Mls 2007?

This is the first year I've been able to really care about MLS. It was a bit hard for me to get up any interest for the league, and the sport in general, because I'm in Buffalo New York, and there weren't any teams here. Buffalo doesn't have anything in the US senior system at all, although Rochester (to the east a little bit, for the Europeans) has a consistently excellent first division team in the Rhinos. (There is a development level team forming in Queen City FC.)

I've been following the expansion Toronto FC with interest, however. I have some precedent in that I root for Toronto in baseball, as they are the closest top level team. TFC has designed a nice looking crest and the colors of red and gray are a combination I've always liked together (not just in sports either). The kit could use a little work from what I've seen, though. It doesn't hurt having Ronnie O'Brien on board either. It'll be cool if they can do better than most expansion clubs in North American sports.

Franchise football - Boo.

F Toronto :p

No seriously, I usually go to 5-6 NY Red bull(formerly Metrostars) games each year at Giants Stadium, about an hour away. It's a growing league and given that it is only 10 years old, it is doing quite well and has helped to improve the US national team a lot. The Canadian team will also now improve with the addition of Toronto. Most Euro Snobs correctly complain that the level of play is not on par with England, Spain, Italy etc and would much rather go to their local to support their Man Utd's, Liverpool or whatever. But it's like the Eircom League, it is never going to suceed if people do not support it and for me, I want to see MLS do well.

Rochester were trying to get the Rhinos into MLS for a few years but there was an application fee of something like $5million at the time but the Rhinos didnt want to pay it. Poor decision in the end as with the sale of the Metrostars($50million) and DC(today for $33million) as shown the cost of MLS franchises have grown. Still the Rhinos are a good USL team and most importantly have a good stadium up there.

How are the other new franchises in Real Salt Lake and Chivas USA doing? I see Salt Lake picked up Freddy Adu.

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Originally Posted by Metrostars

Rochester were trying to get the Rhinos into MLS for a few years but there was an application fee of something like $5million at the time but the Rhinos didnt want to pay it. Poor decision in the end as with the sale of the Metrostars($50million) and DC(today for $33million) as shown the cost of MLS franchises have grown. Still the Rhinos are a good USL team and most importantly have a good stadium up there.

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I hear Rochester referred to as the most quality American team outside of MLS quite a bit. While they would deserve a bump to the majors based on their performance so far, and it would help the value of the team currently, what happens if MLS hits it big? Not necessarily as big as the NFL, but even getting to the level of ice hockey would mean that televsion market size becomes important.

The size of a TV market in North American sports is everything. (In the end, it's all about the money.) Rochester isn't that big a city, and this is supposedly a factor in their turning down promotion. If they took it, and MLS became more successful, they'd wish they'd stayed where they were.

I dunno, I think if Rochester had come up with the $5million MLS fee a year or two ago, MLS would have accepted them. There are already a number of smallish-market teams already though maybe not quite as small as Rochester e.g. there are teams in Columbus and Salt Lake. Rochester are a good USL club. They have a good set up as have some other USL teams like Charleston and Seattle.

But MLS is a different kettle of fish entirely. You are right in saying everything is money. Up until now, MLS has had to pay ESPN to have games shown on their channel but starting this year, ESPN will be paying the league its first ever rights fee and will produce the games instead of MLS, plus with the promise of more highlights on Sportscenter and a weekly primetime Thursday night game. Fox Soccer Channel will also pay MLS this year for TV rights and MLS is expected to earn $20 million this year for TV contracts. Not hugh amounts compared to other sports but I think these are good signs for the league.

Also, MLS is expected to expand from the current 13 team to 16 teams by 2010, with San Jose, Cleveland and St Louis possibly getting teams.

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Originally Posted by Metrostars

Also, MLS is expected to expand from the current 13 team to 16 teams by 2010, with San Jose, Cleveland and St Louis possibly getting teams.

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Don't know about Cleveland. But I think San Jose didn't deserve to lose the Earthquakes. And St. Louis should have had an MLS side years ago, if not at the beginning of the league. How one of the US's traditionally best soccer areas has been left out this long is beyond me. (I've spent a couple of weekend vacations in St. Louis to meet up with online friends the last couple years; came away thinking it was a cool place overall and an excellent sports town. Of course, it was during baseball season, and the Cardinals are the local obsession so that may have colored my perceptions.)

If I chose the 3rd expansion city besides SJ and StL, it would be Philadelphia. Another longtime soccer hotbed (at least as good as you can get in the States) and a large market to boot. I'd hold off on further Canadian expansion; Canada doesn't have a consistently good track record when it comes to getting sports fans to follow anything besides ice hockey. (Cases in point: Montreal Expos and Vancouver Grizzlies.) Also, when the Canadian dollar is lower than usual, teams there take a financial beating.

Whats the story with San Jose? They gave San Jose's franchise to Houston and now they are giving them a new one?

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Originally Posted by BohsPartisan

Whats the story with San Jose? They gave San Jose's franchise to Houston and now they are giving them a new one?

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Happened in NFL a couple of times. Funniest being the Cleveland Browns leaving to go to Baltimore (becoming the Ravens) to be replaced with the Cleveland Browns...

Anyway back on topic. Read a good article when i was in Chicago a month ago projecting soccer to overtake Hockey in the US within the next 3 years. They referenced those new TV deals and the poor hockey deals in relation to it.

San Jose got moved because they couldn't get funding for their own stadium, which has become an MLS priority the last couple of years. They aren't even listening to expansion applicants if there aren't plans for a soccer-specific stadium. But the league gave the city of San Jose the rights to the name, colors, and history (much like the aforementioned Cleveland Browns). Houston is officially an expansion team even though they took all the Quakes players with them.

Real Salt Lake is going through a bit of political wrangling for some public money for their staiudm, but haven't really proved themselves on the field and I've been reading rumors on bigsoccer.com of them moving to one of the prospective new cities. Chivas seems to be doing well, they just had the bad luck to draw the eventual champs (Houston) in the playoffs.

As for the TV deals, MLS seems to be in the same situation hockey is now in America. Beginning 10 years ago or so, hockey seemed to be on an upswing with rich TV deals, but the ratings turned out to be awful. Slick promos can't ensure people will watch the games. Which then led to the NHL settling for a much lesser deal last year. Right now, how well soccer does depends on whether the TV deals turn out to be worth the money paid to the league. If MLS really is picking up in popularity, then the ratings will have to prove it. I want this to succeed on the TV front, but I won't hold my breath.

Beckham to LA for $1million a week. Ridiculous money but the move will raise the profile of the leage here.

I'm wondering if his skills have faded to the point where he'll get relegated to the bench in LA too. He is likely to be a starter when he reports to the team but if he doesn't back it up with good play he won't be for long. And when your biggest name sits on the bench most of the time, that shot of publicity will fade quickly and be seen as laying a huge egg for MLS.

MLS has been down this road before when it comes to foreign stars past their prime coming to play in America and usually flopping. (Lothar Matthaus for one.) You think they'd learn their lesson. If soccer in America is going to be taken seriously, it needs to shed the "retirement league" image.

He's there for celebrity image, not for football.... I hope the absolute worst for the guy.

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Originally Posted by The Legend

He's there for celebrity image, not for football.... I hope the absolute worst for the guy.

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Can I ask why?

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Originally Posted by The Legend

He's there for celebrity image, not for football.... I hope the absolute worst for the guy.

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Celebrity image will help in the short term, but what is really needed is respect in the soccer world overall, which means developing a quality version of the sport. MLS is much improved since it was founded, but is still light-years away from matching the best leagues in Europe or South America. Sooner or later the LA fans will shake the celebrity razzle-dazzle off and wonder how this helps them win games.

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Originally Posted by YankExile

Celebrity image will help in the short term, but what is really needed is respect in the soccer world overall, which means developing a quality version of the sport. MLS is much improved since it was founded, but is still light-years away from matching the best leagues in Europe or South America. Sooner or later the LA fans will shake the celebrity razzle-dazzle off and wonder how this helps them win games.

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You're right. The Beckham move is a big gamble for the league here. While I support the league and hope it does well, I think the odds are against this move being a success. It is big news now and will get another bump in the summer when he actually comes to play. But what about when all the hoopla wears off? And what about next year? It is like during every World Cup, soccer gets a boost in popularity for a bit but then dies down again just as quickly.

Also, I saw the Dallas coach Steve Morrow on FSC last night and he confirmed they are in talks with Edgar Davids. Plus it is rumered that Ronaldo is on his way to NY.

The one "star" player ideal has worked well for the A League in Oz, all be it on a smaller scale, ie Dwight Yorke was a "Star".

I think the one star per team thing will work out well for any teams that are able to land someone who lives up to expectations, as opposed to fading stars living off their names looking for easy paychecks. (No clue which one Davids would be, had to look up on Wikipedia to find out who he was. But from what I read, he sounds like he will be a good mentor even if his talent is fading away.)

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Originally Posted by The Legend

He's there for celebrity image, not for football.... I hope the absolute worst for the guy.

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He always struck me as a very likeable individual , but differernt strokes for different folks I guess

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Originally Posted by endabob1

The one "star" player ideal has worked well for the A League in Oz, all be it on a smaller scale, ie Dwight Yorke was a "Star".

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He was successful on the field but Sydney admitted they made a big financial mistake with the move and Sunderland taking Yorke was a bail out for them.

I think Adelaide United paid near 41 year old Romario one million dollars (not sure if that's Aus dollars) to play four games and he only scored one goal. Didn't seem like a very wise move even if it generated a brief hype.