Yanks Abroad Flavors of the Week: 2022-2023 Thread

I think you miss my point.

The US holds 40% of the world's wealth. Right now, interest in soccer is growing but the television contract for the World Cup or the rights to the Coke sponsorship or whatever are lower than they could be because just a small number of people in the US give a crap.

The US playing well in this next World Cup on home soil is a good chance to generate many more American fans which FIFA can then use in negotiations with FOX and Nike and whomever about interest in the US market.

FIFA isn't going to rig a game in our favor or anything, but they sure as heck will give us a special exemption for the team to have competitive matches for 2026. That costs them some minimal bickering with the clubs and if it helps the US go further, it's worth it.

 

And a decent number of Brazilians stay in Brazil until 20-21.

 

Venezia came from 2-0 down today to pick up a point on the road.
Maybe things are headed in a better direction. They now have two wins and a draw in their last 3 matches.
Based on the twitter feed it looks like both Tessmann and Novakovich had assists. Looks like Busio started the match as well.

🇺🇸 Novakovich assist on the equalizer!🅰️https://t.co/p1YdGLawGk pic.twitter.com/HC9r7mI36z

— 🇺🇸 ⚽ east (@eastdeflection) December 8, 2022

 

One has a suspicion that a year from now all of Adams, McKennie, and Musah will be playing in the Premier League.

https://t.co/c0nOKC3gDk

— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) December 9, 2022

 

No Chelsea for USMNT players please and thank you.

 

Too late. Gaga is already there. LOL.

 

Yup, loan army is his fate unfortunately

 

At this point every player without cultural or financial reasons for preferring a dwindling group of like six clubs elsewhere (of which Juventus is one) is hoping to play in the Premier League.

 

God I'd hate that. I know it's the top but I'm just not a fan at all. I much prefer to watch our players play for leagues all around Europe, to get varying experiences, and to play for interesting teams w/interesting fan bases. I just have my issues with English fans and the EPL in general and tend to think we get a better shake in Germany in particular, but I'd like to see more guys venture into Spain and Italy.

Its not the best, but I'd also much prefer to live in Spain, or Italy or France and play for one of thier clubs, lol, than live in England and play for one of theirs. Then again, this prime of theirs is typically only 3-6 years, so maxing it is important.

 

Juventus is in financial difficulty. They're a destination in name only for the moment.
Juventus Lays Bare Soccer’s Rotten Finances - The Washington Post

As is Musah's Valencia. They've got real problems.
Valencia's Economic Crisis: All you need to know about the club's increasing debt and deteriorating performances » FirstSportz

Basically................both of those clubs are going to enter "sell now" mode.

I think people quite frankly underestimate MLS' economic health compared to much of Europe at the moment.

 

One thousand percent, that's what I'm saying with the comment above and have been saying elsewhere.

Things would have to go pretty badly for MLS to not fly by a bunch of previously well-respected European leagues in the next decade, because domestic league soccer on the continent is falling apart.

China is gone, LigaMX is struggling, Argentina is Argentina, the Saudi project is a pipe (pun intended) dream.

It's us. We got next.

 

Economically, MLS is already a top-10 league.

 

Yep. MLS is going to be the #3 league on the planet in (some of) our lifetimes.

 

What's #2 in this scenario?

 

cant be at chelsea if youre always on loan...

 

Bundesliga....................

When we look at the Champions League right now..........in the last 16 we have 4 teams from England and 4 teams from Germany. All in relatively good financial health. PSG and other big clubs are also fine due to their ownership.

But much of continental Europe was in financial difficulty already, which was exacerbated by COVID. Some of them like Barca.................just keep spending and spending and spending and spending like the good times will never end. They keep selling their future for the present. At some point the chickens come home to roost.

By the way, these financial difficulties can be a good thing when considering player and youth development. Other than a few, Ligue 1 clubs can't actually compete financially with the big boys. So they're "all in" on youth development. The number of U23 France-eligible players getting minutes in Europe is nutso.

 

Yeah, if we're really talking about the long term, I think the chances we still have a continent-wide setup of national leagues feeding into seperate, concurrent UEFA competition at the top level in 50 years probably aren't all that great. We haven't seen the last attempt at the ESL.

But Germany with a large population, a strong economy, a deep passion for the game and a globally unique structural commitment to respecting and listening to their customers may not be best positioned for capitalist domination of the current scramble for revenue, but it's more robust against collapse than any other league in the world. I don't see any of those fundamentals changing this century.

 

Basically, the 50+1 rule helps protect Bundesliga and German interests.
German soccer rules: 50+1 explained | Bundesliga

 

I'm imagining England and then Germany, though some sort of Euro superleague might come along and complicate things. Maybe MLS "only" makes it to #4 or 5. But as the collapse intensifies in the coming decades, MLS paychecks will continue to clear. Not so much in Spain and Italy, to say nothing of lesser leagues.

 

And of course the Germans would recoil in horror at being called "customers" because they get precious about stuff like that, but fundamentally that's what this is. Fans are formal stakeholders with inalienable, substantive power in German soccer in a way that is just lip service everywhere else including MLS.

You will see why that's good over the next decade vis a vis La Liga and Serie A.

 

Questionable source, but hell.................silly season will be upon us very shortly. January transfer window is going to be fun. Since Venezia isn't going back to Serie A, they might sell some assets.

Source: Lazio, AC Milan and Torino have shown interest in current Venezia midfielder Tanner Tessmann. pic.twitter.com/FopLpNc8ml

— MLS Transfers (@MLSTransfers) December 9, 2022

 

Here's another guy very likely to move soon.

UPDATE: USMNT prospect Alan Sonora training with Independiente until his contract expires on the 31st. Montreal deal never came to pass. Has an offer from Liga MX, but still aiming for MLS. Hopeful of a USMNT call-up for January camp.

— Arch Bell (@ArchBell) December 7, 2022

 

Well I think our guys will always gravitate towards the EPL for a number of reasons (the language, the fact that it's the best league in the world, it being the most popular league in the US, etc).

 

I think teams are interested in his athletic profile. Venezia said the same thing when they bought him too. I forgot the exact quote, but it something to do with the fact that they thought he was so athletic that if they could teach him to do everything else that he'd really hit.

 

We don't watch him that often, but he's got a lot of tools.
Too good to be sitting at the bottom of Serie B.
This sequence from yesterday really highlights his play. Nice touch. Nice run. Nice pass. He's not Yunus Musah, but he's good.

Tanner Tessmann hockey assist @ Modena pic.twitter.com/MtF4QM2enb https://t.co/JS7MPDRIQJ

— Kranks (@dis_possessed) December 9, 2022