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posted 06-01-2010 14:56
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Someone had to start it.
And to say it: MLS will not start as scheduled this year.
Maybe it's time for some 2010 predictions.
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posted 06-01-2010 15:10
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I do not know much about the MLS,bar Beckham going to LA.
Who are the best teams then?,what standard is the football? etc-etc.
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posted 06-01-2010 15:28
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devon wrote:
I do not know much about the MLS,bar Beckham going to LA.
Who are the best teams then?,what standard is the football? etc-etc.Well, the current champions are Real Salt Lake, who are named after Real Madrid, but have no connection to royalty and play in colours more akin to Barcelona. They were also not very good last season until they sneaked into the playoffs, where they suddenly discovered their form and beat LA in the final.
The best teams, like the NFL, vary from year to year because of the salary cap restrictions. Historically, DC United have been the most successful club, and more recently, the Houston Dynamo have been consistently excellent (which is very hard to sustain in MLS).
The standard of play is always fodder for debate as it's very difficult to compare leagues, but I'd say it's Championship level with a sprinkling of players who could grace the top half of the Premier League here and there.
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Last Edit: 06-01-2010 15:30 By goldstone97.
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posted 06-01-2010 15:43
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Right. I havent followed this since Mo Johnston played for the Wiz, so this year I will have a look.
I have had a look round, and decided to plump for Colorado as the team to support this year, totally based on my NHL team, and the fact that they finished last season with a record of 10-10-10.
I have no idea how good they are, but I am fairly certain that they will give me the highs and lows such as Malaga/Sparta have/do, and well, they are as good a choice as any.
Can you think (G97) of any political or sanity grounds why I shouldnt support them?
Oh, and the 'offishal' website was done by the same company as the mlb.com site ( www.mlsnet.com)
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Last Edit: 06-01-2010 15:45 By Gerontophile.
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posted 06-01-2010 15:55
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The words Mo Johnston are hereby banned on this thread if they are not preceded by an obscenity.
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posted 06-01-2010 15:57
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Gerontophile wrote:
Can you think (G97) of any political or sanity grounds why I shouldnt support them?
Oh, and the 'offishal' website was done by the same company as the mlb.com site (www.mlsnet.com)Colorado are owned by Stan Kroenke -- not sure of your views on Arsenal, but that might play into your decision. They also have pretty terrible support, though their stadium is nice (if an awful long way from Denver proper).
The MLS site will be relaunched soon, as they have taken website development in-house and many teams are doing the same thing -- including a massive increase in editorial content produced by teams themselves. It'll be interested to see how it works.
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posted 06-01-2010 15:58
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Goldstone - re: starting on time, I assume you were referring to this?
NEW YORK (AP) — Major League Soccer could be headed for a work stoppage next month.
The sport's international union says management is threatening to lock out MLS players after the league's five-year labor contract expires Jan. 31.
"It is difficult to understand why the owners would take this course, when all we are asking for are the same rights enjoyed by other players around the world, not just in the biggest leagues, but in leagues of all sizes," Los Angeles Galaxy star Landon Donovan said in a statement released by FIFPro, which represents more than 50,000 players, including members of the MLS Players Union.
MLS president Mark Abbott disputed much of what FIFPro said.
"Any discussion about a lockout, players' strike or other work stoppage is premature and frankly counterproductive to our ongoing mutual commitment to reach an agreement," he said.
FIFPro claims MLS's single-entity structure, in which all players sign with the league rather than individual teams, violates regulations of FIFA, soccer's governing body. FIFPro said almost 80 percent of MLS players don't have guaranteed contracts, that contracts give the league multiple one-year options, that players can be transferred without their consent and that out-of-contract players lack freedom of movement.
"Despite months of negotiations the two sides have made little progress on a new deal," FIFPro said. "The league is now threatening to lock the players out on Feb. 1 if the players don't agree to a continuation of the status quo."
Before forming a union, MLS players filed a federal antitrust suit against the league. A jury ruled against the players in 2000.
Abbott said the league complied with FIFA's regulations and that "it has been proven in federal court that the MLS business structure is legal and does not operate as a cartel."
"During the last 50 years, there have been multiple failed efforts to launch professional soccer in the United States and Canada," Abbott said. "In order to avoid this fate, the MLS owners created a structure that has provided stability and growth during the last 15 years."
Income for MLS players averaged $147,945 at the start of last season, according to the MLS union, but the median — the point at which an equal amount make above and below — was $88,000 for 323 players listed.
"What we are looking for are the same basic rights that players enjoy in other leagues around the world," Seattle Sounders goalkeeper Kasey Keller said in a statement issued by FIFPro. "We have made great strides in developing the game in the United States. But we can't truly compete internationally, either for players or fans, with a system that is so radically different than other leagues around the world."
MLS Players Union executive director Bob Foose declined comment, spokesman Neil Hare said.
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posted 06-01-2010 16:06
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AG -- Yes. From what I hear the two sides are nowhere near likely to agree by Feb. 1, when most teams are scheduled to start pre-season.
My prediction? MLS lockout lasts one month, players fold (with some token given), we start play in May.
Unless MLS players discover flipping burgers pays more than MLS anyway and can last longer, which isn't entirely improbable.
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posted 06-01-2010 16:08
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If we start in May, there's no break for the WC. That will be interesting (and will vastly favour TFC given how stocked we are with Canadians)
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posted 06-01-2010 16:11
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Onalfo out!
Well, actually, I'm sure he'll be completely satisfactory, but considering the state of the team he'll inherit, I figure I'd get in there early.
No surprise that Olsen in as a coach.
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posted 06-01-2010 16:23
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Antonio Gramsci wrote:
If we start in May, there's no break for the WC. That will be interesting (and will vastly favour TFC given how stocked we are with Canadians)I think they'd still break for the WC as planned (2 weeks of it, anyway). We'd just have less games overall.
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posted 06-01-2010 16:26
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Shit. The one year we're actually supposed to have a balanced schedule, too.
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10^7 guests
doesn't expect success he prepares for it
Posts: 1343
  
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posted 06-01-2010 16:43
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Doesn't FIFA require a break for the world cup? or am I confusing myself with the whole Australia bid kerfuffle?
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posted 06-01-2010 17:52
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Ricky Lenin wrote:
Doesn't FIFA require a break for the world cup? or am I confusing myself with the whole Australia bid kerfuffle?No break is required, though FIFA has at times in the past been annoyed play in the US has continued during the World Cup. Which might be a small reason behind the decision of MLS to break for the first time this year, with the 2018/2022 World Cup bids in mind.
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posted 06-01-2010 18:53
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Any teams play in green?,if so,i will follow them.
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posted 06-01-2010 18:59
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Seattle...kinda:
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posted 07-01-2010 00:51
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The money that Kroenke is using on the Rapids and Arsenal comes from marrying into the Walton, aka Wal-Mart, family.
Onalfo on managing the Wizards: "Eh, it's Kansas. It was a good first job." Their 63 fans will be outraged.
RBNY signs a Costa Rican defender, Roy Myers, who I think they might have had before as the Metrostars (?), from somewhere in Europe I forget, maybe Sweden.
Gonzalo Segares is gone to Cyprus, and Dallas picks up a Ghanaian defender who has bounced around Europe, including a spell at Napoli.
oh I forgot: Setanta USA is about to die, and get swallowed up by Fox/FSC.
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Last Edit: 07-01-2010 00:55 By jefe.
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posted 07-01-2010 01:03
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I thought that Kroenke had significant money of his own before he married into the Walton family, but doing so certainly hasn't hurt his pocketbook.
Myers had two or three tours with the MetroStars. He used to be a defensive midfielder.
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posted 07-01-2010 03:07
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I think the Wally World money put him into the billions, and allowed for this sports empire. I forget what else he's accumulated, I think it's either has or had both the St. Louis Rams and Blues.
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posted 07-01-2010 08:28
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How could you have fewer games?
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