MLS Turns 21 - the 2016 season
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
I just impulse-bought two tickets to the Sounders-RSL game tomorrow. Fucking Sounders better not fail me three games in a row, though I will certainly be expecting it.
Sounders did not disappoint with their 2-1 win. Combined with Portland losing 4-1, today was a good day.
Dallas and Colorado both drew their matches today, which means Dallas wins the Supporters Shield & their second piece of silverware this season.
Portland's loss means that last year's MLS Cup finalists both missed the playoffs, which is the first time that's ever happened in MLS.
The first round of the playoffs:
Wed 10/26, (3)Toronto vs. (6)Philly
Wed 10/26, (3)LA vs. (6)RSL
Thurs 10/27, (4)DC vs. (5)Montreal
Thurs 10/27, (4)Seattle vs. (5)KC
Portland's loss means that last year's MLS Cup finalists both missed the playoffs, which is the first time that's ever happened in MLS.
The first round of the playoffs:
Wed 10/26, (3)Toronto vs. (6)Philly
Wed 10/26, (3)LA vs. (6)RSL
Thurs 10/27, (4)DC vs. (5)Montreal
Thurs 10/27, (4)Seattle vs. (5)KC
Replying from the Championship thread:
Of course, given the financial structure of the way MLS was founded, I suspect it's never going to happen. Just like the temporal alignment of MLS (spring-to-fall, off in winter) vs the major foreign leagues (fall-to-spring, off in summer). There would be tremendous fan support of such an idea, I think, but MLS will never go for it - in fact, it's the subject of april-fools-day jokes.
Those jokes aside, the way I can see it potentially working is to make MLS the equivalent of the Football League, an umbrella organization:
1. Merge with the NASL and USL, on equity terms favorable to the MLS owners
2. Arrange for joint TV deals that secure a survivable level of revenue for the lower tiers
3. Create a League Cup among the 3 leagues, in addition to the USSF Lamar Hunt trophy.
4. After a few years of operating together, decide on a promotion/relegation system among the 3 tiers, balance the number of teams in each tier, and rename the top tier something besides MLS, with MLS coming to describe the entire larger group
So you can't be relegated out of MLS, but you can be relegated within MLS. And equity ownership in the larger entity will financially compensate teams presently in MLS who get relegated. Good for the fans, good for soccer in the US, and not all that bad for the current MLS owners. Still very unlikely, but at least plausible.
Nearly every low-information casual footie fan or newly-recruited fan I talk to in the US talks about promotion and relegation as being an awesome aspect of foreign soccer leagues, and they all think it would be awesome if replicated here. For one thing, it would give fans an immediate, dramatic thing to point to when asked why someone should start following soccer rather than (or in addition to) another sport.
Of course, given the financial structure of the way MLS was founded, I suspect it's never going to happen. Just like the temporal alignment of MLS (spring-to-fall, off in winter) vs the major foreign leagues (fall-to-spring, off in summer). There would be tremendous fan support of such an idea, I think, but MLS will never go for it - in fact, it's the subject of april-fools-day jokes.
Those jokes aside, the way I can see it potentially working is to make MLS the equivalent of the Football League, an umbrella organization:
1. Merge with the NASL and USL, on equity terms favorable to the MLS owners
2. Arrange for joint TV deals that secure a survivable level of revenue for the lower tiers
3. Create a League Cup among the 3 leagues, in addition to the USSF Lamar Hunt trophy.
4. After a few years of operating together, decide on a promotion/relegation system among the 3 tiers, balance the number of teams in each tier, and rename the top tier something besides MLS, with MLS coming to describe the entire larger group
So you can't be relegated out of MLS, but you can be relegated within MLS. And equity ownership in the larger entity will financially compensate teams presently in MLS who get relegated. Good for the fans, good for soccer in the US, and not all that bad for the current MLS owners. Still very unlikely, but at least plausible.
That's exactly how I've always envisioned it - a closed system, a la the J-League. Not trying to start a religious war as most domestic fans are beyond sick of the topic; I just wanted to jot down an angle that I don't see covered enough (that fan engagement post-relegation, or apathy post-promotion for that matter, is normal).
As compared to the Championship pro/rel discussed in that other thread, I think the big thing that would need to change is the support of whatever leagues were under the top of MLS (item 2 on that list).
Newcastle & Villa got relegated from a top 3 money & attendance worldwide league to a top 12 one, which makes relegation not an existential threat to those clubs. Going from a league with a TV deal and 20,000+ crowds to something that looked like the current USL would be a much more brutal change for a club.
That change could be organic growth of the USL over years, or I guess it could be MLS keeping on expanding until it splits (then maybe it could even have a damn balanced schedule, which is my pet peeve).
Newcastle & Villa got relegated from a top 3 money & attendance worldwide league to a top 12 one, which makes relegation not an existential threat to those clubs. Going from a league with a TV deal and 20,000+ crowds to something that looked like the current USL would be a much more brutal change for a club.
That change could be organic growth of the USL over years, or I guess it could be MLS keeping on expanding until it splits (then maybe it could even have a damn balanced schedule, which is my pet peeve).
MLS already has the worst travel of any top-flight league. (TB linked a great article on this upthread.) A balanced schedule would just make this far worse.
Pro/rel is a solution for a problem that the US doesn't have right now.
I like the symmetry and integrity of a balanced schedule, but you have to accept that it's going to exert real downward pressure on the quality of play because of what it would mean for travel in the US. Personally, that's not a trade-off I want to make.
Furthermore, MLS currently has a 34 game schedule. If we had a double-round robin it would be a 38 game schedule this year and a 42 game schedule next year. That's even more overall travel, more midweek travel, and more bitching about how MLS plays through some FIFA windows.
The MLS schedule and format is just one of many factors that make it a very eccentric league, but it's also dealing with a huge geography and a much wider range of climates than almost any other league. Let's not forget that American population centers are distributed far more equally around the country than other big countries like Russia, Brazil, China, Canada, and Australia.
I think it's just the way it is. I'd love to see MLS clubs in Libertadores someday, but....Seattle-Buenos Aires is nearly 1,000 miles farther than London-Tokyo. How do you solve that?
Yeah, the US is always going to have somewhat different solutions than Europe. England is slightly smaller than Alabama and yet people speak of the "long trip from Swansea to Newcastle!!" otherwise known as "driving to Philly from Boston" or for some MLS teams "the local derby" or for Orlando "less than half the distance to their closest road game".
I like the symmetry and integrity of a balanced schedule, but you have to accept that it's going to exert real downward pressure on the quality of play because of what it would mean for travel in the US. Personally, that's not a trade-off I want to make.
Furthermore, MLS currently has a 34 game schedule. If we had a double-round robin it would be a 38 game schedule this year and a 42 game schedule next year. That's even more overall travel, more midweek travel, and more bitching about how MLS plays through some FIFA windows.
The MLS schedule and format is just one of many factors that make it a very eccentric league, but it's also dealing with a huge geography and a much wider range of climates than almost any other league. Let's not forget that American population centers are distributed far more equally around the country than other big countries like Russia, Brazil, China, Canada, and Australia.
I think it's just the way it is. I'd love to see MLS clubs in Libertadores someday, but....Seattle-Buenos Aires is nearly 1,000 miles farther than London-Tokyo. How do you solve that?
I agree with / accept all of that, with this exception:
But there are other things besides pro/rel that do the same.
Here's an off-the-cuff proposal. Move to fall-spring with the apertura / clausura model - another somewhat exotic league configuration. Play mid-August through mid-December, then take 8 weeks off, then come back and play March through mid-June. The fall season is restricted to play within your conference, East or West. In both East and West, 11 teams play a 20-game home-and-away round robin. The top of the single tables in each conference meet for a one-off "fall championship" match before the holidays, somewhere nice. Then after the break, the spring season begins with national play. This is a 21-game single round robin - you play everybody in MLS once. Venue alternates by year. It's not perfect, but it's not bad and it's fun. Top of the table is the "spring champion". If you wanted, you could have a unifying championship match between the two half-winners. (If the same team wins both halves, pit them against a "rest of the MLS" all-star team and make winning worth some kind of special designation.)
This model would avoid playing through the worst of winter or summer (which sucks in the south almost as bad as the cold does in the north), line up with the international calendar, and give teams even more to play for throughout the whole calendar. Imagine how special it would be as a Revs fan to get one crack at the Galaxy at home every two years, or how cool it would be to take both halves of a season, winning the "double" (before cups even come into consideration). And all of that is before you even touch pro/rel.
I just think teams (and fanbases) need to have more at stake.
There are a few problems it would address. a) Many regular season games don't mean much, or what they do mean is very murky. Making regular season games more meaningful, and giving fans a real reason to care when they might not, matters. b) Soccer needs to capitalize on being exotic, as an alternative to sports that seem too normal. There's no doubt that the idea of pro/rel pulls casual fans in and intrigues them.
But there are other things besides pro/rel that do the same.
Here's an off-the-cuff proposal. Move to fall-spring with the apertura / clausura model - another somewhat exotic league configuration. Play mid-August through mid-December, then take 8 weeks off, then come back and play March through mid-June. The fall season is restricted to play within your conference, East or West. In both East and West, 11 teams play a 20-game home-and-away round robin. The top of the single tables in each conference meet for a one-off "fall championship" match before the holidays, somewhere nice. Then after the break, the spring season begins with national play. This is a 21-game single round robin - you play everybody in MLS once. Venue alternates by year. It's not perfect, but it's not bad and it's fun. Top of the table is the "spring champion". If you wanted, you could have a unifying championship match between the two half-winners. (If the same team wins both halves, pit them against a "rest of the MLS" all-star team and make winning worth some kind of special designation.)
This model would avoid playing through the worst of winter or summer (which sucks in the south almost as bad as the cold does in the north), line up with the international calendar, and give teams even more to play for throughout the whole calendar. Imagine how special it would be as a Revs fan to get one crack at the Galaxy at home every two years, or how cool it would be to take both halves of a season, winning the "double" (before cups even come into consideration). And all of that is before you even touch pro/rel.
I just think teams (and fanbases) need to have more at stake.
Yeah, those are all strong points RE: balance schedules and they're why it's more of a peeve / fantasy for me. For it to be conceivable would probably require an American soccer culture so vibrant that leagues were regional at the top level (or maybe at the second level with a smaller top level such that there would be fewer games at the top level to lessen the brutality of travel).
Logistical nigh-implausibility aside though, I just can't shake the idea of having a balanced schedule and an American-style playoff system. I love the idea of having a mathematically sensible Supporters' Shield as a European style trophy and the MLS Cup as an American playoff system style trophy and the bar arguments between different styles of fan about which matters more, as opposed to now where the Supporters' Shield doesn't really make sense in any objective way.
I think it's because the same way that pro/rel is the European thing that captures a lot of US fan imaginations, a thing about European soccer that I dig is the smattering of cups & trophies & international cups with no strict hierarchy of which matters the most except people's opinions (and $$). I find that arbitrariness & openness appealing.
Admittedly, it seems like Europe is moving closer to us as domestic cups become vestigial, rather than the other way around.
Logistical nigh-implausibility aside though, I just can't shake the idea of having a balanced schedule and an American-style playoff system. I love the idea of having a mathematically sensible Supporters' Shield as a European style trophy and the MLS Cup as an American playoff system style trophy and the bar arguments between different styles of fan about which matters more, as opposed to now where the Supporters' Shield doesn't really make sense in any objective way.
I think it's because the same way that pro/rel is the European thing that captures a lot of US fan imaginations, a thing about European soccer that I dig is the smattering of cups & trophies & international cups with no strict hierarchy of which matters the most except people's opinions (and $$). I find that arbitrariness & openness appealing.
Admittedly, it seems like Europe is moving closer to us as domestic cups become vestigial, rather than the other way around.
Sure, but the ultimate problem that pro/rel addresses is the situation when there are more potential top-level clubs than there is space at the top level. As long as MLS continues to expand, that's never going to be an issue.
I don't disagree with your reasons. It's just that I think there's a huge prerequisite that has to be met before a pro/rel solution that also solves some second-order problems even begins to be feasible.
FWIW, the NASL has a split-season model like the Apertura/Clausura, though it is Spring-Fall and not Fall-Spring. I honestly don't know what fans of NASL clubs think about it.
Two Timbers arrested for DUI. Liam Ridgewell and Jake Gleeson.
Confirming prior rumors, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Ottawa Fury are leaving the NASL for the USL. With Minnesota leaving for MLS and a team in San Francisco coming in, the NASL has 10 teams for 2017. That number could get smaller this winter, though.
Good read on how and why Sebastian Velasquez's career faltered in his early 20s after a bright start. Sad stuff, but he seems to be on the way back up.
How Alcoholism Nearly Wrecked Sebastian Velasquez's Career
Confirming prior rumors, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Ottawa Fury are leaving the NASL for the USL. With Minnesota leaving for MLS and a team in San Francisco coming in, the NASL has 10 teams for 2017. That number could get smaller this winter, though.
Good read on how and why Sebastian Velasquez's career faltered in his early 20s after a bright start. Sad stuff, but he seems to be on the way back up.
How Alcoholism Nearly Wrecked Sebastian Velasquez's Career
Playoffs are just about to kick off in Toronto. Hard to imagine Philly advancing on the road while in such a tailspin, but it's MLS.
Despite a difficult season, Vancouver has signed Carl Robinson to a four-year extension through 2020. I had thought that Robinson might be on the hot seat, but clearly that couldn't be further from the truth and the Whitecaps still believe in him.
Drogba's stint in Montreal appears to be over.
Despite a difficult season, Vancouver has signed Carl Robinson to a four-year extension through 2020. I had thought that Robinson might be on the hot seat, but clearly that couldn't be further from the truth and the Whitecaps still believe in him.
Drogba's stint in Montreal appears to be over.
Handy and deserved wins for Toronto and LA last night. Philadelphia sure didn't look like a team that belonged in the playoffs and RSL didn't either. Philly and RSL both had bright spots this season, but have been tanking over the last third of the season. It's obvious, but 12 out of 20 playoff teams is too much. Next year will be slightly better with 12 out of 22, but still.
Tenorio reports that Houston will name Wilmer Cabrera manager.
Tenorio reports that Houston will name Wilmer Cabrera manager.
"There aren’t many teams that can say they’ve participated in five. When I look at it like that, I feel like we’re doing OK in that regard."
Michael Burns confirms Jay Heaps will be back in a long and rambling interview with Frank Dell'Apa.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/soccer/2016/10/27/revolution-confirm-jay-heaps-will-back-coach/026NSUkwvTmYoBmjHreXQK/story.html
Michael Burns confirms Jay Heaps will be back in a long and rambling interview with Frank Dell'Apa.
https://www.bostonglobe.com/sports/soccer/2016/10/27/revolution-confirm-jay-heaps-will-back-coach/026NSUkwvTmYoBmjHreXQK/story.html
Nelson Valdez scores his first goal of the season in the 88th and the Sounders are moving on. Crazy season.
Besler had a goal disallowed for being about 6 inches offside earlier in the second half, and Valdez looked to be just slightly off as well on the winner.
To be fair to the linesman, the Besler decision was from a set piece so it was easier to be looking right down the line, while Valdez was at the end of a stretch of open play with attackers and defenders constantly dodging back and forth. Both were tough to see without the freeze frame, but KC fans have to be mad that Seattle got the call on theirs and KC didn't.
To be fair to the linesman, the Besler decision was from a set piece so it was easier to be looking right down the line, while Valdez was at the end of a stretch of open play with attackers and defenders constantly dodging back and forth. Both were tough to see without the freeze frame, but KC fans have to be mad that Seattle got the call on theirs and KC didn't.
I am dumber for having read all of those incredibly vapid Mike Burns quotes.
It's also frustrating to hear Burns openly admit that the Revs are behind the curve on many things, but that he doesn't think it matters. How does this guy still have a job?
Yeah, definitely. Besler was barely offsides, so I'd be pissed if I was an SKC fan.
I didn't watch it, just listened on the radio, but the local guys were stunned that Alonso didn't earn a second yellow for his foul against Feilhaber. That obviously would've changed the entire dynamic of the game.
No road teams score on the day. Biggest shocker has to be the Sounders dropping a three spot on FC Dallas.
Dallas isn't the same team without Castillo and Diaz, while Seattle is in good form, so I would never have been surprised if the Sounders advanced, but a three-goal win in the first leg is eye-opening. It's hard to see Dallas coming back from this. I don't know where the goals are going to come from. I guess they'll need to depend on Michael Barrios to be a creator from the wing, but I don't think he can do it alone.
Playoff quadruple-header.
I'm looking forward to the NY games the most, as Colorado is just not a very fun team to watch and the Dallas-Seattle series is close to being over already.
Outstanding strike by Gashi to put the Rapids level on aggregate, though.
I'm looking forward to the NY games the most, as Colorado is just not a very fun team to watch and the Dallas-Seattle series is close to being over already.
Outstanding strike by Gashi to put the Rapids level on aggregate, though.
Colorado advance on PKs over LA after a drab 1-0 win outside of Gashi's goal.
Bush had a great save on a first half Kljestan penalty and Montreal just took the lead. NYRB looking close to dead having given up the away goal. They need three.
Bush had a great save on a first half Kljestan penalty and Montreal just took the lead. NYRB looking close to dead having given up the away goal. They need three.
NYRB go unbeaten in the last 20 games of the regular season, then lose both playoff games.
NYCFC's attempt to turn around a 2-0 deficit is going as poorly as one could possibly imagine. Giovinco scored within five minutes, then grabbed a PK, then Altidore just scored at 30'.
Montreal vs. Toronto in the Eastern Conference Final. First time a Canadian club has gotten this far in the playoffs and, obviously, it'll be the first time a Canadian club reaches MLS Cup.
NYCFC's attempt to turn around a 2-0 deficit is going as poorly as one could possibly imagine. Giovinco scored within five minutes, then grabbed a PK, then Altidore just scored at 30'.
Montreal vs. Toronto in the Eastern Conference Final. First time a Canadian club has gotten this far in the playoffs and, obviously, it'll be the first time a Canadian club reaches MLS Cup.
Worst beating in Yankee Stadium since Game 7.
How much impact will LA and both NY clubs losing have on the TV ratings for the conference finals and MLS Cup?
How much impact will LA and both NY clubs losing have on the TV ratings for the conference finals and MLS Cup?
If you are an MLSHQ employee rooting for ratings, you are a HUGE Sounders fan right now. Colorado and Dallas are ratings losers. Seattle has more cachet and I think even the sheer strength of their local market can carry national TV ratings for their games.
The Eastern Conference final should get very solid ratings in Canada, but those teams tend to not be as much of a TV draw in the US. Plenty of big names to tout (Giovinco, Drogba, Altidore, Bradley), though.
Yeah, I caught parts of both games up here, and like the hysteria with the Blue Jays, the all-Canadian conference final will be a national event. Both teams played well and deserve it, though I can't imagine it will play well south of the border. That said, who watches MLS anyway?
My dog and I, mostly. My cat refuses. My wife sees it as an excellent opportunity to do some knitting.
I'm still dreaming of a Seattle-Montreal final because then that would be played in Seattle. I imagine that is what Fox is rooting for also, as that would be quite the spectacle.
I thought the Sounders were going to blow their game for a little bit there, but they got the job done. Hopefully Morris isn't seriously injured.
I grabbed tickets to the first leg in Seattle - hoping it goes better than the WCF game I saw against the Galaxy a few years ago.
I thought the Sounders were going to blow their game for a little bit there, but they got the job done. Hopefully Morris isn't seriously injured.
I grabbed tickets to the first leg in Seattle - hoping it goes better than the WCF game I saw against the Galaxy a few years ago.
Jordan Morris wins rookie of the year. I think he made the right decision in choosing MLS over Werden Bremen, but of course it is impossible to tell for certain.
The Toronto vs Montreal semi-finals should be great, and I am curious to see how the Canadian Premier League advocates spin it. (See here for the "MLS out of Canada!" issue: http://www.wakingthered.com/2016/9/14/12912976/could-canadian-teams-toronto-fc-vancouver-whitecaps-montreal-impact-be-pulled-out-of-mls)
The Toronto vs Montreal semi-finals should be great, and I am curious to see how the Canadian Premier League advocates spin it. (See here for the "MLS out of Canada!" issue: http://www.wakingthered.com/2016/9/14/12912976/could-canadian-teams-toronto-fc-vancouver-whitecaps-montreal-impact-be-pulled-out-of-mls)
Gerrard and Lampz are both leaving their clubs after the end of the season, which is no surprise. After a rocky start, Lampard came good in 2016 when he was healthy; however, he started less than half of NYCFC's games.
Gerrard's tenure in LA was less successful, I'd say. Fitting Gerrard, Keane, and dos Santos into a formation that made sense was a near-impossible task. LA would really be better served to replace him with someone whose role, strengths, and weaknesses are a better fit for their existing squad. Since he's still in his prime, it makes the most sense to build around Dos Santos. Keane may even leave LA this winter, too.
More Lodeiros and Diazes instead, please.
Gerrard's tenure in LA was less successful, I'd say. Fitting Gerrard, Keane, and dos Santos into a formation that made sense was a near-impossible task. LA would really be better served to replace him with someone whose role, strengths, and weaknesses are a better fit for their existing squad. Since he's still in his prime, it makes the most sense to build around Dos Santos. Keane may even leave LA this winter, too.
More Lodeiros and Diazes instead, please.
Atlanta's home jersey has been unveiled:
Like the name "Atlanta United", this jersey gets a "meh" from me.
Like the name "Atlanta United", this jersey gets a "meh" from me.
There's an opening in MLS to be the team that owns vertical stripes, but that's a pretty timid attempt
Yeah, not to turn this into a fashion thread, but outside of Dallas' hoops and LA's sash, the league is a bunch of dull solid home shirts. I miss the Metros and Chivas, at least aesthetically.
Dallas signs Jesus Ferreira.
This kid is supposed to be a pretty awesome attacking midfielder and he doesn't turn 16 until next month. He's David Ferreira's son and though he's not currently a US citizen, he's supposedly close. Despite his dad's career for Colombia, he seems to show a preference for playing for the US. He was invited to play in a few US U17 friendlies recently and he did well. He would probably be one of our best prospects of his age cohort, so hopefully his citizenship comes through ASAP.
Giuseppe Rossi to NYCFC rumors....
This kid is supposed to be a pretty awesome attacking midfielder and he doesn't turn 16 until next month. He's David Ferreira's son and though he's not currently a US citizen, he's supposedly close. Despite his dad's career for Colombia, he seems to show a preference for playing for the US. He was invited to play in a few US U17 friendlies recently and he did well. He would probably be one of our best prospects of his age cohort, so hopefully his citizenship comes through ASAP.
Giuseppe Rossi to NYCFC rumors....
And it's done:
Probably the best designated player signing in league history, at least until Giovinco gets another season or two under his belt.
The St Louis expansion bid moves forward.
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/11/17/st-louis-mls-expansion-ownership-group
http://www.si.com/planet-futbol/2016/11/17/st-louis-mls-expansion-ownership-group
Article summarizing Deloitte report arguing that pro-rel would maximize profits for club owners, but taking on more risk and cost.
http://midfieldpress.com/2016/11/21/deloitte-report-suggests-promotion-relegation-would-be-positive-for-us-soccer/
There are lots of reports that Adrian Heath will be Minnesota's manager, beating out Sigi Schmid, Giovanni Savarese, and NASL incumbent Carl Craig.
It looks like there will be opening in LA shortly.
Dallas is the first club to announce initial offseason transactions. Three players are out of contract and the club declined options on another seven. It's mostly the usual purge of foreign players who didn't make enough of an impact. Zach Loyd could be a useful pickup for someone if he can move past this year's concussion issues.
It looks like there will be opening in LA shortly.
Dallas is the first club to announce initial offseason transactions. Three players are out of contract and the club declined options on another seven. It's mostly the usual purge of foreign players who didn't make enough of an impact. Zach Loyd could be a useful pickup for someone if he can move past this year's concussion issues.
Guessing I'm going to see a 0-0 boring slugfest tonight in Seattle. The weather is supposed to be miserable (rainy, windy, high 40s), but I scored seats in the Supporter's Section and plan on getting properly liquored up beforehand.
No word on if Morris or Ivanschitz will be back, but it sure would change the game for Seattle if they are.
No word on if Morris or Ivanschitz will be back, but it sure would change the game for Seattle if they are.
I'm looking forward to the Montreal-Toronto game for several reasons:
1) Canada rivalry, should be a great atmosphere at the Big O, which sold out today.
2) It's the game without the Rapids
3) It's the game that won't end past my bedtime
Elsewhere, Dallas added yet another prospect from their academy, to add to Jesus Ferreira and Paxton Pomykal in the last three months.
Reynolds is the youngest of the three at age 15 and I'm pretty sure he's the first American player born in 2001 to sign a pro contract. I've heard good things about him and I know that he's one of very few '01s to break into the current U17 national team, which is dominated by '00s.
He's listed at 6'3", 170, so he's clearly an early developer. FCD must be very high on him to offer him a contract at such a young age, though.
1) Canada rivalry, should be a great atmosphere at the Big O, which sold out today.
2) It's the game without the Rapids
3) It's the game that won't end past my bedtime
Elsewhere, Dallas added yet another prospect from their academy, to add to Jesus Ferreira and Paxton Pomykal in the last three months.
Reynolds is the youngest of the three at age 15 and I'm pretty sure he's the first American player born in 2001 to sign a pro contract. I've heard good things about him and I know that he's one of very few '01s to break into the current U17 national team, which is dominated by '00s.
He's listed at 6'3", 170, so he's clearly an early developer. FCD must be very high on him to offer him a contract at such a young age, though.
I actually kind of like how these games ended up during the midweek. I'm an MLS season ticket holder, but even I'd have lost them in the sea of football on the weekend. Should be a fun night of soccer.
Oof this is embarrassing...
Doug McIntyreESPN Staff Writer
Looks like someone measured the lines for the penalty areas incorrectly at Olympic Stadium. Crews desperately trying to cover up original and repaint before kickoff. Never seen anything like this.
Doug McIntyreESPN Staff Writer
Looks like someone measured the lines for the penalty areas incorrectly at Olympic Stadium. Crews desperately trying to cover up original and repaint before kickoff. Never seen anything like this.
Game is officially delayed. As the field manager for my club this is the type of thing that keeps me up at night.