Arena The Old Title Was Way Too Long: USMNT/MLS Discussion

Frustrating, another draw at home. Thought the penalty awarded to Finlay was generous. Probably a fair result, if a little unlucky to NYCFV

Strilo, pick your best/wrist

 

Wait who am I picking this for?

 

Myself and Heels. We each need a signature and icon for a week.

 

The Salary Cap only counts the value of the money being paid by the MLS Club. Last year, TFC brought in Julio Cesar and only had the cap hit for the portion they paid. So, technically, the answer is yes. But:

1) I imagine due to the unique nature of club ownership, the rest of the league would block such a move with some invented measure.
2) The MLS Window is already closed.

I do think there's a chance this winter after Lampard retires that Toure moves from Man City to NYCFC, though.

 

The ten game winless streak is over. Columbus finally claim all three points. Ethan Finley finally has shooting accuracy that no longer impersonates an Imperial Stormtrooper.

And, despite that winless steak CCSC sits just five points out of a playoff spot with a game in hand on several teams they chase.

 

Pretty certain to happen, IMHO.

 

Merritt Paulson (Timbers owner) is publicly campaigning for Wayne Rooney to MLS, as well.

 

Well, that Columbus resurgence was short lived.

 

Christian Pulisic is a god among boys and I don't care that he was playing against a Caribbean nation team that is literally starting police officers and fishermen.

 

The USMNT finally looked like the Kings of CONCACAF they claim to be last night. Just a dominant performance over Trinidad and Tobago. Pulisic. Wow. The hype train is already rolling, but he had a masterful game last night. The assist. The near goal that hit both posts. A couple of great pieces of defending. Some great runs. The kid is going to be the best outfield player the US has ever had. And maybe the best player overall. Better than Donovan. Better than McBride. Perhaps, even, better than Freidel.

The Hex starts rough. November 11th in Columbus vs. Mexico, and then at Costa Rica.

 

Pulsic was unreal. Very nice first start for the USMNT.

I'm kicking myself right now...I have a work thing on November 12. If the USMNT plays in Columbus on the 11th, I might have no choice but to go.

 

Somebody really should have had (and used) the power to veto Landon Donovan coming out of retirement.

 

It's confirmed for Columbus. Go, man. Just go. There's nothing like a USA Game in Columbus. I'll forever treasure the memories of my Dos A Cero.

Looking at the rest of the HEX schedule, here's my prediction on where the other games are:

March 24 vs. Honduras - Seattle. I think US Soccer will want to put a game in Seattle, and I think this is the most likely spot. A long flight for a Honduran team that's not used to that much travel could play mind games with them, and leave them vulnerable. The US will want some kind of edge, as MLS players will be in preseason form, so Seattle makes good sense. I could see Denver, with a hope of another snow storm against another Central American team, or another cold weather city that might give the Honduarns a nasty surprise in March - like Philadelphia.

June 9th vs. Trindidad & Tobego - Salt Lake City. Klinsman will likely want the team to play and train at altitude with the trip to Mexico just a few days later. I think he prefers Salt Lake to Denver, who I rank as the second most likely to get this game. This one could slide to Seattle, though, as T&T is the easiest opponent in the hex, and therefore the best to put in a larger stadium to help bring in additional revenue.

September 1st vs. Costa Rica - Kansas City. Costa Rica is the 2nd toughest opponent in the Hex, and Children's Mercy Park is the 2nd best homefield stadium the Yanks have. I could see Denver used here, to put a mental game on the Ticos after the Snowclassico last time, or Kansas City being saved for the final home hex game, just in case a win is needed to advance the team. Still, I think you take the homefield you need against the opponents you need it against and put this one in KC.

October 6 vs. Panama - New Jersey (Red Bull Arena) - I think the federation will wait as late as they possibly can to announce this one, but my prediction of NY hinges on a) Kansas City being used elsewhere in the hex, and b) the US being in good enough shape that they don't need a win to secure a bid to the World Cup. But, I think US Soccer will want to put a game on the East Coast, and the NY area makes a lot of sense. Could see it going to KC (because Panama will really want to play in Zusi's home stadium), or even Orlando if they want a bigger venue on the East Coast and don't need the result.

 

I'm really going to look into it. My main concern is that I have to be at work at 8am. If it's a 7pm match, I probably would be able to swing it.

 

Good god, I completely failed at this. I was out of town in Chicago, then back for work, then camping, then in Vegas for work... sheesh.

 

It's never too late to pay off a bet

 

Barcelona rumored as the opponent for the 2017 MLS All-Star Game.

I'm a hypocrite, because I hate MLS teams playing mid-season friendlies against European clubs, but I LOVE the MLS All-Star game being played against a top European club. Barcelona would be the biggest team yet. No announcement on where the game will be yet, but both Chicago and Montreal rumored as being hosts.

 

Crew SC apparently getting serious about replacing Mapre/Crew Stadium. Sent an email with a survey link to supporters today, gauging interest, preference on amenities, and feedback on possible locations for a new "state of the art" Soccer Stadium in Columbus. Completely torn on this for a number of reasons:

Better Location of Stadium would improve local fan experience. The current stadium is on the county fairgrounds, and has nothing around it, basically. No shopping, no restaurants. You can't go to a Crew SC game as part of a larger experience. You go there to go to the game. That probably is a deterrent for some casual fans.

State of the Art Stadium could bring in better luxury suites, advertising, corporate sponsors ... overall, more revenue for Crew SC. More revenue means they can invest more in salaries, training, academies, etc. Would improve the on-field product. State of the Art would also be a bigger draw to the casual fan and those who just have pride in the City/Region.

There's so little history that we stand on in US Soccer. The current stadium is the oldest, and first professional soccer-specific. Losing that means losing a chance at something that could be our version of Old Trafford or Ibrox Stadium or something else along those lines.

The US Soccer Team's history of playing there. And, not just Dos a Cero, but also Dos a Cero. How much of the magic is Columbus, and how much of the magic is that Stadium? Would the loss of the stadium mean US Soccer would move the quadrennial Mexico game? Would US Soccer take ownership of the old stadium after it was vacated (turning it into our Wembley, of sorts)?

 

Heelsy, have you read the Oral History of MLS that Grant Wahl/SI put together last year? It's a phenomenal read. One of the great nuggets about it was the way international soccer leaders encouraged MLS to just "try new things". They wanted to put every possible change on the table and use MLS as a guinea pig. Rational, very sound, was that if it worked, they could safely adopt it on a broader scale, and if it failed, they could just blame the US for being different. Those shootouts were part of that (though, I'll add, much the same as the shootout method used in the old NASL in the days of Pele). Nothing was off the table, and I mean nothing. Substitution rules, size of goals, etc.

You can read it here if you haven't.