A 2 tier relagation ssytem can work in the USA. If you look at when a MLS team plays a A-league team the draw quite well and that is for fans who just want to see the out of towners. Added incentive would be to avoid the drop down not necasarly for the $$$$ of it but for the pride of it. This will be a new order of competition and a quite welcome one. This would pool the 2 divisons. Where the potential and dream of any team in D2 can dream of being in the MLS just by promotion. Even if the d 2's arent permoted by seasons end. At the begining of the season all d 2 teams can have that hope. There might be some conditons for a d 2 team like a expandable stadium to at least 18k. The promoted teams must be finacially viable for themselves. They must abid to the salary cap. I would maybe lower the cap to 1.4 mil. WHY, because there is to much good money out the chaseing bad players. Hopefully this will inspire teams to scrutinize talent better rather then just going on hear say!!!! I would add at least 6 more teams to d 2. That is 6 more markets to just let soccer be there. The strong will survive. And survival for d 2 would be throught the pdl farm clubs/associations. This is the forefront of sports. It is a new realm. So many sports are getting stale. But the relegation is such a great competition!!!! cheers
Oh no, not again... If you look through the 4 billion other posts about relegation and the MLS, I think you should be able to come up with all the reasons why it will never happen. This thread is not even in the same universe with reality.
So what is realty going out of busniess and and leaveing the multitude of soccer fans with out soccer. My analysis is feaseable. And to deny it for the sake of denying it is close minded. You are more likely to attract evolveing organizations into d 2 and promotion into the mls. It is like the US open cup with season long standings more suspensefull . There is not that much differnce in the product and organization from d 2 and the mls. The main differnce is that Mr. A is developing the mainstream infrastructure. Once he gets his soccer specific stadiums done it will show that even the a-league teams can do it to on a smaller scale. Applying to just there cities like rochester has done. At this time I want to sincerely thank Mr. A. for his contiuned support!!!! cheers
Few fans deny it would be NEAT. It's those pesky investors that seem to insist on some guarantee that they won't suddenly own a second or third division team. As mugwamp said, it's been hashed out a million times before.
Don't think its a bad idea at all. It will give clubs something to shot for. If they send 1 team down a year it will bring more credibility to the league. If the MLS team that goes down is so good they will be back the following season. If they can't handle D2 they don't belong in D1. As far as investors go they will hire better players and coaches to see results.
Yes, just imagine all of the credibilty the league would have if the Metros were relagated and drawing 1000 fans a game at Giants Stadium competeing in the A-League and the going tits-up. I can't think of a worse situation. My guess is that this would bankrupt relegated MLS clubs. But boy would it be great seeing some of those scrappy A-League teams and their high school stadiums coming up to MLS! At least the Dallas situation is temporary.
Once again the logistics of pro/rel are thrown right out of the window. North America is TOO large to have pro/rel in a nationwide league, and clubs do not have a strong enough following where fans support the club as opposed to the league the club plays in. Does anybody really think that an A-League club playing a regionalized schedule out of a 5000 seat stadium could really handle moving up? No. They would be relegated the very next year and probably be broke what with the increase in travel costs and other costs associated with playing at a higher level for one season. Revenue would not be higher because they would still be playing out of a 5000 seat stadium in the MLS.
Kenn you are funny. I want to comment on this, but the Champions league final is on, and I want to watch this first. Back later
I know I didn't want to reply to this again, however, just maybe one of my points will get through to these pro/rel people. Then again I really don't think they read the responses.
AAAAAGGGGGGHHHH !!!!! Kenn - THANK YOU! Couldn't have put it better myself! People must think that there's lots of "Monoploy" money out there just waiting to be lost! OK - I'll throw out one additional item. MLS: Single Entity USL (A-League): Individual Franchises ...I can see it now. "Team X" you've just won the A-League and promotion to the MLS! What are you going to do now? Team X spokesman: "We're taking the team and their families to Disney World 'cause it'll cost less than the $10 MILLION franchise fee the MLS wants...oh yeah, and the % of ticket money we'll LOSE to help run the MLS front office...and the sponsorship money we'll lose because categories are taken by the league...and the money we'll LOSE by having to TRIPLE our salaries...and the money we'll LOSE having to travel across the country for one game each week... on the other hand (speaking with the rep for the relegated MLS team)..."Our investor-ownership group (or whatever the MLS calls it now) has decided to take their ball and go home. We will miss the annual tax write-off this venture has given us, but since we don't own our facility it seems kind of insane to open it at a cost of $50K per game and get 2,000 people" - but it was fun!
There are a million reasons against pro/rel in America, all of them good ones. However, MLS execs have been quoted on the record as saying they'd love to see it on this side of the Atlantic one day. Of course in the next breath they say it would be far off in the future, if at all.
Two words for those in favor of promotion/relegation. Milwaukee Rampage What happens when the A-league champs of one season disband because the owner left and took his ball home??? And the product is not the same. I have seen enough A-league games to know that it is an inferior product. And don't use the Open Cup results or friendlies as examples. That means nothing. Just like it means nothing in the FA Cup, Worthington Cup and so on. Smaller/lower clubs get pumped for games against the big boys. Yet how many promoted clubs taste success the next season? Yeah, that's what I thought...
MLS execs can also say that they'd love to see themselves fly a seagull to the moon one day. Of course this would be far off in the future, if at all. Holds about the same weight.
Saying you'd love to see something some day and then admitting it's not going to happen anytime soon seems reasonable to me.
This is serious, so just wanted to say. The only freaking way we will ever have relegation is for MLS to absorb A-League teams as well as put some teams in areas without A-league, Philly, Houston, New Orleans, St Louis, Phoenix, Hartford, San Diego, etc. The teams would have to buy into MLS - abandon the A-league and USL. Each team would have a set salary cap, maybe $800,000. Each team would chunk in a few million to be in MLS 2. Maybe $2,000,000 to get into the league. However they would have to commit to operating expenses, none of this Cincinnati crap. Spend a realistic amount on advertising and build the puppy up. Maybe you could even do MLS 3, if you had the interest. Or maybe you regionalize the leagues and have 2nd division championship. If MLS can use the new markets to gain additional sponsors and maybe even greater TV presence it may pay off for the MLS 2 teams better than just their current sponsor agreements. So, if you can start a MLS 2nd division, maybe even get them some coverage on FSW, or maybe this is the start of the SUM TV network - then you have a chance. As it stands right now - there is no possible way for MLS A-League to have promo/relegation. The league could not afford losing a LA, Chicago, New England or especially NY. One day, we may see such a thing - but don't bother with until the A-league is gone.
Forming an MLS 2 and MLS 3 is the only option I have seen that is possible. But you're right, imagine having the Galaxy and Metros relegated one year. It would be devastating. Now if San Jose went down, nobody would notice.
It might not be a bad thing afterall Hey it would give Landon an incentive to go back to Leverkausen.
Panic, don't tell me you're going to start that "MLS Should Expand to San Jose" thread again. That would be as silly as pro/rel debates, and you know it. Keep that silly stuff to the Expansion forum. Now, if San Jose shows it can run an A-League franchise, then maybe it might be worth considering....
Screw San Jose, my new expansion targets are New Orleans and Hartford, either would be a better location for an A-League team than San Jose
San Jose has really shown this season that it is not a soccer supporting town. They get nobody for the Quakes, and they are winning and then getting only 12,000 for a US Full National team game is beyond pathetic. There were 1,200 people at the US U-17 game on Sunday against Mexico in Lancaster California. Lancaster is 65 miles from Los Angeles and not known for the best weather. Move the Quakes.
I think you got it backwards. The only way pro/rel will happen is in the USL. We won't see it for America's first division unless MLS folds. USL should get the ball rolling by creating 5 or so regional A-Leagues with fixed geographical boundries. These would be made up of PSL and the weaker A-League teams. They could fill out their schedule by playing PDL teams as needed. The champion each year for each region could be promoted. Leave the continental A-League at around 10 teams with the weaker teams being demoted. Of course for this to work you'd need additional money for: 1) the league to cover costs of travel for the continental league 2) have the league reduce the annual dues of all professional teams to current PSL levels Sounds like alot of money. Maybe Rupert Murdoch could buy the league and waste his money on it for our benefit and to undermine ESPN/MLS. Maybe not.