OT: MLS Starts Tonight!
"MLS is a joke" okay, got that out of way. We all realize the quality of play isn't as good as the big European leagues but if nothing else, the games can be very exciting. Some big names have arrived (Kaka, Villa, Gerrard, etc.) and some have left (Henry, Donovan). More could come, i.e. Drogba, Chicharito, Xavi, van der Vaart, Balotelli????
My team in the East is Toronto. I think Giovinco will be transformative for them and how they got him I have no idea. Linking with Bradley will be awesome to see and will revive Altidore's career. Obviously the Revs look good too as they have a solid team. On paper, both expansion teams look solid and were constructed really well. If NYCFC gels, they could win it, really, they have good players at almost every position. Columbus will be good. The East is far more interesting though the West has the two best teams.
In the West , Sounders or Galaxy?
They kinda did. I know not many players will get it now, but the CBA is only 5 years and I can just about guarantee that more will qualify next time.
Just for the board - LA Galaxy plays Chicago Fire at 10. I don't see any network (ESPN/Fox Sports 1) carrying the game so you will need to get creative to watch it.
The full schedule can be found here.
Friday nights will have a game on Unimas (part of univision) as agreed in the most recent TV deal. Time Warner Cable carries its. I think some tiers of Direct TV have it. Unfortuantely, most in middle america probably won't have it unless they have something beyond basic cable.
I have it here in NYC on TWC. I imagine people in Cali do as well.
Sundays will be the days that have games on ESPN 1/2, Foxsports1/2...etc
until Detroit got a team ....
but I have decided to try and adopt Toronto FC for two reasons.
1. They are close enough that I can drive to a game and yet I don't have to cheer for a Columbus or Chicago team.
2. Jozy is my soccer man crush
Unfortunately I don't see detroit getting a team anytime soon if at all.
Also is Giovinco any good. What happened to his career? I think his form has dropped off a lot recently?
There was a plan - at least briefly - to get the land to develop a 5,000-10,000 seat stadium on several mostly vacant acres near Midtown in the hopes of acquiring a USL Professional Division team that would in turn eventually be absorbed by MLS if all went well. Of course, this was thrown out there last April and barely a mention since so if there was any intent to try and get an MLS team, no solid plan exists yet.
Unfortunately I don't see detroit getting a team anytime soon if at all.
Also is Giovinco any good. What happened to his career? I think his form has dropped off a lot recently?
The Atomic Ant is not what he was in his early 20s, but he is still good.
He also got paid. I think he might be the highest paid player in MLS. It is either him or Kaka.
That was exactly my though process (though I am not that huge of a Jozy fan). However, it seems like the Canadian teams are mostly on TSN (which I don't get living in Michigan) or MLS Live, which is $75.00 for a season. So, I am going to adopt a US team that I may actually get to see for free every now and again. Still undecided.
As a 2014 convert to "the other football" the adopting a team thing is pretty fun. That said, I adopted Everton as my European team. So, yeah, not going so well.
Edit - I will watch any team that signs Balotelli, purely for the entertainment value that will follow.
I'm not a Toronto fan (obv), but this is a good idea. Randomly, TFC is one of Columbus' biggest rivalries, and the fans really, really dislike each other.
I don't think Detroit will get an MLS team, probably ever. BUT, I could see them getting an NASL team within the next 10-12 years, probably DCFC moving up.
I think I am going to start following Toronto FC now that it looks like Detroit won't have an MLS team any time soon. Definitely not supporting a Columbus or Chicago team.
Giovinco is a favorite of mine and I also like Bradley, Cheyrou, and Altidore. Should be a fun team to watch.
my very excited voice.
Por Siempre Naranja
I'm glad our owners decided to finally spend some money.
What the hell is MLS?
Man United.
Sorry have been rooting for them for over 20 years, just have not been able to root for MLS teams.
Like me being a Lions fan, moving to Baltimore, and expecting me to root for the Ravens or Redskins. Just not going to happen.
I adopted Man U from a British friend when I was like 5 or 6. They are still my number one but I am trying to like MLS this year mostly because I want to watch more soccer.
I' ve been supporting Man U since I knew about the EPL (almost 20 years now) and am trying to get into MLS. I live 2 hours from Chicago in Grand Rapids so I'll be adopting the Fire. Toronto is the better choice for good play, but you have to align yourself with your local club where possible.
That said, if I lived in the UK I'd for sure live in London and I'd still support Man U.
HE GOES BY THE NAME OF WAYNE ROO-NEY!
Hopefully you head to some GRFC matches this year too. They couldn't get into NPSL so they started their own league. Got a handful of clubs in the MW to follow suit, including one in Ann Arbor.
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fyi univision is carrying the game in english and spanish both online and on tv.
It's a fun league to follow for me as I don't have a team that I root for. My biggest criticism of the league is turf. But other than that, I think the quality of soccer is fine as long as you have reasonable expectations. I don't quite get the people that criticize the league for the quality of play. Nobody is propping it up as an equal to EPL, La Liga or Bundesliga. Do Dutch citizens refuse to watch anything to do with Eredivisie because it's not as good as the bigger leagues? No, most just accept it for what it is. And they enjoy it. Wish more Americans would do that.
I spent a lot of time in Belgium a few years back. The matches were great to attend in person. The fans were really into it and everyone at my office would talk about the local teams everyday after a game. That league wasn't close to as good as the MLS. Anderlecht was really good, but the rest of the league not so much. I have been telling this to all of my friends since I've been back that say they won't watch MLS because it's not as good as the big European leagues. The MLS is a decent league and only getting better. It doesn't have to be the best.
My only complaint is it's hard to find on TV at a convenient time. That will change a little bit this year, but still not enough in my opinion.
Yeah, passion is passion. Do people not watch College Football because it is not as good as the NFL? Hardly.
But MLS has no passion, at least not anything compared to even the Belgian league. There are no rivalries. Teams exist only because some rich person paid MLS a franchise fee, and not because they were promoted to the top league by virtue of winning in lower leagues. With the exception of perhaps Portland (and maybe a few others?), there is no sense of "I was a fan before promotion." If your team is terrible, there is no fear of relegation, only a resignation of "welp, maybe next year!" You (not you personally) are not a fan of the team because your old man and his old man before him were fans, or because of the part of town you grew up in, or your religion, or your class status. You are a fan because... oh, well there happens to be a team in town now.
But then again, I also think the NFL lacks passion and is utterly boring as a result. Certainly compared to college football.
This is a total pipe dream and will never happen, but if MLS could generate passion, it really wouldn't matter what the quality is. Allow for promotion/relegation, for example. A newly-promoted DCFC playing against a newly-relegated Columbus Crew in the MLS 2nd Division / Midwest Regional / whatever you want to call it... for the chance at promotion to MLS... I would watch this in a heartbeat, regardless of quality of play.
By your reasoning, DCFC fans should have no passion because they're only a handful of years old. But that's obviously not true. It was founded by a couple relatively wealthy friends. So what?
Seattle also existed before MLS. Same with San Jose Earthquakes. Vancouver Whitecaps were a USL team before MLS. Are some atmospheres apathetic? Yeah. But some are also great.
As for "there just happens to be a team in town" - that's how pretty much every single team in the history of sports started their fanbase. I forgot that the fans at the Preston North End match that clinched the initial Football League title were sitting there 30 years earlier with their dads...... MLS is only 20 years old. Give it some fucking time. Promotion/Relegation isn't feasible right now because 95% of the clubs in lower leagues than MLS could not keep up with any of the clubs in MLS financially. It'd just be a turnstile w/ the same couple clubs going up and down.
I really just got into the MLS last season and was impressed by the play. My biggest criticism is the referring. The amount of penalty kicks is ridiculous. Turf is a bummer in some places.
I get frustrated with how often refs lose control of matches. Granted, players should buck up and accept the officials' decisions more politely, but I've seen more than a handful of games get out of hand.
So, as an MLS die-hard, this thread is turning into a one-man posbang for me. I'll stop after this: The league is really turning a corner, and lots of teams (for the first time, really) are worth watching on TV, even if you are a neutral.
DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOP!
TH eRapids could be interesting. They have a lot of young talent and have added some veterens. Who knows, they could make some noise.
Doesn't Gerrard have to play out the rest of his contract with Liverpool before he joins LA? As a Reds fan, I'm sad to see him go.
He will join the team in July. He is on a 18 month contract.
Put a team in Detroit and I'll pay attention. Until then, fuhgeddaboudit.
I don't think I've ever been as excited for an MLS season as I am right now. I was terrified for the sake of the USMNT if this season locked-out (so many of our players are in MLS nowadays)...also all the buzz, particularly in Orlando, would have been a terrible shame to waste. Amazing signings, some of whom are still relatively young, and I am just over the moon for it all. MLS is a lot better than people give it credit for and it is the world's most competitive league (due to the salary cap) without a doubt. Glad to see it getting some love on the blog!
DC United is the team we support!
From Bowie to Reston-town we will never lose
Onward, upward - "DC is the real Jaime-town"
Rah rah rah