Comments on: North American Soccer League – Take Two

By: chuck

chuck — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 04:46:46 +0000

MLS continuing to exist as a single entity is a FARCE, as is so much about that league. Why in the world do commentators continue to discuss the improbability of Real SLC’s playoff run? There is NO DISTINCTION between 1st and 8th place in the MLS. 1st place this year was 13-7-10, 12th was 11-13-6. Nobody was ‘good.’ This league was build for parity. All the teams are created equal and, therefor, all are equally mediocre. That is a direct result of single entity and prevents many of us who are Americans and are huge soccer fans from ever embracing the league. I care about my city, my town, my club. Cheering for Chicago Fire is really cheering for MLS-Chicago branch. LA Galaxy is nothing more than MLS-LA. A single entity will crush a member or inflate a member for the good of the whole. I can never be a fan of that organization. I want a club to cheer for, to belong to.

I am fully supportive of every effort to create a worthy soccer league in America. And I trust the people who build successful teams. Saputo is one of those. He gets results. Jeff Cooper is yet to show what he can do, but he seems to have all the right ideas. Everyone who has a successful or semi successful team is leaving the USL either for the TOA or MLS (the only possible exception is Rochester, but they’ve been in disarray for two years; and that is not to say everyone joining TOA has proved they can find success). Regardless, it is certain that USL was not capable of doing what it took to build a respectable league.

And to the rest – get serious, are you really saying that the new team might cheapen the memory of the old Tampa Bay Rowdies!? Who wore the jersey with western tassels!? Silly.

By: Charles

Charles — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:20:19 +0000

JRT,
It took the MLS 14 years to get to Seattle, because the ownership at the time didn’t want to go to a single entity model. MLS WANTED SEATTLE. He was obviously the richest, or at least among the richest, of the owners and probably had his reasons. All of which have been probably stated in these blogs, by those that don’t like it. As ownership transferred to Hanaeur that changed. He was able to recruit even bigger Microsoft money that did agree it was worth it.

You are free to disagree with MLS decisions, but that was not one of them that was incorrect, or late in coming.

By: Bobby Brandon

Bobby Brandon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 17:30:57 +0000

They aren’t leaving completely, Vancouver have promised some sort of continued presence in possibly either Victoria or Edmonton, and there are rumors that Saputo will put a team in Quebec City to make up for the gap left when Montreal ascends.

I do trust Saputo, actually. He basically built Stade Saputo out of pocket, so his commitment to the game in North America can’t be questioned. The Impact are also one of the most successful teams in Canada or the United States. So, I do trust him.

By: Yvon Lambert

Yvon Lambert — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:34:39 +0000

>With that said, I trust Joey Saputo and Traffic Sports more than I trust Joe Newman.

How can you trust a rickety pseudo league where the two best teams are leaving in 12 and 24 months?
Saputo is going to lead a group that hes leaving?
Shouldnt it be an owner that is planning to stay for more than 2 years?
Ever hear of lemmings?

This is like planning your wedding knowing already the date of your divorce and who you will date next.

This is so idiotic that it boggles the mind.
Which means for north american soccer, its business as usual.

By: Yvon Lambert

Yvon Lambert — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 15:29:07 +0000

The ABA analogy is right on the money.

And its a lose-lose proposition.

Half the people will hate it because its cheap/gimmicky/spoils the good memories some have of that era and the other half will say why would you name a league after one that has failed before?

Yes, as always, soccer people have their fingers on the pulse of the nation (as well as sticking them in other places).

And we cant even blame the Don for this.

By: Eric in Baltimore

Eric in Baltimore — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:49:33 +0000

Horrible idea

By: Bobby Brandon

Bobby Brandon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:12:24 +0000

If you want to put it that way, the European Union is a fallacy because it lacks Swiss or Norwegian involvement.

By: Bobby Brandon

Bobby Brandon — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 05:08:25 +0000

I’m not a big fan of the draft, particularly for players a team develops. Red Bull is in line to get screwed pretty hard by this deal, and have been in the past.

But you could make the argument that the league wouldn’t be around without single entity. Yes, some USL clubs have been around longer than MLS without it, but make no mistake, those clubs are the strongest of the strong. The USL is littered with the carcasses of clubs failed.

All-Star Game I could do without, but we aren’t the only country with one, Japan does it too and we have a lot in common with them sports-wise.

By: JRT

JRT — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:37:12 +0000

NASL ought to compete with MLS. Why did it take MLS 14 years to arrive in the most logical soccer city in America? Why does MLS still insiston paying a sub market salary to most of it’s players? Why after 14 yes do we still have single entity? Why after 14 yes do we still have an all star game ? Why after 14 yes do we still have drafts, discovery players and partial allocations ? Sounds to me like MLS needs some real competition to loosen up and really move forward.

By: Emerald City SC

Emerald City SC — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:43:42 +0000

wrong, wrong. NASL is intended to be a fixed second division league rather than compete. the USL inteded to compete with the MLS. so there..