Is Fenway really an option? Sure, the soccer team will probably only play every other week at home, and they could work around the Sox schedule, but would they do a NYCFC-at-Yankee-Stadium type of setup with temporary grass on the infield and a flattened pitchers mound? Or push the sidelines even further away from the main 1B-RF grandstand? The baseball "purists" would howl. and it's not so good for soccer either.
The NWSL has fallen so far behind European leagues that I'm finding it hard to be enthusiastic about it - especially since we had the best league and pretty much scuppered it with bad business decisions. I don't want the best USNT players playing in NWSL, unless it's off-season in Europe OR miraculously the level of the league rises the level of the best European leagues - which, with the investment the super-clubs are making now, I don't see happening. I just don't see NWSL being anything more than a niche sport and a new 'Breakers' being anything more than a minor league team. I wish I were more optimistic about it.
The biggest problem, and this carries over into the National Team, is that certain players in the NT pool have contracts with good salaries, but all of the rank-and-file players in the league make next to nothing, so they have to supplement their income with coaching gigs or even "real" jobs. This is even worse than where MLS was in 1996. At least the $24,000 players got other perks and could make extra money with "appearance fees" and per diems. Some clubs would even pay for rentals in apartment complexes and rent to players at a discount. I don't believe NWSL is doing any of that.
Interview with Henry Kessler on WBUR radio: https://www.wbur.org/radioboston/20...y-kessler-on-his-personal-journey-to-the-pros
Since it looks like widening White Stadium would require tearing down at least one grandstand, I'm not sure the city is going to go for that.
Suburban women's soccer fans aren't going to go to White Stadium (in sufficient numbers). We've had the area's premier zoo right next door forever and it hasn't gotten decent attendance since white flight changed the racial makeup of Roxbury and Mattapan.
True. But I suspect the cost of that big a remodeling, unless the owners are willing to pay, might be a bit much. I think there's a good chance that if they want to play in Boston, it will have to be on an undersized field.
I feel if they can pony up 50 million for an entry fee that -at the moment- is way more than the value of a new franchise, then they can contribute to renovating the stadium. I mean these are billionaires. They could also work out a deal where Boston School sports could share the field for their events. Sounds like a win-win to me.
Forbes with their list of Most Valuable MLS Clubs sees the first MLS Club to reach a $1B valuation (LAFC). Without a stadium, the Revs are in the bottom half of the list (not shockingly).
Work out a deal with Boston schools? They already use the field. If there's a deal, it's to give the new soccer team permission to share it,
Sorry if I wasn't clear so you may have misunderstood. What I meant was that the schools and a private entity could work out an exchange deal... The private entity would pay for huge renovations, making the facility ultra-modern and generally quite awesome and the schools could benefit by playing their games and practicing in an awesome facility. The City owns the stadium.
I take it as a foregone conclusion that Jesse Marsch will be the next national team coach. Though I suppose there's a world in which Pep Guardiola is suddenly looking for a new job...
But does Jesse Marsch want to be USMNT coach? I can see him still wanting to show he can cut it in Europe.
In case anyone is interested in taking part: https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/02/09/sports/are-you-new-england-sports-fan-if-so-we-want-hear-you/
Might be good from a leadership point of view, but what about international experience? If we keep hiring coaches whose main experience is MLS, it will be no surprise when we are tactically overmatched. And what do guys like McKinney and Pulisic think when their club coaching is so much more sophisticated than their NT?
Seems like several MLS clubs have a set kit launch of next Wednesday (Feb 15th). Hopefully the Revs will follow suit. Speculation? The Bent Musket leaked this one: I also leaked the 2023-24 Revs secondary kit. I actually had Covid when I wrote this story and was super bummed that I was going to miss the last week of school. https://t.co/9LM9YtNldZ— Seth (@SethMan31) December 27, 2022
If that kit's the real one, it's not bad at all. I hope they wear red shorts with it -- I always thought the light blue socks was a strange touch with the rest of the kit in white.
This may be obvious/well known but it stood out to me anyhow - we have the same primary blue uniform as last season again this season. The "community" kit is gonna be the one replaced by the one the Bent Musket (now the Blazing Musket since they have moved on from Vox Media support - worth checking out) reported last summer. I love any white/red combination and still regret not getting the 2015/2016 secondary kit.
Right. We change the home every two years, and the away on the alternating years. So last year's new home kit replaced the 25th Anniversary (that lasted from 2020 to 2021). This year is the away jersey and we finally get away from one of the most boring ones we've ever had (and really reminded me on Minnesota United).
I hated those away kits at first until I saw them up close. After that I appreciated them more. Also, they are stuck in my mind as kits where they did a lot of road winning. The two tone red/white ones from before remind me of a losing period. We only won 2 total games with those.