Would MLS suddenly become more popular (all measurements) if== -All the Euro teams stopped coming here in the summer? Especially since many of the times they just play each other, not even a MLS team -If the Mexican national stopped playing all its friendlies in the US? -If our TV/cable/streaming services stopped showing/covering so much overseas games? Would soccer/football fans start coming out in bigger numbers to MLS simply for the love of the beautiful game? When all these random teams play in the US, isn't it USSF who gets a cut $, not MLS, unless they are playing an MLS team at their stadium? The availability of soccer on TV or streaming for games everywhere is that these fans really don't need MLS or continue to look down on it because they can enjoy their foreign team from here. Too bad. I also have doubts the MLS is really going to cash in on the Copa, WCC or WC in the US to any degree. I know this is kind of a bunch of rambling thoughts. One small thought I did have to try to help MLS would have been to declare "international week" sometime in the summer and have all 30 MLS teams play an international visitor. Maybe a Wed and Sat situation. That would be 60 'slots". So if your Aston Villa, maybe play Austin on Wednesday and Chicago on Saturday. Spread the wealth around. Basically, even this idea can't happen now because we have screwed up our season scheduling and Open Cup over the stupid Leagues Cup.. Anyway, I am not sure where all of this will end up.
No. Seriously, only half a dozen teams attract big attendances and those games are "events" like Summerslam or Monster Trucks or the LA derby at the Rose Bowl. It's a hypothetical question as that's not going to happen. I think those foreign leagues make the game more popular and that benefits MLS. No. USSF doesn't make anything unless the national teams are involved. The organizers and the stadium owners get the benefit. Any publicity is good publicity. Thumbs ups and thumbs downs generate the same Adsense revenue. All those detracting comments mean more social media interaction and that means more stories and more interest. And it's usually the same old trolls that are making those comments repeatedly.. It will definitely cash in on the World Cup. I predict a big change to the salary budget in 2027 and a lot of faces that are familiar to the casual soccer viewer. That's sort of what Leagues Cup is, the foreign teams being Mexican.
=================== Thought World Cup money goes to the federation, in this case, USSF, not to the leagues. The USSF in turn uses that to support the National Team(s)... no?
Sealing for mls is this. Few 100k viewers and that is it. Sport is great in ot self but mls want to invent the stupidity penalty box. Wow we do ot to promote tje flow of a game. But at same time they will referee ramble wjat he saw for 4 minutes and then just then will game continue. I am just picturing this new rule ref will spend 1 or 2 minites to watch frames to figure out how most clear can he explain clear and most simple infraction then he will go half line center push the mic and say it
Welcome to the Bosinater experience. Now that the long running P/R thread in Soccer in the USA has been closed I guess he migrated here.
I'm not in favor of this two minute rule, but I seemed to be in the minority until it affected Messi. Then, all of a sudden, everyone changed their minds. MLS was also the first major league to use VAR, if I'm not mistaken, and it's now the standard. So maybe this will work out, maybe it won't. It's small potatoes in the grand scheme of things.
============== Years ago in one of the FIFA u17 or u20 (?) World Cups- I think it was in Netherlands, didn't they try a rule that if the ball went out of bounds, no one could touch it again except the person throwing it in. Basically tried to keep the other team from kicking it away to start the restart etc. I remember seeing a player get a yellow for picking the ball up again after he knocked it out. Thought was a good idea and I would even go a step further that if player A picks it up to throw, he then can't pass it/throw it/kick it to yet another player B on his team to throw it in, Basically closest member of the team picks it up and gets it back into play. Confrontation also has to stop. ONLY the captain of the team should be allowed to speak to the ref. It seems really out of control and this is even after VAR is suppose to be checking most of the major issues. What more do teams want? Also players touching the referee.
Those of us over 150 years-old remember when the throw-in rule was that the first player to retrieve the ball from either team took the throw-in. That would be interesting to watch.
I mean if ypu watched a atalanta juve match juve player get ball in head obviously can not continue game needs ro stop he goes of come back on. Reason players go off after given medical attention is because that is rule it self as well medics come to field heal the player player can continiue but he still has to go off the field because that is the RULE so mls fans who annoy with well he is faking it he is not moment you get foul on field of you do not get up imidiatly you will have to go off field no matter what. So that juve player in mls wisdom would be 2 minutes out because he got hurt on field
Any leagues 'standing' has very little to do with money - see China and Saudi Arabia, it has everything to do with popularity and traditions. Also does it really matter how the MLS is considered in the rest of the planet anyway? Ask the Dutch which is the world's most important league and they will rightfully tell you its the Dutch league! The NFL does rather nicely in the USA without having any foothold in the rest of the world and I don't think it's caused much of an issue with them. There are several reasons why the English league is so popular and in the main its not money (money isn't the mark of success in European sport the way it is in the US), in fact most European football clubs (including English ones) haemorrhage money at an alarming rate!
The five richest leagues are in England, Spain, Germany, Italy, and France. The tradition drives the money to an extent, but there are limits. Say, Scotland? And yes, there are examples on the ither end with Saudi & China. But if you don't think the $$ is a huge factor, you are kidding yourself. I think that sometime within the next decade, MLS will be the best league in the Americas and the best league outside the big 5 in the world. In terms of total revenue, revenue per team, median revenue per team, total attendance, league spending on transfers, and median team payroll. There may be a league or two that is ahead of them on mean averages, driven by some bigger fish at the top. And certainly some of the bigger fish in other top 15 leagues will (may?) still be better on the pitch (Portugal, Netherlands, Brazil, Liga MX, Argentina, Turkey, Belgium, etc). But it is coming. Financially it is top 10 right now.
The best leagues are the ones in which the best players play. The best players play where they have access to the best international competitions.
This exactly, sport in the US is all about making money, football in Europe is about competition, if your club hasn't spent EVERY penny it has as well as money it doesn't have then fans aren't happy. I think all this talk of money on here is testimony to the differences either side if the water. Every single MLS club could be richer than Ajax and in the eyes if the good folks of the US it would perhsps make them 'bigger clubs than Ajax but the reality..........
Before anyone decides to jump in and engage on this I urge you to read the last couple hundred pages in the Ongoing Pro/Rel thread (now closed). You'll see that all of Crawley's and Feynoord's points have been discussed over and over, not to mention calling out numerous factually incorrect statements, and despite that its the same refrain over and over.
I think MLS could do more to market in Eastern Asia. Saturday evening in the US equates to Sunday morning on the other side of the Pacific. There's a bigger potential audience for morning games there, than there is for matches kicking off in the middle of the night in Europe and Africa. Host an unofficial Pac-Rim cup in February. It will be pre-season for K-League, A-League and CSL and the winter break in Japan. Play it on the West Coast, Hawaii and places like the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia and Oz. Sign a few big Asian names as DPs. It worked out great for the Yankees with Matsui and Yao Ming in NBA. Every Yankees game was live on basic cable in Japan when Matsui was playing, and NBA became huge in China after Yao Ming joined and still is. I think there's a big upside for MLS, without a huge investment, and there would also be the opportunity for thev other leagues across Asia. I'm going to miss my West Coast late night soccer when I move back to the UK.
I don't like the rule but it's not some crazy MLS rule. It was prompted by the players union and being monitored by FIFA. The US has traditionally pioneered rule changes in football. From multiple substitutes, to names on shirts, to kick-ins, to concussion substitutions. Some work, some don't.
To be able to spend money..... one has to make money...... In order for MLS teams to sign higher quality talent they need to spend more money...... which means they also need to make more money.......
So the 29 MLS teams lost $42 million between them last year which is pretty damn good consideringn that ten years ago 19 teams were losing >$100 million. So how do they respond? They make more money for salaries. The purpose of MLS isn't as much to make money, it's to create a financial framework where competition can flourish without repeating the mistakes of the past. And if fans get a competitive league, the owners make money and companies sell products, well that's the 21st century.