MLS and Sporting KC - Official Thread

[hskr4life]

What is that?  What just happened?  What happens when we score more goals than the other team?

[Handy Johnson]

They were on FREE TV today & the first thing I thought of was this Thread…

[aphilso1]

11 hours ago, Handy Johnson said:

They were on FREE TV today & the first thing I thought of was this Thread…

 

So SKC is undefeated in games you watch, and winless in games you don't.  I hate to break it to you, but you just signed yourself up for the responsibility of watching every single match for the remainder of the season.  We're all counting on you.  Don't let us down.

[Handy Johnson]

1 hour ago, aphilso1 said:

 

So SKC is undefeated in games you watch, and winless in games you don't.  I hate to break it to you, but you just signed yourself up for the responsibility of watching every single match for the remainder of the season.  We're all counting on you.  Don't let us down.

I even a bought a Hat, but I must admit I’m MORE of a Real Salt Lake Fan. 

[aphilso1]

20 minutes ago, Handy Johnson said:

I even a bought a Hat, but I must admit I’m MORE of a Real Salt Lake Fan. 

 

I am coming around to not completely hating RSL.  I live less than an hour from their stadium, and my wife and kids enjoy going to RSL matches for the environment/energy level/concession stand (basically all the stuff that casual fans enjoy).  It's just hard to cheer for one of your own team's rivals, even if it is now your local team. 

 

I am hoping that the proximity with St Louis will eventually make StLFC the main rivalry for SKC, freeing me up to enjoy RSL matches with the family while not feeling like I need to take a cold shower afterwards.

[Handy Johnson]

44 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

 

I am coming around to not completely hating RSL.  I live less than an hour from their stadium, and my wife and kids enjoy going to RSL matches for the environment/energy level/concession stand (basically all the stuff that casual fans enjoy).  It's just hard to cheer for one of your own team's rivals, even if it is now your local team. 

 

I am hoping that the proximity with St Louis will eventually make StLFC the main rivalry for SKC, freeing me up to enjoy RSL matches with the family while not feeling like I need to take a cold shower afterwards.

I’m still hoping to make it to Allianz Stadium in St Paul for a Loons game this Summer. 

[49r]

1 hour ago, aphilso1 said:

 

I am coming around to not completely hating RSL.  I live less than an hour from their stadium, and my wife and kids enjoy going to RSL matches for the environment/energy level/concession stand (basically all the stuff that casual fans enjoy).  It's just hard to cheer for one of your own team's rivals, even if it is now your local team. 

 

I am hoping that the proximity with St Louis will eventually make StLFC the main rivalry for SKC, freeing me up to enjoy RSL matches with the family while not feeling like I need to take a cold shower afterwards.

 

I've never really HATED RSL, but man they have handed SKC some of the most painful losses I can remember...

[49r]

1 hour ago, Handy Johnson said:

I’m still hoping to make it to Allianz Stadium in St Paul for a Loons game this Summer. 

 

You really should.  It is an amazing stadium.  Probably top 3 SSS in the US right now IMO.

[hskr4life]

Up a man for nearly an hour and we still can’t score 

[Handy Johnson]

How many Sporting KC Fans know the Loon is the State Bird of Minnesota? 

[49r]

That’s two in a row boys!

[hskr4life]

10 hours ago, 49r said:

That’s two in a row boys!

Win one next week and that’s called a winning streak!  It has happened before!

[49r]

3 hours ago, hskr4life said:

Win one next week and that’s called a winning streak!  It has happened before!

 

Unfortunately our next match is Wednesday at LAFC

[hskr4life]

Balogun is N

[aphilso1]

HUGE!

[49r]

1 hour ago, hskr4life said:

Balogun is N

 

The boys on The Football Show on Sirius XM FC were moaning about that this morning.

[hskr4life]

At least one of my football teams scored their 5* recruit.  

[Dean Smith]

On 12/6/2022 at 6:29 PM, Dean Smith said:

Flo Balogun - 21 years old

Has played for both US and England youth teams. Also eligible to represent Nigeria. Currently playing for Reims in league 1. 8 goals in 15 appearances this season.  On loan from Arsenal. 
 

Good finisher, good technical ability, can take people on off the dribble and has a very high work.

Maybe one of the only correct insights I've ever had on this board.

[Keenan9595]

Ya’ll beat me to it.  A young striker with over 20 goals in a top 5 league…can’t ask for more than that haha.

[aphilso1]

15 hours ago, Keenan9595 said:

Ya’ll beat me to it.  A young striker with over 20 goals in a top 5 league…can’t ask for more than that haha.

 

I had to pause for a second when you called the French Ligue 1 "a top 5 league."  There's an obvious top 4 that is heads and shoulders above everyone else in the world.  I guess France could make the argument that their domestic league is #5, given the recent-ish success of PSG.  But it feels weird to call a league with one superpower and a bunch of scrubs as a top 5 league.  That's like calling the WCC a Top 5 college basketball league simply because Gonzaga happens to be a member.  

[Dean Smith]

1 hour ago, aphilso1 said:

 

I had to pause for a second when you called the French Ligue 1 "a top 5 league."  There's an obvious top 4 that is heads and shoulders above everyone else in the world.  I guess France could make the argument that their domestic league is #5, given the recent-ish success of PSG.  But it feels weird to call a league with one superpower and a bunch of scrubs as a top 5 league.  That's like calling the WCC a Top 5 college basketball league simply because Gonzaga happens to be a member.  

I think most of the world sees Ligue 1 as the 5th of the top 5 leagues. Any of their "scrub" teams would run the MLS. There need to be many changes made before the MLS can actually be competitive on the world stage (time of season + relegation and promotion to begin with). I hope someday they make those changes but I'm not holding my breath. Leagues better than the MLS would include the Netherlands, Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, Belgium, Turkey, possibly Austria and Scotland and definately better is the Championship, England's second division.

[aphilso1]

14 minutes ago, Dean Smith said:

I think most of the world sees Ligue 1 as the 5th of the top 5 leagues. Any of their "scrub" teams would run the MLS. There need to be many changes made before the MLS can actually be competitive on the world stage (time of season + relegation and promotion to begin with). I hope someday they make those changes but I'm not holding my breath. Leagues better than the MLS would include the Netherlands, Brazil, Portugal, Mexico, Russia, Belgium, Turkey, possibly Austria and Scotland and definately better is the Championship, England's second division.

 

Ligue 1 is incredibly top heavy, and the bottom half of the league is not any better than your average MLS side.  Their scrubs really are bad by top flight league standards.  And that's not really a hot take when you look at salaries for the two leagues.  There's a bunch of dudes starting for Ligue 1 sides making $300k and less, just like in MLS. 

 

I would contend that the average team from England's Championship is significantly better than the average Ligue 1 (or MLS) side.  Honestly I would put the Championship as the fifth best league in the world, and would probably put the Eredivisie above Ligue 1 too.  But I also look more at a league top to bottom when considering strength, while I realize most people look mostly at the strength of the top teams while mainly considering results in Champions League and Europa.  And from that point of view Ligue 1 is fifth rather than in that 7-10 range like I contend they should be.

 

One other quibble -- Scottish Premiership better than MLS? Really?  We could send our best MLS teams to get smashed 7-1 in Champions League action just like Rangers does.  The difference is that the gap from top to bottom in MLS isn't nearly as large as the gap in Scottish Premiership.  Scotland has only two teams with a pulse many seasons.  I do agree we need promotion and relegation though.

[hskr4life]

Love the idea of promo and releg… I’m guessing all soccer fans do too.  There is a place for that in the US and as we see with teams like Omaha in the cup… there’s parity there.

 

With that being said— I don’t know that I ever see it happening.  Too much $$$ and politics involved.

[Dean Smith]

4 hours ago, aphilso1 said:

 

Ligue 1 is incredibly top heavy, and the bottom half of the league is not any better than your average MLS side.  Their scrubs really are bad by top flight league standards.  And that's not really a hot take when you look at salaries for the two leagues.  There's a bunch of dudes starting for Ligue 1 sides making $300k and less, just like in MLS. 

 

I would contend that the average team from England's Championship is significantly better than the average Ligue 1 (or MLS) side.  Honestly I would put the Championship as the fifth best league in the world, and would probably put the Eredivisie above Ligue 1 too.  But I also look more at a league top to bottom when considering strength, while I realize most people look mostly at the strength of the top teams while mainly considering results in Champions League and Europa.  And from that point of view Ligue 1 is fifth rather than in that 7-10 range like I contend they should be.

 

One other quibble -- Scottish Premiership better than MLS? Really?  We could send our best MLS teams to get smashed 7-1 in Champions League action just like Rangers does.  The difference is that the gap from top to bottom in MLS isn't nearly as large as the gap in Scottish Premiership.  Scotland has only two teams with a pulse many seasons.  I do agree we need promotion and relegation though.

I said Scotland and Austria were maybes. I have not watched a lot of lower table French teams and I doubt too many people have. When I look at the statistical power rankings,  Ligue 1 is fifth (one listed them 6th behind Brazil) and the MLS was 15-17th. Behind leagues like Greek, Turks, and Ukrainian. I’m not a soccer snob. I watch the owls in USL 1 and even went to the high school state tournament. I’ll watch the MLS and have gone to quite a few games. The level of play is not good compared to other countries. Having admitted I’ve not watched a lot of lower level French football, I find it hard to believe any MLS team could stay up in that league. We have what the call potential. Hopefully one day we will live up to it. 

 

 

[49r]

HUGE result for the boys tonight!!!