The minute FIFA initiated hydration breaks for all WC games, I knew soccer would now be a game of four quarters worldwide. Originally, there were no subs in soccer. Then there were 3 allowed. Now, there are 5 a "temporary" accommodation for Covid -- sure. Eventually, we will have 4 quarters, unlimited substitution and players can leave and return. No one will care, however, because those that remember the "before days" will all be worm food and the current fans won't know any better. The money grubbingness of FIFA, the ********wit billionaires who own soccer clubs and venal TV execs will conspire to extract the last bit of "undiscoverd value" in anything they touch. Of course this is the way of the world with capitalism and no regulation and it's certainly not just in sports. Look at the practice of medicine in the US, practices are being snatched up by private equity firms intent on extracting "value" for their investors. So, patient visits are maximum of 10 minutes (5 with the patient and 5 writing notes) and docs are pressed to "turn" a certain number of patients a day. Medicine as piece work, just like picking strawberries.
MLS is going to do hydration breaks in the middle of a -28F• February game in Montreal. It's a dumb change. I find it bothersome. But I find VAR to be an existential problem so what do I know?
We really got a paid for game against Loudoun before we got an MLS Next Pro team. Flipping the meme around, we’re gonna get GTA 6 before an MLS Next Pro team, aren’t we?
There is no doubt in my mind MLS will go to quarters for the next media rights deal. If MLS is going to be able to afford the elite players so many folks clamor for, then that level money can only come from media rights deals. And the only way advertisers in the US see stick and ball games as a worthwhile medium is if they can show 15 to 30 second commercials. Since FIFA is doing it, the Euro leagues wont lag far behind. Oh well, at least we can tell our grandkids how it used to be...
I guess it means no one else was willing to play us? Any odds when they will schedule a game v the Spirit? That would be fun trying to figure out who gets priority to their season tic seats!
Rumors out of Japan are that DC United have made an offer to buy Kimito Nono, an attacking right back currently playing for the Kashima Antlers.
This guy scored NINE goals in his rookie year in the J League and made the best XI that year and in their just finished sprint season.
Just got my 2027-28 (yep!) season ticket renewal. Packages include 7 home games during the sprint season, 17 home games during the first new calendar season, and 4 extra matches. They're still doing the split premier/standard membership, with premier continuing to include Apple TV, a 20% concession discount, $10 of F&B credit per ticket per match, and $200 of additional ticket credit. At least in my section, prices per match are unchanged, but it is a bigger/longer overall commitment.
the cost is spread out more so my monthly payment seems to go up only about $30. I can handle that, I guess. Sucks to start being optimistic again.
on Facebook DCU is advertising the July 25 return to action game as "WWE" night... What is the connection? is one of our ownership group also an investor in wrasslin'? otherwise, why not tie it into the tournament that just finished even though it didnt get anywhere near DC - like, by getting some USMNT players to show and get some love?
Kashima Antlers have announced that Kimito Nono has left the club in preparation of signing a deal with a foreign team. Curious if that really is going to be DC.
I saw the Greg Roche skeeted that picking up Nouno was a waste of an international spot given other needs the team has. I understand the argument, but I think it's flawed. DCU is a long way from having a full, competitive roster. Right now, the outside back roster consists of LB Kurokawa, RB Hefti and utilityman Antley. Kurokawa appears bionic, but the way Weiler used Hefti towards the WC break, I think the guy was two inches shorter from running his legs off. If Nouno is indeed inbound, he provides, at minimum, depth back there and would appear to be a very useful rotation piece. There remain many holes in the roof -- and one giant termite in Levien -- but you have to patch them one at a time.
So much WC stuff in the athletic I missed this July 17th piece by Tenorio in the athletic. --- The owner-operators of Major League Soccer have narrowed in on three finalists as next commissioner of the league: LAFC co-owner Larry Berg, former Fox executive David Nathanson and San Francisco 49ers and Leeds United executive Paraag Marathe, multiple sources confirmed to The Athletic. Two sources who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the process confirmed to The Athletic on Friday that Marathe removed himself from the search in the last day. That leaves just Berg and Nathanson as top candidates for the job, though it is possible that another candidate is recommended. Sources familiar with the process earlier this week said told The Athletic that some owners not on the committee have requested to see a more full list of candidates who were interviewed. MLS owners are expected to hold a vote in early August to decide which candidate will replace Don Garber, who has served as commissioner since 1999. Puck News first reported the initial three finalists. A committee of owners chaired by LAFC co-owner Bennett Rosenthal and Columbus Crew owner Jimmy Haslam worked alongside Korn Ferry and The Miles Group to narrow down candidates as part of a succession plan. Other owners had not been formally informed of the list as of earlier this week, but discussion around the finalists was beginning to pick up at the board level. An MLS spokesperson provided a brief statement: “Major League Soccer’s Board of Governors has been engaged in a comprehensive succession planning process. As part of that effort, a number of highly qualified individuals have been considered. The MLS Succession Committee is working with the Commissioner and the Board on this ongoing process.” Garber’s contract runs through the end of 2027, but owners saw it as critical to begin a transition as early as possible, as the changeover in leadership comes at a critical point for MLS. Garber has said he intends to stay in his position until the end of his contract, but naming the new commissioner before that allows for a smooth handoff. “I will be in this office until 2027, and whether or not I’m commissioner, we’ll wait to see,” Garber told Front Office Sports on Thursday. “There is a succession process that is not only ongoing but I’m supportive of it. I’m embracing it. I feel great about it.” The league’s collective bargaining agreement with the MLS Players Association ends in January 2028, and the negotiation with the MLSPA comes as owners have already started making significant changes to how MLS operates. League owners voted last year to flip the calendar beginning in 2027, which lines MLS up better with global transfer windows. The board also approved changes to the competition structure, which will impact both the regular season and postseason. MLS owners and executives are also studying major changes to its roster rules and regulations, specifically on how — and how much — teams will be able to spend on their senior rosters. Those changes will undoubtedly be tied to the new CBA. Notably, the agreement now expires in the middle of MLS’s first summer-to-spring season in 2027-28. Berg is considered by some sources to be the favorite to replace Garber; however, MLS has seen more of a split at the board level on several key issues in recent years and those sources cautioned that there is no clear consensus on this vote. The LAFC co-owner has been an active member of the board and co-chairs the sporting and competition committee, which handles high-profile sporting issues like roster rules and competition format. Nathanson is a former Fox executive who oversaw the network’s successful bid to win the 2018, 2022 and 2026 World Cup rights. He is a minority owner in the Seattle Sounders and a director of the U.S. Soccer Foundation. His media background will no doubt be seen as a strength for a league that will be negotiating a media deal sooner than expected. Several sources pointed to the media rights negotiation as a vital part of picking any new commissioner. One of the key drivers of sports league revenue is media rights, and it’s an area in which MLS has fallen behind its competition. The league is trying to get a better foothold not just in the domestic American sports marketplace, but also in the global football landscape. With increased competition on television from Liga MX, the Premier League and Champions League, as well as the German Bundesliga and Spanish La Liga, MLS has struggled to convert its strong local and in-person stadium experience into a commanding national television audience. MLS’s current deal with Apple will end three years earlier than expected, in 2029, after the partners negotiated new terms last year, with MLS coming out from behind its MLS Season Pass subscription on Apple TV. Marathe’s candidacy rested on both his NFL and international soccer experience. He has spent 25 years with the 49ers, serving as president of 49ers Enterprises and executive vice president of football operations. He has served as chairman of Leeds since the 49ers took majority ownership in 2023. There is a strong NFL presence on MLS’s board of governors, including the Hunt and Kraft families, who were founding owners of MLS; as well as owners Stan Kroenke (Colorado Rapids), Arthur Blank (Atlanta United), Jimmy and Dee Haslam (Columbus Crew), David Tepper (Charlotte FC) and the Wilf family (Orlando City). Garber was an NFL executive before being hired as MLS commissioner. MLS will hold a board of governors meeting around the MLS All-Star Game in Charlotte on July 29. A vote is expected to occur after that board meeting at a later date, with owners expected to attend in-person to ratify the final decision. Matt Barrows contributed reporting to this story.
Strange it will be 28 years of Garber. In spite of all the deserved criticism the league gets, over all I think he has done a good job of guiding the owners to where the league is now. Just think if it was all Mas Bros. and Leviathan/Kraplan owners - this league would have probably long ago gone the way of NASL. I can see in 20 more years a 36-team closed-league with 2 tiers for pro-rel. That would add a major incentive for idiots like our owners to make sincere effort at actually being effective (well, obviously not for Leviathan but, you know...). A few more big media rights deals funding player payroll and the league will be more than a about-to-retire or "up-an-coming" stop for players.
I firmly believe we don’t have MLS today without Garber. He’s had to thread a lot of needles along the way and with that comes decisions that will naturally upset fans on either end of the spectrum. He’s gotten a lot more right than wrong, and MLS continues to grow at a sustainable (if sometimes frustratingly slow) rate. I hope than whomever replaces him sees that there’s a foundation to be more aggressive and implements a relaxation of roster rule tiers, encourages more (but not outrageous) spending, and continues to emphasize the youth development element to continue growing the game here.
I agree. MLS came in 6th place for minutes played in the World Cup, which I think says a lot about where they are as a league. Not top-tier but just below. That seems about right. The one big mark against Garber is that the switch to a winter schedule could be an immense own goal. MLS relies on butts in seats and there might not be any butts in any seats for half the season.