Lionel Messi to MLS?.. The Saga Starts Part 1 [R]

Exactly so it wouldn't have hurt them to play 30 minutes.

Give me a break.

Looking at the Miami Cincy game so far, without Messi & Alba, Inter looks lost so depending on the outcome, by them missing the ASG, they could very well have cost their club 3 points.

 

¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Every other player had to go thru the "punishing" travel to play a "meaningless" game. Why should they get special treatment?

 

Mascherano slams Messi ban: No one complains when he fills stadiums

 

I wasn’t saying they should get special treatment. I was just hypothesizing on why they didn’t show up.

 

But those reasons not to show up are the same for everybody. It's not "harder" for those guys. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

Yeah the league really has it out for Miami, really do not want them to win!

 

Schedules are an issue for players all over and especially in the US given the travel time compared to other leagues. Don't worry though, if you're one of the best players you'll be rewarded by being required to add to that long schedule and not get a break like the rest of the league. We think it'll bring in more money for the league and owners though at your expense so it's all okay.

 

Well fine then, don’t have the all-star game. Or don’t have Leagues Cup or don’t put MLS teams in the Club World Cup because you like them. The point is that it’s a grind for every player selected. No one gets a pass because it’s really extra special hard for them.

 

I get it's what they signed up for. There's an international schedule for a reason. And, yes, this does go back to asking why we have the all-star game at all. I've never watched one. I think I saw a few minutes of one back when Meola was in goal. It's one piece of American sports culture I just never get.

 

I seem to remember many different American innovations during the NASL years like the 3 subs, the 35 yard line and the shootout.

As far as I recall, many foreign superstars loved those rules as they added and brought more to the game.

They also loved the money so with the good also comes the bad.

If you come, you must adapt to our way of doing things.

It would not have killed Messi or Alba to make an appearance in Austin.

 

I like it - to see all those great players playing together. Schedule congestion is a problem, but the all-star game is just one game, and no one's gonna play more than about 30 minutes. It's not that much of a strain on the players. I think for a lot of the players it's a fun distraction and a chance to hang out with great players from other teams. Pretty sure that Espinoza had a great time. I didn't hear about any of this anti-all star game stuff until Messi and Alba got fined. When Zlatan missed it, it was just "oh, that bad boy Zlatan!".

If we're serious about reducing schedule congestion, we should be looking at paring down the number of multi-game competitions. Leagues Cup is what really threw a wrench into everything. I thought with MLS Cup, USOC, and CONCACAF Champions League, it felt about right. But no, MLS had to go for the big money grab, and it's kind of thrown everything out of whack and hugely diminished US Open Cup, which was a great soccer tradition in the US.

 

From what I recall, the foreign superstars loved the 35 yard line because it meant they could stand around up front more and have shorter runs. 3 subs is also in line with less wear on their aging bodies. That's all the opposite of the overly crowded schedules today.

 

None of us really know how much real money and goodwill any of the competitions or the marketing game (allstar) really brings in short and long term. Remember, MLS tried dropping one of those competitions but it was not well received so they do still compete in the USOC.

 

Right, but the elite guys can afford to suffer the sanctions.

 

As a fan I don’t care about how much money the competitions make the league. I’m not mini-Garber. Give me the tradition of a 100-odd tradition of soccer in America. And besides sometimes the short term decisions trading tradition and community for corporate $ winds up hurting you in the long run.

 

Como president Mirwan Suwarso breaks silence on Lionel Messi’s potential arrival

Inter Miami Owner Warns MLS Over Lionel Messi Suspension

 

This is so analogous to playing soccer when only one kid has a ball. Gotta keep him happy or he goes home and takes the ball with him.

 

I didn't realize Messi and his friend were the only one who had this "extra" burden put upon them.

 

'Not even a dream' - Como chief reacts to Lionel Messi transfer links after Cesc Fabregas talks up reunion with Inter Miami star

 

Per Wikipedia, Como's stadium seats about 13k.

 

Yes and Como's ownership, the Djarum Group's net worth is around $48 billion dollars.

It would be nice if Fisher sold our Quakes to those guys....

 

Why?

 

I'm not sure what about that quote implies I was only talking about those 2 players.

 

You said

" Don't worry though, if you're one of the best players you'll be rewarded by being required to add to that long schedule and not get a break like the rest of the league."

Which implies that they have been treated differently than the other players who had to meet the same requirements.