Montreal Impact in MLS??

[RedKnight]

The problem comes from having to develop a league from scratch, it'll take a long time and even then I don't think it'll have a terrace culture in the traditional sense. If the MLS can last and gradually expand over say, the next 30 years, then maybe it'll develop it's own standard of young Americans and they won't be heavily reliant on outside talent. There's a lot of big 'ifs' in there though and I don't see the salary cap ever coming off, it exists in nearly every other big American professional sport so I don't see how football will become exempt.

 

That's why Amercian sports can be self contained, the country is as big as Europe, and it's like it's own little universe. Football is from outside that sphere and it has big hurdles to overcome to intergrate within it.

[OmarVizquel]

I don't know if anything could change that misconception about football being for young kids. Fact is America has it's own sports, they're popular, they attract billions of dollars and it's part of the culture. The traditional football league system isn't suited to how North American sports are set-up, although I know a lot of young English players are starting use the college route to get into the MLS.

 

Plus the salary cap will always hamper the league attracting a high amount of players of any real quality.

 

That's one of the tangible successes of the US "system." If you demonstrate a special talent for the sport, you can pretty much attend any university in a country with some of the best colleges anywhere, where you'll get most of your expenses paid, showcase yourself, and even if you don't catch on with a pro team somewhere in the world you wind up with a free, top-flight education from somewhere like the University of Notre Dame, Michigan, Virginia, or one of the Ivy League schools. One thing footballer Twitter pages has taught me is that the vast majority of English footballers -- guys who've focused 0% of their lives on education from the age of about 8 -- can't spell their way out of a paper bag. Thank goodness they latched onto a squad; if they hadn't, they'd be as desirable to a potential employer as...well.....anyone else who didn't go anywhere near a university.

[RedKnight]

Watching college football recently has made realise all of that, it's unbelievable.

[OmarVizquel]

The problem comes from having to develop a league from scratch, it'll take a long time and even then I don't think it'll have a terrace culture in the traditional sense. If the MLS can last and gradually expand over say, the next 30 years, then maybe it'll develop it's own standard of young Americans and they won't be heavily reliant on outside talent. There's a lot of big 'ifs' in there though and I don't see the salary cap ever coming off, it exists in nearly every other big American professional sport so I don't see how football will become exempt.

 

That's why Amercian sports can be self contained, the country is as big as Europe, and it's like it's own little universe. Football is from outside that sphere and it has big hurdles to overcome to intergrate within it.

 

Yeah, you're right. It fascinating how the game is a middle-class sport in the US, whereas in the rest of the world it's markedly a working-class sport that transcends the whole spectrum. I just don't see any way in which the MLS will rival MLB/NFL/NBA or even the NHL. I can definitely see the league expanding, building great soccer-specific stadiums (see already the ones in Salt Lake City, Philly, NY), and drawing solid 30k+ crowds. To me, that's in the realm of possibility -- and within the next 4 or 5 years.

 

The salary cap and single entity organization is a real success....the business model, for all its flaws, has created a sustainable system.

[theghost]

Yeah, you're right. It fascinating how the game is a middle-class sport in the US, whereas in the rest of the world it's markedly a working-class sport that transcends the whole spectrum. I just don't see any way in which the MLS will rival MLB/NFL/NBA or even the NHL. I can definitely see the league expanding, building great soccer-specific stadiums (see already the ones in Salt Lake City, Philly, NY), and drawing solid 30k+ crowds. To me, that's in the realm of possibility -- and within the next 4 or 5 years.

 

The salary cap and single entity organization is a real success....the business model, for all its flaws, has created a sustainable system.

 

And that last part is the take home point from all of this. The cap may stifle quality but the US is mad enough about football that at this point in the league's life that it will survive with or without one. Another thing we may see is the expansion of the Beckham rule to allow more players of that quality. We're also likely to see the cap go up in the next year or so.

[OmarVizquel]

I think a few more clubs gambling with designated players would help things in the short run....there were rumors of Thierry Henry going to NY....I mean, they'd never be able to get a world class European player in the real prime of his career, but name recognition would help draw more people to the matches.

[Guest ShoePiss]

Yeah, you're right. It fascinating how the game is a middle-class sport in the US, whereas in the rest of the world it's markedly a working-class sport that transcends the whole spectrum. I just don't see any way in which the MLS will rival MLB/NFL/NBA or even the NHL. I can definitely see the league expanding, building great soccer-specific stadiums (see already the ones in Salt Lake City, Philly, NY), and drawing solid 30k+ crowds. To me, that's in the realm of possibility -- and within the next 4 or 5 years.

 

The salary cap and single entity organization is a real success....the business model, for all its flaws, has created a sustainable system.

 

I agree and it doesn't have to in order to be sustainable, due to the nature of the game it's never going to be able to show commercials in the same way.

 

Seattle has already done what you describe in it's first season..quite impressive. Although their fans appeared overnight, they have their limited songs displayed on a big screen and the fans have a tendancy to present their banners upside down. Hello Ghostie!

 

As far as fan demographics, the Portland Timbers must be the exception as it's a very fair cross section of society. Also there is a strong terrace culture that's been around since I started watching them in 2004 (and before no doubt) and it's spreading with every game.

[theghost]

I agree and it doesn't have to in order to be sustainable, due to the nature of the game it's never going to be able to show commercials in the same way.

 

Seattle has already done what you describe in it's first season..quite impressive. Although their fans appeared overnight, they have their limited songs displayed on a big screen and the fans have a tendancy to present their banners upside down. Hello Ghostie!

 

As far as fan demographics, the Portland Timbers must be the exception as it's a very fair cross section of society. Also there is a strong terrace culture that's been around since I started watching them in 2004 (and before no doubt) and it's spreading with every game.

 

First of all, fuck off :D second of all, at least we have a sense of humor about our selves. And furthermore, that's our front offices decision to whore us out.

[theghost]

[RedKnight]

Those colours are foul, but I presume they have significance in Seattle as it's similar to the Seahawks colours?

[OmarVizquel]

How involved is Drew Carey with the team? I know he's a part owner...but does he go to games and talk to the media about the Sounders?

[theghost]

Those colours are foul, but I presume they have significance in Seattle as it's similar to the Seahawks colours?

 

I'm not really sure where it's come from, but I've taken to them as they're ours. At least it's unique.

[Guest ShoePiss]

I think a few more clubs gambling with designated players would help things in the short run....there were rumors of Thierry Henry going to NY....I mean, they'd never be able to get a world class European player in the real prime of his career, but name recognition would help draw more people to the matches.

 

Have you watched 'Once in a lifetime'?

 

First of all, fuck off :D second of all, at least we have a sense of humor about our selves. And furthermore, that's our front offices decision to whore us out.

 

Yeah they did a great job of it too, especially how they got so many to buy season tickets. It will be interesting to see how season ticket renewals go, I really hope you get similar attendances next season.

[theghost]

How involved is Drew Carey with the team? I know he's a part owner...but does he go to games and talk to the media about the Sounders?

 

When we played Barça, he showed up to the bar where the ECS congregate before the match and opened the bar for an hour. In other words, everyone there drank whatever they wanted and he picked up the tab. He's pretty involved.

[theghost]

Have you watched 'Once in a lifetime'?

 

 

 

Yeah they did a great job of it too, especially how they got so many to buy season tickets. It will be interesting to see how season ticket renewals go, I really hope you get similar attendances next season.

 

6000 signed up for new seats next season, I don't know how many are not going to renew but I would imagine we will open the entirety of the North End and capacity will increase by 3000 or more, bringing our capacity to around 35,000.

[RedKnight]

I'm not really sure where it's come from, but I've taken to them as they're ours. At least it's unique.

 

I've got it! Green, from Seattle, it must be

[OmarVizquel]

Have you watched 'Once in a lifetime'?

 

 

 

Yeah they did a great job of it too, especially how they got so many to buy season tickets. It will be interesting to see how season ticket renewals go, I really hope you get similar attendances next season.

 

I did....great movie. The difference between then and now is the single entity set-up. Back in the '70s, clubs could basically spend as much as they wanted, and as you know it led to the demise of the league (but not before some clubs drew much larger crowds than the MLS is now).

 

But I still think shrewd contracts to guys like Henry could do wonders for the league.

[Guest ShoePiss]

When we played Barça, he showed up to the bar where the ECS congregate before the match and opened the bar for an hour. In other words, everyone there drank whatever they wanted and he picked up the tab. He's pretty involved.

 

Which bar was that? Met your brother at the brew house next to the stadium and was doing my own open bar...

 

6000 signed up for new seats next season, I don't know how many are not going to renew but I would imagine we will open the entirety of the North End and capacity will increase by 3000 or more, bringing our capacity to around 35,000.

 

Another question, how much did season tickets go up by? I got one for the Timbers next season and it's $150 but they've decided to do an auto-cup scheme thing so +3 games...$180

[theghost]

Which bar was that? Met your brother at the brew house next to the stadium and was doing my own open bar...

 

 

 

Another question, how much did season tickets go up by? I got one for the Timbers next season and it's $150 but they've decided to do an auto-cup scheme thing so +3 games...$180

 

For renewals, they went up about 2%. For new buyers like me, a ticket in the GA is near $400. Not happy about it, but it shouldn't matter too much.

[OmarVizquel]

Interesting interview with Don Garber, commissioner of MLS:

 

Don Garber to argue MLS fairer, more stable than European leagues - Soccer - SI.com

 

Garber to argue MLS fairer than Euro leagues

 

LONDON (AP) -- America's top soccer administrator will tell European clubs this week that adopting U.S.-style financial controls could safeguard their futures and make for fairer, more competitive leagues.

 

In an interview with The Associated Press, Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber argued the merits of applying salary caps and spending limits universally -- a case he will present to global sports leaders in London this week.

 

"I hope to present some of the experiences we have had in the MLS and in other (U.S.) leagues as perhaps, if not blueprint, a guide as European football starts looking at financial fair play," Garber said in a telephone interview ahead of the "Leaders in Football" conference. "That is the key driver to the stability that exists in our major leagues -- and there is tremendous stability in American sport.

 

"I'm not so sure that same stability exists in football around the world."

 

UEFA has already taken steps to clamp down on excessive spending, fueled by debt, at leading European clubs -- notably Manchester United and Real Madrid.

 

UEFA's new rules would require clubs to break even and spend only what they earn from soccer-related income such as ticket sales and television deals.

 

In the MLS, players contracts are signed centrally and each team is subjected to a $2.3 million salary cap. Designated players, such as England midfielder David Beckham of the Los Angeles Galaxy have only $415,000 of his salary count against the cap.

 

"We tend to be very sophisticated about the business of sport and that sophistication has led to great success," Garber said. "The rest of the world tries to look at it to get a better understanding of sport, particularly as European football continues to (grapple) with the wealth gap. We still remain a niche sport and we have to make sure we are managing our business to be financially viable and long-term success is the key goal -- that may or may not be the same objective that exists in Spain.

 

"If we don't manage our business very conservatively there is a fear we can go out of business and I'm not so sure they are faced with those issues in other parts of the world. The issue really is: Is it fair? That fairness is what drives the passion of sport. I think it's really smart for European football to start thinking about that."

 

There have been six different winners of the MLS since its inception in 1996, compared to three different Premier League champions in the same time span.

 

"We believe to our core that every fan wants to believe that when the season starts they have the tools, the capability, the resources to compete so they can dream about their team winning a championship," Garber said.

 

In Europe's recent offseason Madrid spent more than $355 million on the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and others, while Manchester City spent around $200 million in a bid to deliver its first championship crown since 1968.

 

"I am just astounded how quickly teams can turn their fortunes around by spending more money," Garber said. "I question overall on a global basis whether that makes economic sense, but in those countries the relationship those teams have with the governments, the corporate community and the banking community is just so different that I think they are playing by different rules."

 

Serving as a warning shot for Garber of the perils of unchecked spending sprees is how the previous attempt to spread soccer in the U.S. collapsed amid a mountain in debt in 1984.

 

So Garber is happy to let American businessmen lavish their dollars on European teams rather than splurging on the domestic game, creating an imbalance in the competition.

 

"As a person who manages a sports league who is very focused on ensuring that we remain financially viable so we remain in business that's not a system that could work here," Garber said. "It would clearly create an arms race of spending that would clearly put MLS out of business as it did with the North American Soccer League in the early 80s.

 

"When the New York Cosmos spent 10 or 20 times as much as any other team and they had the best players in the world (including Pele) that was certainly not good for the development of football in America."

 

But the more cautious MLS -- founded after the 1994 World Cup in the U.S. -- is thriving, Garber maintains, with attendances rising, every match aired live and dedicated football stadiums to reach 10 by next year.

 

So while tycoons like Stan Kroenke at Colorado and Philip Anschutz at the Galaxy could match the likes of Madrid for their spending, they are prevented from doing so.

 

"They don't use that capability as a means to win at all costs," Garber said. "That's just part of the DNA of American sport, revenue sharing, salary caps, the close relationships with our players through collective bargaining and union agreements.

 

"People use their wealth and resources to create a balance of opportunities ... we are only as strong as our weakest part as opposed to our most successful team."