Actually, he's saying a few other interesting things as well: About NASL in US' current soccer landscape: "We’re focused on building as strong of a professional league as we possibly can. That is our focus. Where that takes us and how it relates to other bodies down the road, as I’ve talked to Don [Garber], we’ll figure that out when the time’s right, but for now, we need to focus on what we’re doing." What strikes me is that even the commissioners of the two leagues, which according to many poster here are bitter rivals, seem to be willing to have constructive conversations about the future of their leagues. Makes me wonder even more why some people here insist on the leagues trying to beat each other and even hoping that the "rival league" will eventually fail! As some of you mentioned, there is more than enough potential (markets) in the US for everyone to be successful as long as they try to complement each other and not competing for the same markets, which is exactly why I opened up this discussion under the umbrella of the NY situation. So, maybe we can focus the discussion more on what the leagues can do to make things work and grow soccer in the US as a whole rather that "my league is bigger than yours and yours will go down the drain" vs. "my league will some day be bigger than yours and yours will then go down the drain"!? As for Florida...I wish the three teams (Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale and Tampa Bay Rowdies - sorry, VSI Tampa Bay, but in my opinion you're just unnecessary!) would be in the same league to make a great Florida derby series and I wish that Miami was able to support a (MLS) team additionally to the three, but I am also very concerned that MLS Miami might kill the Strikers or even the Strikers and eventually itself. Anyway, if MLS/Beckham go ahead with MLS Miami, I hope it works. As for Orlando, I don't mind them being in MLS or NASL, just move up from USL-Pro already, because there's simply more potential in the other two leagues for a promising franchise like Orlando.
Division 2 in most countries is not "minor league". It's Division 2. "Minor league" is often used here as a perjorative. And it's used pretty ignorantly of what Division 2 is in football.[/quote]
Can I ask a question? Why is the automatic assumption that this is the fault of certain Cosmos fans, and not just people that want to pretend that "now" soccer is the best there ever was, and the existence of the Cosmos shoots their fantasy to pieces?
Well, it doesn't help that one league has decided to open up at least two teams on no other basis than the fact that another has achieved success there. Look at the hate on the split season. Most of it comes from fans outside the league using it. Most fans of the league are at best enthusiastic and at worst, cautious, but curious to see how it turns out. It also doesn't help that when that same league struggled to form, it does look like two others conspired to crush it, and now have a partnership, which has been used to suggest that this same league is going to fail. Then when the same league got the most famous team in American history and a sponsor for some of the greatest teams on earth right now backing it... It really looks like professional jealousy. And it makes some of us wonder what they're so afraid of. Me, I know what they're afraid of; that the emperor will be shown to have no clothes, and that even with a lot of funds, if you don't do good soccer first, you aren't a great league. It also doesn't help that the head of the federation is basically a mouthpiece for that league and needs to be replaced, in my opinion.
Judging purely by this forum, I get the feeling most NASL fans hate the split season format, or don't really see a benefit from it compared to other formats. "Most famous team in American history." That's a pretty big statement for a team that has never played a game and it's most famous player is.. Carlos Mendes? Hunter Freeman? They're on the team right? Oh, you mean the Once In A Lifetime Cosmos? The 1971-1985 team. Completely different team, completely different league, completely different rules. They came back? No. A team merely using the same name has come. Yes, the Cosmos name is well known and will always be connected to the 70's dynasty. But no one who is in tune with reality is looking at the current Cosmos as anything other than a Division 2 expansion team. Pele might show up at all the press conferences, but he's not showing up on the field. This I agree with. A change at the top would be refreshing. I wouldnt say he's hurting the NASL though. I mean, the league isn't even eligible to be called Division 2 right now, but they keep letting it pass.
Sure they do. It's funny but it was probably that thread that made this one more popular, as the advisability of NASL vs MLS fans slamming each others' league policies is what started the debate over league comparisons and where they belong. I would say that it was the fact that it was a desperate attempt to create that impression that brought me to this forum! I guess you could compare it to the '71 Cosmos, when they played at Shuhart Stadium and no one cared about them. Except people still care about us, and Pele isn't just some paid marketer; he's the club's honorary president. I went to that press conference. The most amazing thing was when Shep Messing said, "we are here to honor the past and move forward in our future." And then, before Pele got there, he called out names, and said "Cosmos-- come on up.... you too Clive." And so there you had a group of young players, with Carlos Mendes on the right, and many of the old Cosmos on the left. It's an experience you can't conceive-- because you didn't see it. Doesn't mean it didn't happen. Not for free they don't. That's because as a NE Patriots guy, it's all about the money anyway. And just because he isn't bothering the NASL doesn't mean this sort of league control over the fed isn't hurting American soccer.
I like the split season and I also like that every team starts at 0 points for fall season. That way at least you have something to play for if you fail in spring season.
Ok. Shut up. We're not gonna rehash that whole debate here. As I recall, your argument was thoroughly destroyed. For every point you make in favor of this format, I can give you one that cancels it out. There's nothing special about this format. And it'll be gone within the next season or two. So just shut the hell up about it. Stick to the topic of the thread.
I keep trying to explain this to them but they don't seem to get it. Some people in this country look at soccer through a narrow North American lens and try to fit it into other American sport templates. There is no such thing as minor league soccer.
It's what's called a "alternative". Single table, no playoffs, no salary cap. I'm proud my team is part of this league. What's a harder accomplishment being #1 during season like SJ did. or winning playoff games?
Again, let's stay on topic. I thought this was supposed to be about New York teams? There's plenty of other threads already infected with your nonsense.
I saw MLS vs NASL vs USLPro then slash NY Cosmos vs MCFCNY vs RedBull. as far as NY goes will Mets fans support the team? Will Manchester United and Chelsea fans support the team? I don't think so.
I think that depends how they market the team. There's two narratives that one could choose from. 1) Manchester City have bought a team in New York, named it "City" and will have them wearing sky blue, all in an attempt to expand the Man City brand in the US. This is Man City USA. or 2) Sheik Mansour, who also owns a successful Premier League team, has teamed up with the New York Yankees to establish a team in New York City, the first MLS team (and currently the only professional team) to play in the 5 boroughs. They will truly be New York City's team, with a New York City indentity. New York City itself is one of the biggest brand names in the world, and this team will be playing in the biggest media market on earth. This team promotes itself. This is New York City. Right now, we don't truly know what route the team will take. But it's too early to assume that they will follow the first narrative. That is simply the easier narrative for haters of the team to latch on to right now, because we've got nothing else so far. It's easy to scare people with it when you can point to Chivas USA and Red Bull New York as examples. We don't know what this team will look like, or how heavily the Man City brand will be incorporated. My guess would be that we see something closer to the second narrative. I think the people running this team are too smart, and know their market well enough, that they will not allow themselves to be seen as a "farm team." And the amount of money and effort they will be investing in this team suggests that they are in it to establish a strong, sustainable team and brand. New York City is too big of a market, too big of a brand itself, to simply use it as a Man City extension. I do not believe this will be a Red Bull situation. I haven't seen anything to suggest that the Sheik has the same business mentality as Red Bull.
The proof is already in the books...Manchester City owns FCNY and NY Yankees are share-holders. Why would a Met fan support anything that has to do with Yankees? The Manchester City-Chelsea friendly had about 80% percent Chelsea fans. Why did they have to use MCFC and NY yankees logo in background? and supposedly MCFC came out for Chelsea friendly at Yankee stadium with FCNY shirts on in light blue. a
Ok so USLPro is already MLS's farm league. So that leaves NASL what will it do as far as new ownership groups? MLS already have MCFC for NY and I just read that Barcelona's owner didn't want to expand into MLS after they found out about single-entity and salary structure. So what does the future bring what if owners of Barcelona, Manchester United wanted to buy a NASL team? Is that good? Same goes for MLS? Would it have a added fan rivalry between leagues?
Manchester United will not buy a NASL while the Glazers own a NFL team. Don't piss off the Krafts, Hunt, Kroenke and Minority owner Paul Allen. 4 pretty powerful owners in the NFL who own MLS teams.
The thing is, MLS fans don't knock NASL teams. We don't pile into soccer bars on the weekend to sit around and mock the Silverbacks or Minnesota Utd. We don't hop onto bigsoccer to start up fights with NASL kids because their league is such a joke! No. We want NASL to succeed. We all want to see the lower divisions in the US to get much better. But arguments keep popping up anyways, where some notions proclaiming that NASL is everything MLS could never be seem to constantly reiterate. And these arguments never occur without initial mention of these New York Cosmos. Hence the assumption. As per people "pretending that 'now' soccer is the best there is," I think you're looking at it wrong. Were the Cosmos a better team than, for example, this year's LA Galaxy? Don't know. Probably. Does it matter at all? Nope. Not a bit. Because "now" soccer is not the best, but it is the only relevant soccer. I love looking at the Sporting jerseys and seeing that star for when we won in 2000. Pretty damn cool, if you ask me. But what does that do for me now? Nothing. All that matters to the team is this year. And the next, but there's not much to be done about the latter now. I just want to go out there and watch my team win. Forget 2000, forget relics of decades long ago. Just play good soccer and win now. Maybe it's a New York v. Kansas City thing, as far as perspectives go. I have no idea. Of course, if we're talking shattering illusions per quality... Cosmos were once one of the best teams in America. Years before that, Bethlehem Steel were one of the best teams in the entire world. So these wonderful Cosmos were simply a pale imitation of the once grand standard of soccer other teams had set before them.
Few in the Cosmos era were aware of Bethlehem Steel FC. The NASL crew definitely weren't modeling themselves after anything other than the NFL, maybe - with the conferences and the Soccer Bowl, etc. (For a lot of people even today, American soccer history starts with teams like the Cosmos. That's why they call people who use the word football, like FC Dallas, Toronto FC & New York City Football Club, Euro-poseurs. They don't realise the US Soccer Federation was the US Soccer Football Federation until the early 70s.)
Playoffs are cheap borrowing from the NFL that weren't taken seriously in the NASL and aren't taking seriously now by the television industry. Challenge that.
To be fair, the Soccer Bowl then was still new, so Lamar Hunt figured he could reuse it. I have never met any single person call a fan of an MLS team a Euro-poseur. Except maybe RSL because of the "Real".