If the Fire were in England.....

I think if the Chicago Fire were in the EPL then road games would be a real bitch for Fire fans.

The trouble is you're talking apples and oranges. For example, do the Fire get to dramatically increase their roster size to match those of English clubs? What kind of budget do the Fire get for player acquisitions each year? Can they pick their own players or are they still subject to the diktats of MLS?

 

Wow, me and Mike with the BigSoccer telepathy.

 

Its a tough comparison, but based on the small amount of Div 1 football I've seen, the Fire would probably fit in over there around the middle of the table, maybe a few slots above the drop zone. They don't seem quite as good as the teams in the playoffs, which is most of what I've seen. But I saw a few games between midtable Div 1 sides, and they looked fairly comparable to the Fire.

But yeah, apples and oranges.

 

If the Chicago Fire played Millwall would Garcia Security be needed?

it is apples to oranges, but I don't think the Fire would be a bad Division One team, probably middle of the pack.

 

If it's really apples to oranges, why is everyone so consistent in saying we'd be mid-table First Division?

I think there's an emerging consensus that most MLS teams could be competitive in the First Division. The EPL? That's where things like budget factors creep in and hurt the comparisons more severely.

Later,
COZ

 

Maybe they're all making similar assumptions like we'd still be at our 28 man roster with 1/100th the player allocation budget of your typical EPL club?

 

Well, yeah, but that's sort of my point. Given the realities of our operation, we'd likely be mid-first division. That's more apples-to-genetically-modified-apples than apples to oranges. And it also goes a long way to support my own theory about promotion/relegation in the US -- the only way it can happen is if it's built on top of MLS in an American Premiership, and that's a long, long way away. But that's another argument.

Later,
COZ

 

Pro/Rel here would also only be possible in the absence
of single entity unless that single entioty owned all leagues from which teams were pro'd or rel'd. Do you think MLS will be creating MLS2 and MLS3 anytimes soon? I don't.

Anyway, the question of where the Fire would be in england depends on too many variables and assumptrions to give a definitive answer. That was really my only point in my first post here.

 

Question if the EPL won't allow Celtic or Rangers in why the Fire?

First you'll have to get thru the Pyramid

http://www.btinternet.com/~brentours/SP32.htm
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Could the Fire substain a 50+ game season? League and Cups.
Could you play a whole game without changing half the team?

And if the budget problem was removed who would you keep and who would you buy? N American, S American European?
Would it still be the "FIRE"?
As Chelsea shows you can build a team with money but can they play like a team? Only time will tell.

why do you think the Top European clubs come to America and don't play the MLS team's? Only MLS select.


When are you guys going to get the with Pyramid model the rest of the world has? Your development will get better as league play will mean something and there will be more to win than a Cup.


Current Fire Squad equivalent to Div 2 bottom Div 1 tactically, fitness EPL standard for most of the younger players.
Problem will probably be speed of play. But it is getting better.

Keep it up and good luck with the future

 

I don't think they'd be able to get enough work permits.

 

Plus they've gotta learn the language.

 

If Real Madrid were in England would they win the Premiere....

Can't honestly compare one with the other, but then again what are chat rooms for

 

But your question is unanswerable unless you state your assumptions about roster size, budget, etc. because you're comparing a team with a league whose clubs operate under a completely different set of conditions that directly impacts their performance potential.

 

I think MLS teams would get killed by their lack of depth in their starting 11 (holding aside the bench/reserve problems). If you merge 2 MLS teams together, you might make an EPL starting 11 capable of surviving relegation.

For example, Razov, Ralph, Beasley, Curtin, Armas could hold their own in a EPL match, even though some are probably more realistically D1 players. But I think Whitfield, Perez, Mapp, Jacqua, Pause would be overmatched and are probably d2-d3 quality players.

 

1) they do - see: LA Galaxy vs Real Madrid, 4 August 2004, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California

2) $$$$$$$$ (the euro-snobs are more inclined to see two european teams play than an MLS team and a euro team)

 

Which brings to mind a more interesting question, albeit one for some other forum: How would the US Nats do in the EPL?

 

Ooooooh, good question, though not one I feel like tackling here. Post it in the US Men:N&A if you want, I think it could be interesting.

 

I'll let you have the honor. I generally try to avoid the USMNT forums as much as possible.

 

Thanks. I just didn't want to post it at first since it was your idea.

 

I have to disagree. I don't think they would beat low teams like the wolves and Leicester. I don't think the MLS has the percision passing, and the crispness needed to compete in the Premiership.

 

Uefa Cup spot.

 

I think we'd be battling relegation in the first division.