>expanding with new teams backed with big money and modern stadiums >growing youth development structure >more and more quality players choosing MLS over more established leagues >players all over the world saying they want to come to MLS >top 7 attendance in the world >parity driven league where everyone has a chance and no mega-club monopoly >salary cap to stave off inflation
when will people come to terms with the fact that they're worried we will soon take our throne as one of the best leagues in the world in a fraction of the time it took every other league?
>b-but China is overpaying for players who leave in 2 seasons while their youth development is non-existent
>>parity driven league where everyone has a chance and no mega-club monopoly >>salary cap to stave off inflation
You need to get rid of this commie shit and add at least one lower league so that relegation is a threat. Also you need more local rivalries
Ethan James
relegation will not happen for a very long time, because of sports ownership culture as well as fan support in America.
No American wants to pay money to see a second tier club. If a top tier club sucks dick and gets relegated, not only will the club see a harsh drop in attendance, it will be playing against clubs that have 4000-5000 capacity fields. So if one of these small second tier teams suddenly does very good and gets promoted up to the first tier, its playing against teams that have expensive stadiums that have 30-40k attendance. It will drag MLS attendance figures down.
furthermore, owners/shareholders who buy into a team, only to see that team relegated down to a league with substantially less profit, might become annoyed, sell there shares, and buy into another MLS team that doesn't suck.
Now you will probably ask "Why don't they support the second tier teams?" Because we don't have an embedded culture for these things like they do in bongland or brazil. Minor League teams for many sport are treated like minor league teams. they aren't the top of the top, you won't see the best players playing against one another, and these teams don't bring in enough revenue to be top tier teams. Most USL/NASL teams are placed in cities/towns that don't have a MLS team as well. smaller markets with much less value and capacity to grow.
I'm not saying that it will never happen, but it will be decades at the very least before pro/rel gets seriously talked about.
Logan Reyes
The US needs at least 50 teams. And before you lose your shit about the number, the US has 50 fucking states and is the 3rd/4th biggest country in the world. NASL should become the second half of the first tier (like the AL and NL in Baseball). 25 teams in the MLS 25 teams in the NASL No relegation, because it's their system, nobody gives a shit about a literally who 2nd tier team there. (Not many people do over here either). Increase funding for college soccer. Establish a farm-team system like in the MLB with AAA, AA and A (call them what you like, the A's are a Baseball tradition)
Connor Allen
>parity driven league where everyone has a chance
This is the main problem imo. You need established big clubs. Instead you have a full league of irrelevant clubs.
I still believe the MLS will be a top 10 league in the world by 2030. What would be the 10th best league in the world right now? Russia or something? No reason MLS can't be at that level. They are building a great footballing infrastructure in the country and the popularity is ever increasing.
>make Altidore and Bradley two of highest paid players in the league
And you want to be taken serious?
Anthony Harris
I can get on board with something like this.
Having a West MLS and an East MLS makes more sense, because then teams don't have to travel as much and you develop rivalries faster. You don't have Seattle flying to Atlanta and New York and you don't have Orlando City flying to Portland and Vancouver.
the Premier League has it made, because teams can travel by bus to all of their respective games. the US is massive and teams travel thousands of miles a year.
Seattle to Orlando City is over 3000 miles. that's like 5 UK's in a row.
Brandon Lopez
We could have 5 MLS and a national CL.
Brody Nelson
Football hooliganism with guns when?
Jacob Clark
>major league soccer, an american league
>team from Canada has highest payroll, one of the best academy systems and is currently dominating the league
MLS owners are awful, there are teams out there who can't even get TWO designated players. If you don't have three marquee players and spend $10m on wages MINIMUM you are destined to be god awful. I don't even care if they are flops are not or are completely overpaid, the vast majority of owners just don't give a shit.
And the majority of these teams have shitty academies which have produced nothing. Jordan Morris was supposed to be an American superstar, he is trash and destined to be an MLS lifer. College soccer is awful and is actively damaging US soccer development and the """Super""" draft is pretty much worthless these days, the last 4 years the top pick was an international player lmao.
In 5-10 years the Canadian Premier League will have higher quality soccer. Each one of the Canadian teams has one potential world superstar brought up through their academy. A Canadian academy produced Cyle Larin. Canadians care about soccer. Americans don't.
For the love of god Seattle has an average attendance of 40k per game and they can barely spend $10m on wages? Even with Garberbux and THREE DP slots? Awful.
>in before LEL CANADA, completely disregarding all the points I just made
Nolan Stewart
hello, is this /mls/?
Anthony Rodriguez
>hurr american soccer development is soooo good
Here is a literally who Canadian academy product who doesn't get any respect and rides the pine because he's Canadian completely shitting all over MLS's golden boy despite getting no minutes.
This is the future burgers. He will play in CPL because MLS hates Canadians.
Lucas Baker
Promote a few lower league teams to MLS and your division could easily work.
