to answer your question, yes I think there is a material gap between NUFC and Fulham. The same Fulham got demolished when promoted to the EPL after looking great when earning promotion and I believe that players like Almiron would demolish Championship opponents like he did in MLS. are there exceptions like Sheffield United? Sure but they’re exceptions.
Does material gap and huge gap mean the same thing to you? Also Almiron would if played as an ACM like he was used in MLS. He would be much more dangerous in the EPL if the coach could find a way to get him more central as well.
Yes, it is amazing. Not surprised you couldnt connect the dots from something so obvious. It is a bigger issue than just USL league one. It is quite simple. The country needs significant investment in the sport but there is limited incentive for most. Of course the ones with the monopoly dont seem to understand.
In YA, Tillman got the start at CAM in a 4-3-1-2 diamond after his 2 assist sub appearance in Furth's last match. I did not see the match but he was 24 of 24 passing with 3 key passes in his 75 minute stint in a T1-1. Green is out injured. Weston is as we post, starting in his tilted RCM slot in Schalke's 4-3-1-2 diamond.
The worst NBA team would beat the best college team a large percentage of the time. But in addition to any talent gap, there's an age limit to college (and the most talented players tend to leave earlier). If the Championship were the best U22 players, it would be structurally more comparable.
Everything you say is correct. The only problem is that this issue was around long before MLS. MLS did not create this. It’s been the way things have been. Does it need to change? Yep.
There are probably more elite NCAA players who are able to immediately step into the NBA than there are MLS players who could step into the the Big 4. However, no one claims that the overlap is anywhere near as significant as MLS fans think the overlap between MLS and the major is. furthermore, of the guys who could potential play at a higher level, there's a large number of back-side-of-their-career / beginning-of-retirement guys.
Ok. So here is where things get more complex. Fulham had a style of play they built their team around. There were certain skill sets players had to have in all positions that eliminated some players you might deem better. For instance I doubt Fulham would think twice about signing a player like Yedlin. He doesn’t fit their player profile. This happens all over the league where one team will rate a player and mother won’t. Just curious, how did the two matches between Fulham and Newcastle turn out last season?
When you say large number of players on the back side of their careers do mean 50%, 60%, or 75% of MLS players are past their prime?
Do you see it changing? If so, how? I dont see it changing for some time. I also dont think comparing today's situation to that of 25 years ago is all that instructive. I believe this country could be much further along if there was structure of the game that incentivizes people to invest in it. MLS very much eliminated all but 30ish groups of investors to put significant amounts of money into the game. Those you mentioned in another post who volunteer or make charitable contributions is only a tiny fraction of what is needed.
I still don't understand why you attack "MLS fans" for "not understanding" that starting a 3rd division club in the US doesn't have much upside. It's a pretty bizarre stretch, the only purpose of which is to try to shit on "MLS fans" (like you do in most of your posts). By the way, for as much as you crap on soccer in this country I'd love to point out that you're now complaining that it's tough to start a 3rd division club in the USA. I mean, f*ck dude, 25 years ago there wasn't a first division. Now, second division clubs are building this with little to no possibility of playing in the first division for a long time. Continue barfing your hatred over everything, though, because the rest of us are just idiots. ETA: And, f*ck, I just realized that you've brought this shit to the YANKS ABROAD FLAVORS OF THE WEEK thread. My apologies to everyone else for taking the bait.
I'm pretty confident there are many more MLS players who could step into a big 4 team than there are NCAA basketball players who can "step into" an NBA team, if by step into we mean "be a rotation player who makes a positive contribution to their team." Usually that description fits maybe four or five rookies per year, and those are players (by definition) who are a year past their college experiences. By contrast there are a number of designated players who could do the same thing, to say nothing of your (say) Reggie Cannons or whatever young players who probably could.
So you dont get it. It is a shame there are so many ignorant fans in this country willing to accept whatever is provided because it is better than what it was 25 years ago. I didnt bring anything to this thread but respond to an MLS fan who claimed soccer development would take off when something happened that is very likely not to because of the structure of the game in this country. The guy thinks he knows what it would take but doesnt care that it is unlikely to happen.
I don’t know if it will change, but if it does, that’s the next step. MLS is top down. Academies making USL teams is bottom up. It’s the obvious next level for all the academies littered across our country.
How do you think academies are going to create USL teams? They charge their players to play in their academy. Maybe they could charge players to play in USL? With MLS having a monopoly on the game, it would seem like it should be their role to have multiple "minor" league teams like MLB has.
Investment in the game has already taken off. USL is turning a profit, even with the drag of the low-level academy-based teams. And they're also forming an academy system. What alternative structure would vastly increase investment in soccer? How does MLS have a monopoly on soccer in US?
You misunderstood my point: of the elite MLS players who are likely good enough to step up a level, a large percentage of them are past their prime players (chicharito, vela, Ibra, etc). Not of all MLS but only the very small subset of players that have the ability to play up (just like NCAA to NBA).
you think that most DPs could step up and play in the big 4? NFW - here’s a list: https://www.google.com/amp/s/the18....mls-designated-players-2019-list-salaries?amp it includes - Zardes - Jozy - bradley (no longer) - bedoya - Howard - arriola - Dwyer - wondo this is what I’m taking about @Calling BS - people vastly over-rate minor league players in MLS.