Photo: Courtesy of Jack McInerney
MLS
The MLS All-Stars fell 3-1 to AS Roma in Wednesday’s annual All-Star game. The Union’s Jack McInerney came on in the 57th minute to replace Thierry Henry but with a lack of service failed to register a shot.
The big news out of the game came at halftime when Don Garber announced that the league plans to expand to 24 teams by 2020. Garber said, “As MLS enters a period of accelerated growth, the addition of new teams will allow us to expand our geographic coverage, grow our fan base and help us achieve our vision of being among the best leagues in the world by 2022.”
Garber also said of talk to relocate underperforming franchises like Chivas USA, “There’s no plan whatsoever to move any clubs.”
Thierry Henry makes it clear that he thinks returning to an East vs. West format rather than continuing to play European clubs is a bad idea. “Who will watch East v. West in Europe? I’m telling you, no one. I was there before, we didn’t watch the game.”
At ESPN, Jeff Carlisle assures everyone that losing to Roma doesn’t mean the league is going down the toilet.
ProSoccerTalk describes the factors that will be taken into consideration by the league to evaluate potential expansion teams. The AP report on Garber’s announcement adds some good depth to the story.
Broadcast Engineering on that “Ref Cam” thing.
Wells Fargo is now the “exclusive retail banking and commercial lending sponsor of MLS.” Hurray!
SI on how while Kansas City is the place Kei Kamara calls home, he still as aspirations to return to the EPL.
British tabloid The Daily Star says David Beckham wants Cristiano Ronaldo to join him in owning a MLS team that would be, it has been widely rumored, in Miami.
Orlando City owner Flavio Augusto da Silva believes the team is close to joining MLS. “I don’t see any chance of not starting in 2015…In my opinion, we are not paired with Miami. We are paired with New York City [which will begin play in 2015]. We believe we are going to get into MLS in 2015. And Miami, if it comes in, will come in 2016.’
Orlando City will make two formal presentations of their plans for a new downtown stadium in August.
The New York Cosmos play their first NASL game on Saturday when they host the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. Long Island Newsday says the new Cosmos remain the legacy of Pele.
Philadelphia Union
More reports on the loss to Stoke City on Tuesday from Sky Sports, The Daily Mail, Sporting Life, Vital Stoke, The South Jersey Times, ProSoccerTalk, and SBI. An article on the Union website has the obligatory “The quality was good/Soccer is improving in the States” comments from Stoke players and team manager Mark Hughes.
So far as I’ve been able to see at the time of this writing, still no word on the extent of Brek Shea’s injury.
Union Dues has a preview of Saturday’s game from a Chicago Fire perspective.
Local
Harrisburg’s two-game western road trip got off to a great start with a 3-1 win over Phoenix FC, eliminating the Arizona team from playoff contention. Current USL Pro Player of the Week Lucky Mkosana scored the game-winning goal for the City Islanders, extending his goal-scoring streak to four games, over which he has tallied six goals. Match recaps from USL PRO, Penn Live, and AZ Central.
The City Islanders are looking for funding for a proposed new stadium that will cost an estimated $8 million. Team CEO Eric Pettis said the club envisions, “Something relatively modest, but an upgrade…The league is getting better. It’s the thing we need to do to attract players, to attract sponsors to compete from a financial standpoint.” Pettis added, “We will need some level of public funding to go forward.”
An economic and community impact study for the new stadium is being funded by a $25,000 grant from the Dauphin County Commissioners.
Union CEO Nick Sakiewicz said back in March of Harrisburg’s stadium situation, “We’ve got to get a proper stadium and playing field done here. We are very committed to helping Eric and his people do that.”
At Penn Live, Michael Bullock explains why anew stadium makes sense and that the City Islander’s hopes for one are really little more than what they were promised by the city when the team was announced ten years ago.
Ocean City Nor’easters fly off to Austin today for the PDL Championship series. They face Austin Aztex in Friday’s semifinal.
Reading United’s Damion Lowe and Jason Plumhoff have been named to the PDL All-League team. The Hartford Courant recognizes Lowe’s achievement.
Reading United will be hosting the first Clover Cup on Sunday. The charity tournament includes teams from the Reading United and Union front offices and is in support of the nonprofit organization Laughing At My Nightmare, which raises money for muscular dystrophy research.
More on the introduction of new MISL side the Pennsylvania Roar from The Reading Eagle.
NWSL
Portland Thorns are within one point of first place FC Kansas after their 3-1 comeback win over third place Sky Blue FC on Wednesday.
With three weeks remaining in the season, ASN has some winners and losers from a USWNT perspective.
US
Jozy Altidore knows a thing or two about Aron Johansson, the American-born Icelander who announced his desire to commit to the US, the two were team mates at AZ Alkmaar. Altidore says, “I am thrilled Aron chose the United States. He is a good person and a quality player. He could make us a deeper, stronger team.”
Hot on the heels of the USMNT Gold Cup triumph, Grantland wonders if DaMarcus Beasley will be with the team should in Brazil should the US qualify for the World Cup.
Prefer the Centennial crest to the one with swooshing soccer ball that US Soccer has been using since the 1990s? Sign this petition at Change.org to let them know.
Elsewhere
Ahead of the start of the International Champions Cup tournament, the LA Times reminds everyone that European clubs come to the States in the summer to make new fans and lots of money.
Why do I suspect that the MLS is gonna turn the Red Bulls into the New Jersey Red Bulls. So the new stupid New York team and the Cosmos will be the 2 New York teams. Ala the New York Rangers, Islanders and the New Jersey Devils.
It’ll be a disaster but they’ll try.
Why do you think it will be a disaster? do you think red bull attendance will drop?
Could it drop any further? 😉
Pretty much. Using the NHL as a guideline, As much as it pains me to say this New Jersey Devils should be one of the most celebrated teams in the last 25 years. But they are an also ran in terms of prestige fan base ect. I think the teams is gonna take a hit when New York opens up shop and the temptation for two proper NY teams will be too much. Especially considering that the Cosmos so long as they exist are gonna be a sore spot for the league and the pressure to bring them in one way or another will eventually wear them down.
/
Best case scenario for me is They find a way to buy the Cosmos name and just have the Cosmos and the Red Bulls.
The Devils never convinced the Rangers and Islanders fans to switch allegiances. I know, it’s like, winning isn’t enough. But Red Bull are already New Jersey’s team. They will lose some New York fans to the new teams, but how many do the have to lose? They are a poorly run organization, and they have a lot of work to do, but I think they suffer less from NY expansion than they do from their own ineptitude.
I doubt it Sheik Whatshisface is gonna buy himself a trophy within 3 years of conception and that will be it for the Red Bulls taking out Harrison NJ in the process.
I really hope they find a way to hold Orlando back until they’ve got another team besides NY ready to come into the league. In my mind having an odd number of teams and the accompanying schedule nightmare is THE worst thing about MLS.
I agree. They also have to keep an eye on East vs West balance.
I read somewhere that they were thinking about splitting the MLS into 2 leagues an East and a west.
But that might have been someone talking out their ass.
You read that in one of my posts. Yes, it came from my ass, but I still think it should be the ultimate goal of MLS. Cross-continental travel is just too much.
Why does this league insist on expanding past the 20 teams FIFA says is the perfect amount? For all the complaining about not being taken seriously by the European Leagues we sure do a lot to make ourselves look bad.
There is no reason that they can’t install a promotion/demotion set up like everywhere else. Instead, we will ignore what has worked for decades elsewhere and force teams onto cities and locations that don’t work while thinning out the player talent pool at the same time.
Greed. or Hubris.
or Greed and Hubris.
and possibly Hubris and Greed if you are feeling daring.
Remember growth is always exponential and infinite…
20 teams is the perfect amount when you are playing a balanced 38 game schedule. Given that’s not what MLS is doing, there is no real “perfect amount”
Cap it at 20 and move to a 38 game schedule. Boom problem solved.
Yeah, let’s never stray from the vague outline detailed by a bunch of greedy hypocrites made for countries the size of one of our smaller individual states.
This is the US – we’re the exception to this and any other “rules” they’ve put out there. To hell with league size limits, an idiotic fall-spring season, or the cherished single table. MLS is different, and I think, the better for it.
Yes, us football purists love the idea of relegation. MLS will never adapt in our lifetimes. No way these owners who have invested their dollars (along with their partners) are going to agree to a system where their club can be dropped into a second division resulting in lost ticket, advertising and broadcast revenue. Not to mention the effect on the fan base.
Where promotion is enough to titillate fan bases of smaller European clubs. Those clubs have a century of support for the home side. They have legacy fans who understand the concept. Not sure it would fly here in the states. Not that it matters, since the owners will never agree to it.