In a future, where hopefully, Mexico is a more stable and less violent country and MLS is continuing to flourish, what should and what will MLS do if Mexican clubs show interest in joining MLS? I mean its not impossible to think that at some point in the not too distant future, MLS will be raking in much more $$$ than your typical Mexican side. Plus, MLS offers no relegation. So its likely that smaller sides will be attracted first but, possibly, if MLS becomes a much more prestigious league, the larger Mexican clubs might show interest as well. We already have Canadian teams. So why not add Mexican teams? What do you think?
No one in MLS or US soccer will let it happen nor do they want it to happen. Canada is a unique situation and not at all comparable to Mexico.
No one in MLS wants to add millions of soccer crazy fans and players to their tv markets? Really now?
Its more complicated than that. Mexico is outside of the jurisdiction of USSF and falls under FMF. FIFA allows candian teams in the MLS because it is beneficial to the growth of soccer in Canada and the U.S since both are fairly under developed. But Mexico has its own league and with its own governing body. Its not just as simple as an investor wanting to throw money around and it gets done.
I realize that but I also think there is a growing movement amongst club owners to take back their teams from what they view as the hijackers at FIFA. If they want to switch leagues, why should a bunch of nobodies be able to tell them otherwise? There is association of all the biggest club owners in Europe (ECA) that are always threatening UEFA and FIFA to take back control. If something big happens there, and I think eventually it will, all bets are off.
I'm actually rooting for the opposite direction. If Canada would have more decent teams, then they could make a league of their own. Or if they don't want to leave MLS, they could make a conference of their own. Wouldn't the CCL be more exciting this way?
CCL will never be more than SuperLiga 2. North and South America need to join up and create a Pan-American Champions League. Now that would be amazing.
Wasn't the reverse in discussion before MLS? A Mexican team in LA? Irrespective, this would fall in the court of the FMF and CONCACAF - not FIFA. Only cross-confederation issues like Wellington in the A-League are handled by FIFA.
The real question is why Mexico would want to join in with the US? They have plenty of cities and candidates to have a league(s) on their own. Not to mention the histories and rivalries. It's only countries bereft of major markets or with little soccer heritage that seek to amalgamate.
They aren't "leaving" the FMF, just running the league separately. Just like MLS and the USSF really. All it means is that the FMF is no longer directly involved in running the league (but they are still the governing body who sanctions the league.)
What should MLS do if Miami FC wants to join the Mexican Liga Premier de Ascenso (D3)? A: Nothing because that is a USSF problem.
More money? The potential to compete with European leagues? Even in Mexico they have to hear how their teams are nothing compared to Barca, Real, Man Utd, Bayern, Juventus, etc.
Another issue is the USSF rule that 75% of all teams in a D2 (and D1 I assume) need to be from the USA. Then again, SUM does pay Sunil a paycheck so that may be negotiable.
There is no way USSF would allow something like that over MLS objections. And there is no way MLS would agree to a Mexican league team in the US.
This is what I mean though. People that struggle to envision change in here, don't realize that the soccer world, particularly the leagues and the team owners, are trying to transform soccer into something more resembling USA basketball and the NBA. That is the NBA is totally in charge of the NBA. The teams are totally in charge of themselves. USA Basketball has no authority over them. They only put together international events and THAT'S IT. I think that's the future of FIFA and the federations. The teams in Europe have already created a coalition to take away some power from UEFA. I think you will see more and more of this until its no longer up to USSF and FMF.
Yup. Amazing to watch a team such as TFC make a 10+ hour flight to play a Bolivian team at altitude...or watch the fans cram into Colorado to face off against some Uruguayan side... This thread is beyond stupid.
Other than the fact that fans think it might make for entertaining soccer, I have never understood the "pan american cup" drive. No one ever argues that UEFA should unite their Champions League with the CAF equivalent or with the AFC equivalent. It's much the same thing here-- North America and South America are 2 different continents, the distances involved are insane.The plane flight from Brazil or Argentina to LA or NYC is absolutely crazy. Imagine Chile to Canada....Imagine stretching that out over a multi month affair involving a preliminary phase, a group phase and then a knock out stage. Personally, what makes more sense to me is to have a yearly home and away exhibition between the champions of CCL and Copa Libertadores. You could have a small trophy made for the winner. However some would say that the FIFA Club World Cup now makes such an exhibition meaningless since both those teams qualify for it and might therefore meet on a larger stage.
Correct -- in fact, that's exactly how Chivas USA was born. Robert Wagman wrote in Soccer Times on May 13, 2004: “Mexican food supplement and media billionaire Jorge Vergara is one of the most aggressive soccer entrepreneurs in this hemisphere. He owns the controlling interest in Chivas de Guadalajara, a legendary club in Mexico, CD Saprissa, the most popular club in Costa Rica, is finalizing the purchase of a team in Spain and makes no secret he would love to own teams in England and Italy. For a number of years, the market he has coveted is the United States, with its millions of Mexican-Americans and Mexican transplants. At one point, he wanted to put an actual Mexican League team here. But the U.S. Soccer Federation, with its mission to protect Major League Soccer, and which would need to grant permission for a foreign club to play here, quickly put an end to that plan. So, Vergara regrouped and looking at MLS's desire to find investors willing to put up $10 million for an expansion team, called league commissioner Don Garber. A deal was struck for Chivas USA to begin play in MLS in the 2005 season, Garber announced.” Link: http://www.soccertimes.com/mls/2004/may13.htm
A LA team playing in the FMF would be pretty cool for many people in the LA area, Imagine the LA Galaxy with no CAP restrictions playing in the Mexican league (they would have to earn promotion or buy it first). But the USSF was right on stopping that, just like the FMF would be is say Tijuana wanted to join MLS.
More money? Mexican teams make a good deal more money than usa teams. What are you smokin? Compete with European leagues? Wtf. How would that happen? That's impossible.