solid win.Have to be confident going into the return leg. I think it's nuts they're playing it tomorrow. They should at least have 1 day in between.
MLS 2014: The U$MNT Comes Home
- Thread starter Titans Bastard
- Start date
As frustrating as that last PK was, 4-2 is an absolutely fantastic result for the Revs. I'll be in Foxboro for the return leg, really looking forward to this chance at advancing.
I keep having to remind myself of that. The 4-1 result would have made next week just a 90-minute party at Gillette...but things still look unbelievably bright.Billy R Ford said:
Great result, though I agree hard not to be a little annoyed by a no-doubt penalty at the very end. Unbelievably stupid yellow for Goncalves to take in like the 20th minute of their first playoff game, but whatever. Next week is going to be quite a game, because Columbus is going to come out swinging. Lots of goals, I'm sure.
Osvaldo Alonso just scored on a header off a free kick to tie the Sounders game at 1-1 against Dallas early in the second half. That's a big away goal for Seattle.
Q: How the hell has Bradley Wright-Phillips scored so many goals this season?
A: He plays with Thierry Henry
A: He plays with Thierry Henry
LA signed a 15 year old GK from their academy, Eric Lopez, to their reserve team.
This is the beauty of having a USL Pro franchise. Lopez, as a player born in 1999(!), will still be eligible to play for LA's U16s and U18s, but he'll also have plenty of time to train with pros and get playing time at a reasonable level for him (USL Pro). He's also on a USL Pro contract, so he's not taking up a spot on the MLS roster and LA doesn't have to worry about a foreign club poaching him.
Huzzah for vertical integrated development systems.
This is the beauty of having a USL Pro franchise. Lopez, as a player born in 1999(!), will still be eligible to play for LA's U16s and U18s, but he'll also have plenty of time to train with pros and get playing time at a reasonable level for him (USL Pro). He's also on a USL Pro contract, so he's not taking up a spot on the MLS roster and LA doesn't have to worry about a foreign club poaching him.
Huzzah for vertical integrated development systems.
Titans Bastard said:
That's wild, but also more similar to the academy structure outside the US, right? If so, hard not to be excited. Quick question, NASL teams cannot (or are not) used as development academies because of USSF structure, correct?
Zososoxfan said:
Yeah. Countries that are good at youth development have a streamlined system that moves players up the ladder as appropriate until they are ready for the first team. There's no one way to do this - some countries have reserve teams playing in the pyramid against independent clubs (Germany, Spain, France). Others rely heavily on lower-league loans (Italy). Others just have youth teams/leagues (England, Netherlands).
The US has always struggled to bridge the gap between elite HS-aged players and the professional level. Elite players aren't well served by NCAA soccer and all of its limitations, but they also haven't been well-served by the developmental ladder offered by MLS clubs. You sign with a pro team and train - there's been a crappy intermittent reserve league, but the schedule was short and it wasn't taken seriously. It's the dreaded age 18-22 gap.
That's where this USL Pro partnership is coming in. Most teams are affiliating with minor league clubs. LA was the first to take the plunge and buy their own USL Pro franchise for use as a reserve team. Others are following suit in 2015. USL Pro is an entry-level professional league: the level is not very high, but it's still better than the NCAA and it's 30 games that mean something. Players need to play in order to develop, and finally pro prospects who are unready for MLS have a place to go.
The NASL hasn't shown much interest in partnering with MLS on this. That league seems to have more of a chip on its shoulder and seems less willing to fashion itself into a developmental partner. That said, MLS clubs do send some players on loan to NASL clubs. It's on a case-by-case basis, unlike USL Pro partnerships, which usually involve sending ~4 players on loan.
EDIT: I should add that this is a HUGE win for USL Pro. They are getting ~4 free players, many of whom are above-average in the league. On a shoe-string budget, that helps immensely. The emergence of reserve teams like LA II (and now Seattle II, Portland II, SLC II) also gives the league many more franchises and is going to help reduce travel costs. There's also never been more chatter about and attention given to USL Pro than last season within US soccer circles.
- Modest TV ratings increases over 2013, but there is still a long way to go. The league's ratings on ESPN2 are still lower than they were in the prime Beckham era. I do think the new TV deals will help, primarily because there will be fixed time slots on Sunday evenings. I'm actually really jazzed about that - I'm definitely going to catch more nationally televised games on Sunday nights than I've been watching on Fridays or Saturdays when I'm typically doing something.
- MLS also set attendance records with average attendance (19,149) and median (18,679). 40.6% of this season's matches had attendances of greater than 20k. I expect this record to be broken again next year for two reasons. First, Chivas USA is gone. Second, San Jose will be moving out of Buck Shaw and into their new stadium.
- Vancouver is purchasing on-loan Matias Laba from Toronto. Nice move, Laba is one of the better DMs in the league.
- MLS also set attendance records with average attendance (19,149) and median (18,679). 40.6% of this season's matches had attendances of greater than 20k. I expect this record to be broken again next year for two reasons. First, Chivas USA is gone. Second, San Jose will be moving out of Buck Shaw and into their new stadium.
- Vancouver is purchasing on-loan Matias Laba from Toronto. Nice move, Laba is one of the better DMs in the league.
Titans Bastard said:
Sunday is a great get.
I've always wondered why MLS didn't do Monday and Thursday nights early in the season, since there's less competition with MLB on those nights in the summer
NASL feels a bit like the league of franchises that think they should be MLS teams, but aren't.
Infield Infidel said:
It's a double-header on Sunday, too. 5pm ET on ESPN and 7pm ET on FS1 (hopefully not many will be bumped to FS2, which nobody gets), with cross-promotion between the two.
Infield Infidel said:
Three reasons:
1) MLS historically prioritized match attendance over TV ratings when forced to choose. It has improved somewhat, but people don't show up for midweek games. Not only do you lose matchday revenue by shifting weekend games to a Thursday, but the atmosphere was guaranteed to look like crap on TV anyway.
2) Stadium control. When most teams were tenants in their stadium, it's hard to commit to a fixed slot. This is no longer the case.
3) Leverage. As a TV property, MLS is still emerging from the "filler" category. Networks liked having games they could use to fill gaps in their schedule. It wasn't realistic to expect someone to devote a fixed time slot to a property that doesn't draw eyeballs.
Spacemans Bong said:
USL Pro basically accepts who they are, but for some reason NASL attracts the loons. Their commissioner is a major whackjob, too, at least if he believes even half of what he says. It is a stronger league than USL, though, although the top USL teams could probably compete.
The current NASL problem is that MLS keeps poaching the top D2 markets (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Montreal) and will be moving in on more in the next few years (the Atlanta Silverbacks are done for, and Fort Lauderdale, San Antonio, and Minnesota are at risk depending on how MLS expansion shakes out).
Expansion to Indianapolis in 2014 was a big success and is exactly the sort of market they should be targeting. Jacksonville starts in 2015, another market that fits the bill. Two of their other expansion attempts are busts, though. Virginia Cavalry (Loudoun County) is basically dead from what I understand, and although they are still acting as though Oklahoma City is coming in next year, USL beat them to the punch in OKC by launching a team in 2014m so the NASL franchise doesn't look good either. It's always helpful to have minor leagues cannibalize each other over scraps...
As a newly-minted NYRB season ticket holder, my 1st thought was "when are they going to change that stupid name?" (I think it's the top item in the unofficial supporter checklist when you come on board), a visit to RBA was enough to look past it though, just an amazing facility. Whispers are out there that RB is open to selling, maybe there is something to the smoke? With NYCFC kicking off next year now would be the time to make a change to "Cosmos" or "Metro SC" to try and stake out their territory. Red Bulls might be the worst name possible, even the diehards struggle saying it with any conviction.
It's just stupid, and contrary to what American sports fans expect, for a team to be named after a product, and have the branding of the product. American teams don't even have ads on uniforms, so it just looks tacky to the American eye.
if I'm not mistaken, Red Bull owns teams in European and Asian, leagues, and they're all named "[SIZE=13.63636302948px]Red Bull," but most American fans don't know that, or wouldn't care. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=13.63636302948px]it's definitely the biggest reason why I haven't developed more enthusiasm for NY RB, even though I've been to the stadium and love it. [/SIZE]
if I'm not mistaken, Red Bull owns teams in European and Asian, leagues, and they're all named "[SIZE=13.63636302948px]Red Bull," but most American fans don't know that, or wouldn't care. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=13.63636302948px]it's definitely the biggest reason why I haven't developed more enthusiasm for NY RB, even though I've been to the stadium and love it. [/SIZE]
How many other instances are out there in sports where the team name is a complete and utter shill for a product? I wonder if Red Bull has any understanding of the American market and how NYCFC could step in and turn them into Cosmos 2.0 really, really fast? This might be their "sell high" moment. Regardless what happens, give them credit for putting up RBA, it sets the bar for all future SSS in MLS.
DrewDawg said:
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.
USL Pro would be a cheaper option with less travel and more local-ish games. That's actually a real potential problem for the NASL down the road. USL Pro is filling in gaps on the map, allowing for a more regionalized schedule and less travel. That in turn makes it more appealing for new ownership groups and continues the virtuous cycle. There aren't many fans who would turn up for NASL-level soccer but not for USL-level soccer, so what's the real appeal of the higher-cost NASL anyway? I'm putting the cart before the horse a little bit because USL Pro has to show that they can consolidate all of their 2014-15 expansion without losing franchises, but it could be an issue for the NASL sooner rather than later.
VB should be an attractive target for a minor league if they get the right ownership & stadium. I believe the Inland Empire, Las Vegas, and Austin are the only MSAs without a major league team larger than Hampton Roads.
OilCanShotTupac said:
Huntington Avenue Grounds said:
I don't think there's any chance that NYRB will change their name unless they are sold, but -- as noted -- there are clear signals that Red Bull is scaling back on their investment. Whether that means they are planning on selling is unclear, but something is afoot. Henry isn't going to be replaced with a big-name player, the club suddenly abandoned plans for a reserve team franchise in USL Pro, and there have been some back office departures.
If it does happen, I suppose the new ownership would consider the Cosmos brand. However, the Cosmos currently exist in the NASL and purchasing that branding won't necessarily be easy, cheap, or desirable. Of course, the Cosmos are playing in Long Island right now and are experiencing steadily declining attendances that will probably only get worse next year when NYCFC kicks off. Who knows if they'll be around in three years.
Funny thing is NYCFC and Cosmos are both trying to get stadiums built in Queens.
Pretty sure NYCFC would be ecstatic if Red Bulls rebranded as Cosmos, since it would leave NYC borders.
NYRB: MLS forever, has a stadium, fan base, but is in NJ
NYCFC: New to MLS, no stadium, fan base?, but is in NYC
Cosmos: NASL, no stadium, small fan base, is in Nassau
Pretty sure NYCFC would be ecstatic if Red Bulls rebranded as Cosmos, since it would leave NYC borders.
NYRB: MLS forever, has a stadium, fan base, but is in NJ
NYCFC: New to MLS, no stadium, fan base?, but is in NYC
Cosmos: NASL, no stadium, small fan base, is in Nassau
Huntington Avenue Grounds said:
Red Bull Leipzig, Red Bull Salzburg.
magicJack of the WPS was probably the ugliest of all time...
I also recall a few instances of smaller clubs and smaller leagues incorporating a sponsor into their club name for a time, but that's not quite the same as being owned by the sponsor and existing as a marketing arm of the company.
When the Vancouver Grizzlies moved to Memphis there was chatter of them becoming the Memphis Express, in reference to Memphis-based FedEx, before the NBA shut it down.
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba-rejects-memphis-express-moniker-1.278813
http://www.cbc.ca/sports/basketball/nba-rejects-memphis-express-moniker-1.278813
The Revs have apparently sold out the regular Fort configuration and is opening up the tarps at the top of the section. That never happens, so that's a great sign for the crowd this weekend. The playoffs are always going to be heavier on "Fort types" and lighter on "youth team group sales" types, so this doesn't mean there will be a massive crowd, but it certainly sounds more promising than the bad old days of 9k for playoff games. Hopefully the rain holds off. Meanwhile, Seattle has sold out CenturyLink for the game against Dallas and NY is bringing over 1,000 to DC. Atmosphere!
In other news:
- Nothing official from the club yet, but people are reporting that Chicago (unsurprisingly) has cut loose quite a few players including some regulars: Patrick Ianni, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares, Matt Fondy, Alex, Hunter Jumper. A couple of loanees won't be back either - Benji Joya (Santos Laguna) and Grant Ward (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Seattle has signed a 17 year old forward from their academy, Victor Mansaray. I'd expect him to spend 2015 with Seattle's new USL Pro franchise. They are also expected to sign two other academy forwards this offseason - Darwin Jones (Sr, Washington) and Jordan Morris (So, Stanford and recently of USMNT fame).
- Orlando City unveiled their 2015 uniform. They also claim to have 9,000 season ticket holders already and are shooting for 14,000. Another great start for an expansion club.
- MLS has announced the Offseason Of Drafts...more or less....
TBD - dispersal draft for Chivas USA
12/10 - Expansion Draft
12/10 - Waiver Draft
12/12 - Re-Entry Draft, phase one
12/18 - Re-Entry Draft, phase two
1/15 - SuperDraft
In other news:
- Nothing official from the club yet, but people are reporting that Chicago (unsurprisingly) has cut loose quite a few players including some regulars: Patrick Ianni, Bakary Soumare, Gonzalo Segares, Matt Fondy, Alex, Hunter Jumper. A couple of loanees won't be back either - Benji Joya (Santos Laguna) and Grant Ward (Tottenham Hotspur)
- Seattle has signed a 17 year old forward from their academy, Victor Mansaray. I'd expect him to spend 2015 with Seattle's new USL Pro franchise. They are also expected to sign two other academy forwards this offseason - Darwin Jones (Sr, Washington) and Jordan Morris (So, Stanford and recently of USMNT fame).
- Orlando City unveiled their 2015 uniform. They also claim to have 9,000 season ticket holders already and are shooting for 14,000. Another great start for an expansion club.
- MLS has announced the Offseason Of Drafts...more or less....
TBD - dispersal draft for Chivas USA
12/10 - Expansion Draft
12/10 - Waiver Draft
12/12 - Re-Entry Draft, phase one
12/18 - Re-Entry Draft, phase two
1/15 - SuperDraft
DC United has scored in the 36th minute vs. NYRB. Aggregate score is now DC 1 : 2 NY (all goals scored at home). NY had what could have been a PK denied earlier.
Man, what a beautiful sequence leading up to the goal by Donovan.
Galaxy in the early driver's seat.
Galaxy in the early driver's seat.
Just got back from Foxboro, GREAT win for the Revs, another convincing win to beat one of the hottest teams in MLS. New York is no pushover of course, but the Revs are clear favorites going into the conference finals.
This team will go as far as the defense can take them- they definitely played more conservatively today (Jones lined up next to Caldwell a lot to make them more of a 4-2-3-1) and they still bagged three goals, so the offense won't be an issue.
The big obstacle of course will be Henry: with him playing around and behind Wright-Phillips, he operates in exactly the space the Revs have the most trouble with. Goncalves, Soares, and Caldwell are going to need to be at the top of their game. Then of course, if they focus too much on Henry then Wright-Phillips will punish them as he's been doing to teams all year.
Henry definitely plays at Gillette, right? It's a late-round playoff game and potentially the last match of his career, so even though he usually skips turf, I have to imagine he'll go ahead with it.
This team will go as far as the defense can take them- they definitely played more conservatively today (Jones lined up next to Caldwell a lot to make them more of a 4-2-3-1) and they still bagged three goals, so the offense won't be an issue.
The big obstacle of course will be Henry: with him playing around and behind Wright-Phillips, he operates in exactly the space the Revs have the most trouble with. Goncalves, Soares, and Caldwell are going to need to be at the top of their game. Then of course, if they focus too much on Henry then Wright-Phillips will punish them as he's been doing to teams all year.
Henry definitely plays at Gillette, right? It's a late-round playoff game and potentially the last match of his career, so even though he usually skips turf, I have to imagine he'll go ahead with it.
Henry's playing might depend on how the first leg goes in New Jersey. If the Bulls are up a couple goals, perhaps he reconsiders playing here.
I'm not fond of the 2 week break until the next match, which puts the game at Gillette on Thanksgiving weekend (of course the Pats are home the prior week, which makes it tough, but not impossible for the Revs to play here then).
I'm not fond of the 2 week break until the next match, which puts the game at Gillette on Thanksgiving weekend (of course the Pats are home the prior week, which makes it tough, but not impossible for the Revs to play here then).
Lose Remerswaal said:
I think the hope that Henry won't play at Gillette is wishful thinking. We're talking about a game that could be the last club match of his career.
I don't love the two-week gap either, but it's an international break and fans have bitched about MLS playing on FIFA dates; we can't have things both ways.
The playoffs definitely lose some steam with the skipped week, but I figured there was an international break or some other good reason. Great win for the Revs, Shuttlesworth came up big in the first half, Nguyen had a sweet goal and the team played well from there on out. Should be a fun series with NY.
wilked said:
There's always just been an MLS thread because there wasn't enough interest to sustain a standalone Revs thread - no particular reason.
2007 - 9 posts
2008 - ??
2009 - 54 posts
2010 - 75 posts
2011 - 211 posts
2012 - 194 posts
2013 - 340 posts
2014 - 688 and counting
Admittedly, all these numbers are skewed based on how much I felt like spamming the shit out of the thread in any given year, but there's been an uptick interest. However, we've thus far maintained the low-interest "omnibus thread" model due to inertia.
Have to imagine the Revs thread would just turn into the place for general MLS stuff anyway, but at least our future MLS Cup winners would be featured in the title!
Pretty fantastic back and forth game between Seattle and Dallas right now.
No score at halftime. Dempsey had a fantastic chance off a nice give and go with Martins, but his left-footed shot went right at the keeper.
No score at halftime. Dempsey had a fantastic chance off a nice give and go with Martins, but his left-footed shot went right at the keeper.
This is why away goals are awesome. Dallas basically wins with a goal here, loses without one. High drama.
Man, that was a terrifying final 15 minutes. Dempsey missed another wide open shot, but the defense held late.
Alsonso being injured completely changed the game. Hopefully the 2-week break gives him time to heal.
Alsonso being injured completely changed the game. Hopefully the 2-week break gives him time to heal.
This is getting ahead of ourselves, but Dallas' elimination means New England no longer has any path to hosting MLS Cup.
LA vs. Seattle should be a great series. They played each other twice to end the regular season and now will be playing each other four times in six matches. Seattle won the Supporters Shield, but whoever wins this series will host and be heavy favorites for MLS Cup.
LA vs. Seattle should be a great series. They played each other twice to end the regular season and now will be playing each other four times in six matches. Seattle won the Supporters Shield, but whoever wins this series will host and be heavy favorites for MLS Cup.
soxfan121 said:
True. I believe you are due for your next appointment in January when Jozy signs with the Chicago Fire.
ThePrideofShiner said:
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.
Huntington Avenue Grounds said:
OilCanShotTupac said:
Even in the US, we have the Green Bay Packers (named after the Acme Packing Co.), and going deep into US soccer history, there's Bethlehem Steel (among others). No one would blink an eye at those names these days, which I guess suggests that with enough time and enough positive history, even the most blatant attempts to slap corporate branding on a pro sports team can sound organic and relatively cool.
Not to say that would necessarily happen with the Red Bulls, but I guess it could. In any case, they didn't do themselves any favors by crapping all over the MetroStars name, which fans seemed attached to.