Give me some EPL info!

[FrustratedPoet]

That goal he scored in the Champions League final a couple of years ago was certainly world-class.

[Maquiladora]

Which?

[FrustratedPoet]

The one from this game:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/champions_league/1990385.stm

It was basically a high ball that he watched all the way and volleyed with his left foot from the edge of the box. He connected perfectly and it went flying into the top corner. An extremely difficult skill executed to perfection at a crucial time of the world's biggest club fixture.

He also scored two goals in the '98 world cup final. The goals themselves were pretty routine, but stepping up and performing to your best on such a major occasion is something I would describe as world-class.

[Maquiladora]

Considering his work rate im not surprised he scores goals and gets in situations like that.

[alva]

I think he works much harder than many other players, sometimes even to hard.

That goal he scored in the Champions League final a couple of years ago was certainly world-class.

Knew immediately which one you were talking about

[Imran Siddiqui]

I always liked the guy (Zidane) and he did one of the coolest alliterative front and last names I've ever heard .

[johncmcleod]

When I said I left out American teams, I was referring to teams from all of the Americas. No MLS teams would make the top 25, but I think Boca Juniors and River Plate might have a shot at it.

As for my ranking of the leagues, most people think the Spanish league is the best. I think it is way overrated. I mean the year before last, champions league had 3 out of its four last teams Italian. And the remaining Spanish team didn't advance past that. I look at Valencia, who got about as many points as Arsenal did, and most of their players are unknowns, whereas Arsenal is filled with well known internationals. As for Portugal, there is no way the Portugese league is better than the Dutch league, much less the French league. Porto had a great run, but that doesn't mean the league is better than a middleweight class league. I think the Belgian league is almost as good as the Portugese league.

MLS has improved very rapidly. The level of play is getting much better each year. And the league just started, don't be so critical. The premiership wasn't a great league in its first decade. One thing that makes the MLS underrated is the MLS has a salary cap, therefore there is parity among the teams. The top team isn't that much worse than the worst team. So a foreigner might watch the two best MLS teams play and think that the league isn't any good. Another thing that people must understand when they watch MLS is that there is a stupid playoff system where almost all of the MLS teams advance. This gives little incentive for most teams to go out and try hard, because they know they will go to the playoffs. So most regular season MLS games have two teams that aren't really trying. If you watch the championship, I predict you will be pleasantly surprised about the how good the teams are.

[Imran Siddiqui]

That's true, about the playoff. It's almost like the NHL playoff in absurdity. I hope that when they go to 12, they come up with a better system. Perhaps only have the division winners go to the playoffs (ie, one Championship Game). That would make the regular season much more fun!

[FrustratedPoet]

The first thing you need to do is reorganise your league structure. When almost all the games each season are not fully competitive then there is a limit to how high the overall quality can get.

In regard to the relative strengths of Valencia and Arsenal - don't be fooled by the lack of star names on Valencia's squad list (and their players are far from 'unknown', by the way). Arsenal are unquestionably a fantastic team. Valencia, for example, is a case of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. They are a very well organised team with some superb players (even though they don't often get headlines, it doesn't mean they're not top quality). I can assure you that Valencia would finish in the top 3 of any league in the world.

[Imran Siddiqui]

*Gasp* There is a world-class team with a 'team' concept instead of buying the biggest names it can find?

Oh, as for our league structure. I think it done that way because the Big 4 do it mostly that way. Hopefully they change it, but I doubt it.

[FrustratedPoet]

Originally posted by Imran Siddiqui
*Gasp* There is a world-class team with a 'team' concept instead of buying the biggest names it can find?

Astounding, isn't it?

[FrustratedPoet]

Is a hierarchical league structure with promotion and relegation a realistic model for the MLS to follow?

[Imran Siddiqui]

No, probably not. If MLS wants a real TV deal (the ESPN2 one isn't that good), it'll be dead if there is a chance that LA or NY teams could get relegated to a lower level.

So for now, no way in Hell.

[TheArsenal]

Originally posted by Maquiladora


Theyre still boring. They need to get rid of highbury, its too small and encourages the same type of game from them week in, week out.

Arsenal is moving into a new stadium soon. A sixty-something thousand seater (64, IIRC).

I’ve heard many criticisms of the Gunners (generally, ill informed criticisms ), but boring is never one of them. With the exception of a handful of games toward the end of the season where the were grinding out results toward the title, they were playing one of the most exciting, open, skillful brands of football anyway.

[TheArsenal]

Originally posted by CerberusIV
I have never seen a MLS game but the key comparison with the Premiership is consistency. There are probably a lot of sides who would show up well against a top Premiership team in a single game. Could a MLS team maintain that level over the course of a season with 50+ competitive games?

No, not against top sides over the course of a season. And I do watch a great deal of the MLS.

But not many teams anywhere in football can keep up with the unrelenting grind that is the English game. Not even the teams that compete in it. Accordingly, the Premier League has become two leagues of late, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, the big rich clubs and the only contenders for the title. Then there are your second tier teams competing for Champion League spots, usually Liverpool, Newcastle, and a rotating cast of a few more teams. But last year for example, there was a huge point difference on the table between 3 and 4, IIRC.

The top MLS teams could compete in the Premiership, but only with those teams outside of the top 5. And that is not certain.