I want this league to take a step forward. Signing Messi is a good way to start that process. Teams need to have more flexibility with a higher cap to bring in more quality. I’m fine with only 1 or 2 DPs if it means doubling the cap. NOW is the time to take a big leap (Messi is here, Copa America next season, then the World Cup). I’m also tired of the bullshit MLS rules (TAM, GAM, SPAM) that make it practically impossible to understand what the F is truly going on. This deal has NO downside to it. None.
The only way you get fans to keep coming after relegation is to establish an identity and kick everyone out that does not subscribe. You need the hard core to be your fans. Clubs do this and can be successful. However, our owners and US sports culture are against it. So yea, I'd expect if relegation existed DC would cease to exist in a few years...
As for Messi, marketing stunt. Sucks that the league is resorting to gimmicks but that is what it has always been about.
The "league" is a business. Every business that has identified growth in revenue and equity need to convince more and more customers to spend more and more. Folks that do not like/appreciate a business doing marketing and advertising should go to college sports. Oh, wait.... I remember hearing that $175,000,000 worth of Messi PSG jerseys were sold before he stepped on the pitch for them. If he sells just 25% of that for MLS it will be hugely beneficial for the league. He will be an economic engine that drives the league's ability to pay for more and more better and better players. Would you rather the league avoid "gimmicks" and take another 27 years to be able to attract the truly top level talent that the Euro leagues are able to afford? I don't - I am sure I will be dead by then (although I hope not but I missed selecting my own genetics).
I get it. But we're MLS fans not accountants for the league. Of course we want the league to do well and continue getting better, but if some of the rumors are true, we're about to see an influx of 40-year-old guys signing contracts with the league We've seen Matthaeus and Lampard and Pirlo and Marquez and so many others come here and disgrace the game with their laziness and ambivalence. Personally, I'd rather watch DeLeon than Denilson. I'm also a bit fearful of having MLS turn into the NASL 2.0. We've got a respectable little league here, something that would have been laughable 15 years ago. If they screw it up by returning to the bad ol' days of Calvinball rule changes and senior citizens barely willing or capable of running 20 yards, that would be a real shame.
On the flip side, Matthaeus, Lampard, Pirlo, and Marquez can't hold a candle to Messi's talent or accomplishments. Messi is a transcendent player. Those other four are very good, but aren't transcendent.
I was just looking at Miami's roster. They currently have three DPs. They've been linked with nearly every player that participated in the 2013 Champions League quarterfinals. If they go on a spending spree and don't ditch any players, we'll all know that MLS has given up on drama and switched to comedy (Speaking of which, surely somebody must have put Discovery Rights on Messi.) Inter Miami FC's players suck. Their FO sucks. Their stadium sucks. Their coach is winless as a professional . Donovan Pines just crabwalked a game-winning goal past their keeper. You can't just drop a player, even a transcendent player, into their roster and assume that it's all going to be fine. IMO, if you slot Messi into their current team, they probably don't make the playoffs.
I don't imagine that MLS teams are running around signing over the hill players from Europe anymore. Its Messi. Ronaldo is the only other over the hill guy I could imagine someone in MLS signing. Rooney here was a marketing spend that just happened to pan out magically well.
Exactly, just like Stoichkov, Henri, Mr. Posh Spice, Zlatan, Rooney and other high profile players were able to foul with impunity, too. Actually, refs here will LOVE to recount the games they had with superstars and whistling them for fouls.
But from Messi's perspective, there's a decent chance he'll get bundled onto a plane and deported to Martha's Vineyard.
Sorry, he is wealthy so it doesn't matter his background or heritage, he will be considered one of the good ones...
Why? Next season there are going to be 30 teams, you could divide 15/15 with 28 regular season games with no midweek games, or if you prefer 16/14. Plus playoffs which you could enhance with all two series games.
You wouldn't play Albuquerque. You would play other MLS teams only, it would be an internal MLS split, it wouln't touch USL coming in etc. Maybe at the beginning you would lose some (bandwagon) crowds but in the long run the whole league would gain in competitivety. There are 2nd division teams all around that don't suffer much in crowd losses bcs they are relegated. Then of course you need to find a system for these MLS2 teams to stay motivated somehow if they don't fight for promotion. But it's not very different from what happens now, honestly. How is in the current setting a DCU dead last in August gonna stay motivated, for example?
I'd rather we split MLS into two divisions, play home and home with everyone in your division (28 matches) and to make 34 matches, play home and home against 3 teams from the other division. Playoffs could then be across divisions 1 W vs 8 E and 2 W vs 7 E, etc... I like the cross division playoffs because it introduces a whole new element and rewards a division that may have better teams. Many potential wins in terms of reduced travel and rivalries. Sure you lose some things like LA vs. NY and Western teams will have more travel burden but I prefer it.
The only problem with your proposal is that it makes too much sense. Remember, you lived here in "Murica", making sense is a bug, not a feature. While most leagues elsewhere have been mostly overrun by grasping billionaires looking for the next public handout, that arrangement has been baked into US Sports for at least half a century. They never, ever will agree on anything that even has a remote chance of affecting their revenue stream. Especially the no-hopers like DCU, San Jose, Houston, RSL, etc. They get paid whether or not their team does anything because -- single entity. If you want to see a distillation of this shithousery, just look at the mess surrounding the Oakland A's. Billionaire owner who wants public money from Nevada to move to Las Vegas. Governor convenes special legislative session to consider only that issue amounting to over $300M after the Governor's budget cut spending on pre-K, mental health and other social services because -- "no money."
Hybrid proposal: Conference-only apertura, then split and recombine the conferences top and bottom halves for a "temporary" pro/rel clausura.
I would much rather have seen DC relegated and play winnable games them watch them be miserable year after year.
Hasn't Houston's new ownership made pretty big investments in their club? Likewise RSL has apparently been making some moves.