anyway, Red Bull is not 4 sale http://nypost.com/2015/04/16/red-bulls-owner-has-no-intention-of-selling-team/
Right now 3 pro soccer clubs in NYC Metro. Only the RedBulls have a stadium. NYCFC and Cosmos both have $$$ and plans for stadiums but are unable to secure a sight. Cosmos want to be independent to do what they want. Which MLS does not provide. ESPN has offered ESPN3 to show all NASL clubs local Braodcast of games on a National stage. Only the Cosmos have not agreed to this.
All the Cosmos needs to do is get Stadium built & build a team strong enough to get to CCL. This gives the them a chance to meet a few MLS teams along the way. If they do well in USOC yearly it does not matter what league they are in.
That's some serious cash you guys are going to need to spend to go against MLS, Liga MX, and Primera División. Especially Liga MX. You'll be looking at a complete roster overhaul.
Montreal is a good point when it comes to the CCL. They are at the bottom of the MLS standings yet have advanced far in the CCL and even knocked out a pretty strong Mexican side in the process. The Cosmos roster is pretty strong and I think they could fare pretty well in it, better than some of the weaker Central American teams we see in it usually. The good news is the Cosmos wouldn't have to deal with Liga MX/MLS sides until they advanced past the group stage if they make the CCL. There are some strong Costa Rican sides, but I honestly don't think they spend much more than Cosmos on their roster if at all. For this to even be a discussion though the Cosmos need to win the U.S. Open Cup which is a lot easier said than done, hopefully NASL success in the U.S. Open Cup can open the discussion for an automatic bid to the CCL via the NASL season.
All??? The ONLY route they have to the CCL is winning the USOC. That's going to require 1) a pretty serious squad, at least as good as an MLS side's, 2) beating every MLS team they draw and 3) beating every NASL, USL-Pro and PDL side they draw. Even stage 3 isn't guaranteed. Liverpool are a far, far better team than Aston Villa. Villa are in the F.A. Cup final, not Liverpool. Yes, Montreal did it - this season. But if they hadn't they'd still have their MLS revenues, and every season to come. So revenues don't matter? You might not have noticed how poorly-attended USOC games are. What are the TV revenues from winning - not going deep in, but winning - the USOC? Either way, how are the Cosmos going to earn income from all this trophy-winning? As long as some Saudi is writing cheques, everything will continue as it is. Once he/they die, lose interest, sober up or start taking his/their meds the whole thing will come crashing down. Ask Leeds United fans.
I don't know if anyone would be very excited to see those games, but its the possible Cosmos vs say Chivas game for example that could attract more fans.
MLS is the USA & Canada D1, and is defined as such by the USSF. Why on earth would they downgrade MLS - and the CCL for that matter - by giving a minor league automatic entry to the CCL? The automatic place will have to come from somewhere. If it comes at the expense of the USOC, the other CONCACAF federations will bitch like hell because of the precedent it sets for their own D2s. If it comes at the expense of MLS, do you think Garber & Co. will take that lying down?
Thats the issue. I think the Cosmos #1 priority needs to be getting a stadium. I think even the most die hard Cosmos fans can admit they aren't going to get to where they want to be long term playing at Stuart stadium.
I haven't put much thought into it, maybe you take a spot away from Central America? I would need to do a lot more research to say.
Well regardless of whether NASL gets an automatic birth, which shouldn't happen until they can make a real case for parity with MLS on the field, the CCL could be expanded to 32 teams and 8 groups of 4. Mexico 5 USA 5 Costa Rica 4 Honduras 3 Canada 2 El Salvador 2 Guatemala 2 Panama 2 Nicaragua 2 Jamaica 1 Trinidad & Tobago 1 Caribbean Club Championship 3
The CCL was just reduced by a number of teams two years ago because it was long, cumbersome, and most of all....a big money loser for CCAF....who subsidized most teams to get them to play. MLS and Mex teams played reserve teams, and barely paid attention until knockouts started. Matches that made money were long and far in between. Even now numbers are hidden, not published by CCAF, because it is assumed that it is still a big money drain...even with the cost cutting and tightening of the tourney recently. The chances of the tourney expanding are pretty much slim to none any time soon.
That's it, a sinkhole for money if you ask me investing boatloads of money to face Chivas or America every 5 or 10 or 15 years
Hell, CCAF just changed the format, have less teams, and put less teams in groups....from 4 to 3, in order to force better matchups. Force more MLS/Mex team meetings....the only ones that have any chance of drawing ratings....which of course is needed to grow/fund and maybe eventually expand the tourney. Even now most Mex tix are either hugely discounted, included as part of their season tix package for free, or just given away to actually get fans to show up. The first renditions of the tourney were drawn up as if a kid on the net made the plans. Made no sense. All encompassing, all inclusive, lasting 9 months, bloated, no common sense or reality involved, and a huge money loser. It was clear it wouldn't work. The new format has clearly worked better IMO, but the tourney is obviously still a money loser, and a minimal draw overall. I have more hope for it now then I did, but if anything it will get less inclusive than more to ensure money match ups.
Pouring money into your roster purely for the CCL is stupid. You want the goal to be to win the Soccer Bowl, nothing wrong with trying to get into the CCL every year, but you won't survive long relying purely on the CCL.
No main continental club competition I am aware of gives automatic entry to lower-division clubs based on their league season. But the supposedly "authentic" NASL is asking that international convemtion be set aside for this one facet and this one facet only because it favors them. The rest of the international conventions, oh, we have to stick to those. And no matter what crazy people say, there is not a metric - outside the number of drugs their advocates consume - in which the NASL is remotely close to MLS. They keep hammering this talking point over and over as if that will make it true. It's not true. And the idea that "all the Cosmos have to do is get their stadium" ignores the fact that it doesn't appear promising at the moment, does it? And the idea that as long as they do well in the Any Given Wednesday tournament, everything else takes care of itself is also very, very dumb.
Well, it is why "some" NYC fans have gained the rep they have. The rules should be different for them. Just for them. Still, it's gotten a bit better and I hope they can solidify their fanbase where they are now. The more solid teams in the US, whatever level, fine by me. Zealots are zealots. Amusing for a while then tedious.
I think the problem is all our leagues tend to cherry pick what favors them... Football conventions be damned. Which is rather ironic considering that the governing body for those conventions is consumed with corruption from the top down. I mean it’s like the pot calling the kettle black and then looking back to the skillet for a ruling. I would think at some point we can let all the bullshit roll off our backs and just sit back and enjoy the growth... Where the chips fall are out of our control anyway.
Montreal may be at the bottom of the MLS stadings but they play week in and week out against the Tier I MLS clubs. Sure no one in the world has any respect for the top level MLS in the US and yes Liga MX is much better league. Still though MLS is not an awful league and getting better each year. Montreal being in the bottom of the league last season also gave them more focus on CCL play with let alone winning the MLS or even making the playoffs was not a possible scenerio. So now that they are this far in obviously the MLS is taking a second to the CCL right now. At a glance the MLS has made the schedule for the Impact very CCL friendly and for good reason. Not for all clubs but for many of the now traditional top MLS clubs the bow out of the USOC early and focus on MLS and getting their CCL bid from one of the 3 MLS slots. Brings us back to the Cosmos. Surely NYRB did not want to lose to Tier II Cosmos but you could see players and coaches alike just wanted out and get the rest. Then they face a mid pack Union team who teeters around the middle of the table around the low end playoff spot. For them USOC is the best way for them to get to their first CCL. A rough physical regional type rival city match ensues but the MLS Union win out in the end.
Dont get me wrong I think that was great. Two matches I was really into and made it a point to watch both matches. Loved the upset of NYRBs and being from Philly wanting the Union to advance for sure but found myself also excited for the Cosmos as well. in the End was happy with the result of course
I would....what fan worth his/her salt wouldn't want to play against the best teams in central america?