I just got into Major League Soccer this year. I've been loving it, I feel like I've missed out not having soccer in my life all these years. Obviously the sport isn't complicated per se - just put the ball in the goal. But I'd like to know more about the basics. Like, I don't even really know all the positions or what these formations are. Or like, how to tell if a team is doing good/bad when they aren't scoring at rhat moment. Any videos or whatever is appreciated.
That's exactly my problem with them
The MLS will always be second fiddle Liga MX as long as this mediocrity is enabled it's why US soccer is such a joke
From the athletics reporting seems like MLS knows they're going to have to circle back to a lot of these struggling OG teams in big markets because the expansion fee gravy train is drying up. That and there's a power struggle I guess between the newer owners that want to grow the league and the older owners that just want to suck down that expansion fee cash
It's cheaper and more profitable for investors to go buy a European soccer team, so the MLS business model is daunting to many
US soccer has a potential to really surpass the region but they keep treating soccer like a Ponzi scheme.
I think some cities deserve an expansion but it's obvious that the OG owners are literally just toying with their fans.
The only reason MLS is advancing in the CONCAChampions is because USF cries to CONCACAF about reformatting it over and over again
Yeah I mean, honestly the sport at a high level I feel is just fundamentally broken with the European model. The US model I think would have potential but right now they're not maximizing it at all and it's definitely profit driven.
The US soccer system will always fail so long as it's kept this way. I know what you mean by the European model but what I'm referring too is the infrastructure of both European and S American soccer at its roots, US youth academies are for profit, in Europe and S America, they're too look for talent, and free for those worth it.
This applies to MLS as well, CONCACAF puts a lot of money and BS into formatting tournaments to ensure a Mex-US Final. Which is why it shows at the world cup level when both teams get hit with reality
I'd argue the academy's in the US are starting to change. MLS academy's are getting better. They're more frequently setup like the ones in europe. USL is also starting to get some academies. There's still a lot of talented folks falling through cracks and the US needs a way to capture it. No denying that.
And frankly the European development model is also for profit in a lot of cases. It's just that the profits are deferred till the most talented players are sold on from the academy system.
I think the US setup currently makes sense, develop players and sell on for a profit. Which is what pretty much what any league outside of the top 5 really has to do. There's definitely room for improvement in the US but I can't say the setup is inherently wrong. Some of the decisions like no pro/rel and others are also pragmatic decisions to keep at least MLS stable. USL isn't big enough yet.
The problem is their academies still charge, you can build US soccer to greatness on that alone (i am not a USMNT fan) but there is so much mediocrity that's enabled throughout the CONCACAF that it pisses me off, we have so much potential but corruption will keep us ALL down.
Every aspect of professional sports is for profit, but I'm talking about academies being accessible to low income talent because that's why the game thrives in S America. That's the point of the academy to find incredible talent nurture it and sell for a high profit to a club in a higher league.
I'm not even talk pro/rel i think the US can honestly survive without it, I'm talking the overall competitiveness of the entire CONCACAF as a region. Their focus is mainly selling US v Mex, which yes is a great rivalry but when you format all tournaments to cater to that you get a lot of corruption and mediocrity. It speaks for itself why CONCACAF "giants" fails at the world cup level. There's so much untapped potential here. MLS players and CONCACAF players should be good enough to play in Liga MX and that's far from the reality. Until then we aren't going anywhere