Yea, while you want it to be an American league you don't want it lose it's identity as a soccer league. You're looking at teams not playing each other every year with too many of them, and that strikes soccer people as wrong.
I'm a soccer person. It doesn't strike me as wrong. We already play an unbalanced schedule in the US. If not playing every other team strikes you as wrong so should playing some teams more than others. Yet it doesn't seem to be hurting MLS. Keeping a balanced schedule is the least of MLS's problems. And if the choice is between alienating some fans who would stop watching if they didn't have a complete round robin schedule (few I'd imagine) and adding several teams in markets where no team currently exist. I think it's pretty easy to see which would bring the most fans/$ to the league. Also, even with 20 teams we won't be doing a round robin for 38 games. Unless something changes TPTB don't want that many league games.
That is the overall problem with American soccer. There are very few countries in the world with the geographic issues we face, especially when it is combined with the population. Russia is the only nation that comes close in size, but they have half the population we do. A better contrast is perhaps the reality that most of Europe's landmass could fit inside the United States. From a population standpoint, you could take the 5 largest leagues in Europe (England, Spain, Italy, France, and Germany), combine their nation's overall populations, and you would still be about 70 million people short of the US's population numbers. The US could have three "first division" leagues, all regional, and we'd still have issues. It's a problem that doesn't have a pretty or perfect solution. So far other sports have found ways to make it work, so following their example isn't the worst idea in the world.
I think part of the challenge the MLS is facing is the pressure to be a national league from the start. Other leagues (MLB, NFL, NHL, NBA) started as regional north eastern leagues, which wasn't a problem since the other parts of the country weren't as relatively populous as now, and there were no nationwide sports cable channels to compete for. It's a different dynamic than older leagues have faced when starting out.
Earlier in the thread someone mentioned a USL club in Los Angeles... I think a far better open market is San Diego... This city figures nowhere in MLS' expansion plans, yet it has always struck me since MLS' inception that it is a perfect location for professional soccer team. On the Mexican border with large Latino population that unlike Miami or other Florida metropolitan areas, actually supports soccer as part of their cultural sporting tradition. San Diego is urban, urbane, cosmopolitan and young. It is a major hub of the youth club game, with exceptionally high participatory numbers. That San Diego is not primary in USL sight lines is quite frankly baffling.
I don't think we will be seeing any new teams out west untill they can bring in a few (3 - 4) at one time. Any new team would have a big travel bill and the rest of the league probably wouldn't look forward to the trip.
Just to be a pedant I'm going to point out that the NFL started in the midwest, not the northeast. First season standings: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1920_NFL_season#Unofficial_final_standings Even a few years later when they adopted the NFL name they were still heavily based in the Midwest, even more than they were to begin with: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1922_NFL_season I agree with your point though.
I was thinking of pro football's early roots as basically Ohio and New York teams, both of which I consider "north east". But, it depends on what you consider the "beginning" of the NFL, I guess.
Thank heavens. I was going to be annoyed if it was. Y'all deserve something new that you can make your own.
the USL should act like a second division (which it is) and stay outta of major markets. Honest to god whats this obession with new york. why not des moinse or Omaha. Branch out soccer to everywhere in America.
The obsession with NYC is the fans feel they deserve a better team/organization than RBNY (I don't blame them!) USL is just a stepping stone for FCNY. The recent USL to MLS moves have shown owners (whether its correct or not) that USL is the new path to MLS.
I understand what you are saying. I was told that the USL is looking at markets where they aren't competing with multiple major league teams. However, there is always the matter of ownership to consider. It's obvious that someone wants to have a team in NYC so we should let them do it if they can do it well. As far as Des Moines goes my understanding is that the ownership wants to have an SSS first before making any move and that its been some time since they tried. You'd have to ask someone on the Menace thread for more specifics there. I was also told by Matt Weibe of USL that Omaha is an area they are looking at but he offered no details as to who is the prospective ownership group.
It's official- FC New York is in. http://www.uslsoccer.com/home/317726.html http://www.newyorkusl2010.com/
Somewhat of a tangent here, but another fairly disappointing crest for a new USL club if you ask me. Rowdies/Aztex/FCNY all are pretty weak in my opinion. For the record I don't think Miami FC's crest is so great either. Reviving the Cosmos nickname and crest for FCNY would have been far superior.
To be fair, the Austin badge was horrible at first, but looks much nicer now than it originally did. Hopeful FCNY will change things up. Too much soccer ball on that badge too. The colors are nice, but it just feels wrong. Time to hire some professionals to design one. Aside from that. Very cool NY Having a club. It's nice that there can be a nice rivalry through USOC and friendlies between them and RBNY.
Yeah it's a good start for a crest, and the explanation behind it is good, but it needs serious work(I'm a graphic designer so I'm always critical of new logo unveilings). It looks like someone threw it together in Word or MSPaint rather than hire a professional to do it. Heck, I'd do it for free, and I'm sure there are thousands of other young eager graphic artists who would do the same. I just can't stand crappy sports logos, even more so when it appears very little effort was made. The team website isn't much to write home about either lol. I agree it's good for NYC to have a club, I'm curious to see how it does. Also, new cup idea for 2010, the "Snowbird Cup", between Miami FC and our area's two biggest suppliers of northerner transplants, NY(FCNY) and Quebec(Impact) lol.
haha it should be the q-tip cup! since all of the old white haired people move down to florida like an elephant graveyard
I like Tampa Bay's. Austin ain't bad, much better than original but still definitely a bit odd...... this one def. need a bit of work. Granted, who am I to talk, our logo is atrocious.
With NY Tampa, and Cleveland, its looking more like an easter league but I think the regional set up will be better for soccer as a rule.
Someone should proofread the front page of the new FCNY site.... but that's being unnecessarily nit-picky. Congrats FCNY! =-) And, back on topic, here's hoping there are two or three more teams approved for 2010/11! There certainly are enough interested markets out there....