Comments on: Serious Analyzing for MLS. Single Table & Promotion / Relegation

By: victor the crab

victor the crab — Sat, 06 Feb 2010 15:30:22 +0000

That’s quite alright, Typical Soccer Fan. MLS will continue to grow and prosper without the need of whinny crybaby Europoser snobs like you.

By: Typical Soccer Fan

Typical Soccer Fan — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 02:40:07 +0000

this article is 100% correct. the mls will never go pro/rel anytime soon.

which is why i barely watch the mls.

untill theres something to truly fight for. ill be supporting clubs thats have the balls to risk it all.

By: victor the crab

victor the crab — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 16:42:09 +0000

Did you even read the article, Roger? I’m thinking NO YOU DIDN’T! Otherwise, you wouldn’t have spouted off on your nonsense. Go back to school, boy!

By: Roger

Roger — Tue, 22 Dec 2009 00:29:37 +0000

The argument of stadiums is one that have been used all the time to say pro/rel wont work. This argument is very weak.
All the countries that use pro/rel have standards for clubs to be promoted. One of those standards have to do with their home fields. If a club dont meet the required stadium standard, it wont be promoted. If a club is seeking promotion , it has the bigger incentive to make sure their stadium is promotion ready.

Where none of you posting against pro/rel aware of that? uhmmm?!?!?!?!?

By: thomask

thomask — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 06:15:17 +0000

In view of the TOA announcement to start up an intermediate league it looks to me like the pressure is growing for this solution.

Although it will be a gradual development I can see it happening in 5 years time, based on the example in Japan.

MLS has partnered with the J-League to share administrative experience of best practice and how to establish a solid structural base (the Pan-Pacific tournament is the only tangible product so far), so it wouldn’t surprise me if the TOA announcement is a legal tactic to move in the direction of international normalization and has been given tacit MLS backing.

A comparison between the soccer pyramids in the two countries may illuminate, considering they are only a few years apart in development.

By: Chris

Chris — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 15:16:02 +0000

I disagree with this statement ….”Of course there are those who think that MLS can create their own second division just to quench their thirst for Pro/Rel to happen. This would never work either. MLS is too concerned about their own league to create a second league.”

The fact that the MLS is too concered with its own league is not a reason for Pro/Rel not to “work”, its just a reason that under current ownership it will be hard to make it happen. In fact it would work. There will be 18 teams after 2011, and there has been even more interest beyond that in purchasing into the MLS, and at some point in the future, there will be significant demand for to own new clubs. The options are pretty clear, expand to a 32 team league alla the NFL, or expand into a second divsion and set up PRO/REL. Are you telling me that ONLY a 32 team league will “work”? Bull shit, you know damn well that PRO/REL will work, its just if the ownership will have the balls to do it.

By: Stuart

Stuart — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 17:05:53 +0000

Everyone interested in promotion/relegation needs to forget about for a few years and focus on making the MLS better. Like others have said I too am for getting rid of the stupid conferences. The salary cap needs to be raised a lot, but not gotten rid of for now. MLS desperately needs so parity right now so all the teams gave gain financial strength. Because this is American soccer, I don’t think that playoffs will ever NOT be part of the MLS season. The designated player rule is also stupid. The salary cap takes care of having one team dominate, so who cares how many foreign players there are on a team.

As for Ted’s case about becoming a stepbrother of the NFL, I really hope that doesn’t happen. The whole league, and future teams, need to take a page from the Seattle Sounders. They are very successful in their first season as a franchise. The fans also have a stake in the team. Sure, Seattle has a lot of European residents, but if a team is selling out every game to 30,000 fans and is successful, I assume that other teams can and should be doing better.

By: Ted Westervelt

Ted Westervelt — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 10:45:11 +0000

Daniel – the stadium argument may be germane, but misses a larger point: The closed league American pro sports franchise model will always stifle the growth of a global sport like soccer. This system allows executives at MLS wide latitude to continue developmentally disabling the quality of play with corporate measures like ridiculously low salary caps, roster size and star player allocations.

Indeed, I think promotion and relegation have been central to the unparalleled global popularity of the sport. In an open league structure Supporters have a huge stake in the team – their numbers can define the it’s success or failure – and they know it. I believe this is at the root of the passion that exemplifies the sport.

So if you want a stunted stepbrother of the NFL with horrible branding, micromanaged from their NYC league office – this MLS is your league. I don’t think the current execs and owners will ever accept this argument, as they believe that their NYC star chamber makes better decisions than individual owners, players and fans – and I think it will be their demise. Hopefully I’m wrong.

Regardless, it’s time to take the sport back from them.

As far as your stadium argument goes – the solution is simple: The top division has stadium standards that must be met in order to be promoted. Set promotion in place two or three seasons out to give USL teams time to farm out investors for their run at glory, and anyway they’ll need it – because the newly empowered fans, aware that their support could raise the team to a new division, would begin to come out in much larger numbers.

By: Lucho

Lucho — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 19:07:56 +0000

Fine!! No Promotion Relegation!! But atleast have single table!! forget the conferences, and the top 8 teams go to the play-offs for the MLS Cup final, and no bye weeks for anybody!! THats absurd, everybody plays every game of play-offs, and make them all two games play-offs!! that would make the MLS so much better!!

By: Daniel Feuerstein

Daniel Feuerstein — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 02:09:29 +0000

Thanks for the fix Don. I have also said get rid of the Conference standings and let’s have it all in one league table.