2025 MLS Flavors of the Week

Discussion in 'USA Men: News & Analysis' started by OWN(yewu)ED, Jan 2, 2025.

  1. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Obed Vargas struggling is not our concern
     
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  2. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They didn’t win but Seattle didn’t do badly considering they were up against Atletico Madrid. And somehow PSG lost to the Botafogo team they outplayed.
     
    STR1 repped this.
  3. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Good numbers again from Roldan(CM in 4231), this time in the 3-1 loss to Atletico.

    53/63 passing
    4/7 long balls
    6/12 duels
    3/2 fouls/fouled

    6.8(3rd)Sofascore
     
  4. Ghost

    Ghost Member+

    Sep 5, 2001
    Reminds me of a young Tyler Adams. All over the field making plays and winning the ball.
     
  5. TrustingtheProcess

    Philadelphia Union
    United States
    Jun 11, 2021
    Philadelphia, USA
    Roldan looked really good. Forgot how fast he was, he ran down their wingers in space a couple times.
     
  6. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    He's a dark horse of mine to make the Mundial.
     
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  7. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    If he was younger he’s played enough to maybe get some European interest.
     
  8. TheHoustonHoyaFan

    Oct 14, 2011
    Houston
    Club:
    FC Schalke 04
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    LAFC v ES Tunis is an very back and forth even match so far!
     
  9. TheHoustonHoyaFan

    Oct 14, 2011
    Houston
    Club:
    FC Schalke 04
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Disappointing:

     
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  10. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    last in first out?
    1936220814732312909 is not a valid tweet id
     
  11. 50/50 Ball

    50/50 Ball Member+

    Sep 6, 2006
    USA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    He was born a little too early to get the kind of Euro moves guys like Sands and Tolkin get and too late for the moves guys used to make when Scandinavia paid better. He’s been a great Sounder and I’m sure he could have been a regular at some yo-yo club in the big leagues.

    Seattle was smart to lock him up for his prime. His second contract was reported to be fully guaranteed, which is apparently rare in MLS.
     
  12. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    #1137 IndividualEleven, Jun 21, 2025
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2025
    The Brasilian clubs have racked up some impressive wins in the CWC. Botafogo's 2025 payroll is listed at $27 million, Flamengo's at $51 million. Similar payrolls are achievable by the wealthiest MLS clubs.
     
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  13. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    On a MLS club roster like 60% of that payroll would have to go to the three DPs
     
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  14. schrutebuck

    schrutebuck Member+

    Jul 26, 2007
    The Messi signing and the buildup to the 2026 World Cup are definitely coming across as a bit of a missed opportunity for MLS.

    The league should be getting at least 1 team into the 2029 edition (if it's the same rules) through either winning CONCACAF Champions Cup or regional rankings if a Liga MX team wins it twice, but it's tough to see MLS getting more without deciding to compete.
     
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  15. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    MLS would need to increase the basic cap to avoid all the money going to the DPs in the instance of an individual team wanting to compete with the Western Hemisphere's best.

    I agree that the league has possibly missed a great opportunity. The Messi-effect has seen the average MLS team valuation increase to $720 million. Inter Miami is now worth more than Inter Milan. But the league spends 26% of its revenue on player salaries while the top leagues spend 50%-75% of revenue on player salaries.

    Some MLS owners have pleaded for an increase in the cap but obviously not enough of them.
     
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  16. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That and their average domestic player is just better but an up and coming Brazilian player won’t necessarily be making a salary that reflects the difference in quality.
     
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  17. gomichigan24

    gomichigan24 Member+

    Jul 15, 2002
    Club:
    Manchester United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    MLS just moves slowly on these things and is very consensus based. I think it’s unlikely we’ll see dramatic change but I do think there will continue to be gradual increases.
     
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  18. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    Just checked Flamengo's starting XI. There was only one player, the 21 y/o rightback, under 24 years of age. These weren't future superstars who had defeated Chelsea. And only 6 of the starters were Brasilian.
     
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  19. twoolley

    twoolley Member+

    Jan 3, 2008
    Brazilians are good at soccer??
     
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  20. BMWDeuce

    BMWDeuce Member

    AC Milan
    United States
    Aug 15, 2024
    Well the good thing is some of the owners who are most resistant to drastic changes are looking to sell
     
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  21. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    That's great. And why not: given the runup in team valuations, these cheaper owners stand to make a tidy profit by selling now.
     
  22. Pegasus

    Pegasus Member+

    Apr 20, 1999
    Club:
    FC Dallas
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    MLS is a tank. It moves forward slowly but never stops moving forward. I think it's a fine balance as it gives our good young players minutes and that wouldn't happen if all of a sudden there were PL spending. It will take longer to get near the top this way but there is also no way there will be a NASL repeat. Slow and steady is the way.
     
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  23. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    #1148 IndividualEleven, Jun 21, 2025
    Last edited: Jun 21, 2025
    This is about more than Brasilians being 'good at soccer' or whatever. In the early 20s, Brasilian football adopted a new financial model that allowed the teams structure themselves as LLCs to encourage greater investment in the game. Revenue has been rapidly increasing over the past few years as have club payrolls. In this CWC, Brasilian teams are 2W0L2D against European clubs for a marked improvement over the previous decades of the event in its more limited form. And in continental competition, only once have a non-Brasilian team, Boca Juniors, made the finals of the past 5 editions of the Copa Libertadores. In the 5 editions prior to 2019, non-Brasilian teams had made the finals 8 times.
     
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  24. twoolley

    twoolley Member+

    Jan 3, 2008
    For sure. And 80% of their league is brazilians. But i hear you and its a good point! Its never one simple factor.
     
  25. IndividualEleven

    Mar 16, 2006
    The league was 90% Brasilian when it was getting owned in Copa Libertadores and making little headway in the CWC. Greater investment means keeping more of your talented players plus being able to bring in talented foreigners. Cristian Roldan won MOTM against Botafogo. He's on $1.5 million. An MLS team that invested more could load up on more of those types, not even the Pulisic-levels of American players.
     
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