He said there will be changes next season, so that's before the CBA. That can tear up the CBA and negotiate a new one of the MLSPA agrees. I doubt this will happen but there may be amendments.
He doesn't say it's coming next season. He says "we'll have new roster rules" as he names the schedule change and lists off a bunch of new stadiums, some of which haven't even broken ground yet.
When he said "I think Boston will get done and possibly a new stadium in a new market", he's not saying it's a done deal. A commissioner who is skilled in speaking to the media wouldn't state we'll have new roster rules.... He would say the ownership group is in discussion to.... Blah blah blah. You can hear what you want but as far as I'm concerned that's a done deal. When you publicly state that we made a mistake with the Apple pay wall and they are trying to improve the revenue from their media deal in the future it doesn't take much to understand flip of season, new roster rules, bigger player in the transfer market all go together.
It's been said many times here that rules can't change until the CBA. I also understood that the rules are changing along with the calendar change. Which makes sense. Why change the calendar to allegedly bring in better players but not change the salary rules to do so? I guess we will find out once the schedule changes.
That's what I've said before as rules have changed without the CBA. But always got replies that the CBA was needed. We'll find out next year what they do.
Written statements are easier to follow because the punctuation tells you when one idea ends and the next one begins. But that’s how I hear it too.
Mauricio Pochettino said that ‘American sports reward losers’ when asked about the style of play in top European nations vs. in the U.S. QUESTION: “We know how England, France, Spain play… Players from countries with a strong tradition have a recognizable style. What is the style of the US team? What kind of football do the Americans want to play?” ANSWER: “Their culture is playful. They want to play. We told them, “Guys, playing soccer is one thing, competing is another.” They’re two completely different sports. They grow up in a culture of playing. Why? If you start in MLS and you haven’t won a game in three months and you’re at the bottom, what’s the consequence if there’s no promotion or relegation, no international competition? American sports reward losers! But soccer is different: if you reward those who don’t win… If you don’t have goals, you don’t fight. If I lose, what happens? Nothing. They just fire the coach. Also, the American player is disciplined. But with a sense of complacency that isn’t good in soccer. It took us a year and a half to change that mentality.” Mauricio Pochettino said that ‘American sports reward losers’ when asked about the style of play in top European nations vs. in the U.S. 😯🇺🇸QUESTION: “We know how England, France, Spain play… Players from countries with a strong tradition have a recognizable style. What is… pic.twitter.com/96CGwkRe4D— USMNT Only (@usmntonly) June 16, 2026 He isn't wrong. All American sports leagues are like this, rewards losing. I'm not a ProRel advocate. Don't care if we have it or not. But there are other ways to make the season meaningful. As @jaykoz3 has suggested before, a Clausura and Apertura season like Liga MX and Liga Argentina do, it would make games mean a lot more as it will be a shorter season (17 games). Maybe just having 7 teams make the play offs instead of 9 would make it more interesting too. As for the bottom dwellers, in Liga MX the team that ends last in a 3 year average is paying a "fee". Now, if they pay it or not well, we won't know but point stands. Maybe MLS can do something similar instead of giving extra GAM for not making play offs or for ending last. Before anyone gets offended, it's just a suggestion which I'm sure MLS won't ever read. But the fact of what was said by Pochetino has been said before by MLS coaches and Sporting Directors.
I would also say that the majority of the USMNT's top players (i.o.w. the starters) play in leagues that have "more consequences." Poch having to change the mentality of the USMNT likely isn't that all connected to a lack of pro/rel in US Pro leagues. Our top players for the most part haven't played in MLS. IMO this speaks more to the culture created by GGG where spots on the team were seemingly guaranteed regardless of form. Poch wants competition for all spots on the team. Luns being left at home is similar to Donovan being left at home in 2014. At Least in the messaging aspect. Donovan was clearly still playing at a high level for club and country. Poch wants players to know that they can't take their foot off of the gas because of past performances, no ones spot is set in stone. TBF, Zlatan has said similar things as well about the lack of stakes in the regular season. IMO, MLS should move to a Clausura/Apertura set up. It immediately makes the regular season more meaningful. It could also give the league more flexibility for when the seasons start (the "spring" season in particular). They could still have a schedule similar to what they have now. Only the June international break would be the break between the seasons now, with a season start date of July 4th weekend. The winter break would be longer (mid-december to mid/end of February).
I think they are still going to three divisions of ten in the future and changing the playoffs all together. If you had Clausura/Apertura, wouldn't you still have to take a break in between one season since they plan on starting in February and playing playoffs in May? I think next years sprint season with 14 games will mirror the end of 27-28 with 20 games from July to December and14 games after the break and playoffs. So many questions they still haven't answered yet.
I can imagine. All those relegation battles that Zlatan and Poch must have experienced....i.e. none* The real reason that stakes are higher in Europe is that Champions League revenue is embedded in teams long-term financial planning. *Espanyol finished one point off relegation in Poch's final season but they still qualified for the UEFA Cup.
Poch played and managed Espanyol. When he joined as a player they had just returned to La Liga. As their manager they were fighting off relegation. He also managed Southampton.
So does pro/rel. It punishes the fans but good players and coaches usually move up if the team goes down. Is there any real data to show how many national team players played in a relegation battle from top teams? Messi and Ronaldo never have had this experience, have they?
JFC "WhAt's tHE cONseQueCe?". Ask that to the 7(?) MLS managers who are already out of a job this season. Or the numerous players from last MLS season who are now on USL rosters. The only people who face consequences in P/R that don't in MLS are the owners and the fans, and given how well that's going in England (Blackburn, Sheffield Wednesday, etc.) apparently the owners don't care about the consequences.
As someone who has experienced both systems (as a season ticket holder) I can say that the emotions, the highs and lows, are greater in a professional/rel scenario but overall I enjoy both systems equally. Also, League Two fans hate plastics just as much, if not more
It's Pochetino saying it. And not only him but players, coaches and Sporting Directors have said it too that here in American sports we do reward losing. Anyone can deny it all they want but it's the truth. It's why the NBA has taken action to avoid teams tanking ON PURPOSE to get dibs on draft picks. It's just part of US sports culture.
Time out though, the NBA and MLS are not the same. There's absolutely a benefit for tanking and getting a top tier day one starter out of the draft in the NBA. That benefit does not exist in MLS. Even the best of the draftees in MLS at this point aren't day 1 game changers. The top 5 picks over the last 5 drafts have turned out one notable player so far, Moise Bombito. Something like 40% of them are in the USL.
It's in general. It's how American sports are designed to reward losers. Sure, the draft in MLS doesn't really matter as it does in the other American sports. But not making play offs still has its rewards, minor rewards in terms of extra GAM, but still rewards.
I'm not disputing this, I'm just saying so does pro/rel. You get relegated in the Premier League and you get a parachute payment, right? Is that not a reward? Top players have contracts based on relegation, no? How hard is it on a top team when they get to face three expansion teams every year? One team had a San Diego year and the other two teams, meh as one is going back down.
Lionel Messi World Cup hat tricks as an active player in Europe: 0Lionel Messi World Cup hat tricks as an active player in MLS: 1 MLS makes players better? 🤔🤔🤔— ben 🦦 (@_bengelo_) June 17, 2026 That MLS grind....