MLS 2014: The U$MNT Comes Home

[Zososoxfan]

 
Really good game. Too bad the officiating quality in this league lags so far behind. Toledo missed / ignored a clear penalty when Scott ran over Castillo early in the first half. Would have changed the entire complexion of the series, and would have forced Seattle to go hunting for the tying goal.

 
I've been meaning to make this comment for awhile, but I like that MLS refs 'let them play' a bit more than in Europe. I think people would be surprised to watch a match from South America and see how physical the game is. Do others see this as well? I think it likely helps an American audience that's used to Football, Hockey, etc. adjust a bit.

 

[steeplechase3k]

Pretty Cool: http://www.mlssoccer.com/sideline/news/article/2014/11/11/club-paid-850-new-england-revs-fans-travel-eastern-conference-championship
 
The Revs have reserved enough buses to take 850 supporters to New York.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

I snagged tickets to the second leg of the Sounders-Galaxy series. Can't wait. Chance to see my favorite team possibly move on to their first MLS Cup, while also getting to see the man who made me love soccer (Donovan) possibly play his last game.
 
Praying it doesn't rain, because my seats aren't under cover.

 

[DJnVa]

 
How much money does the VB ownership have?  The costs of playing in the NASL are much bigger than in the NPSL -- travel, having to pay professional players, number of staff & employees.  Transitioning is easier said than done.

 

No idea on the money. They run 2 teams in the NPSL--VB City and the DC United U23 team. The head guy is very young (mid to late 20s I think), so maybe the USL Pro would be a better option initially as there's "local" teams in Charlotte, Wilmington, Charleston, Richmond.

 

[nickandemmasuncle]

NYC FC jersey unveiling -- basically an adidas-ized Manchester City clone. I don't know if this means we're looking at Chivas USA 2.0 here, but it's not encouraging.
 

 

[Titans Bastard]

NYC FC jersey unveiling -- basically an adidas-ized Manchester City clone. I don't know if this means we're looking at Chivas USA 2.0 here, but it's not encouraging.
 

 
 
Extremely lame.  But I saw this coming.
 
Can't wait for the first New York Energy Drink Brand Expansion FC vs. New York Manchester City Brand Expansion FC match.  It's going to be compelling.
 
I have little doubt that NYCFC will be much better managed than Chivas USA, but ultimately both can only aspire to be a shittier little brother of a foreign club.  Just after we got rid of the last "Junior FC" club, we get saddled with another, which is really too bad.  MLS teams deserve to have their own independent identities.

 

[SoxFanInCali]

I mean, we all know Zomp and all the other Man United fans out there are massive jerkstores, but if you are starting a new team, do you want to immediately alienate them?  Would a single person who supports United buy that jersey?

 

[Vinho Tinto]

I believe the primary difference between Chivas and  NYCFC will be that Chivas always looked like they were running on a minimal budget. I think Lampard and Villa are just the first of what will be a regular cycle of big name signings for NY. They are correct that to be relevant in NY you have to be loud and go out of your way to standout. These guys don't seem too concerned about trying to make a short term profit. 

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

 
 
Extremely lame.  But I saw this coming.
 
Can't wait for the first New York Energy Drink Brand Expansion FC vs. New York Manchester City Brand Expansion FC match.  It's going to be compelling.
 
I have little doubt that NYCFC will be much better managed than Chivas USA, but ultimately both can only aspire to be a shittier little brother of a foreign club.  Just after we got rid of the last "Junior FC" club, we get saddled with another, which is really too bad.  MLS teams deserve to have their own independent identities.

 
Another idea that Garber gave the green light to. MLS is going down the path of La Liga, where bascially only 3-4 clubs will be competing for the title every year. Mixed in with maybe a dark horse every 3 or 5 years possibly. All the stars go to either the two NY clubs, LA or Seattle. Way to showcase the league as a whole, Donny.

 

[Titans Bastard]

 
Another idea that Garber gave the green light to. MLS is going down the path of La Liga, where bascially only 3-4 clubs will be competing for the title every year. Mixed in with maybe a dark horse every 3 or 5 years possibly. All the stars go to either the two NY clubs, LA or Seattle. Way to showcase the league as a whole, Donny.

 
Four of the last six champions were:  Columbus, Salt Lake City, Colorado, Kansas City.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

 
Four of the last six champions were:  Columbus, Salt Lake City, Colorado, Kansas City.

 
Yep, you're correct, but doubt it stays that way. With the way that player movement has been and will continue to be, the league wants the stars in the big markets. Not a lot of other teams have the chance to even compete for those big names besides the big 4. I see that as contradictory to Garber's comments of wanting to be a recognized brand worldwide.

 

[soxfan121]

 
Four of the last six champions were:  Columbus, Salt Lake City, Colorado, Kansas City.

 
And if New England pulls it off this year, add another data point to the list. 
 
Of course, there is that matter of the Jermaine Jones Hat. Nothing assures skeptical fans that player allotment is on the level like a "blind draw" where the team better positioned for the playoffs (and in desperate need of good PR) wins the raffle.
 
That said, a La Liga consortium would probably be good for MLS, as long as they left developing players in Columbus IN Columbus while propping up a few superclubs for those guys to play against. Perversely, it addresses my concern about level of playing competition in dastardly fashion.

 

[moly99]

 
Another idea that Garber gave the green light to. MLS is going down the path of La Liga, where bascially only 3-4 clubs will be competing for the title every year. Mixed in with maybe a dark horse every 3 or 5 years possibly. All the stars go to either the two NY clubs, LA or Seattle. Way to showcase the league as a whole, Donny.

 
This is simply a product of money, to be honest. The Sounders had $19 million in profit last year, LA has the largest TV revenue and the New York clubs have owners willing to spend. (Throw Orlando City in there as well.) Meanwhile the majority of the other clubs (excluding PDX, of course) are in rough shape financially.
 
And, as pointed out, it hasn't stopped other clubs from winning.

 

[Billy R Ford]

I'm just not seeing a trend towards pushing big-name players towards big markets. Kaka is the biggest name MLS has ever signed, and he's playing in Orlando next year. Besides him you have Michael Bradley (big name for US fans) in Toronto, Jones in New England (after deciding between there and Chicago), and in the past there's been Marco di Vaio in Montreal, Torsten Frings in Toronto, and Cuauhtemuc Blanco in Chicago. Signing a great DP isn't always about signing the biggest name anyway: Real Salt Lake and Houston have both poached stars from Central America (Saborio and Boniek Garcia) who don't have the same name recognition, but were much better signings than a lot of these guys.
 
I definitely won't deny there are often shenanigans afoot in getting players to their preferred destinations (to be fair, LA being the top example given how they first signed both Landon Donovan and David Beckham) but to me the willingness of the owner to pay top salaries is at least an equally driving factor to where guys end up. Dempsey wasn't pushed towards Seattle for example, he supposedly wanted to play in Houston but AEG weren't willing to put up the money for Houston like they do with LA.

 

[Joe D Reid]

So long as MLS sticks with a multiple-round knockout process for the Cup, you won't see real dynasties. There's just too much randomness.

 

[soxfan121]

I'm just not seeing a trend towards pushing big-name players towards big markets. Kaka is the biggest name MLS has ever signed, and he's playing in Orlando next year. Besides him you have Michael Bradley (big name for US fans) in Toronto, Jones in New England (after deciding between there and Chicago), and in the past there's been Marco di Vaio in Montreal, Torsten Frings in Toronto, and Cuauhtemuc Blanco in Chicago. Signing a great DP isn't always about signing the biggest name anyway: Real Salt Lake and Houston have both poached stars from Central America (Saborio and Boniek Garcia) who don't have the same name recognition, but were much better signings than a lot of these guys.
 
I definitely won't deny there are often shenanigans afoot in getting players to their preferred destinations (to be fair, LA being the top example given how they first signed both Landon Donovan and David Beckham) but to me the willingness of the owner to pay top salaries is at least an equally driving factor to where guys end up. Dempsey wasn't pushed towards Seattle for example, he supposedly wanted to play in Houston but AEG weren't willing to put up the money for Houston like they do with LA.

 
It might ease competitive concerns to have different entities owning different franchises, so it doesn't look so obviously sketchy. How many teams does AEG own again?

 

[Titans Bastard]

 
It might ease competitive concerns to have different entities owning different franchises, so it doesn't look so obviously sketchy. How many teams does AEG own again?

1.5. They own half of Houston. Oscar de la Hoya's group owns the other half.

The Hunt family is down to one franchise as well after Columbus was sold to Andrew Precourt this year.

 

[Billy R Ford]

 
It might ease competitive concerns to have different entities owning different franchises, so it doesn't look so obviously sketchy. How many teams does AEG own again?

 
You got me there   as TB said, AEG has an interest in those two teams. The technical term is "investor/operator" since MLS has a single-entity structure where teams and players' contracts are owned by the league, but for our purposes there isn't a major difference.
 
To me one of the more interesting bits of MLS trivia is that at one point, the league only had three owners- for ten teams. In 2003 AEG owned 6 teams, the Hunt family owned 3, and Bob Kraft owned 1 (the Revs). Today AEG is the only owner with an interest in multiple teams, which is obviously a huge step forward for the league.

 

[soxfan121]

No doubt - things are improving in MLS. And it is on its way to being a real league. Getting rid of Chivas was a big step; divesting the rest of Houston would be another step in the right direction. The NYCFC stuff is a bit distressing with the Chivas parallels but that may well just be a marketing faux pas and add talent (through deep pockets) to the league, another good sign. 
 
I'm not anti-MLS forever; I am anti-MLS now. (in the same way, and for the same reasons, as Klinsmann) 
 
MLS may indeed get there someday. But it indisputably is not the best place to develop USMNT players for the next World Cup cycle. The ideal development environment is part-Julian Green (best club, with the best coach), part-Rubio Rubin (starting 11, in a competitive league), part Aron Johannsson (club run by American legend, starting 11, competitive league), and part Emerson Hyndman (regular playing time in a competitive league).
 
I think LA might be nearing that kind of situation for developing players - good coach, quality teammates, development program that makes sense - but the overall level of play is still below the Eredivisie & English Championship and LA's players only get to train against, not play competitively with, LA. More expansion means another fractional decline in overall quality of play (in the short term), even with the Graybeards of Europe joining the league as 3 of the top 10 talented players in the league. 
 
I've said it before and I'll say it again - I'm a USMNT. The goals of MLS and the USMNT are not aligned. MLS is, in my opinion, working against the USMNT with some of it's business initiatives, most importantly the squabbling over where players best develop with the guy who knows what it takes to win a World Cup. He might be a self-important jerk but he wants to win, so he's not suggesting the USMNT do things that will sabotage our program. 

 

[steeplechase3k]

The Semiannual "Kraft's are trying to build a SSS close to Boston" is out again:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/11/18/krafts-exploring-soccer-stadium-boston/s7p5krvDeH1J7UgjlEIFtM/story.html

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Semiannual "Kraft's are trying to build a SSS close to Boston" is out again:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business/2014/11/18/krafts-exploring-soccer-stadium-boston/s7p5krvDeH1J7UgjlEIFtM/story.html

 

 
 
Some additional info here.  This would be a great location, but who's paying for it?

 

[Titans Bastard]

Teams are starting to make their offseason cuts:
 
- Vancouver dumped Trinidadian CB Carlyle Mitchell as well as an academy signing from a few years ago, midfielder Bryce Alderson.
 
- Predictably, there was a total bloodbath in Chicago.  The Fire declined options on 11 players and let two loans expire and are down to a squad of 14 players at the moment.
 
- Columbus declined options on seven players, although Jairo Arrieta is really the only player of consequence to be cut loose; the rest is just back-end-of-the-roster churn.  A nice core came together for the Crew this season and they've already added Kei Kamara for 2015.
 
 
The Chivas USA Flea Market is tomorrow.  The Revs have the fifth pick and may even get a useful spare part for next season out of it.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Seven Chivas USA players taken in the Dispersal Draft.  The Revs passed.
 
1. Dallas - GK Dan Kennedy
2. NYCFC - MF Matt Dunn
4. DC - MF Tommy McNamara
6. Montreal - LB Donny Toia
8. Colorado - FW Caleb Calvert
9. SJ - FW Kris Tyrpak
14. Toronto - MF Marco Delgado
 
 
Basically, Dan Kennedy and a bunch of young players with some potential.  Calvert and Delgado are products of Chivas USA's academy.  Toia is an RSL academy product who flamed out, was converted to a fullback in the minor leagues, and made his way back to MLS.  McNamara and Tyrpak were decent-looking rookies.  And Matt Dunn is the world's only professional soccer player who spent time at the University of Maine at Fort Kent.
 
Dallas currently has Peruvian NT goalkeeper Raul Fernandez on the books as well as Chris Seitz, who both saw a decent number of starts last season.  Kennedy might just be trade bait, or else at least one of the incumbents is on his way out.
 
 
Presumably a few other Chivas USA guys will be taken in the Re-Entry draft, as other teams will then have the opportunity to negotiate their salaries down.

 

[OCST]

Seven Chivas USA players taken in the Dispersal Draft.  
 

 
sounds like stuff unclumping in a lava lamp.
 
Chivas  was about as functional and as useful as a [SIZE=13.63636302948px]lava [/SIZE]lamp.
 
goodbye. You sucked.

 

[Titans Bastard]

- Toronto announced that they'll be fielding a USL Pro franchise in 2015 with former Canadian international Jason Bent as manager.  They'd be the 23rd franchise in the league assuming no dropouts before next season.  We might still see Vancouver announce before the end of the year, which I think would be the end of MLS reserve team announcements for the year.  Dallas and Houston seem interested, but it doesn't look like they'll get their act together for next season.  Dallas and NYRB in particular could really use teams.
 
- Finalists for MLS awards have come out:
 
MVP: Robbie Keane, Obafemi Martins, Lee Nguyen
 
Coach: Gregg Berhalter, Ben Olsen, Sigi Schmid
 
Rookie: Tesho Akindele, Steve Birnbaum, Harry Shipp
 
 
- The Quakes new stadium has a sponsor: Avaya.  Word is that the deal is for $20m over 10 years.
 
- A bunch of potential expansion groups are pitching their cities at MLS HQ today.  Sacramento and Las Vegas are represented as well as two competing groups from Minneapolis - the ownership of the existing NASL Minnesota United and also the Minnesota Vikings.
 
- NYRB has sold out Sunday's first leg match against the Revs.  The Revs FO paid for 20 busses that are taking around 1100 fans down to Red Bull Arena for the game, which is pretty cool.

 

[Titans Bastard]

The Whitecaps are also in USL Pro next year.  That makes 24 teams for 2015, including seven MLS reserve franchises.  That should do it for USL expansion this year unless something comes totally out of the blue, as all rumored teams have either been announced or fallen through.  The map has filled out nicely.  In 2012, the LA Blues were the only team west of the Mississippi.  Now they're joined by reserve teams of Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, LA, RSL, as well as independent clubs in Phoenix, Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Austin, Colorado Springs, and St. Louis.  That's a lot of domestic soccer jobs - more opportunities for young players, more opportunities for guys who slipped through the cracks, and more jobs that keep retired players involved in the game.  Also, more schedule regionalization in the minor leagues would be a huge help.
 
The Canadians are really going after it here with all three MLS teams fielding USL Pro franchises.  It's badly needed up there, as many Canadian players can't even rely on the NCAA system as a safety net.  At the professional level, Canadian players count as foreigners on American MLS clubs, which makes life a little more difficult for them.  Now along with FC Edmonton and Ottawa Fury the NASL, they are up to eight professional franchises.

 

[Titans Bastard]

NY vs. NE:
 

Davies​

Rowe ---- Nguyen --- Bunbury​

Jones -- Caldwell​

Tierney --- Gonçalves --- Soares --- Farrell​

Shuttleworth​

 
 
Farrell returns for NE, allowing Heaps to field his best XI.
 
 

Wright-Phillips​

Henry --- Luyindula --- Sam​

McCarty -- Alexander​

Oyongo --- Sekagya --- Olave --- Eckersley​

Robles​

 
Miller is suspended, so Oyongo comes in at LB.  Defense is definitely NY's weak point - Sekagya isn't any great shakes and Eckersley is a hack.  Their offense is scary though, thanks to Thierry Henry.  He just sucks up so much of the defense's attention that everyone else has that much more time and space to do their thing.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Pretty shot there by Bunbury!

 

[Titans Bastard]

Pretty shot there by Bunbury!

 
That was a beauty of a strike.  Left-footed, too.  I'd expect that from Thierry Henry, not someone like Bunbury.

 

[Titans Bastard]

1-1.  Bad call - BWP was offside, behind the GK.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

1-1.  Bad call - BWP was offside, behind the GK.

Bad call, but fun sequence to watch.

Watching football and futbol at the same time feels new, I'm into it.

Did they send even a token Kraft to NY, or are they all in Gillette?

 

[Titans Bastard]

Bad call, but fun sequence to watch.

Watching football and futbol at the same time feels new, I'm into it.

Did they send even a token Kraft to NY, or are they all in Gillette?

 
I doubt it, they once skipped a Revs MLS Cup to attend a regular season Pats game.

 

[BoredViewer]

BWP should've put that one on target.

 

[Titans Bastard]

BWP should've put that one on target.

 
BWP has scored a ton this year, but he hasn't really changed - he just has so many chances with Henry setting him up all the time.

 

[nickandemmasuncle]

Really intense half of soccer right there. Maybe a little lacking in technical and tactical sophistication, but it was entertaining as hell to watch, and Bunbury's goal was fantastic.
 
Also, watching this game just reinforces what a shame it is that NBC couldn't come to an agreement with MLS on a new broadcast deal. Their TV production is miles beyond anything ESPN is doing / Fox has done as far as making MLS matches look and feel like big events.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Eckersley is such a hack.

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

Bulls gettin' sloppier

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

YOU'RE MISSING A HECK OF A GAME KRAFTS!

 

[Jimy Hendrix]

That first touch was everything for the counter, great looking ball.

 

[Stanley Steamer]

Just tuned in. Good end to end stuff. Nice goin', Revs!

 

[Reardon's Beard]

Way to go Revs.

 

[nickandemmasuncle]

That ball from Nguyen to Bunbury in the lead-up to Jones' goal is the kind of stuff that wins games. Not a lot of guys would have the vision to see that option or the skill to complete that pass.
 
In the build-up, it looked like a pretty dangerous counter, but up until Nguyen played that ball, the Red Bulls had a solid line of defenders between the ball and the goal. He just totally unlocked the defense with that. If you could assign WPA to individual touches on the ball, that one would be pretty damn large.

 

[Billy R Ford]

Heck of a match, this Revs team really is exciting. A lot of yellows- they've got to make sure they can make it through the match in Foxborough not just holding on to this lead, but ensuring they'll have everyone for the final. I like our chances, but it'll be tough. Henry isn't going to go down without a fight.

 

[Zomp]

The away goals rule counts right?

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

Yes it does, can't wait for Saturday.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Getting it done on the road.  This game could have easily been a draw, but the Revs gutted it out and got the win.  Both sides missed clear-cut chances that could have changed the game.  2-1 on the road is a great start to the series and NE is clearly in the drivers seat now.  Looking forward to Saturday.
 
 

Heck of a match, this Revs team really is exciting. A lot of yellows- they've got to make sure they can make it through the match in Foxborough not just holding on to this lead, but ensuring they'll have everyone for the final. I like our chances, but it'll be tough. Henry isn't going to go down without a fight.

 
Yellow card accumulation isn't in effect for MLS Cup.  A player would be suspended for MLS Cup with a red in the second leg, but that's it.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Seattle is missing Ozzie Alonso, who has been struggling with a hamstring injury.  That's a huge blow for their midfield and the team in general - he's a one-man engine.  Lamar Neagle is also out of the 18 with an apparent personal matter, which also doesn't help.  However, Neagle isn't as influential a player as Alonso and the Sounders have more alternatives at his position.
 
 
Also, classic NYRB:
 
https://twitter.com/GothamistDan/status/536632860627988482
 
https://twitter.com/GothamistDan/status/536636445042434050
 
 
I'm not a huge fan of the NYCFC project, but there's a reason the league was desperate to get another franchise in NY, guys.

 

[Arroyo Con Frijoles]

Hahah that's unbelievable. That was one of the dumbest yellow cards I've seen in a long time, but I guess that partially explains it.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Sounders got a solid result considering Alonso was out.
 
In the past they would've blown up and lost 3-0, so I'll take 1-0 and see what can possibly happen in Seattle. Supposed to be cold and rainy next week.

 

[Youkilis vs Wild]

Bunbury's goal was terrific. Reminded me of Jones's Portugal goal.