The 2017 Major League Soccer Thread

Schnerres

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Hungarian Zoltan Stieber is said to join DC United.

The guy is a national team player and has great technical skills. That´s it on the positive side.
He is collecting his money everywhere he was (Hamburg, Fürth, Kaiserslautern,..), while falling out of favour with the fans everywhere really fast. He has a low workrate and seems to make the least possible out of his talent. Here (Kaiserslautern), he was more or less hated in the end, because everybody expected more of the guy. He scored one goal last season and from the start on of this season, he was sent to train with the 2nd team (U23) to send him the message to find a new team. Now, it´s the MLS...
What everybody in the FCK-forum is surprised about, is the rumored transfer sum of 1mil.USS and the same wage for the guy, who basically did nothing last year. I mean, we have another guy rotting on the bench who is training with the U23 and will be sold (Cameroonian African Cup winner Jacques Zoua, who also cannot score goals).
Can´t even wish the guy good luck...
 

Titans Bastard

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Interesting scouting report on Stieber. DC United are terrible this year and may come in last place. It sounds like Stieber will be a great long-term investment to build around...

They also shipped out winger Lamar Neagle, who will embark upon, incredibly, his fourth stint with Seattle. Aging center back Bobby Boswell is off to Atlanta. He's not even a starter for a bad DC team at this point, but Atlanta could use some veteran depth at the position.

Columbus paid around $2m for Braga winger Pedro Santos, who seems like a solid signing.

Houston decided it would be a good idea to sign the broken-down shell of Philippe Senderos. Good luck.
 

Titans Bastard

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The MLS summer transfer window closed at midnight, so yesterday was a rather busy day.

DC continued to be the busiest. A day after shipping out Neagle and Boswell, they made the Zoltan Stieber signing official and also signed American DM Russell Canouse. Canouse is a 22 year old who had been halfway through a two-year loan at Bochum from Hoffenheim. He played about 1000 minutes last season, but Bochum have a new manager who didn't want him, hence his availability. Canouse originally left NYRB's academy to join Hoffenheim in 2011 and was part of the 2015 U20 WC qualifying team (and was a late scratch from the WC team due to injury).

Most significantly, DC spent a ton of money to sign Paul Arriola, a move that will probably made official today. (Tijuana has already announced his departure.) Reportedly, DC paid $3m for him. That's a lot for Arriola, I think, and it's weird to see DC spending that much money on anybody. Clearly, they are trying to make a splash and not suck too much when they finally move into their own stadium next year.

@Schnerres -- it turns out that DC didn't pay a transfer fee for Stieber after all. This is from arguably the most reliable and trustworthy journalist in American soccer media:


Minnesota bought winger Ethan Finlay from Columbus for a sizable quantity of GAM and TAM. Finlay became expendable for the Crew after signing Pedro Santos yesterday. Minnesota also shipped out Finnish central midfielder Rasmus Schüller on loan to HJK for the rest of the season; the Loons signed a ton of mediocre-to-awful players from Scandinavian leagues who have been uniformly unsuccessful.

Vancouver shipped CB Christian Dean to Chicago and acquired CB Aaron Maund from RSL. Dean is an athletic player and former high draft pick who hasn't panned out yet. He's constantly injured and just hasn't gotten very many games. Chicago only had three CBs and is unlikely to be forced to rely on him, so he's a reasonable low-risk gamble. Dorchester's Maund has become expendable at RSL since Glad returned from injury and Silva was signed.

Dallas signed Luis Gonzalez, a 26 year old Venezuelan winger. Their big-ticket offensive signings last winter, Cristian Colman and Roland Lamah, have not been as effective as hoped and while they have several interesting young attackers from their academy, they are not quite ready for prime time.

Even the REVS seem to have gotten into the action very late in the game. Nothing has been announced, but Twellman reported that they completed a deal for Hungarian winger Krisztian Nemeth. Nemeth was very effective for Sporting KC a few years ago before abruptly departing for a club in the Middle East. There's no progress, however, on badly needed reinforcements at LB.
 

Titans Bastard

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There will be announcement later today that Birmingham will have a USL team in 2019.

http://www.al.com/sports/index.ssf/2017/08/celebratory_announcement_set_f.html

Fresno and Nashville have been announced for 2018. Las Vegas is expected to have an announcement for 2018 on Friday; the USL has already spoken of them in a press release as a done deal. The USL has acknowledged that it is possible that another MLS2 team may join the league next year as well; it is believed to be DC, pending the identification of a place to play in Northern Virginia.

Memphis has been rumored to be joining in 2019 and I expect a few more will roll in at some point.

https://www.soctakes.com/2017/08/07/usl-expansion-rumors-2019/

The USL was able to regionalize travel a few years ago. Eastern and Western Conference teams don't play each other except for a few of the border clubs. The league is now well on its way to carving out a Central division which would further reduce travel costs. They have a nice virtuous cycle going on right now.
More USL: Austin will return in 2019. The Austin Aztex went on hiatus after the 2015 season and basically died out. This club has a new owner, a different stadium, and will have a new name.

The new guy is involved with the Circuit of the Americas complex, which is where they are planning to build a stadium for the USL team. One potential snag is that while the Aztex played close to downtown, this new stadium is going to be literally in the middle of nowhere southeast of the city. I don't know Austin well enough to have a sense of how much of a problem that could be.

Also, whoever writes the USL press releases is angling for a job in the Trump administration:

The United Soccer League, one of the most prominent Division II leagues in the world, announced on Wednesday the league would return to Austin, Texas for the 2019 season.
He is another outstanding addition to the strong ownership groups that have helped drive the USL toward its goal of being viewed in the same light as the English Championship, Liga Adalante and 2. Bundesliga.”
There really aren't that many large metros without pro soccer at this point.

13. Inland Empire (not a major league market despite its immense size, but I'd love to see a minor league club there)
14. Detroit
21. Baltimore (also on the radar for USL in 2019)
32. Cleveland
37. Norfolk/VA Tidewater
38. Providence (proximity to Gillette is tricky)
39. Milwaukee
42. Memphis (strongly rumored for USL 2019)
46. New Orleans
47. Hartford
50. Buffalo
 

Titans Bastard

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More announcements of deals done just before the deadline have trickled out.

Orlando traded Luis Gil and a bit of cash to Colorado for Dillon Powers, with the blessing of Querétaro (from whom Gil is on loan). Gil's career has been a tremendous disappointment. He has skill, but has never quite found his role in the midfield. Powers was the 2013 Rookie of the Year and is a decent enough player, but his career plateaued early. Perhaps this is just his level, but his performances dropped off as soon as Mastroeni replaced Pareja in Dallas. I wouldn't be shocked to see him perk up with a change of scenery.

Vancouver signed Egyptian DM Ali Ghazal, who has been stuck in China. The CSL abruptly reduced the foreigner quota and he was the odd man out at his club. He's 25 and had played a number of seasons with Nacional in Portugal.

Montreal dealt central midfielder Calum Mallace to Seattle. Boring CM depth. NYRB signed winger Dilly Duka, who has some skill but seems to constantly rub his employers the wrong way.

Minnesota signed 24 year old Costa Rican winger Jose Leiton on loan from Herediano through the 2018 season. He will be key to the seven winger formation that Minnesota seems to be gearing up to use.

Goalkeeper Richard Sanchez signed with Chicago. He's an FC Dallas product who was sold to Tigres before ever playing a game in MLS. Sanchez, who is a dual national, was one of the heroes of the Mexican team that won the U17 WC. However, he hasn't developed as hoped and FCD's less-heralded academy GK signing Jesse Gonzalez now looks more promising. Tigres is a pretty awful place for young players, but he didn't play much on loan in Ascenso MX last season either. He's 23 now and needs a fresh start.
 

Titans Bastard

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Pablo Mastroeni is the fourth manager to be sacked this season.

http://www.denverpost.com/2017/08/15/pablo-mastroeni-fired-rapids-coach/

The Rapids are kind of like the Revs in that the manager is bad, but so is the FO, and so is the owner. At least they have a stadium!

The Rapids were pretty bad under his leadership except for 2016, which felt like a real anomaly filled with unsustainably good defensive numbers and tons of one-goal wins. 2017 has borne that out.

Assistant manager Steve Cooke now has the interim tag. I know next to nothing about him, but his bio says he's an Englishman who worked in Sheffield Wednesday's academy in the 1990s, then worked at an American youth club before joining the Rapids in 2012.
 

Titans Bastard

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NYRB mounted a late comeback from 2-0 down to beat FC Cincinnati 3-2 in extra time in the USOC semifinal in front of over 33,000 at Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati continues to impress on and off the field.

KC will host the final.
 

Titans Bastard

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I heard Dielna looked real good yesterday. Any Revs fan confirm?
I was traveling and didn't see the game. I did watch the Chicago-Toronto game on Saturday, which was probably a better choice both at the time and in retrospect. TFC are fun to watch.
 

Titans Bastard

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MLS is coming to Connecticut....for a day.


The Yankees had to reschedule a game at the Toilet for that day. I guess NYCFC will literally do anything to avoid playing in NJ?

Not a great look. But I'm expecting great things from NYRB tifo displays.
 

Titans Bastard

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Kelyn Rowe is out for 6-8 weeks, not that it really matters.

The Revs are already dead in the water: 10th place, seven points back of 6th place, and little indication that they have the quality to suddenly make up the ground. Columbus (vs LA) and Atlanta (@DC) both have good chances tonight to make the situation uglier.
 

robssecondjob

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I heard Dielna looked real good yesterday. Any Revs fan confirm?
He was about the only bright spot in that horror show of a match. He is a big boy. I was a little surprised by his size. He positioned himself well and was very tough in one v one situations. First impression was that he would make a very good pairing with Delamea, who has fast become my favorite player on the squad.
 

allstonite

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Kelyn Rowe is out for 6-8 weeks, not that it really matters.
What do you think that means for his USMNT chances? I know he wouldn't be a regular but I thought he looked pretty good there and got good ratings from people much, much smarter than me
 

Titans Bastard

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What do you think that means for his USMNT chances? I know he wouldn't be a regular but I thought he looked pretty good there and got good ratings from people much, much smarter than me
I'm not sure it makes a huge difference because I don't think he was going to be called in for September anyway. I liked him in the GC even if he was a little soft defensively. Arena sent him home after the group stage, though, which is never a good sign regarding his immediate WCQ prospects. I'd think he has a good chance of being called into the January camp, though.
 

allstonite

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I'm not sure it makes a huge difference because I don't think he was going to be called in for September anyway. I liked him in the GC even if he was a little soft defensively. Arena sent him home after the group stage, though, which is never a good sign regarding his immediate WCQ prospects. I'd think he has a good chance of being called into the January camp, though.
Thanks as always. I remember there being some surprise when he was sent home.
 

ThePrideofShiner

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Brutal draw for Seattle last night. Coughed up a 1-0 lead to 10-man Vancouver. Makes Sunday's showdown with Portland extremely important.

Timbers can pass Seattle with a win.
 

Titans Bastard

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SKC signs their top academy prospect:


The only player to sign an MLS deal at a younger age was Fredua Koranteng Adu. No Campbell's Soup deals for this kid yet, though.

Busio has an Italian passport, so SKC wanted to lock him up before Euro offers started flowing in. He'll undoubtedly stay with academy teams for a little while, until he's ready to progress to their USL team. Busio is actually from North Carolina, but he was recruited to SKC's academy last summer and lives with a host family. It's becoming increasingly common to see MLS academies find ways to add top talent from non-MLS areas.
 

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Brutal draw for Seattle last night. Coughed up a 1-0 lead to 10-man Vancouver. Makes Sunday's showdown with Portland extremely important.

Timbers can pass Seattle with a win.
The Timbers would also win the Cascadia Cup with a win in Seattle. Vancouver could tie us on points but the Timbers would have the first tiebreaker (H2H).
 

steeplechase3k

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Titans Bastard

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LA Galaxy are now basically at the Ruud Gullit Era level of bad.

It's enjoyable.

If LAFC play their cards right, they will eat LAG's lunch.
 

InstaFace

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I.... don't get it. Are those signs put up by NYRB, at their own home arena, using the logo of NYCFC to taunt their supporters for NYCFC having played in Hartford? Are they signs in the stadium in Hartford which were actually intended by NYCFC to be helpful? I'm missing the "straight trolling" explanation here.
 

Titans Bastard

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I.... don't get it. Are those signs put up by NYRB, at their own home arena, using the logo of NYCFC to taunt their supporters for NYCFC having played in Hartford? Are they signs in the stadium in Hartford which were actually intended by NYCFC to be helpful? I'm missing the "straight trolling" explanation here.
It's in Red Bull Arena prior to Friday's NYRB-NYCFC match, trolling about NYCFC's upcoming game in Hartford.

There has been a sizable contingent of New York soccer fans who refused to support NYRB (and the Metrostars before them) because they have always played in New Jersey. NYCFC has made a big deal about being located inside the five boroughs and many fans previously unattached to NYRB have decided to support them on that basis.

But rather than play in Harrison, NJ (it was available), NYCFC has chosen to play a match 100+ miles from the five boroughs. It's funny if you are familiar with NYCFC's background and the general level of handwringing, historically, among many NY soccer fans about leaving the city limits.
 

Huntington Avenue Grounds

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It's in Red Bull Arena prior to Friday's NYRB-NYCFC match, trolling about NYCFC's upcoming game in Hartford.

There has been a sizable contingent of New York soccer fans who refused to support NYRB (and the Metrostars before them) because they have always played in New Jersey. NYCFC has made a big deal about being located inside the five boroughs and many fans previously unattached to NYRB have decided to support them on that basis.

But rather than play in Harrison, NJ (it was available), NYCFC has chosen to play a match 100+ miles from the five boroughs. It's funny if you are familiar with NYCFC's background and the general level of handwringing, historically, among many NY soccer fans about leaving the city limits.
Was typing a far longer version of what TB said here. I'll add that Robert Kraft will build a SSS on the Boston Common with his own hands before NYCFC builds anything in city limits. Word is that NYRB actually extended an invitation to play the game at RBA but NYCFC said no.

The Tifo was epic as well:



They even brought in the Whaler mascot!

 

Titans Bastard

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This report is significant if true.


The NASL could probably get DIII sanctioning. However, the question is whether dropping a division will cause a few clubs to jump ship. The NASL can't afford to lose any of its strong clubs.

From a business perspective, there isn't much difference between DII and DIII status. There are plenty of people who will watch Euro or Mexican soccer but not MLS. There are plenty of people who will watch MLS but not a local minor league club. How many people are willing to watch a local DII club but not DIII? It can't be many other than the lunatic fringe pro/rel types who have adopted the NASL as their avatar. And that attachment is really about the NASL's messaging more than its division status.

However, there IS a huge business difference between the NASL and USL. Travel costs are significantly more manageable in the USL. At this point, I think minor league club owners would be crazy to opt for the NASL over USL if given the choice.

There were rumors that one of the reasons stronger NASL clubs like Indy and North Carolina didn't jump ship to the USL along with Ottawa and Tampa Bay last winter was because of exit fees they'd have to pay. This is pure speculation, but I wonder if losing DII status would release them from their obligation to pay those fees.

In any case, the USL would love to have Indy and NC. Probably Jacksonville too, now that they have a new owner.

FC Edmonton would probably go to the soon-to-launch Canadian Premier League. San Francisco is likely to fold no matter what happens. Miami FC would be a no-go because their owner is a huge pain in the ass of MLS and USL. If the Miami Beckhams ever get off the ground, they'd be in trouble anyway. The New York Cosmos also have a history of being a PITA; I also wonder if they'd be too prideful to go back to the USL. The Cosmos and Puerto Rico FC are the two I really don't know about. Can we get some commentary from Carmelo Anthony on this?!

The two NASL expansion clubs would be in the lurch, too. The Orange County one is duplicative of an existing USL club, so they'd be out. San Diego would be interesting, though.
 

Titans Bastard

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Interesting article about the recent increase in the scope and intensity of academy recruiting.

Sporting elected to sign Busio to a Homegrown Player contract at this early stage as a statement of purpose and to head off the prospect of him using a European Union passport, obtained via his Italian father, to make the leap across the Atlantic.

SKC is laying claim despite the fact Busio hails from Greensboro, North Carolina, and has been in Sporting’s system for barely a year. A product of the youth club North Carolina Fusion, Busio was identified by SKC’s sizeable scouting network and relocated to the Midwest last summer. He lives with a host family and is finishing his high-school education via online courses.
The Kansas City Star reports that Sporting KC has added six academy scouts in the past year; a FourFourTwo source estimates that about half the league is now investing significant resources in youth scouting. “Small-market” clubs like SKC, RSL, the Portland Timbers and Columbus Crew feel an urgency driven by the smaller, shallower talent pools in their regions.
KC has six academy scouts, good grief. The Revs have....what, two scouts total?

One scout told FourFourTwo USA that Atlanta, despite being new to the game, has already cast its reach across the greater south, from Mississippi to Tennessee.
This seems to be understating what Atlanta is doing; they just poached a guy from Philly's academy and have been adding youth national team kids left and right.
 

Titans Bastard

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Impressive work. The Revs came into the game with a 0-3-10 record in away games for a combined -18 GD. They have actually been pretty good at home, but it is difficult to overcome the worst away record in the league unless you are totally flawless otherwise.

The Revs have been dead in the water for weeks.

Atlanta are in sixth place, but they have games in hand on everyone and a ton of home games now that the new stadium has opened. They are in the middle of a six game (!) homestand and even after tonight, they have six of the last eight at home.

They will not catch NYCFC and get a bye, but Atlanta should do well enough to host a play-in game.
 

Titans Bastard

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Atlanta 7-0 NE.

Ties the largest margin of victory in MLS history.
 

SocrManiac

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Just watched the, uh, "highlights."

The sixth goal, with the trip to lose possession and the weak shot toward the back post (but not particularly well placed)... I can't tell if they just utterly suck or if they forgot to even play for pride.

I'm going to see them play in Foxboro against Toronto FC and it almost looks like it isn't worth the cost of the gas to get there. Utterly pathetic.
 

Titans Bastard

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I'm going to see them play in Foxboro against Toronto FC and it almost looks like it isn't worth the cost of the gas to get there. Utterly pathetic.
Hey, Toronto is a fun team to watch these days, at least.
 

Titans Bastard

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Another U17 national teamer goes pro:


Lindsey is a right back and like Busio, who KC signed a few weeks ago, he's from North Carolina.
 

Vinho Tinto

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Atlanta 7-0 NE.

Ties the largest margin of victory in MLS history.
I haven't heard any comment from anyone whose last name is Kraft on this. If the Westen Massachusetts Pioneers lost a PDL match 7-0, I feel confident management would say something. Must be fun to pretend to own a soccer team.
 

Titans Bastard

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Another game, another VAR red for the Revs.
A glorious return to KC for Nemeth!

Atlanta had quite a day, setting the attendance record for a standalone MLS game with just over 70k. They could only manage a draw with mediocre Orlando, though. Josef Martinez is a beast. Back-to-back hat tricks, giving him three on the season.

The all time attendance record is, hilariously, a Chivas USA-New England game that served as the undercard to a Barcelona-Club América friendly.
 

Titans Bastard

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No Altidore or Giovinco and Toronto still wins 4-0 on the road. They've won their last six games with a combined GD of 21-3 and have scored 3+ goals in seven of their last eight games. TFC will win the Supporters Shield as early as next weekend.

Diego Valeri set an MLS record by scoring in eight consecutive games.

Montreal's home choke against Minnesota means that their playoff chances have taken a precipitous fall, especially if NYRB beats Philly today. It looks like the six playoff teams in the East are pretty much set at this point.