Nothing against the 'British way', but their success in the 60's and 70's gave way to their being beaten/overshadowed by the Germans, Italians, Spanish and French - so, other than that they speak the same language, what's so special about their mastery of the sport?
Yeah, being English doesn't bother me in and of itself. The game has evolved a lot in the UK over the last several years. It used to be that almost all of the players in the First Division were from the British Isles. There were no foreigner restrictions, but the only translators needed were people who understood all the funny accents and local dialects. But ever since the Greed is Good league came about, it's no longer kick-and-chase, 90 MPH for 90 minutes. Look at all the furrin managers, not to mention Engerland even had a non-English manager going back to Sven Goran Erickson
Nashville SC, Aké Loba reach mutual contract termination MLSsoccer staff Monday, May 1, 2023, 03:27 PM Frees up a DP spot for their pursuit of Adam Buksa (which is pure speculation on my, and Matt Doyle's, part).
LAFC cruise to a 3--0 win at home against Philly in their CCL semifinal second leg matchup, and win the two game set 4-1. They're into the Final, hoping to become the second MLS team (in a row) to win it all.
... and we have our first coaching casualty of 2023. Queue the Tata Martino watch... BREAKING: The New York Red Bulls have mutually agreed to part ways with head coach Gerhard Struber.RBNY club currently sit bottom of the East with nine points after 11 matches. Troy Lesesne takes over as manager thru 2023.Quick story:https://t.co/B1swi9ZwcC— Tom Bogert (@tombogert) May 8, 2023
The TMW (Tata Martino Watch) heats up: Chicago Fire part ways with head coach Ezra Hendrickson Jonathan Sigal Monday, May 8, 2023, 11:02 AM Although Fire fans have their hearts set on Jim Curtin, who is out of contract with the Union at the end of the season.
So the Fire need to find someone Better Than Ezra? If the new guy can turn things around they'll be singing "It's Good!"
Latest salary figures are out: https://mlsplayers.org/resources/salary-guide Revs 8th highest in MLS in salary spending, higher than LAFC.
Looks like team #30 goes to SD: MLS Commissioner Don Garber set to make major announcement from San Diego MLSsoccer staff Wednesday, May 17, 2023, 10:53 AM And it won't be Landon Donovan's San Diego Loyal team moving up to MLS, from what I am hearing.
Kraft is definitely showing more of a willingness to spend. We're 3rd highest in DP spending which is pretty crazy when you consider how little we're getting out of Bou and Vrioni currently.
Thrilling end to the first leg of the CCL Final last night, as LAFC looked outclassed for a lot of the match and were down on the road 3-0 in the 92nd ... till they weren't. A VAR check took Leon's third off the board, and before the final whistle, LAFC got a huge goal to go home just down 2-1. Second leg is Sunday at 9pm (ET) in LA.
LAFC send Kwadwo Opoku to CF Montréal in blockbuster trade Jonathan Sigal Wednesday, Jul 5, 2023, 05:13 PM
Former New England Revolution winger Ismael Tajour-Shradi has returned to Major League Soccer as the 29-year-old has inked a deal with Minnesota United FC. Oh, great - now we can see what we missed. WCWGPLT?
Say what you will about Brad Feldman, but at least he doesn't channel Mickey Mouse when the team scores, like the Charlotte PBP guy does: Swigoalski's are best served with a braceski ✌️ pic.twitter.com/Nrwf6x9wK9— Charlotte FC (@CharlotteFC) July 9, 2023
Interesting write-up in the Athletic about Messi/Apple/MLS. I've spliced some stuff from the article, as I found these interesting and worth talking about.
I find that a lot easier to swallow because they suck. If they were a serious contender, I suppose I'd be more torn up about it. Maybe Messi can magically transform them, but it sure looks like too little, too late for this year. And, if they don't bend/break more rules, it doesn't seem like they have a lot of resources to build the team quickly. BTW, I've heard that Busquets was certain to come if Messi did, yet I haven't heard any news on that. Anyone have an update?
There is a "major unveiling event" happening Sunday at DRV PNK Stadium. Both Messi and Busquets are expected to be part of that unveiling.
Messi is no different than a lot of the things MLS did in the past to bend the rules for certain stars. DPs are a direct result of David Beckham (even if they don't call it the "Beckham Rule" anymore). Even before that, in 1996 when the "maximum" salary was $175,000, the MetroStars were able to pay Robero Donadoni $1 million, and Jorge Campos went to the Galaxy for about the same. In both cases, it was probably a good thing overall for the league, but if your team wasn't on the receiving end of those kinds of gifts, too bad for you!
Back in the old AFL days, just ahead of the merger with the NFL, the owners made Al Davis the commissioner and created a secret slush fund which was going to be used to target the top NFL QB's in order to get them to join the AFL. It never got used because the merger took place shortly thereafter (and maybe it had something to do with the merger happening - who knows). But that's the type of guerilla tactic you can use when you're trying to take on the big boys. Those who dump on MLS underestimate this. It sounds like the Messi deal, while certainly talked about for a couple of years, actually came together very quickly. Wise move by Garber, Apple & Co to be nimble. If MLS were a stock, I'd be buying. If you think back to the days when Phil Anschutz, Kraft and Hunt ran all the teams after they folded Miami and Tampa - it's pretty amazing how things have progressed.