that depend on the quality they provide in comparison to mls outlets? I've no clue about quality levels of mls academies and PTP clubs, though FC Dallas is rumoured to have a very fine one. Is St Louis Scott Gallagher SC a PTP club?
Slightly off-topic: It looks like Bury borrowed money from the corporate equivalent of a payday loan company. 40% "arrangement fee" and $2k a day in interest. https://www.theguardian.com/footbal...ncial-ruin-winding-up-petition-loans-car-park
Just saw on the ESPN bottom line that Barcelona will be playing Napoli a couple of times this summer, once in Ann Arbor. Get your cameras ready for a pro/rel photo op at Michigan Stadium.
It's the inaugural two-legged "La Liga-Serie A Cup". It flows off the tongue. Juve presumably declined.
The current club started life playing 'grass roots' soccer in Serie C a mere 15 years ago, often in front of less than 50,000 fans. A real rags to Big House tale.
Especially given how the clubs themselves often treat the games as a chance to give the reserves some playing time.
Next month the Rapids are hosting Arsenal. Two days prior to that the Rapids have a MLS match in Portland. 2 days after the friendly Arsenal is playing Bayern in LA. What are the odds we see anyone of note for either team for more than a 10 minute token appearance? Yet they're charging over $50 for my normal (season ticket) $22 seat. Hard pass.
They're going to get casuals on this BS but most informed soccer fans won't pay their prices and its beginning to show in the stands. I think last season a lot of games were sparsely attended and it definitely had to do with the crazy prices that were charged.
As a STH I was allowed to buy my ticket plus up to 6 others. I have a friend who's a die-hard Arsenal fan. Last year he moved from Denver to Park City, UT. I told him I wasn't going but I'd be happy to buy him tickets if he was coming back to Denver for the game. Not only did he buy my ticket but he asked me to buy all 7 tickets I was allowed to buy for some friends as well.
Yeah that's how I am. Yes costs a lot of money and at best your going to see guys play 45 minutes but still worth it for me. Went to the Liverpool - Chelsea game a few years ago up in LA. It wasn't so much about the 90 minutes but the events, both official and unofficial, around the match. Meet and greets, tailgates, panel stuff were all fun. Even just walking around downtown Pasadena nodding at everyone else in Liverpool gear made it worth it. I personally am not going to fly across the country to watch one of these but actually understand when people do just to meet other supporters.
Wow, FIFA has taken control over the affairs of the African confederation. They're under supervision of FIFA from August until Januari.
Apparently because of corruption? That's actually hilarious, given that it's FIFA we're talking about...
For at least 70 years, American promoters have been telling would-be ticket buyers that games like this are not really friendlies. And, as attendances show, a sufficient number of people believe them, so they keep doing it.
FIFA is disappointed in their amateurish approach to corruption, and will use the time to teach them how to be better grifters.
I think this is a little unfair. My guess is most people over the age of 12 at these games understand what they are. Yeah $80 is a bunch but it's nothing compared to a transatlantic plane flight, which is the only other way you can see most of these players live. Now not saying there aren't some delusional types, once saw a poster claim that the ICC (football not cricket) would make the European domestic leagues irrelevant. . But in my experience that is very much the minority.
True, but then you have people like the CEO/founder of my old company. He bought him and his sons tickets to the Barca-Real game in Miami a couple of years ago. When you add up what he spent for the tickets in the Real supporters section and flights from Denver to Miami he could have done it cheaper by flying to Madrid from Denver and seeing an El Clasico that actually meant something.