MLS and Sporting KC - Official Thread

[aphilso1]

All the Sporting Kansas City love got buried in the "Live Sports are Back!" thread and, seeing as how there are actually a couple other SKC fans on this page, I have decided to make this the home for all SKC talk.  Yes, it is insanely off-topic for a Husker basketball message board.  So sue me.

 

I will start.

 

I was very impressed by Salloi's performance yesterday, especially in the first 30 minutes.  he was decisive whether dribbling at a defender, passing, or shooting.  His first touch was on point.  I have blasted his lack of talent for the past few years but he absolutely looked like he belonged on the pitch yesterday.

[aphilso1]

Also, Seattle looks insane this year.  They are scary good, and with this year's unbalanced schedule we have to play them thrice (and two of those in Seattle!) which is not a good thing.

[49r]

Salloi took advantage of horrific defending by Vancouver, but credit where it's due...at least he took advantage.

[Dean Smith]

How do you think the best MLS teams would fair in the EFL Championship league?

[Bugeaters1]

4 hours ago, aphilso1 said:

All the Sporting Kansas City love got buried in the "Live Sports are Back!" thread and, seeing as how there are actually a couple other SKC fans on this page, I have decided to make this the home for all SKC talk.  Yes, it is insanely off-topic for a Husker basketball message board.  So sue me.

 

I will start.

 

I was very impressed by Salloi's performance yesterday, especially in the first 30 minutes.  he was decisive whether dribbling at a defender, passing, or shooting.  His first touch was on point.  I have blasted his lack of talent for the past few years but he absolutely looked like he belonged on the pitch yesterday.

It doesn't bother me.

 

[HuskerFever]

52 minutes ago, Dean Smith said:

How do you think the best MLS teams would fair in the EFL Championship league?

 

I think they could end up around 18-20.

[hskr4life]

Haven't been able to watch much this year.  Really hoping for a solid year for the boys in blue!

[TheNovice]

Missed the first hour of the last game.  What was Ilie doing in the back?  

[49r]

10 hours ago, HuskerFever said:

 

I think they could end up around 18-20.

 

In the Championship???  Come on, the best MLS teams would perform pretty well there I think.  More like mid-table.

 

They'd get smoked in the Premiership though.

[HuskerFever]

34 minutes ago, 49r said:

11 hours ago, HuskerFever said:

 

I think they could end up around 18-20.

 

In the Championship???  Come on, the best MLS teams would perform pretty well there I think.  More like mid-table.

 

They'd get smoked in the Premiership though.

 

Misread it. Agreed. Was referring to Premier League.

 

EFL Championship, they could be top half for sure.

[Keenan9595]

Not MLS talk, but Union Omaha in USL 1 has been very impressive the last two years.  Fun home atmosphere as well.  If I had to have an MLS club I’d probably say Atlanta United since It was my first MLS match since the rebranding and clubs started putting money into it.  Awesome stadium and atmosphere there.

[49r]

Just now, Keenan9595 said:

If I had to have an MLS club I’d probably say Atlanta United

 

 

...and now I have to hate you...

[aphilso1]

11 hours ago, Dean Smith said:

How do you think the best MLS teams would fair in the EFL Championship league?

 

10 hours ago, HuskerFever said:

 

I think they could end up around 18-20.

 

That's an interesting question.  I don't watch a ton of second division English soccer, as I pretty much will just turn on a match as background fodder if there's an American playing.  And I can't say I've seen a ton of crossover of players jumping back and forth between MLS and EFL Championship.  So all I have to go off of is the eyeball test, and generally speaking I think the best team in MLS is comparable to better-than-average EFL Championship teams.  That being said, the salary gap is significant when you look at teams at the top of EFL that bounce back and forth with the Premier League and compare them to MLS.  Norwhich City, for example, has a roster that converts to roughly $30M.  Inter Miami has the highest paid MLS roster at $18M.  Cracking that Top 3 is probably unrealistic even for the best MLS teams.

 

General related thought: I always find it interesting that casual fans want to compare MLS to second tier English soccer.  I think the underlying implication is that MLS is a 'minor league' quality league.  However, MLS compares favorably to the majority of first division leagues around Europe, just not the top ones in England, Germany, France, or Italy.  Hypothetically speaking, if you drop a good MLS team (like LAFC, for example) into Netherlands' Eredivisie I think they would be middle of the pack.  I say that because I've seen quite a few players come over to MLS from the Eredivisie and fail to crack their MLS team's starting lineup.  So it's not like being a good player in that league makes you elite in MLS.  The talent gap isn't very large, other than when looking at the elite teams in those two leagues (like comparing Seattle to Ajax).  I'm using Netherlands as an example, but I think you could say the same thing about most of the European leagues when comparing their roster talent to MLS roster talent.

[HuskerFever]

1 minute ago, 49r said:

3 minutes ago, Keenan9595 said:

If I had to have an MLS club I’d probably say Atlanta United

 

 

...and now I have to hate you...

 

You can hate them all you want, but as @Keenan9595 mentioned, it elevated the financial and community expectations of the league. They set the tone for clubs like LAFC, and even the lesser clubs like FC Cincy who now has an stellar stadium. It's forcing clubs like Chicago to step it up (again). Without MLS 2.0, clubs are still playing in baseball stadiums, or way out in the suburbs with 8,000 fans in attendance.

[aphilso1]

11 hours ago, TheNovice said:

Missed the first hour of the last game.  What was Ilie doing in the back?  

 

Puncec and the new French CB with the long hyphenated name are both out with hammies.  Not sure why Graham Smith wasn't slotted alongside Fontas though.  We are  deep in the midfield and thin both up top and in the backline, so I think you will continue to see 4-5 midfielders start just with a couple playing out of position.

[HuskerFever]

4 minutes ago, aphilso1 said:

General related thought: I always find it interesting that casual fans want to compare MLS to second tier English soccer.  I think the underlying implication is that MLS is a 'minor league' quality league.

 

Win your own confederation first. And, sadly, we're well below that of the best clubs in Mexico. Would love to see some MLS teams win Concacaf and have a shot at the Club World Cup.

 

That said, in the last 5 years we've made some good strides. But I'm less concerned how we match up with European squads until 1. We stop "losing" American talent to other country leagues (that's more of a decades long journey we'll be on), and 2. We outperform Mexican clubs both in the front office and on the field.

[aphilso1]

5 minutes ago, HuskerFever said:

 

You can hate them all you want, but as @Keenan9595 mentioned, it elevated the financial and community expectations of the league. They set the tone for clubs like LAFC, and even the lesser clubs like FC Cincy who now has an stellar stadium. It's forcing clubs like Chicago to step it up (again). Without MLS 2.0, clubs are still playing in baseball stadiums, or way out in the suburbs with 8,000 fans in attendance.

 

As a transplant who attends RSL games while wearing Sporting Blue, I appreciate the subtle dig.  People here think Rio Tinto is a great atmosphere and I kinda LOL at that.  Nowhere close to the atmosphere at Children's Mercy Park.

 

[aphilso1]

3 minutes ago, HuskerFever said:

 

Win your own confederation first. And, sadly, we're well below that of the best clubs in Mexico. Would love to see some MLS teams win Concacaf and have a shot at the Club World Cup.

 

That said, in the last 5 years we've made some good strides. But I'm less concerned how we match up with European squads until 1. We stop "losing" American talent to other country leagues (that's more of a decades long journey we'll be on), and 2. We outperform Mexican clubs both in the front office and on the field.

 

CONCACAF Champions League is set up for Americans to fail though.  Playing that tournament in March and April, when MLS teams are just coming back from the off-season while the other leagues are in mid-season form, is not exactly a great litmus test.  Not saying MLS is on par with Liga MX (we're clearly not there yet) but the gap isn't as big as CONCACAF Championship League results imply.

[HuskerFever]

Just now, aphilso1 said:

 

CONCACAF Champions League is set up for Americans to fail though.  Playing that tournament in March and April, when MLS teams are just coming back from the off-season while the other leagues are in mid-season form, is not exactly a great litmus test.  Not saying MLS is on par with Liga MX (we're clearly not there yet) but the gap isn't as big as CONCACAF Championship League results imply.

 

I understand that point, but I do believe the gap is still wide. Granted, Leagues Cups and Campeones will provide some more clarity on that as the years go on.

 

All that said, I'm really not a fan of a dual apertura/clausura format, as many Central and South American clubs operate. But MLS should also shift it's season start because it creates a mess especially late in the season during international breaks when MLS players are off playing for their national teams.

[Norm Peterson]

16 hours ago, aphilso1 said:

All the Sporting Kansas City love got buried in the "Live Sports are Back!" thread and, seeing as how there are actually a couple other SKC fans on this page, I have decided to make this the home for all SKC talk.  Yes, it is insanely off-topic for a Husker basketball message board.  So sue me.

 

I will start.

 

I was very impressed by Salloi's performance yesterday, especially in the first 30 minutes.  he was decisive whether dribbling at a defender, passing, or shooting.  His first touch was on point.  I have blasted his lack of talent for the past few years but he absolutely looked like he belonged on the pitch yesterday.

 

There's a really good restaurant down in the area where the KC pro soccer arena is (down by that nascar track and the Great Wolf Lodge.) Wish I could recall the name. They've been super busy both times I've been there. Put out really good grub. Small chain. I think they brew their own beer. Does this sound familiar at all? I had the poke natchos appetizer if that rings any bells. It was delicious.

[49r]

34 minutes ago, HuskerFever said:

 

You can hate them all you want, but as @Keenan9595 mentioned, it elevated the financial and community expectations of the league. They set the tone for clubs like LAFC, and even the lesser clubs like FC Cincy who now has an stellar stadium. It's forcing clubs like Chicago to step it up (again). Without MLS 2.0, clubs are still playing in baseball stadiums, or way out in the suburbs with 8,000 fans in attendance.

 

Atlanta and LAFC joined the MLS at the same time (alongside Minnesota) in 2017, Atlanta didn't "set the tone" for LAFC - they literally have been around the same amount of time.  The only clubs newer are Cincinnati (2019), Nashville and Miami (2020) and Austin FC (2021)...and those teams didn't build their nice new stadia because Atlanta "set the tone" or any bullshit like that.  They did it because the MLS requires new clubs to play in stadiums owned by the club and have done for probably a decade or so?

 

If anyone "set the tone" it was ten years ago when Seattle joined the league and set attendance records of their own way back then.  That, or David Beckham.  He has probably done more for the popularity of the league, like it or not, than any other single person.  And in some cases he's done more than some whole clubs.

 

My beef is in general with Atlanta "fans".  They are a bunch of plastics that cosplay as soccer fans and think that because they were gifted a championship early on in their tenure by the heinous MLS draft rules for new clubs and being placed in a pathetically weak eastern conference all of a sudden they have a club "culture" and "tradition" that somehow elevates them beyond who they really are.

 

Let them have a decade of wooden spoons and missing the playoffs and we'll see just what kind of "tone" they set down there.

[aphilso1]

34 minutes ago, Norm Peterson said:

 

There's a really good restaurant down in the area where the KC pro soccer arena is (down by that nascar track and the Great Wolf Lodge.) Wish I could recall the name. They've been super busy both times I've been there. Put out really good grub. Small chain. I think they brew their own beer. Does this sound familiar at all? I had the poke natchos appetizer if that rings any bells. It was delicious.

 

Yard House.  And if you like poke nachos, you should hit Twisted Cork next time you're in Omaha (note: this is a different restaurant and not the same as the better known Twisted Fork).  Twisted Cork has the best seafood in Omaha and some really creative dishes.  Super underrated restaurant.

Edited May 18, 2021 by aphilso1

[HuskerFever]

9 minutes ago, 49r said:

 

Atlanta and LAFC joined the MLS at the same time (alongside Minnesota) in 2017, Atlanta didn't "set the tone" for LAFC - they literally have been around the same amount of time.  The only clubs newer are Cincinnati (2019), Nashville and Miami (2020) and Austin FC (2021)...and those teams didn't build their nice new stadia because Atlanta "set the tone" or any bullshit like that.  They did it because the MLS requires new clubs to play in stadiums owned by the club and have done for probably a decade or so?

 

If anyone "set the tone" it was ten years ago when Seattle joined the league and set attendance records of their own way back then.  That, or David Beckham.  He has probably done more for the popularity of the league, like it or not, than any other single person.  And in some cases he's done more than some whole clubs.

 

My beef is in general with Atlanta "fans".  They are a bunch of plastics that cosplay as soccer fans and think that because they were gifted a championship early on in their tenure by the heinous MLS draft rules for new clubs and being placed in a pathetically weak eastern conference all of a sudden they have a club "culture" and "tradition" that somehow elevates them beyond who they really are.

 

Let them have a decade of wooden spoons and missing the playoffs and we'll see just what kind of "tone" they set down there.

 

Didn't Atlanta start in 2017 and LAFC in 2018?

 

I agree that Seattle propelled the league when it joined. Is it too much to say there was a second wave circa 2017, regardless of what you'd associate that cause to?

[Silverbacked1]

16 minutes ago, 49r said:

 

Atlanta and LAFC joined the MLS at the same time (alongside Minnesota) in 2017, Atlanta didn't "set the tone" for LAFC - they literally have been around the same amount of time.  The only clubs newer are Cincinnati (2019), Nashville and Miami (2020) and Austin FC (2021)...and those teams didn't build their nice new stadia because Atlanta "set the tone" or any bullshit like that.  They did it because the MLS requires new clubs to play in stadiums owned by the club and have done for probably a decade or so?

 

If anyone "set the tone" it was ten years ago when Seattle joined the league and set attendance records of their own way back then.  That, or David Beckham.  He has probably done more for the popularity of the league, like it or not, than any other single person.  And in some cases he's done more than some whole clubs.

 

My beef is in general with Atlanta "fans".  They are a bunch of plastics that cosplay as soccer fans and think that because they were gifted a championship early on in their tenure by the heinous MLS draft rules for new clubs and being placed in a pathetically weak eastern conference all of a sudden they have a club "culture" and "tradition" that somehow elevates them beyond who they really are.

 

Let them have a decade of wooden spoons and missing the playoffs and we'll see just what kind of "tone" they set down there.

 

I don't know 9er I not sure you proved your point without charts

[Keenan9595]

1 hour ago, 49r said:

 

 

...and now I have to hate you...

Meh...join the club lol.  I’ve been a husker and eagles fan living in hardcore cowboys and Longhorns territory...I’ve work my Dortmund jersey to work not knowing my boss was a massive Bayern fan and I’ve been supporting man United since I was 8 and get shit all the time for it, and that’s just sports, wait until we get into comic book, videogame and music debates, I loose more friends then I make in those realms as well. Haha

Edited May 18, 2021 by Keenan9595