European Attitudes to American Soccer

[DanS]

Originally posted by Hueij
I'm wondering how games will mix with tv commercials?

Two systems. One is just like the way it's done in Europe (HDNet, some local TV networks). The second system that ESPN is trying out is a split screen commercial/action. Of course, I prefer the Euro system.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Hueij
I'm wondering how games will mix with tv commercials?

For the longest time there were in game mentions by the commentators. I think ESPN is not gettting enough money, because this year they unveiled 'Side by side' commericals twice a half where they have a kind of split screen with the commerical on one and the game on the other.

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by lightblue
What it'll need is the possibility to get relegated out of the MLS. If there's no risk to being a **** team, any team that's not going to win the championship won't be supported very well as there'll be no real point. The relegation batles in Premier League are always sell outs, the fans they can make a difference with their support.

Also I don't reckon the college _> draft system is going to work if you want to develop players that will succeed internationally. You want academies attached to teams getting the local kids in.

I don't think there is going to be relegation in the MLS for a loooooong time. It's contrary to most American sports and tends to make television stations nervous (what if the big market teams go down).

And college soccer is all over and so will survive for a few more decades at least. There are youth acadamies, but attached to the national team, not individual teams.

[DanS]

College baseball thrives, even though there are three layers of minor league baseball. You see people being drafted out of college all the time. I don't see a problem. The fans will distribute themselves among the available venues as they wish and quality instruction will be available in several forms.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

im an american, and I know that MLS sucks. like what red said, its equal to a low european division. which makes me wonder why we spend $500,000 (half of the salary cap) on one player, when it takes a whole team to play better, and we can get cheaper AND better players from europe.

and get rid of that foreign person limit per team. another silly rule. remember when games couldnt finish in ties? they would go to a shootout? another silly rule.

[Az]

500k is peanuts.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

and the reason no one goes to burn games because they finished last in the west last year, and didnt make the playoffs.

thats another thing about mls. 8 out of the 10 teams make the playoffs hahahahahahah

[Imran Siddiqui]

Yeah, it's to avoid the horrid ending to the NASL, which was the soccer league before hand. You had a few teams paying MILLIONS to get older stars like Pele and Beckenbauer playing in the US in the late 70s and the teams without the money couldn't survive. The league basically imploded on itself.

So there is a low salary cap to prevent that from happening again. As well as incredible amounts of centralization.

[Lawrence of Arabia]

500k isnt peanuts when the total you can spend on your entire team is $1.25 million.

[lightblue]

College soccer is not a big audience draw though is it (not like football or basketball). In a revenue sense for TV stations it'd make more sense to have the best players playing, even if they're 17 or so (remember Rooney's debut for Everton was at age 16 and he's still only 19 now).

As long as you use the american system (no relegation, draft systems forcing players to go to certain teams, salary caps etc) you won't compete on an international level, at least with crowd numbers, and probably with attracting bigger name stars.

I know it's brought you basketball dominance for a good while (baseball and american football noone really plays outside of the US (and even then Cuba would possibly beat you), and ice hockey you rarely win), but now that that's being picked up more and more around the world you seem to be starting to struggle to beat everyone the way you used to.

Similarly, if the main bulk of your international players atm come from the MLS and will do so for the foreseeable future, then you won't challenge. The top players at international tournaments will ahve European Champion's League experience, which is of a higher quality typically than international football. If you throw people from the MLS (or English 2nd divsion like say Northern Ireland) into that, you'll get beaten.

[Az]

500k isnt peanuts when the total you can spend on your entire team is $1.25 million

define "spend". Does it mean the aquisition of new players only?

[Imran Siddiqui]

baseball and american football noone really plays outside of the US (and even then Cuba would possibly beat you)

Um... what? Firstly, our MLB all-stars would smoke Cuba. Secondly, most of Central America and Japan play baseball, not really no one there.

f the main bulk of your international players atm come from the MLS

It's half MLS and half international players... at least it was recently. Don't remember the numbers now. We also have a bunch of young players who'll be ready to make the jump to Europe in the next few years (Eddie Johnson, Clint Dempsey, and the like).

[Imran Siddiqui]

Originally posted by Az

500k isnt peanuts when the total you can spend on your entire team is $1.25 million

define "spend". Does it mean the aquisition of new players only?

No, that's $1.25 million on total player salaries. Transfer fees don't count (and usually are done by the league).

[Lawrence of Arabia]

thats why all our good players are in europe. Beasley even gets some playing time at PSV until he got injured. so we send them our good players, and we take their crap players, who are actually better then what would be left when our internationals go abroad, and pay them less then what we pay these greedy **** players we have, and thats how you build a team up. DC was stupid to sign Adu to that monster contract who didnt play especially well either.

and, for the the americas, liverpool v. chelsea is on in 10 minutes on ESPN2

[Imran Siddiqui]

DC also won the MLS Cup last year. They aren't hurting for signing Adu... and the merchandizing fills their coffers nice.