Nah, people care about results; IF MLS manages to attract world class players and MLS teams starts to dominate Mexican teams; Conmebol will take notice and it is just a question of time before MLS are invited to join Libertadores and/or an inter-confederation cup is created. If MLS dominates teams form Americas it will be considered as a top 10 and people will reevaluate their preconceptions about the league.
I’m thinking the Riverhounds. Pulisic gave the team a shoutout before the Open Cup game against Cincinnati. It was obviously a hint about where he’s headed next!
I always thought his dad, Mark Pulisic but looked it up and see he was just an assistant coach... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Pulisic Just saw this on Facebook...
I'll seize credit for this one... Way back in the day when MLS only had 10-12 teams, I had settled on throwing my support to Columbus for reasons lost to antiquity...so much so that I was writing a quasi-regular feature column for the late, lamented CrewFan.com under the banner "Greetings from Soccer Siberia" in which I covered the USMNT. Richie played for the Evil Empire, DC United and was probably the most hated player in Columbus. Not that he did anything aggregious, he was just annoying as all you-know-what. Somehow, he made the 2000 Gold Cup side, and in the semi against Columbia (which the US lost on penalties) pounded one off the crossbar. In my write up, I referred to the moment as, "a shot by, of all people, the Ankle Biting Munchkin of Death, Richie Williams..." It stuck, as did the abbreviation of ABMOD. Sometimes Midget gets subbed in for Munchkin and Doom for Death, but it's still ABMOD. I proudly look on that as my singular contribution to American Soccer Culture...
I haven't watched Libertadores in years because it's on Bein Sports which is the same as being on Mars.
MLS this year started in late February and the regular season runs through early October. Playoffs run to December 9, so there's 9-10 months.
One other impact Messi will have is the amount of eyeballs on MLS, the amount of Journalists and media members that will now be covering Messi in MLS. That will put more pressure on MLS as a whole to improve. It will also be great exposure for the young players in MLS, and also the current stars in MLS (Hany, Carranza, Gazdag, Driussi, Vazquez, Acosta, etc.). That alone will be a catalyst for MLS to evolve and grow.
Did you previously watch it when it was on Fox deportes? I watched when I could remember to, but since it's not a channel I normally watched I usually forgot.
I can't believe there isn't already a friendly scheduled against Barca and PSG for this summer. Definitely happening next year at hard rock. And I imagine they're touring Argentina after the season.
Dude is still around?!?!? I thought after KRON he retired? Granted, I never watch that channel anymore...but still...can't believe he's still doing sports in the Bay Area
I also stopped listening when the pandemic hit... According to this poster, Radnich retired. Looking it up on wiki, he retired precisely on June 22, 2019, at age 69, from KNBR radio. Gary Radnich - Wikipedia His dad told me he was all about money and ratings. Not sure why he would quit unless he was forced out because he had a cake job.
Dunno if Messi has daughters, but if he had chosen Saudi Arabia and his family moved there with him, would his wife (& potentially daughters) have to be fully covered in the niqab (? is that what it's called?) - or at the very least, a headscarf - if she went out in public? Although I heard in a soccer podcast his wife told him if he played in Saudi Arabia she & the kids wouldn't be joining him - but that's beside the point of my Q...
Some sage learned scholar should put together a way for that to work. Egad, someone has! https://www.bigsoccer.com/threads/regional-leagues-a-modest-proposal.2123499/
The European game damaging itself is going to have to play a major part in any "MLS rise to global power" story. Rest assured though, they're busy working on it.
I lived there. Europe isn't as alluring as it seems to most of us living in the North America. From the normal, everyday people I spoke to as well as many first division players, they all couldn't wait to come to live and play stateside. Bringing it back to Messi , I just read he didn't care for Paris all that much.
So does every CONCACAF executive with the winner getting an automatic bid to the new rebranded CONCACAF Champions Cup.
How do you become competitive South American & European teams without playing them in any real tournament?
Is there anyone on these boards who came to MLS because of Beckham (or insert any other imported post-Beckham DP) and stayed a fan of the team, or the league? Thx, Jay!