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Philadelphia Union
The transfer window closes today and, contrary to previous reports, the Union do not have interest in Honduran forward Rubilio Castillo.
How about another angle and some slow-mo of Borek Dockal’s winner over D.C.?
Dockal makes MLS’ Team of the Week.
ICYMI: Player ratings from Philly’s first win since the home opener.
Bethlehem Steel
Highlight’s from the weekend’s match, where Bethlehem was sunk by three early goals.
MLS
Remember when Seattle Sounders were MLS’ biggest spenders?
Power rankings here and here show that while the Union may not be good, D.C. is certainly bad.
That chant made its way to MLS at LAFC’s home opener. Not cool.
NWSL
Your NWSL weekend roundup, with plenty of action from USWNTers.
NASL
The New York Cosmos are pleading with U.S. Soccer to invest and revive the NASL.
U.S. Soccer
Someone just can’t avoid collusion, even in soccer.
MLS – CA Bank Stadium is the best in the MLS.
We weren’t gonna get Rubillo until the next transfer window anyway.
Not that I have any real knowledge of him, but he doesn’t seem much different than what we already have. If we are bringing in a striker I want someone better than Sapong. I am fine with Burke and our players on Steel for depth.
“Nothing but flowers” for me today.
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I’m a happy Union-philosopher.
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Just.Play(ing).Well— triggers rest and repose…. zen….ommmmm.
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“Wherever you are be there totally” Eckhardt.
Hopefully adding Fabinho back in will improve the field side balance too. At least it should force teams to shift more attention over there or Accam and Fabinho will burn them. I don’t mind the right sided tilt especially with Ilsinho starting as that’s lots of players who can combine in tight spaces.
What are the chances we could convince Rocco Commisso to give up on the Cosmos/NASL and buy an MLS team in Chester? Would love to see $500 million put into the Union.
For real. I don’t see why they want to keep losing money in the NASL since they don’t have enough other teams interested. I get the idea of multiple divisions and leagues, but soccer still just isn’t popular enough in America to support this. The TV money (which drives all sports leagues financially) isn’t anywhere close yet.
I think he and Silva realize there’s a ton of potential value in the smaller markets and non-MLS teams. Of course that value isn’t realized until the US implements Pro/Rel, after which values for those lower division and small market teams suddenly balloon.
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What I don’t get is how he thinks he’s going to get the top flight out of MLS’ risk-averse, iron grip. I mean, isn’t he in the Cable TV business? He should know monopolies work.
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Do we really still think it’s about soccer for Rocco?
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I don’t. Soccer is mearly the vehicle.
What’s it about then? Honest question. Is he just trying to get a TV deal? If that’s the case, I don’t know what to say about it.
Pete.
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Its about this….
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car·tel/
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kärˈtel
noun
an association of manufacturers or suppliers with the purpose of maintaining prices at a high level and restricting competition.
But couldn’t Commisso just buy himself a piece of the cartel? Unless he’s made himself too toxic for the grand-old families of MLS (Hunts and Krafts, et. al.) and they’re happy to hang him and his $500 million out to dry.
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The NY Cosmos were invited into MLS for ‘Twice in a Lifetime’ prior to Rocco…
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…if NY Cosmos wanted to be part of MLS… NYCFC never would have happened.
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Second divisions winners in other parts of the world promote to first division, in America those clubs fold.
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There are infinite complex permutations for why this occurs, but at its heart is an anticompetitive marketplace.
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Anyone arguing otherwise is either uninformed, unable to be intellectually honest or apathetic to the issues.
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This has nothing to do with soccer, and everything to do with the money for the media rights. They cry conflict of interest because of the SUM/USSF deal. Then Rocco proclaims that he’d buy that deal for more then SUM pays the USSF. Isn’t that a conflict of interest?
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Then Rocco says he’ll do this only if USSF puts rules in place to prevent teams from leaving his league. This coming from a guy who’s league is suing the USSF claiming that they violate US Anti-Trust law. What Rocco is asking for, also violates Anti-Trust Law…
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Silva proposes to give MLS $4B over 10 years….sounds great, until you break it down and realize that it’s only slightly more then MLS currently gets each year. Also, you then realize that Silva plans to then redistribute (sell) those rights all around the world for personal gain….
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The $500M dollars Rocco claims he will invest sounds like a lot of money, and makes a great headline. Then you realize that DC United just sold for $500M. When you break it down by 10 teams over 10 years, that’s $5M a year per team. Hell if he bought the Union that would only be $50M per year. That might increase the Union’s current operating budget by $5M per, maybe a little more? It’s not a lot of money in the grand scheme of things. It certainly won’t be enough to build a viable league.
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This is all sound and fury signifying nothing
Pachy,
I’m not well versed in the intricacies of the Cosmos 2.0, but my understanding, or perhaps my assumption, was that Cosmos objected to paying the franchise fee, not to mention joining an organization in which it would be assumed in some way into the whole single ownership structure, surrendering a significant amount of its autonomy.
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NASL’s best bet was to be a parallel Div. 1. But it couldn’t attract the investment. How much MLS and SUM and USSF conspired or just simply worked against those ambitions is debatable. And, I suppose, the main subject of Commisso’s lawsuit. Again, my understanding may be incomplete or inaccurate.
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I feel like NASL’s ship has sailed. If owners and investors, from City Football Group to Art Blank to the LAFC conglomerate and all these other would be expansion candidates weren’t lining up to drop $200 million on joining the league, MLS would have had to work with NASL. Now, the best bet is likely to try to effect that change from within, as distasteful as that may be to some who would like to see Pro/Rel, which I’m 100% for.
What about a pseudo pro/rel? Where the champions of division 2 play in MLS the next year, knowing they’ll be bumped the following year by the next division 2 champions? Nobody from MLS gets bumped down.
1-MLS gets to try out markets and consider them for real expansion.
2-Small markets get a one season shot at the big time, and the income that would bring.
3-If one of those teams wins MLS or some other significant success, they get a discount into MLS, or some big payday.
4-Players ignored by MLS get a shot at redemption or validation or whatever.
5-Division 2 coaches get to show their wares apples to apples.
I appreciate the attempt to find a middle ground, but psuedo pro/rel would fall apart as soon as one of the temporary top flight teams does well. What if one of those teams manages to go far in the playoffs or even makes an MLS cup final only to go back down? I think you have to do it or don’t do it. Half measures won’t work.
Just ideas, so yeah it might not be the solution.
That said though, your argument is good but I think my #3 could solve the challenge. If the D2 wins it all, the D2 team is offered a discount into MLS or a significant payday on their way back to D2 ( which would probably never happen)
This is all just fan talk, so I know it’ll never happen. But wouldn’t it be cool to see Bethlehem join MLS because Union lost to them in the playoffs?!
Once again, an offer that sells papers with its headline of “500 million dollar investment” (soccer Twitter) but in reality is just a ploy as it’s already happening without changing the rules.
*In exchange, Commisso asks for 10 years to come into compliance with U.S. Soccer’s division regulations.
USL has already started at D3 level moved up to D2 and is now probably spending more than fifty million a year as they have more than ten teams.
500 million over ten years is just fifty million a year or five million a team.
*As a result, the NASL in February announced it was cancelling the 2018 season, after Commisso’s legal attempt to reinstate its Division 2 status failed.
Why…because they couldn’t survive relegation to D3?
*Commisso also wants U.S. Soccer to end its relationship with Soccer United Marketing, which is controlled by the owners of Major League Soccer. SUM has marketing and television contracts with U.S. Soccer until 2022, but Commisso said he would happily improve their existing deals to remove his concerns over what he perceives as the federations’ favoritism toward MLS.
To show favoritism toward his position? What a hero!
You argue well and I enjoy reading them because they have validity….
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….but like all issues polarizing, the issues are multifactorial and I feel you seldom consent to the other side as being viable or valid- you simply dismiss as self aggrandizing which weakens your position tactically.
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Simple.
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Or I just believe in a different vision which still hasn’t been achieved yet but still is on the right course. Tomato- two-mah-toe. But I do enjoy your push back.
Some look at the Mona Lisa and see a woman who might be smiling and others a painting. Meh
Second Power Rankings link does not lead to a Power Rankings article…
As I sit here and read these comments, and peruse the articles, and watch the games at TES, and listen to Curtin’s comments, one thought – nay concern – continues to dominant my curiosity – are Jim Curtin’s moves affected by the fanbase’s outspoken disapprovals? What I mean is this: is he, or they (F.O.) so unwilling to play kids like Jones and Fontana, or make drastic lineup changes, for fear that their struggles or failure will lose a fanbase already teetering on abandonment? I KNOW that he has struggled with decisions, and that is not the only reason, but am I the only one that is concerned about that? The fanbase is important financially, but we should not influence personnel decisions on a weekly basis when Curtin is watching them at practice every day and talking with and coaching them.
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I also understand the personnel decisions or lack thereof have been odd at times, but that’s part of the reason I question it. I mean, is there really NO one on the team that’s better than players who can’t score a goal, including a player on the bench who actually scored a goal (Fontana)? Also, if he’s truly a player’s coach, then he should be looking to play those young kids more often before they stop hearing his message and trusting him.
Brian, from where I sit, I don’t think Curtin, Stewart or Sugarman give a fig about what fans think. They’re aware of the intense loathing, but they aren’t making decisions based on fan politics. They likely think we’re some combination of ingnorant and ungrateful.
I hear what you’re saying, but I kinda think the inverse might be true sometimes. Like, “let the fans flail, I’m the decider” and then they hesitate to do what they know is right for fear of appearing to appease a rabid Fanbase. …yeah, I still think the next supporter group should call themselves The Fanbase. (grin)
I thought they didn’t play Jones and Fontana for the simple but obvious reason that they just aren’t better than the players in front of them.
Pro/rel will never happen but we can still dream.