MLS 2014: The U$MNT Comes Home

[steeplechase3k]

MLSPU released Salary info today (and as always the owners complain that the info isn't accurate adn that it shouldn't be out there as a result but then refuse to release any other info).
 
Sorted by club: http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/April%201,%202014%20Salary%20Information%20-%20By%20Club.pdf
 
Sorted by player: http://www.mlsplayers.org/files/April%201,%202014%20Salary%20Information%20-%20Alphabetical.pdf

 

[Spacemans Bong]

I feel bad for those guys making 36K. If you're a college graduate with some student loans and you're honest with yourself about your ability, you'd really have to weigh whether it's worth playing in MLS. The league makes enough money that really shouldn't be an issue for players. I wonder if there's guys who have said, nah, I'm going to begin a career instead.

 

[Grin&MartyBarret]

 
I always wondered if Raleigh/Durham would make a better market for MLS than Atlanta.  Good college soccer tradition, lots of Yankees/hipsters, less dominated by college football, and the NASL franchise there seems to do passably well.

 
I've always felt that the MLS would be wise to expand to some of the larger metro areas that are currently void of major league franchises in any of the major sports. Portland and Columbus are both solid examples (though Portland, of course, has the Blazers and Columbus got the Bluejackets post Crew), and I think cities like that are starved for professional sports and will get behind teams. Raleigh/Durham is a great example, as is the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. I could also see an MLS franchise being huge in Austin, or even catching on in much smaller cities like Richmond, Louisville, Albuquerque. There's a lot less competition in those markets for everything from sponsorships to ticket sales.

 

[Titans Bastard]

I feel bad for those guys making 36K. If you're a college graduate with some student loans and you're honest with yourself about your ability, you'd really have to weigh whether it's worth playing in MLS. The league makes enough money that really shouldn't be an issue for players. I wonder if there's guys who have said, nah, I'm going to begin a career instead.

 
That definitely happens from time to time.  A 2013 Colorado draftee decided to bag it and retired during preseason this year after not playing as a rookie.  Most hang on, though, because usually the situation resolves itself.  Either they establish themselves in the league and start earning more money or they get cut.  At that point, some drop out of soccer entirely.  Others give the NASL or USL a shot, but the money is even worse there; most who take that road don't last more than a few years.
 
I don't think making ~$40k for a few years is different from the experience that most college graduates at the beginning of their careers.  Admittedly, failed players might start their real career 2-3 years behind schedule, but that's a small price to pay for the chance to chase the dream -- at least, for most people.  Most MLS players aren't dumb, but most of them aren't passing on a T14 law school or an analyst position at an investment bank.
 
You'll also see more accomplished players call it quits in their late 20s when they clearly have more left in the tank.  I think that's mostly a product of MLS being the league with players who are far, far better educated than average.  They aren't beholden to soccer if they get sick of it and want to start their next career.
 
 

 
I've always felt that the MLS would be wise to expand to some of the larger metro areas that are currently void of major league franchises in any of the major sports. Portland and Columbus are both solid examples (though Portland, of course, has the Blazers and Columbus got the Bluejackets post Crew), and I think cities like that are starved for professional sports and will get behind teams. Raleigh/Durham is a great example, as is the Norfolk/Virginia Beach area. I could also see an MLS franchise being huge in Austin, or even catching on in much smaller cities like Richmond, Louisville, Albuquerque. There's a lot less competition in those markets for everything from sponsorships to ticket sales.

 
That strategy would consign MLS to small-time status in perpetuity and I don't think that's what anyone in league leadership is shooting for.  It's true that most of the big-time sports market franchises aren't doing as well as you'd hope (Boston, NY, DC, Chicago), but it's also true that those franchises are and/or have been plagued with bad ownership.  I really think there's room for a successful MLS team in Boston.  It's just not going to happen when you have an owner like Bob Kraft.
 
Now that almost all teams in the league have their own stadium or at least control revenue streams from their stadium, the real avenue for growth is increased TV money.  They aren't going to get that with teams in Virginia Beach and Albuquerque.

 

[Billy R Ford]

Team Salaries, in graph form. For reference, the "salary cap" is about $3.1 million (in practice, as can be seen below, it's more of a floor than a cap).
 

 
 
And here are the 12 highest paid players in MLS- these are all the players who make over $1 million in the league:
 
1. Clint Dempsey, M/F, SEA: $6.7 million
2. Michael Bradley, M, TOR: $6.5 million
3. Jermain Defoe, F, TOR: $6.2 million
4. Landon Donovan, M/F, LA: $4.6 million
5. Robbie Keane, F, LA: $4.5 million
6. Thierry Henry, F, NY: $4.35 million
7. Tim Cahill, M, NY: $3.6 million
8. Marco di Vaio, F, MTL: $2.6 million
9. Obafemi Martins, F, SEA: $1.75 million
10. Pedro Morales, M, VAN: $1.4 million
11. Omar Gonzalez, D, LA: $1.25 million
12. Gilberto, F, TOR: $1.2 million
 
All of these are total compensation, not base salary.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

Laughable that Dempsey makes $6.7 million. 

 

[SoxFanInCali]

So 10 of the 12 highest paid players play for Toronto, LA, NY, and Seattle.

 

[Infield Infidel]

NYCFC will play their first 3 seasons at Yankee Stadium. 
 
http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110/major-league-soccer/2014/04/14/4753663/nycfc-to-play-at-yankee-stadium
 

 

[OCST]

That really sucks. The experience will be shitty for the fans.

 

[steeplechase3k]

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/04/16/major-league-soccer-names-atlanta-22nd-franchise-set-2017-debut
 
Atlanta will begin play in 2017.  Sharing a stadium with the Falcons.

 

[OCST]

I can't believe how unbelievably shitty it is for NYCFC to play in Yankee Stadium.
 

• Nobody likes the place, even for baseball.
• The seats will be too far away for soccer.
• The seats will be facing the wrong way for soccer.
• Whatever solution they come up with for covering up the infield dirt will suck, hugely.
• They will tear up the field, and (justifiably) piss off Yankee fans, thus killing off a potential part of the fan base.
• A subset of fans who detest the Yankees (me) will be turned off to the point of not wanting to go.  Admittedly a smaller problem than the rest, but still.

They really want to go with the five-boroughs thing, so I guess they didn't want to share with the Red Bulls for three years.
 
If I were king, I would propose this: either the football stadium or the soccer stadium at Columbia.  The football stadium seats 17K+, the soccer stadium 3K, and I'm sure both could be expanded.  The fields are in the wilds of far northern Manhattan (it is actually almost feral; there are cliffs, caves, overgrown forests) and it's actually a pretty setting.  Some would complain that "college fields" = "minor league," but I think trying to fit MLS into Yankee Stadium, which will look miserable, will come across as more-bush league, and even pretty desperate-looking.
 
Fuck.

 

[Infield Infidel]

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2014/04/16/major-league-soccer-names-atlanta-22nd-franchise-set-2017-debut
 
Atlanta will begin play in 2017.  Sharing a stadium with the Falcons.

 
Blank is talking the talk when it comes to atmosphere http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1788126/atlanta-introduced-22nd-franchise-mls?cc=5901
 

 
Blank highlighted how the upper bowl and mezzanine levels will be draped, while the lower bowl seats will retract to make the field wider. This will create a lowered capacity of 29,322, and Blank also said that he would ensure that a true soccer atmosphere is created at the stadium.
"We'll make sure that there is never an MLS game where NFL lines are shown on the field," said Blank.

 

[Infield Infidel]

I can't believe how unbelievably shitty it is for NYCFC to play in Yankee Stadium.
 

• Nobody likes the place, even for baseball.
• The seats will be too far away for soccer.
• The seats will be facing the wrong way for soccer.
• Whatever solution they come up with for covering up the infield dirt will suck, hugely.
• They will tear up the field, and (justifiably) piss off Yankee fans, thus killing off a potential part of the fan base.
• A subset of fans who detest the Yankees (me) will be turned off to the point of not wanting to go.  Admittedly a smaller problem than the rest, but still.

They really want to go with the five-boroughs thing, so I guess they didn't want to share with the Red Bulls for three years.
 
If I were king, I would propose this: either the football stadium or the soccer stadium at Columbia.  The football stadium seats 17K+, the soccer stadium 3K, and I'm sure both could be expanded.  The fields are in the wilds of far northern Manhattan (it is actually almost feral; there are cliffs, caves, overgrown forests) and it's actually a pretty setting.  Some would complain that "college fields" = "minor league," but I think trying to fit MLS into Yankee Stadium, which will look miserable, will come across as more-bush league, and even pretty desperate-looking.
 
Fuck.

 
I was literally looking at pics of Columbia's stadium before you posted this. When starting a franchise, tapping into the college venue and community worked pretty well for Houston and Real Salt Lake, and kinda well for San Jose. I don't understand why some owners are against doing that at first. If the Revs are ever sold they could probably play at a college in Boston for a few years. 
 
The entire top-down nature of NYCFC puts a sour taste in my mouth. They could have joined with the Cosmos and added a grassroots fan base to Yankees fans and general soccer fans, and bought some currency with local communities to get a new stadium. Instead they thought they could rip off the city like the Yankees did with their stadium and parking structures.  
 
I kinda hope Miami figures out that going to FIU for a few years before getting their own place might benefit in tapping into the community. 

 

[DennyDoyle'sBoil]

Atlanta had one of the stadiums in the 2022 world cup bid, so it must have a good FIFA compliant configuration.  I know that most of the NFL stadiums built more recently were specifically designed with the possibility of 2022 in mind -- Houston, Phoenix, Dallas, Seattle -- but I'm actually a bit surprised that the Georgia Dome can accommodate a regulation footie field.
 
Edit -- whoops, sorry; didn't understand they are building a brand new dual purpose facility.   I thought cities like PHX and others were told no go if they would not build a football only facility within the next 5 years?

 

[Infield Infidel]

Blank said he got a lot of input from Seattle and how they run things with the stadium and fans. He said that the Seahawks/Sounders told him that they have combined 93,000 season ticket holders, with only 3% overlap. So catering to different fans' expectations is paramount.
 
They are having fans submit team names. I presume they will have some type of poll. I think they are doing things the right way.
 
My personal fave so far is ATLetico. Also Atlanta Apollos and this slick old logo is great
 

 

[OCST]

 
I was literally looking at pics of Columbia's stadium before you posted this. When starting a franchise, tapping into the college venue and community worked pretty well for Houston and Real Salt Lake, and kinda well for San Jose. I don't understand why some owners are against doing that at first. If the Revs are ever sold they could probably play at a college in Boston for a few years. 
 
The entire top-down nature of NYCFC puts a sour taste in my mouth. They could have joined with the Cosmos and added a grassroots fan base to Yankees fans and general soccer fans, and bought some currency with local communities to get a new stadium. Instead they thought they could rip off the city like the Yankees did with their stadium and parking structures.  
 
I kinda hope Miami figures out that going to FIU for a few years before getting their own place might benefit in tapping into the community. 

 
I agree 100%, and it's really turning me off.
 
I really want to root for NYCFC; I live in Brooklyn and would rather stay in the city than go to NJ, and although I know Red Bull sponsors sports teams around the world, and I'm no idealist when it comes to sponsorship and marketing, I find it hard to root for a team named explicitly after a product.
 
But NYCFC sucks so far.

 

[Spacemans Bong]

Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island was my choice. One modern stand and then you could go San Jose Earthquakes and build some temporary structures.
 
Was NYC really such a pressing concern that putting a team in Yankee Stadium for three years necessary?

 

[Spacemans Bong]

Holy shit Columbus:
 

 

[OCST]

Icahn Stadium on Randall's Island was my choice. One modern stand and then you could go San Jose Earthquakes and build some temporary structures.

 
That would work too.  It's not (very) accessible by public transportation, but there is good parking.
 
Either would be light-years better than the new Yankee Stadium.
 
I'm going to write a sternly-worded letter to NYCFC.

 

[Turrable]

I'm not complaining about Yankee Stadium if the tickets are cheap, but I'm really only looking forward to this so I can watch DCU games. I'd imagine this will turn a lot of people off who were planning to make this their new team.
 

 
That would work too.  It's not (very) accessible by public transportation, but there is good parking.
 
Either would be light-years better than the new Yankee Stadium.
 
I'm going to write a sternly-worded letter to NYCFC.

 
How about Fordham's field?
 

 
Can't beat that atmosphere.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Holy shit Columbus:
 

 
That was put out by a supporters group called Massive City FC.  Olbermann criticized them for being terrible fans on his show; their response:
 
https://twitter.com/MassiveCityFFC/status/456775994104246272

 

[Turrable]

Pretty fucking terrible ending to the DC United game. Eddie Johnson got hauled down outside the box on a clear breakaway and the ref only showed yellow. Then a Columbus player got sent off for a separate stupid tackle, but they managed to equalize in stoppage anyway thanks to some weak ass defense. It's still a draw though, baby steps I guess.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Clint Dempsey has been unreal so far this season. Scored two more goals in Saturday's win over the Rapids. Definitely earning that salary this year.

 

[Section30]

There were times during this game that I thought Seattle was playing against 10. You can see the chemistry between the players is really developing.
I think Dempsey had a nagging injury last year that they didn't let fully heal due to the circus around the transfer.

 

[Youkilis vs Wild]

So the Revs now sit in first in the east after back-to-back wins against KC and Toronto. They don't exactly look like a first place team and they've played more games than almost everybody else, but still...not a bad place to build from, and I'd say against that competition, results are results.

 

[Billy R Ford]

And an incredible win for the Revs tonight, thrashing Seattle 5-0. This without probably their best player (Jose Goncalves) and with Kelyn Rowe only healthy enough to come off the bench.
 
Diego Fagundez was man of the match tonight, which is huge, since they need their best goalscorer to get into form.
 
I thought it was noteworthy that when the match ended tonight, 10 of the 11 players on the field were Revs draft picks or academy products. Now that's building from within.

 

[Titans Bastard]

And an incredible win for the Revs tonight, thrashing Seattle 5-0. This without probably their best player (Jose Goncalves) and with Kelyn Rowe only healthy enough to come off the bench.
 
Diego Fagundez was man of the match tonight, which is huge, since they need their best goalscorer to get into form.
 
I thought it was noteworthy that when the match ended tonight, 10 of the 11 players on the field were Revs draft picks or academy products. Now that's building from within.

 
Indeed.  The Revs look better now that Heaps has sorted out the attack, which was thrown out of whack by Agudelo's departure.  Bengtson and Bunbury were utter failures as replacements for the Agudelo role.  Bengtson is still fairly useless, but Bunbury has looked better out wide and rookie Patrick Mullins has been holding his own as the CF.  He's no Agudelo, but he's doing a decent enough job that the attack is functioning.  

 

[Titans Bastard]

Also, the league is supposed to announce the new TV deal this afternoon.  The details being reported so far:
 

• ESPN + Fox split the English rights, Univision has the Spanish rights.  No surprises here.
• 2015-2022.  Eight years is a little less than the rumored 10 years.
• $75m for the English rights and $15m for Spanish.   Current English+Spanish rights total $27m, so this is a huge increase.

 
 
The money is great, but I'm sad that things didn't work out financially with NBCSN.  They had the best production values the league has seen and overall did a great job with MLS.  I'm particularly worried about Fox, who have a terrible track record with doing soccer well.  MLS broadcasts on Fox Sports World were horrible.  Fox thinks Gus Johnson is a good idea.  Etc.  The most important detail is how many games will be on Fox Sports 1 vs. Fox Sports 2.  Most people don't have FS2 and it would really suck if a bunch of games got stuck in oblivion there.

 

[Senator Donut]

According to Sports Business Journal, the networks asked for eight-year deals to sync up with the USMNT World Cup cycles. (Fox has the Russia and Qatar World Cups.)

 

[Titans Bastard]

Here's the official press release
 
 
Finally, the league gets fixed timeslots.  I am a huge fan of the Sunday night doubleheader.  125 nationally televised games is also an increase of about 25-30 over what we've seen in the current TV deal.
 

The Friday night match on the Univision family of networks will be the first time a Spanish-language television network will have its own exclusive night with a major professional sports league based in the United States.
 
Soccer fans will be able to enjoy a doubleheader of MLS action every Sunday, as ESPN and FOX Sports 1 will televise back-to-back MLS matches on Sundays at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. ET, respectively.  More than 125 MLS matches will be televised annually on the three networks.

 
 
Bad news for cord-cutters.  Fortunately, for WatchESPN access, I can always steal my parents' Comcast password.  MLS Live was a great service and a great value, though.  I hope the quality doesn't decline.
 

Major League Soccer’s out-of-market package, currently serviced through the MLS Live and MLS Direct Kick packages, will be available to a wider audience via ESPN3, ESPN’s live multiscreen sports network currently in more than 92 million homes, and WatchESPN, available to fans who receive their video or Internet subscription from an affiliated provider.  Featuring more than 200 MLS matches each year, the MLS out-of-market package will also be available via over-the-top services such as Google Play, iTunes Apple TV, Roku and others. 

 
 
Let's see what the definition of "primarily" is for FOX:
 

• Minimum of 34 regular season games, on an exclusive basis, on Sundays at 7 p.m. ET primarily on FOX Sports 1. 

 
 
SBJ has more details
 
This is a huge increase for the league, although keep in mind that the USSF takes a cut.
 

 
 
The two networks are paying a combined $75 million per year on average for those rights. MLS also signed a Spanish-language deal with Univision for an average of $15 million per year.

 

 

[Titans Bastard]

And an incredible win for the Revs tonight, thrashing Seattle 5-0. This without probably their best player (Jose Goncalves) and with Kelyn Rowe only healthy enough to come off the bench.
 
Diego Fagundez was man of the match tonight, which is huge, since they need their best goalscorer to get into form.
 
I thought it was noteworthy that when the match ended tonight, 10 of the 11 players on the field were Revs draft picks or academy products. Now that's building from within.

 
Second straight five-goal game for the Revs - and on the road, no less.  Four straight wins now and 16 out of 18 points from the last six games, which puts them in first place in the East for now.  Installing Mullins at forward and moving Bunbury to the right has worked wonders.  Fagundez is back in good form, Nguyen has been epic all season, Dorman has been better than expected.  Farrell and Rowe are USMNT contenders next cycle.
 
Great vibes from the Revs right now.

 

[Billy R Ford]

Great match again, they seemed to have a little bit of trouble shutting things down despite the huge lead, but getting Goncalves back should fix any defensive issues they have.
 
I think Nguyen might have an outside shot at a few national team caps next cycle too- he's uncapped at 27, but just playing out of his mind right now.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Great match again, they seemed to have a little bit of trouble shutting things down despite the huge lead, but getting Goncalves back should fix any defensive issues they have.
 
I think Nguyen might have an outside shot at a few national team caps next cycle too- he's uncapped at 27, but just playing out of his mind right now.

 
Nguyen actually played in 2007 Copa America for the US.  Admittedly, it was basically a B team.
 
Amazing that he's still only 27.

 

[ThePrideofShiner]

Obafemi Martins had a beautiful goal to give the Sounders a 1-0 win over San Jose tonight.
 
I couldn't figure out how to embed this since it isn't a YouTube video. Anyway, it is worth a watch. Amazing chip.
 
http://www.soundersfc.com/post/2014/05/17/goal-obafemi-martins-chips-impossible-angle

 

[Billy R Ford]

5 wins in a row for the Revs.
 
Mullins has 4 goals in 4 matches since being moved up top; Fagundez has 4 goals in the last three matches. Goncalves returned to the lineup tonight as well.
 
Looking good at Gillette.

 

[Billy R Ford]

Landon Donovan scored twice today to set the MLS all-time goal-scoring record.
 
But no, he's too old and out-of-form for the World Cup.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

Well, you know, it's very difficult to miss sitters against the Union.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Well, you know, it's very difficult to miss sitters against the Union.

 
It was an easy finish, but the pass and the run were still vintage LD:
 

 

[thehitcat]

 
It was an easy finish, but the pass and the run were still vintage LD:
 

Is it me or is he wildly (like a full stride) offside when the ball is released.  None of the defenders played him onside and the pass came from outside the six and he's reaching the six and pulling up as the ball arrives. 

 

[Titans Bastard]

Is it me or is he wildly (like a full stride) offside when the ball is released.  None of the defenders played him onside and the pass came from outside the six and he's reaching the six and pulling up as the ball arrives. 

 
I think he's just onside.  There's a good angle at around 1:18 in this video.

 

[thehitcat]

 
I think he's just onside.  There's a good angle at around 1:18 in this video.

Thanks for that I didn't even have to zapruder it...much.  I paused just as Robbie K was swinging down on the ball and Landon is clearly behind him.  It was interesting to me that the man "on" Keane did halfheartedly put his hand up but I agree with you, and the linesman he is clearly onside and I was played offside by the angle. 

 

[Titans Bastard]

Draw for the 2014-15 CONCACAF Champions League was made today.
 
Group 1:
Pachuca (MEX)
Real España (HON)
Municipal (GUA)
 
Group 2:
Sporting Kansas City
Deportivo Saprissa (CRC)
Real Estelí (NCA)
 
Group 3:
New York Red Bulls
Canada (Toronto or Montreal)
FAS (ESA)
 
Group 4:
Tauro (PAN)
D.C. United
Waterhouse (JAM)
 
Group 5:
Olimpia (HON)
Portland Timbers
Alpha United (GUY)
 
Group 6:
Alajuelense (CRC)
Cruz Azul (MEX)
Chorillo (PAN)
 
Group 7:
León (MEX)
Isidro Metapán (ESA)
Belmopan Bandits (BLZ)
 
Group 8:
Comunicaciones (GUA)
Club América (MEX)
Puerto Rico Bayamón (PUR)
 
 
There aren't any tough draws since they changed the format of the group stage a few years ago, but D.C. got an especially easy one.  I miss the four groups of four.  Lots of MLS vs. Liga MX matches is what made this tournament fun and taking that away at the group stage was a step back, IMO.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Toronto and Montreal played to a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Canadian Championship final last night.  The second leg is next week in Quebec.  It would be classic Toronto to choke this away to what looks like the worst team in MLS.  After yesterday's CCL draw, NYRB has to be rooting for the Impact.
 
This week was also the third round of the US Open Cup.  The draw has been set for the fourth round, which is when MLS teams come into the competition.
 
NASL = level 2
USL = level 3
PDL = de facto level 4
USASA = de facto level 5
 
Houston Dynamo vs. Laredo Heat (PDL)
San Jose Earthquakes vs. Sacramento Republic (USL)
Atlanta Silverbacks (NASL) vs. Real Salt Lake
Carolina RailHawks (NASL) vs. Chivas USA
New York Cosmos (NASL) vs. New York Red Bulls
FC Dallas vs. San Antonio Scorpions (NASL)
Rochester Rhinos (USL) vs. D.C. United
Philadelphia Union vs. Harrisburg City Islanders (USL)
Columbus Crew vs. Indy Eleven (NASL)
Colorado Rapids vs. Orlando City (USL)
Portland Timbers vs. Orlando City U23 (PDL)
Richmond Kickers (USL) vs. New England Revolution
Chicago Fire vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds (USL)
Sporting Kansas City vs. Minnesota United (NASL)
Seattle Sounders vs. PSA Elite (USASA)
Arizona United (USL) vs. Los Angeles Galaxy
 
The draw is heavily regionalized to cut down on travel, which also makes for some good local-ish matchups.

 

[Titans Bastard]

https://twitter.com/RonWaxman/status/471904377825787904
 
 
Waxman is a big time agent in US soccer circles.

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

Ho-hum. So, Garber controls what players go to what club yet again. Basically, if your team doesn't play in New York, L.A. or Seattle - you'll never have a chance to sign an international star. The way this league is ran and operated and along with the control MLS has on all clubs is getting more comical by the month.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Ho-hum. So, Garber controls what players go to what club yet again. Basically, if your team doesn't play in New York, L.A. or Seattle - you'll never have a chance to sign an international star. The way this league is ran and operated and along with the control MLS has on all clubs is getting more comical by the month.

 
New York and Los Angeles have a lot more cachet among Europeans.  I guess Villa doesn't watch Portlandia.  You didn't think NYCFC wasn't going to throw money at big names, did you?

 

[SoxFanInPdx]

 
New York and Los Angeles have a lot more cachet among Europeans.  I guess Villa doesn't watch Portlandia.  You didn't think NYCFC wasn't going to throw money at big names, did you?

 
Titan, I obviously expected them to get someone. I also expect in some ways for NYCFC to be some type of feeder to Man City in some facet. I just find that the league controlling what teams get what players is absurd. The Designated Player Allocation rule is a joke as well. MLS rules are non-transparent and that's my issue with Don Garber and the league. They seem to make up the rules as they go along. I mean, the Timbers tried getting Diskerud last year and the league killed the deal..
 
I care about MLS a lot and want it to grow, but the whole "player has to sign with the league before they sign with the club" is complete nonsense.

 

[Titans Bastard]

 
Titan, I obviously expected them to get someone. I also expect in some ways for NYCFC to be some type of feeder to Man City in some facet. I just find that the league controlling what teams get what players is absurd. The Designated Player Allocation rule is a joke as well. MLS rules are non-transparent and that's my issue with Don Garber and the league. They seem to make up the rules as they go along. I mean, the Timbers tried getting Diskerud last year and the league killed the deal..
 
I care about MLS a lot and want it to grow, but the whole "player has to sign with the league before they sign with the club" is complete nonsense.

 
I agree that the league needs to sort itself out.  There are too many convoluted player acquisition mechanisms and the world of soccer + the convoluted state of US soccer create far too many complex scenarios that overwhelm the league's rules and force shoddy on-the-fly rulesmaking.  In the coming years it will be interesting to see if owners sort themselves into conservative and freespending blocs.  I think we know where Merritt Paulson and Bob Kraft would land on those issues.  We have a new CBA negotiation coming up this winter, so changes could be in the works.  That said, last time around the players union prioritized player mobility and free agency over monetary demands but didn't get very far -- just the weak tea of the Re-Entry Draft.  (Because what MLS really needs is another obscure draft.)
 
I don't think Villa is a controversial case, though.  Anyone is free to negotiate with him and throw too much money at him.  Looks like it might be NYCFC who does it.

 

[Titans Bastard]

In the Things That Make Me Feel Old category, Diego Fagundez has just graduated from high school.  Diego, your next step is to elope with your girlfriend (preferably tomorrow) and speed up that old citizenship clock.  Please.

 

[Titans Bastard]

Villa is official.  I wonder how much they are paying him.
 
https://twitter.com/NYCFC/status/473462464072654849