http://www.latimes.com/sports/footb...,1,2748242.story?coll=la-headlines-sports-nfl bugmenot.com for login If I remember correctly, foreign teams HAVE to compete against a local team when touring in Japan according to the rules set. The only exception is the Intercontinental Cup.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Take this to the USSF. If you play 1-5 games, at least 1 has to be against MLS team. How could that be illegal?
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U I completely agree! Like the last trip over here why not have Galatasary play a MLS club? Or Rangers, Celtic someone who won't just completely embarrass the MLS team. Or how about MAnU vs. MEtrostars? 2 americans on the roster for ManU Or better yet, Leverkusen with Donovan against the Galaxy? sorry if these ideas seem crazy I hit the bong a little too early this morning
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U I've been saying this all along! If these big clubs want to tour the US the LEAST they could do is one date playing a true local club. Ignoring MLS because they fear it won't sell is a double edged sword because it depends on which MLS team they are going to play. I for one would have LOVED to see DC United Vs. Manchester United in DC.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Gotta love this guy's passion. This is the attitude we need amongst soccer businessmen in this country.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Ya know what I think it may be too. I think Manu and some of these other teams are scared at how good MLS may have become. I mean if DC UNited beat Machester UNited all of a sudden it brings up the level of DC United to a "holy crap they are good level!" I think that MLS and the USSF needs to institue a rule like this. Championsworld needs to be deep sixed. Thery arent in it for the good of the sport. They are in it for the good of their wallets.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U I was going to write a speech, but I'll simply be brief and to the point: The only way you fools think you can build MLS up is to tear something like the ChampionsWorld tour down. Is that it?
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U You're damn right. It's about time somebody called these guys out in public. I know Gaber had been diplomatic in the past, 'rising tide floats all ships,' but I'm glad to heaer somebody finally call these people out. Certainly it's hard to complain about the fleecing of the American public because people go quite willingly to these games, and presumably not to MLS but to me it's highly insulting that CW runs around talking about 'quality soccer.'
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Actually, I think everyone here is saying that ChampionsWorld could help MLS out. The implied thinking is that by building soccer up here it would help those teams anyway. The counter argument is maybe they don't see it that way and see a strong MLS as a threat the way the NASL was by signing marquee players (albeit a little long in the tooth). A good question really, does a strong US market help the rest of the world soccer market by opening up avenues for their apparel and other stuff or threaten it by the power of the US market overtaking other markets?
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U It's the responsibility of Major League Soccer to create a league which can compete in the world soccer market, not ChampionsWorld. If MLS were to be included in the tour, would they invest the revenue they receive in obtaining some internationals of renown to improve the quality of play so some of us would stop considering it a waste of time and money to attend matches? As to another poster's comments concerning an attempt to bar a ChampionsWorld tour. Forget it. How could that fly in court? You're going to prevent a firm from sponsoring a tour which has absolutely nothing to do with your league? Ridiculous. The best MLS could do is stop the tour from using it's stadiums, like Home Depot Center. But then ChampionsWorld isn't interested in playing in pillboxes. I might add that if MLS were to have a few matches against ChampionsWorld tour teams, some of those on these boards clamoring for the matchups will begin complaining that they don't want to see their players hurt in meaningless games, they don't want to sit next to Eurosnobs, they don't like the disruption in the MLS schedule it would cause, they don't like the inflated ticket prices, they'll feel they're entitled to discounts as season-ticket holders, etc. All that will be used as an excuse not to support the tour.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U I'd argue that MLS in midseason is much more entertaining than the majority of ChampionsWorld tour matches. The big Euro clubs are here for preseason, which means they're still working out the kinks in the system. Not to say that MLS is better than the big Euro clubs at their best, but ChampionsWorld is NOT the UEFA Champions League, and some of this year's matches were, by all reports, simply unwatchable. MLS doesn't need to get well-known foreign players to improve its quality of play, people just need to realize that ChampionsWorld is ripping them off for soccer that, frankly, isn't much better. Besides, with the "internationals of renown" argument, MLS is going to get slammed by the Eurosnobs both ways. If MLS actually signs top international players, then they're going to be accused of being upstarts or poseurs, and the Eurosnobs will find some reason or another to stay away.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U one problem is as pointed above by the poster, MLS is in midseason , ChampionsWorld is trying to sell tickets and make enough money to pay this big clubs to come here. Now lets face it, if Celtic played the Crew instead of Roma the attendance would be a quarter at best. A Metrostars - Man U game might fly and maybe a Galaxy game at the Rose Bowl , and DCU game, but i really do not see any MLS team being able to draw a big crowd to make this work dollar wise. Its easy to talk, easy to cry but MLS would have to show the money to this big clubs , then and only then will they come and play their teams.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U I suppose that's why the Cosmos had so much trouble drawing when they had Pele, et al. Sign Beckham and find out what happens. Sign Ronaldo and find out what happens. Even sign Tevez and Saviola and find out what happens. After every newspaper in the world reports about it for weeks and has reporters covering them--you know how Ichiro Suzuki and Hideki Matsui are constantly followed by an entourage of Japanese reporters in baseball around here, don't you?--then tell me with a straight face that no extra bodies will show up to watch the matches. The publicity would be astounding. It would make this Freddy Adu show look pathetic. Don't think for a second that the folks who attend ChampionsWorld matches wouldn't want to see more games during the year. But you have to give them a reason--a GOOD reason. MLS doesn't have that reason right now.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U and the league would go belly up, next? US courts couldn't prevent Champions World, but FIFA could. i'm not saying the should, but they could there's nothing wrong with Garber calling them out for not helping the sport. they may prefer a few bucks over growing the game here, but Garber has the right to call them on it
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Becaise it's THEIR league in THEIR cities with THEIR players ????
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Champions world does have a right to promote anything they want regardless if you guys like it or not.. and the truth is that Champions world has and will continue to provide that circus because people will always go to these type of games.... I notice that many of yous hate Champions world because they dont include MLS... well they dont have to because that is the way they do buisness its more of a profit for them to do things the way they have... Now as far as MLS vs world teams.. I dont see any one here putting up some heat on SUM which is a Dept in MLS to get big teams here to play MLS teams... I have notice that SUM/MLS have done the very same thing Champions world does and they do it with National Teams.. Argentina Peru giants stadium...... MLS should provide MLS vs world team games.. Would it be so bad to Bring back the NASL Trans Atlantic Cup and turn it into the MLS Trans Atlantic Cup Challenge?? I dont think so... Can DC and NJ work together to make their atlantic cup some thing like the trans atlantic cup yearly challenge..i think they can... would it be so bad to ask Dallas and Chicago to also turn their Brimstone cup into another tran atlantic cup copy?? why not it provdes not only the world teams MLS so badly wants to play but it also lets these pre season tours mean some thing for the visiting teams and MLS Teams a cup to win.. Its not a Intercontinetal cup but its always nice to win some thing... If MLS wants to play world famous club teams THEN ITS MLS JOB TO PROVIDE THAT FOR THEIR FANS and not cry about how Champions world does not invite them..Or does MLS just want some one else to pick up that extra work...If they want to play pick up the phone and make it happen.... AEG should work on brining those famous teams here rather than complain and do notting about it......
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U you don't get it. MLS isn't saying it wants all these games. Just that it was disrespectful to come over and play a game the same time as the MLS all-star game (one of 3 nationally broadcast network televised games this year). That it would be in soccer's best interest here in the US to work with MLS to grow the game than to focus on 1 game payoffs using 2nd string players. don't speak for what MLS "wants" without actually reading and understanding what Garber said. say what MLS BigSoccer fans want, if you must.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U The MLS All-Star Game was moved to accomodate Real Madrid. And they didn't bother showing. That was an MLS screw-up, not brought about by ChampionsWorld in any way. Real dissed MLS, not CW. (And if you want me to go to an MLS All-Star Game, try bringing it back to NJ. Since Harrison seems dead, there's no more excuses about waiting for the new stadium. Have it at Giants in 2005. I'll be there. I promise.) I might add that this past year, ChampionsWorld made the mistake of not spreading their matches out properly. They were way too concentrated. How did they expect to get big crowds to all the Giants Stadium matches, for instance, if they held three games there in four days. I could afford it, but others had to pick and choose probably just one. It's not as if they don't make some mistakes. But not playing MLS isn't one of them.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Hey moron. They did that, it was called NASL, and for a while it was the sexiest most glamorous league in the world. Where is it now? You always write these posts basically ripping the league, as if you actually care for it. Look the league is what it is. And it is improving. The league can't go out and splash money, because we don't have the cash to spend like that and to incur even greater short term losses (nobody will buy in...even with all the ephemeral publicity the league gets). I would rather spend that money on stadiums and youth programs, to build a longterm base, then on some idiot pre-madonna like Beckham, or someone like Tevez who has blown for Boca this year. That's my opinion, and its correct simply looking at the example of NASL.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Or even better, Leverkusen against the Earthquakes with Donovan. -G
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U So strangle the league in its cradle. Either get in on the ground floor or quit moaning about how it's not good enough. I've made my decision. I haven't bothered with ChampionsWorld. I actually watched the all-star game over the ManU/Milan exhibition.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Real didn't show because of their collapse in La Liga that forced them into the Champions League qualifying rounds. They were also touring the Far East, but with their schedule being compressed (because of having to compete in the CL qualifying rounds), they made a decision to dump the all-star game. Which I can't fault them for. They did offer to make up for it by bringing an MLS XI over to Madrid for a match in September. But MLS decided against it (rightly, IMO) because it would be in the middle of the playoff run.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U After ten long years, anything still in a cradle is there because it's dead. Stop with this argument about the league being a baby. It's not 1996 anymore. Once again, the ground floor was ten years ago. When is the elevator going up? I'm sure their are potential owners out there who would want to get in on this ground floor, at a bargain basement price, in the hopes this thing could take off. But they're not going to do it unless they can spend and not be hand-cuffed by stupid single entity.
Re: AEG powerman blasted ChampionsWorld, Man U Ok, have I missed something the past few years?? What's this ChampionsWorld league that includes ManU & Milan & Real Madrid among others? Have any of these teams played here in the US ?? When did this happen??