Clearly. Which is why the franchise league rejected a second LA team and a second NY team... oh, wait.
Odd, I count 20 options with two more confirmed to be available to me in the near future, and a possible third if Beckham can figure it out. There's also another potential 3 or 4 should things work out.
Well someone had to take up the mantle of WSW and link dump stuff about the D2 NASL from various blogs and obscure sites to make some kind of point. Although Sam U El is giving him a good run for his money as a link dumper. The dynamic duo is probably searching the internets as we speak for more Cosmos and anti-MLS/Red Bull/NYCFC stories that no one cares about. Prepare to be awed.
I wouldn't consider ESPN FC to be obscure to folks who come on these forums. I also think that Empire of Soccer and BigAppleSoccer are definately not obscure for NY soccer fans either... And correct me if I'm wrong but I think Grant Wahl just featured Ronaldo in an interview for SI on Planet Futbol regarding your Strikers. I guess D2 has moved up since the days of WSW. Lastly, I could read the broken record postings of the folks that continue to relitigate pro/rel and other blah blah blah or I could post links with commentary from folks who actually do it for a living... I choose the latter. PS... 15000 Red Bull Fans listened to Seeing Red Podcast just a couple of days ago... Because of the Mike Petke firing... I wouldn't classify that as "No One Cares". As for NYCFC... They simply straight up lied to New York City Soccer fans... Who by the way are fairly sophisticated when it comes to sports. I think that story was fairly important for fans of MLS as well.
Since we're on the subject... Here's one just for laughs. http://www.hudsonriverblue.com/2015...imited-hangout-admit-lampard-never-signed-nyc By Rafael Noboa y Rivera@hudsonriverblue on Jan 9 2015, 1:50p Manchester City do a limited hangout, admit Lampard never signed NYC deal It's looking more and more like New York City and MLS are being set up to take the fall Finally, New York City "acknowledged on Friday that it unintentionally misled fans by wrongly announcing the signing of Frank Lampard," piping up like a kid brother. So, where does this leave us? First, let's acknowledge what happened here. This is what's known as a limited hangout. A limited hangout is a public relations technique that involves the release of previously hidden information in order to prevent a greater exposure of more important details. It's usually recognizable because it involves a release or "mea culpa" type of confession of only part of a set of previously hidden sensitive information. Doing that establishes credibility for the one releasing the information, because by doing so, they appear to be "coming clean", and acting with integrity. In reality, though, by withholding key facts, they are protecting a greater, deeper crime and everyone who could be exposed if the whole truth came out. Sometimes, it works; often, it doesn't. Notice that it leaves out why both teams thought it was a contract. It doesn't mention why Manchester City referred to it as an error. But that's not the biggest one. The biggest one is that Manchester City claims that there was no break clause in Lampard's contract. Turns out I'm not the only one. The Daily Mail noticed it, and so did the Premier League.
lol, the usual useless post from the known anti NASL troll jossed. Your consistently pathetic postings make you much more like WSW. Next time you want to insult me try to be a man and reply directly to me instead of being a coward and backhanding it through someone else's reply.
Interesting week in NYC. Mix and Lampard (finally) sign with NYCFC. The Cosmos are going after Eto'o and the Red Bulls tried to get Altidore from TFC.
Red Bull fans have a new rallying cry for Season 15: “#RedBullOut” group plans fan protest at Red Bulls’ Town Hall The purpose of this initiative, they claim, is to give all Red Bull fans a voice at the exclusive Town Hall, which will allow all of 300 participants. “A 90 minute meeting with a fraction of the fan base won’t allow many frustrated fans a chance to be heard,” their press release reads. “Real questions will be met with more corporate jargon and evasion. #RedBullOut believes our club’s fans have a fundamental right to display their displeasure and are offering them a platform to do so.” http://www.empireofsoccer.com/redbullout-protest-bulls-31465/
Are There NYC FC Fans Who Don't Care About Lampard? By Peter Axtman on Jan 13 2015, 11:40p Jerry Seinfeld famously reminded us that we root for teams, not players when he quipped: Loyalty to any one sports team is pretty hard to justify, because the players are always changing; the team could move to another city. You're actually rooting for the clothes when you get right down to it. You are standing and cheering and yelling for your clothes to beat the clothes from another city. Fans will be so in love with a player, but if he goes to another team, they'll boo him. This is the same human being in a different shirt [and] they hate him now. Boo! Different shirt!" http://www.hudsonriverblue.com/2015/1/13/7542777/are-there-nyc-fc-fans-who-dont-care-about-lampard
Couple of thoughts.. One, the reaction wasn't to Lampard, but being lied to by the club, so I'm not sure why the writer is trying to make it about the guy in the jersey, when the issue most fans have is with the club and not, necessarily, Lampard. Two, since the club is new, people's attachment to the club is pretty tenuous and it isn't hard to imagine that such a deception would harm an already weak connection..
So I see NASL kept the same dumb schedule. And I remember I was told by certain NASL "fanboys" that the 1/3 and 2/3 schedule by NASL was only because of the World Cup and would be changed back.
Shorter 3 week break is the only plus compared to last years NASL schedule. Again a disappointing split with the short 10 game spring season and 20 game fall season. Either do a 15/15 even split or do away with it altogether which gets rid of more of the weekday games.
That is why you should not listen to "fanboys" of any league/sport. BTW, does the "break" even align with the gold cup? or even the Women's World Cup (not that would make any sense to do so).
It matches up with part of the knock-out rounds of the Women's World Cup but not the Group Stage or Final. Same with the Copa America. WWC: June 6-July 5 Copa America: June 11-July 4 NASL break: June 20 and 27 Gold Cup: July 7-26 Really, it looks like they just had their first 10 game schedule over 11 weeks (since every team had to have one bye week) and that ended when it ended. Then they had a minimal break before starting the fall season. They don't appear to have aligned with anything.
Remember all the excitement and praise the NASL got from wanabee Europeans when they initially went to a split season schedule and their July break lined up with the international transfer window? The Daniel Caseys of the world called it a game changer. Remember all those European players who transfered over to NASL clubs and all those young NASL stars going over to Europe because of the transfer window? I sure did. Now it is a two week break in June which should be enough time for that MLS loan guy to learn the names of his teammates. Another silly soccer fantasy met reality.
So they have a midseason break, which last year they were saying was because of the World Cup... and yet they make no effort to align with the one tournament to which they are likely to lose a substantial number of players. Brilliant.
Well... At least it's nice to watch a league whose regular season serves a point instead of being a warm up for the playoffs, where 60% of the league’s teams qualify. Hmmm... I wonder what the backlash would be if an expansion side won the MLS Cup this year?
I think they have a solid base. They have been operational as an organization for a few years now and have a system and a philosphy in place... That has to count for something. They at least have a shot at making an immediate impact in the coming season... NYCFC? Not so much. But they look sharp in Citizen Blue practice kits! Phil Rawlins Q&A: The evolution and expectations of Orlando City SC http://www.foxsports.com/florida/st...on-and-expectations-of-orlando-city-sc-012315 Watch: Scenes from New York City FC’s preseason camp http://www.empireofsoccer.com/watch-scenes-preseason-31694/
I'm guessing none. I mean, I'm sure you'll get a couple of bloggers opining that this means playoffs are the worst thing ever, this being the age of the interwebs, after all. And you may even see a poster or two to this thread cite those blogs as 'proof' that playoffs suck and MLS is gonna collapse and NASL will fill the void and lead us on to that glorious soccer nirvana of no single-entity free spending single table promotion relegation wonderland. But as for an actual bona fide backlash, a groundswell of fans and media clamoring for change because Orlando or NYCFC just happened to win it all, well, I wouldn't hold my breath.
like Hrmmmm...Soccer Nirvana in America... That must be like what the complete opposite of Hope Solo is feeling right now... Or maybe the opposite would be if the CBA talks breaksdown and the season is delayed... But I digress.
It's just a personal preference going back to the 10-team league days. I'm not an anti-playoffs guy at all.