Nobody's mentioned the most important reason to be thankful the Union stadium wasn't built over the river in Jersey...we'd have lost the moral high ground to make fun of Red Bull New "York" for actually playing their games in NJ. Imagine loosing the "Go back to New Jersey!" chant whenever we're beating them?!
Here's a sight I never thought I'd see: Jay Sugarman giving high fives to fans in The River End. #DOOP https://t.co/PlWMMNYdlg— Joe Tansey (@JTansey90) October 21, 2019
Were there any unhappy Union fans when Earnie Stewart was hired? Strange that it seems to be Earnie's departure and the hiring of Ernst that actually made this team competitive for the first time. On the other hand, as a USMNT fan... On to Atlanta!
Let's be honest. Earnie cleaned up the mess that Nick S left behind. He gave the Soccer Side of the Union a foundation for them to build off of. Let's not forget that he brought in Ilsinho, Haris, & drafted Jack Elliot. He helped to bridge the gap between YSC and the Union first team. Was he perfect? Nope, far from it. Ernst is building on the foundation Earnie built. That said, I don't doubt that Ernst is a much better fit for the Union Organization, and the fan base than Earnie is/was. As far as the national team..........depending on who you want to believe it's likely "SUMLS" fault, MLS' fault for not prioritizing USMNT player development, Don Garber's fault....blah, blah, blah. Personally I think Soccer House is just a mess, and always has been a mess. Earnie and company have a herculean task ahead of them to get the Men's and Women's* National Teams heading in the right direction. *Despite their success, the rest of the World is catching up to the US Women in Soccer. They need to establish a much better development pathway for girls in our country who aspire to play for the USWNT.
Something that made me chuckle. During every MLS Playoff match this weekend, the ad boards were running an ad for FIFA 20. The Union were the only team to have the ad boards say "Pre-Order Now." Game was released on September 24, 2019.
Off topic, but I can't give a rat's ass about the USMNT and international soccer in general. OK FIFA: promoting nationalism through national teams, but we aren't supposed to be racist? How does that work? The USMNT fanboys on this and other forums are insufferable in wanting everything subordinate to their hope of winning every single friendly and every competitive match. Reminds me too much of my time in Kentucky where UK basketball fans treat high school players as pieces of meat whose only purpose should be getting on the UK team. Anyway, Earnie had a checkered stint here and Ernst is an upgrade.
So hot take time, while the ATL loss sits like an Arby's sandwich in my stomach, churning up acid and making me generally uncomfortable. The question(s): Are you generally more positive about the U now? Why? When you look at the roster, what do you see? The youth narrative with Aaronson and whichever CB played well recently? The midfield that is starting to out-age the ROI metrics? A huge buy-low, sell-high opportunity in Kacper? A collection of spare parts like Fafa, Santos and Wooten that show flash but lack consistent threats? My challenge with this club early on, and even last year, what exactly is the strategy? There's a lot of youth conversation but that was a win now roster and while the "wild card" round win was nice, I'm not sure it carries over and is 2020 foundational. Bedoya sort of "Brindamour'd" his way into my heart (all effort, can't shoot) but is got what, a year? 2? Fabian can't come back and I'd bet the mortgage his agent is on the phone now trying to get him anywhere in Europe in January. Are we just waiting on Tanner to "bring in his guys"? Guess we'll see in February.
I'm more Positive, yet still realistic. Tanner is much more ruthless than Stewart, and also has a keener eye for talent. Based on his success at his previous stops gives more positivity for the Union going forward. That said he does have to figure some things out this off season. In order tom play how he envisions the team playing (4-4-2 pressing a la RB Salzburg/Leipzig) the team will need to get better, and also find their own version of Tyler Adams. Haris is most likely gone now (even though he is still playing at a ridiculously high level in MLS). I agree on Bedoya, though having him for another year or two would be good. His leadership on and off the field alone makes it with keeping him around. If I were Tanner I'd be shopping Blake. It's time for Freese to play more, and see if if maybe you can get Coronel back on loan. Fabian is gone. I just don't see them picking up his option. It just didn't work out in Philly. Use that money to get another AM, or secure Jamiro on a permanent transfer. Kacper's foot injury is concerning. He has a history of foot problems, and stress reactions/fractures take a very long time to fully heal. Santos shows a ton of promise and potential. Wooten will hopefully settle in and be ready to go in January. He has all the tools to be successful with Philly and score goals off of the chances they create. Corey Burke should be back next season as well. Fafa is likely gone. He's got a great engine and lots of passion. His finishing is not elite though, and his first touch often lets him down. Fafa is the odd striker/winger out Arronson has a lot of promise and potential. He needs to improve his decision making in the final third, and also learn to slow down/relax when finishing. Also, needs to hit the weight room. The defense needs work. Lots of talent there, just needs to come together better. Still need to find a player to "push" Gaddis. Ilsinho still offers a lot as a change of pace sub, and spot starter. They may take a step back next season in order to move forward. They need to get younger in Midfield in order to play the press the way Tanner envisions them playing. Also, the defense needs to improve.
Jamiro is pretty much gone according to Tanner. Ernst Tanner on a permanent Jamiro Monteiro move: "Thats what we already tried and it was unsuccessful. We’ve been focusing on other guys as well. I think we will get a real good team, if all the solutions work out that we are working on then we will get a real competitive team."— Matthew De George (@sportsdoctormd) October 25, 2019
Union lost $5M this year. Rankings. #MLS #MLSCup pic.twitter.com/KVISMTicTL— Miki Turner (@turneresq) November 4, 2019
The Forbes article says their revenue estimates don't include the payments from SUM, which it estimates as distributing $125M to the 24 ownership groups, or $5.2M/team. That would have Sugardaddy just breaking even.
Just sit there breaking even until the team's value maximizes, then sell. It's all going to plan for Sugardaddy.
I once met a person in an “ownership group” of a major sport team who was proud to announce what they did...buy a team with a deflated value with the plan to improve it enough to raise value while waiting for a new tv contract and then sell. While I get that, it was disheartening to hear it put so bluntly-they don’t care about the team or the fans, just the investment. I’m sure Jerry Jones cares about his team and Bob Kraft does too...so caring isn’t a guarantee of success. If an owner cares more about the fans than their income then they will make the handful of tough decisions that eventually lead to a higher level of faith and dedication which, in turn, MAY be what gets them over the hump in a key game. They can’t fake passion ... in basketball, two guys make a team better no matter who owns the team, soccer is a completely different model.
So here's a "fun" offseason subject I've wanted to discuss for a while. How will Climate Change affect Talen Energy Stadium? According to new research that projects a roughly 5" rise in sea levels by 2050, our stadium will start to be under water due to rising sea levels. The sea is rising roughly 1/10" a year, but it is accelerating. And to be clear - how much it will accelerate is a hot debate. But you can look at this map and play around with it and watch the stadium go under water as you toggle the sea level change up and down. So, sure, hundreds of millions will be displaced. There will be famine, disease, death, and misery. But on the bright side, we MIGHT be forced into moving the stadium into Philadelphia!
I understand this argument, but how much do you care about the individual companies that make up your 401k? Do you search to determine which of the funds that you own comprise tobacco companies, gun companies, Amazon, marijuana companies, large banks or whatever companies people object to for one reason or another? Investors care about whether their investments make money, not what the companies actually do. Super rich individuals who buy sports teams and want to win regardless of financial return are few and far between. From all accounts, Sugarman wanted a sports team as a vanity project, but really cares more about the investment than the team.
Good questions. I make a distinction between shareholders and fans...Green Bay notwithstanding. Shareholder make no bones about why they are there. Companies make it clear they are trying to maximize shareholder value. Even ESG based investing is investing. So, while I care about the company I keep, I think sports owners who treat it solely as an investment should come out and say that to the season ticket holders the same way a company provides public statements about their intentions and prospects. They won’t, because they lack integrity, but they should say they are not fully committed to winning, won’t really care about results other than franchise sales price and don’t respect the fans enough to provide more than lip service, tshirt cannons and $9 nachos.