Out of the Eleven positions of players on a field, Toronto has FOUR of the highest paid players at their position. https://theathletic.com/4522793/2023/05/16/mls-salaries-highest-paid-players/
In a way, it's quite refreshing. Think about how in most every European league, everybody knows who's going to win before the first kick of the season. Bayern has won the Bundesliga every year since 2013 and, quite uncoincidentally, Munich spends $80,000,000 more on players than their nearest rival. Yawn. It's barely a sport anymore, it's more like an econ class. No thanks. (Here's a hot take: The true charm of the Champions League is that nobody knows for sure who's going to win it before the season starts, an experience that almost no Europeans ever get anymore.) And then there's MLS, where Toronto and LA always lead the league in spending and always lose to Philly and LAFC.
Just glancing at the various lineups, only Miami started most of their regulars and only LAFC completely punted with reserves. Everybody else had a mix of starters and reserves. With the loss to the Galaxy, LAFC will not win the quadruple this season.
At a recent game a newbie (I guess) was wondering why people were chanting this as a counter to the chant DC United. I was more than happy to explain that every time is a good time for FTRB.
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...e-most-fashionable-football-team-in-the-world Interesting article for whoever wants to read it. Greetings to everybody!
So LAG fired Chris Klein. Vanney is now Il Duce at LAG. At least there will be direction and a plan. Just don't invade Albania Greg. Won't turn out well.
The partnership between the two clubs reportedly proposes that the Major League Soccer side sign Messi before immediately loaning him to Barcelona, allowing him to play one final season for the his beloved Blaugrana before heading off for an international swansong with Argentina at the 2024 Copa America, which will be hosted in the United States. The deal will have the dual benefits of allowing Barcelona to circumvent the strict financial restraints they face in LaLiga while also giving Inter Miami the perfect platform to parade their new signing, but will they pull it off? Watch this space. Espn
He's already old enough now, does he really need to play one more season for Barcelona before going to Miami? And arrive half way through 2024 in MLS? What happens if he gets badly injured while playing in Spain? A little shortsighted from Miami IMO...
It's all about the marketing. Remember Pele with the Cosmos. He was well past his sell-by date and played in a shit hole on Randall's Island in New York. Yet the press fawned over him and his arrival allegedly meant that soccer had "made it" in the U.S. Took another half century, but I guess they were right. Garber and Company would put Messi on the pitch in a wheelchair if they thought it would sell tickets.
Though, to be fair, without Pele, and the youth soccer boom he helped create in the ‘70s, there is no MLS. That said, we don’t need Messi now. We’ve got a pretty good thing going. My concern is the plan — where do you think soccer in the USA is going that you need whatever illusory shot in the arm that Messi might provide?
Mayhaps his arrival inspires some young kid to play harder, see a future, see the magic of top play, and generally bring in some unknown to play at the highest level.
this one made me LOL - highest level and MLS equated in the same sentence along with "one day, you, too, can play in MLS!"
so, sounds like Messi to Miami/Ft. Lauderdale is actually happening. Something tells me he's going to be a little frustrated there