Serious question. Would MLS teams do well in the Swiss leagues? how do our players compare? Shaun Bartlett went from MLS to Switzerland and did well right?
There are two big teams in the LNA, about five medium sized teams and the rest are pretty small. Before I answer the question, one must realise that there are fewer people in Switzerland than in LA or NYC. The Big Teams: FC Basel Grasshopper Club Zurich These two would do very well in the MLS. Both have impressive domestic and international credentials (see the run of FC Basel in this years CL for example). They are both currently 7 and 11 points clear of the third place team. Their budgets are the largest in the league also. Basel has gained huge financial windfall from their new stadium and the CL coverage. Grasshoppers are a very good team, and lead Basel by four points. These two would win much more than they lost in the MLS. The Middle teams: BSC Young Boys Servette Neuchatel Xamax FC St. Gallan FC Luzern FC Zurich These teams would do reasonably well in the MLS. I think they would be over .500. Servette plays in Geneva and the Young Boys play in Bern. Servette has just opened a new stadium and the Young Boys' stadium is undergoing renovations for Euro 2008. Xamax and FC Zurich are both strong teams, Xamax is currently third and have released plans for a new stadium. FC Zurich is the second club in Zurich, not as fancy or rich as Grasshopper, but still a decent team. St. Gallan and Luzern, although in a promotion contest are decent clubs who could have success in MLS. Small teams: FC Wil, FC Aarau, FC Thun These three clubs are all from small cities of around 20k. They don't have huge stadiums nor huge budgets. Wil and Aarau had serious financial concerns and there were questions about their ability to financially compete in the final round. These would do ok. They would probatly end up around the bottom of the MLS table. Just my quick thoughts.
I think that Yanks would do a great job in Switzerland. It is a country where the level of play is good, and lots of people speek English. It could easily be used as a stepping stone for those with ambitions. If I had the oppourtunity to play anywhere in Europe, it would be there. About the MLS teams over there. It is hard to tell this year, but judging on last years results ... FC Basel and Grasshoppers would be better than the other teams. I think that the Galaxy would be next then the group five LNA teams would be equal with the other MLS teams. Give me a few months to see what MLS is like this year, and it will be easier to tell. If the two national leagues were to have a random tournament, where each team played with their first teams, I think that iw would end up 6-4 in favor of the Swiss. They are really close.
Thanks again Rob. I think that's why Phil Anshutz wanted to buy Grasshoppers. Could place some players there to open up the marketplace for Yanks from MLS. Would be nice to watch some Swiss league games on FSW.
Where did you see this? I would love for St. Phil to buy Grasshoppers. Also games on FSW would be great. There is a game each week broadcast on TSR 1, but I have no idea if it is available in the US. These are usually the best games of the week.
I think Swiss GCZ mentioned it somewhere. I had some inside info on this a few years back from a buddy in US Soccer.
FC Basel had a training week in the states last year... there were 3 friendship games against MLS teams. DC United : FC Basel 1:4 Chesapeake Dragons (not 1. league) : FC Basel 2:8 New England Revolution : FC Basel 0:5 i know friendship games aren't significant. But in the Swiss press they wrote that it wasn't a good puplicity for the american soccer. PS: FC Basel fans are all over the World PEACE!!! MICHAEL MOORE IS A "GEILE SIECH"!!!
Chesapeake is D4, amateur. But the whipping they pasted on DC and Revs were pretty strong. Albeit, DC was pretty weak, and until the coaching change, the Revs were downright ugly. Funny thing: Chesapeake scores 2 goals, yet MLS teams combine for 1 goal.
That is why I stated that for a equil comparison both team had to have their best teams playing. DC and NE were pretty bad when FC Basel came over. CA Dragons were terrible also. I think the two leagues on a whole would be about equil.
Do you remember when Alain Sutter came over? He did well when he played, but suffered in the heat. That would be the case for most teams having to deal with our league. On the other hand, we would be able to speed up our play when we were in a European enviroment. Althought FC Basel and GCZ would probably lead the way. The other point is the MLS salary cap - so that would have to be thrown out. Let me re-phrase the question: How would American players do in the Swiss leagues?
If you are talking LNA, I think that the top five or six from the better MLS teams could play in Switzerland. Mabye the fifth or sixth not on the bigger clubs, but on a smaller ones. I have always felt that it is a great league to get into Europe. The travel is minimal, Geneva to Zurich is only 140 miles. Country is beautiful, the fans are passionate, sometimes not huge in number, but more passionate than most of the MLS fans. Some could do really well. Let me put it this way, anyone who played on the USMNT could play in Switzerland easily. They might not all be on GCZ or Basel, but they could play. I think it would be a great time to go play in Switzerland. Next year they have one CL spot, but the following year there are two. For a league that is only 10 teams that gives you a good chance to get there.
That's what I was thinking. Salaries have to be better than MLS as well, but would be close. I need to develop some Swiss contacts. How is the second division?
There is a wide range of quality in LNB. The Swiss do some crazy things in their organization, at least until next year. LNA and LNB play a fall home and home between 12 teams. In LNA the 8 highest play for the LNA Chanpionship in the spring. The LNA bottom 4 play with the top 4 from LNB in a relagation/promotion round. Normally the top for from that go to LNA the following year, and the bottom 4 go to LNB. The Bottom 8 in LNB are joined by 2 teams I think from the 1st league and do the same thing, with the top 8 staying in LNB. That being said, everything is changing this next year. LNA will have only 10 teams and play a double home and home. LNB will have 16 teams and play a home and home. For more details see the other thread. My impression is that there will be automatic relagation and promotion with the bottom two LNA teams and the top two LNB teams. I may be wrong tough. Back to the question of how is the LNB level. Overall it is higher than the A-League. I think that a few of the stronger A-League teams could play there, but most would not succeed. The problem with the present format is that if a LNB team does not make the promotion/relagation round, they can (and some do) dump their higher salary players to cut costs for the spring round while maintaining just enough from being releaged. This year there is no relagation so many teams have done just that, cut a lot of salary and are going with quite a few players from their junior team.
That also depends on the team. The players of FC Basel just got paid huge amounts of $$$ because of their CL play. But teams like Wil had huge amounts of $ embezzeled by its past president and almost did not play in the final LNA round due to the financial concerns. But in general the salaries are better there than the MLS. I think the example of Shaun Bartlett is a good one. He left the MLS for FC Zurich, played well, not he is starting with Charlton Athletic in the Premiership. I doubt he could have gone straight there from the MLS. By the way Charlton has a great website with 10 minute video highlights of each game. That would be a great thing for any teams website to have. More importantly it is free unlike so many Premiership teams.
more good stuff. So it would appear that good A-league players could get a shot at LNB. As for Charlton, they do have a good website. Feyenoord has a great site, but no longer are the highlights free - still its one of the best sites out there.
I sure did. I guess AEG could try again now that Gut and Gerber quit. I personally would prefer Swiss investors though, instead of becoming just another team in Anschutz's collection. Other than that, I don't have much to say. Rob did an excellent job.
I knew my memory wasn't off. I don't think Anshutz will drop coin in Switzerland right now, spending money all over the US and Europe building stadiums and arenas.
I don't know (I don't follow hockey that closely), but I do know that they got promoted after AEG took over.
I thought he was building an arena in Switzerland for Hockey. I was hoping he would bring Ezra Hendrickson to Grasshoppers.
Hmmm.... Well EHC Basel just built the St. Jakob Arena. But AEG being a Basel investor would be news to me.
I'll have to look it up in some of my old Stadia magazines. (stadia.tk) great mags especially since its free.
I don't think that Servette hockey has a new arena. If I remember correctly, they play in the same place where Servette FC plays their indoor soccer tournament. It is called Les Vernets, built in 1958.