So the Flounders went to L.A. and, aGAIN, could not beat the Galaxy, eh? (And this with @#@##@ Robbie Keane - normally a Sounders killer - not even suited up to play). I’m a Sounders fan and I phuching HATE the Galaxy but (and I e-mailed some friends of mine this last night): until the Flounders show that they can beat the Galaxy IN L.A. (IIRC the Flounders have managed exactly ONE win against the Galaxy in L.A. in their time in the league and that came in the Sounders’ very first year of existence as an MLS club - the Galaxy must not’ve been expecting much of a challenge from the expansion Sounders that year) then they won’t be winning their oft-stated goal of an MLS Cup. Unless they make it to the playoffs in some year when the Galaxy don’t - although with Bruce Arena coaching in L.A. and with the league having expanded the playoffs, aGAIN, that seems pretty damned unlikely.
With a game on ESPN2 I was able to catch a much-needed Lions win.
Seemed to be a tale of two halves: ORL seemed in control on much of the first half, then the Timbers fought back in the second half.
Then again that’s also pretty par for the course since the Lions can’t seem to do anything in the second half but give up goals
Other than a stupid name, Sporting KC is the bomb. The Cauldron (name left over from when they were the Wizards) in Sporting Park (formerly Livestrong Park until Lance confessed) is a great place to attend a game.
Phuch them. The ONLY reason why European clubs (and not even really “European clubs” but “a select few European clubs”) are “elite” is because NOBODY spends €€€ on top soccer talent the way the likes of: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Man. U., Man. City, “Chelski,” Arsenal, and Bayern München do. They are able to do so, and they do. Nobody else can match them for that. Phuchers.
And while the MLS is obviously not as good as the top flight European leagues, the quality has gotten exponentially better since the 90s. Of course the snobs have to actually watch a game in 2015 to realize that…
Here is a list of the ten highest-payroll sports teams in the world (the Lakers are on there? Clearly leading the world in dollars per win by a huge margin!)
Perhaps more to the point,here is a list of the average salaries in various soccer leagues around the world. It’s obviously not just a question of a handful of elite teams running up the averages in the European leagues, since MLS is outspent nearly four to one by the English Championship (the top minor league), and is also handily outspent not just by the major European leagues but by the national leagues of countries like Ukraine, Belgium, Switzerland, China (?!) and Mexico. I note that MLS is considerably stingier than many other leagues when it comes to ratio of salaries paid to revenue taken in, though.
I support MLS because I am an American and want to cheer for the home team, and I think their strategy of slow and sustainable growth is a wise one. Having said that, of course there isn’t a direct correlation between payroll and quality of play, but there is clearly a big gap between MLS and many other leagues, not just the biggest Euro leagues.
I do have to wonder how much the league, or the American players, actually benefit from having over-the-hill names from Europe and SA on the roster. MLS is a retirement league for former stars, to an extent that may not be healthy for the business or the sport in North America - those guys might actually just be taking playing time, especially at the offensive positions, from Americans who might actually be about as good at this point. They might not even sell as many tickets as the ownership thinks.
It’s not correct to refer to the Championship as a “minor league.” The teams are independent of any of the sides in the top flight and are fully professional. And of course there’s the system of relegation and promotion. There’s nothing I can think of that really corresponds to the standard European multiple division professional system among any professional sports in the U.S., certainly not the minor league system in MLB or in the NHL.
That is undeniably true. I think a few of the top MLS teams might survive in the Championship in England, or a few of the other second-tier professional divisions, but most probably would not. However, the quality of play in the MLS is getting better all the time, and really is quite enjoyable to watch nonetheless, partly because the “designated player” clause allows a few top-talent players in every team, and partly because it’s the execution of team tactics that wins games. A few of the MLS teams are very well coached. Also, many of the MLS teams have truly wonderfully committed and excited fan bases, with all of the singing and chanting you find in European football.
By no means am I saying the Seattle Sounders FC (for instance) are as glorious to watch as my beloved Arsenal, but I still enjoy watching them, especially live: the atmosphere at Century Link field is very nearly as fantastic as any stadium in Europe.
I think there are few examples if any of an aging star from Europe or South America who really could be replaced easily by native talent. One big benefit of those veterans is that their skill and experience elevates the quality of play on their team. In the long run, the MLS has to stop depending on near-retirement stars from Europe, but for me there’s no question they are helping the league improve.
Yes, I know all that, I was just trying to describe what the Championship is for purposes relevant to the discussion at hand without getting into a whole tutorial on the structure of English football.
Crossposting with the Premier League thread:
Spurs to play MLS All-Stars in Denver July 29!
Looking very much forward to this!
MLS All-Stars beat Bayern 2-1 in 2014. Spurs will be a doddle. 
ETA: it will be especially fun if Spurs play Yedlin for this match.
I may’ve mentioned this before, but it’s a bit of a shame that it’s not economically viable for a few Championship sides to come over; it’d almost certainly be more competitive. Say, maybe the three promoted sides could come over and play a brief tournament with the top three MLS sides.
Ah well.
Put on your hardhats, gentlemen! A dominant performance at home from the Columbus Crew SC. However, if anyone else was watching (and I know we have an Orlando fan here), I’d love to know why Kamara’s 2nd goal wasn’t allowed. In a bit of a theme for the evening, it happened when i wasn’t paying attention, and in a bar that is a football bar Saturday mornings and a douchebag bar Saturday nights, so I didn’t have any commentary to help me figure it out. anybody?
Revolution win, coming from behind on the road with second half goals from Davies and Bunbury. Both were set up by excellent passes into the box, but both were also embarrassingly bad marking by the Union back line. The Revs haven’t lost since their 0-2 start and have looked not-terrible since the injured players started coming back, but they also still don’t look nearly as good as they did during the playoff run last year. But hey, I always forget how ridiculously long soccer seasons are until I think about it, and there’s still six months left, so who knows!
I just have to share a video of this outstanding forward pass from Seattle Sounders FC’s Andy Rose to Obafemi Martins with subsequent excellent goal.
It’s a video on Facebook. I hope the link works!
It WAS excellent. Too bad the Flounders can’t ever seem to come up with that kind of “magic” when they play the Galaxy (especially when they play 'em in L.A.)!
the keeper guessed wrong