Americans actually think the MLS is the 8th best league in the world...

[dfens]

sons how can you be so out of touch with reality smh ? I mean I understand you need safe space but living in an alternate reality is too much tbh. Psychologists don't bite tbh, it might change your life tbh at least try to talk to people irl, like go at the mall and talk to homeless people or socialize with the korean lady at the store, it's not hard, these people are lonely too. Hopes and prayers tbh

[Phenomanul]

You're talking historical. It's a very top heavy league nowadays. It's a good league for preparing their national team; nobody from non ty concacaf countries or SA flunkies are transferring there. Come to terms.

And this is why the MLS can't compete with the structure of Liga MX:

from reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/LigaMX/comm...rison_updated/

So MLS teams have 21 players making 20k or more per week, Liga MX teams have 141 players making 20k or more

That speaks to two things:

1- The possible inflation of median salaries in Liga MX.

2- The extreme gap in depth that the two teams have. The best teams in MLS can compete with the top 4-5 teams in Liga MX, but the drop off after that is why MLS never does much in CCL [CONCACAF Champions League].

TAM has made it much closer than it was, but MLS needs to keeps investing in those kinds of players if they want to narrow the gap.

edit: Just to provide context, when a player signs with MLS, they sign with the league to keep teams from having to one-up each other on salaries and keeps salaries from inflating, which speaks largely to the discrepancy in the median salaries.

Right, it's confusing. It's paid off in that MLS teams haven't been knocked out by any team other than LMX teams since it's introduction. The average age of new players in the league is 20.4 so far this winter, largely because of TAM.

It's separated MLS from the top Costa Rican/Honduran teams, but there's obviously still a gap between Liga MX and MLS teams because of the sheer depth.

For instance, the best team in MLS right now is Toronto FC. Their top 6-7 players can compete and do very well against Liga MX teams, but after that 7th player, the drop off is where it gets tough. They're adding Gregory van der Wiel this week, so that will close the gap more, but the salary cap makes it tough to beat teams like Tigres who can afford to have strength at every single position. Because of the salary cap, teams essentially have to concede that they will have weak spots, but that is changing as the rules are relaxed more and more.

[Spurtacular]

And this is why the MLS can't compete with the structure of Liga MX:

from reddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/LigaMX/comm...rison_updated/

Pay parity? That really what you want to hang your hopes and dreams on? You think the top leagues are saying Messi/Ronaldo, you guys need to take a cut so that we can spread the wealth and make a better product.

Look, there might be something to those numbers; but the idea that it's a central argument, I dunno about all that. What it says is that if you're a middle of the road soccer player, you're better off being born Mexican than American, cos you're gonna get paid better.

[Spurtacular]

[Blizzardwizard]

I don't think the MLS can truly make strides until they finally adopt the promotion/relegation system - unless their aim is uniqueness with the franchise system, it's impossible to compete alongside the world's most respected leagues unless they mirror the widely used tier system. Of course, the rich owners of MLS teams are unlikely to ever agree to adopting the promotion/relegation system due to it at first being of financial detriment to them, and they know Americans not used to the concept of relegation would probably abandon their team in droves if it were to happen.

There are so many teams who wallow in mediocrity every year in the MLS but suffer no repercussions or consequence for it, whereas the threat of relegation motivates even the worst teams to play well and improves the overall compe iveness of any given division. You can't expect a league to improve too much if the majority of its teams are just content with simply being in the division.

They have a LONG way to go - the player with the highest goals-to-game ratio in MLS history (Bradley Wright-Phillips) joined the league at 28 having spent the majority of his career before that in the third division of English football.

[pgardn]

The best athletes in the US don’t play soccer. We will NEVER be top notch unless this changes.

1. Football
2. Basketball
3. Hockey and Baseball

A college football game is going to draw more viewers than a WC game.
A LITTLE LEAGUE BASEBALL WS game is going to draw more viewers than any major club game from any league in the world. (It’s happening right now)

Americans just don’t get excited about soccer for any period of time. The most rabid fans who think about sports all day long and have an entire wardrobe devoted to one team are 1) college football 2)NFL football

And now I will admit I will watch a UT football game before any soccer game yet I do love soccer. But it comes in third behind the Longhorns and the Spurs (San Antonio)

Tottenham v Fulham now. See ya.

[Phenomanul]

The MLS would need a superstar player like Messi or Ronaldo to be the face of the league while still in their prime (22-30 years old). Only then will they even begin to draw viewers to the sport.

Right now the talent-based quality is paltry, and the product suffers for it.

[playblair]

imagine a team full of sub 4.4 american players with nfl rb/cb/wr agility mixed with nba size............messi/ronaldo would be considered scrubs if americans played soccer

[playblair]

preview.........spoiler norman no soccer experience looked world class vs a top 5 soccer player.............imagine if american athletes played their entire lives..........

[Spurtacular]

I don't think the MLS can truly make strides until they finally adopt the promotion/relegation system - unless their aim is uniqueness with the franchise system, it's impossible to compete alongside the world's most respected leagues unless they mirror the widely used tier system. Of course, the rich owners of MLS teams are unlikely to ever agree to adopting the promotion/relegation system due to it at first being of financial detriment to them, and they know Americans not used to the concept of relegation would probably abandon their team in droves if it were to happen.

There are so many teams who wallow in mediocrity every year in the MLS but suffer no repercussions or consequence for it, whereas the threat of relegation motivates even the worst teams to play well and improves the overall compe iveness of any given division. You can't expect a league to improve too much if the majority of its teams are just content with simply being in the division.

They have a LONG way to go - the player with the highest goals-to-game ratio in MLS history (Bradley Wright-Phillips) joined the league at 28 having spent the majority of his career before that in the third division of English football.

The go-around is to allow the teams with the highest payrolls to have relegation exemptions at first. Ultimately, this could be a promotional tool for teams to play to avoid relegation and for teams to play for advancement. Right now, the MLS is just a revolver door league for mediocre players without much to play for (little to no reason for a fan to watch on TV regularly). For me, I did like the LA Galaxy days of Becks, Donovan, Keane; but that is the exception, not the norm.

[Spurtacular]

El Trafico (LA Galaxy vs. LAFC) play tonight. I don't watch much MLS; but if I remember, I might watch some of that.

[Phenomanul]

imagine a team full of sub 4.4 american players with nfl rb/cb/wr agility mixed with nba size............messi/ronaldo would be considered scrubs if americans played soccer

The sport has already been witness to dominant footballers that fit that description.

Ronaldo (the original)
George Weah
Garrincha
Ruud Gullit

...all come to mind.

BTW in soccer, height doesn't necessarily transfer to increasing someone's agility. Low centers of gravity are actually beneficial because they compliment the ability to maintain elite balance - required for elite dribbling.

Lastly, you can't teach vision. Players like Andrea Pirlo, Andrés Iniesta, or Xavi Hernández were never physically imposing players. Their playmaking abilities however were still off the charts. THOSE are the players that the U.S. (along with many other nations) are lacking... they are difficult to find, gems in the sport.

[Phenomanul]

Quit spamming the thread.

[Spurtacular]

ing tool.

[FrostKing]

Watching Sportscenter. A couple soccer highlights on 'Top Plays' and as usual the anchors make snide comments about the sport.

Then they run some monologe bout Le . Changed the channel. I'm ashamed to be currently living in a nation that prefers the NBA to UEFA

[Azlan82]

Any league in which Bradley Wright Phillips is seen as a legend, isn't top 15.

[Spurtacular]

Watching Sportscenter. A couple soccer highlights on 'Top Plays' and as usual the anchors make snide comments about the sport.

Then they run some monologe bout Le . Changed the channel. I'm ashamed to be currently living in a nation that prefers the NBA to UEFA

Why? UEFA ain't where the return on investment is. Europeans got what they wanted from when they tried to sabotage the US in 02, 06, 10, 14 WC's (we sabotaged ourselves in 18 for them).

[FrostKing]

Why? UEFA ain't where the return on investment is. Europeans got what they wanted from when they tried to sabotage the US in 02, 06, 10, 14 WC's (we sabotaged ourselves in 18 for them).

NBA has high ratings because it is force fed on ESPN, TNT, ABC etc and blacks spam it on Twitter.

How does 13% of the population pollute so much of the Internet. Kinda crazy

[tlongII]

It's probably the 6th best league in the world now tbh.

[FrostKing]

It's probably the 6th best league in the world now tbh.

Turkish and Dutch still better. Russian too but not by large margin. Portuguese?