MLS 2021

[wlu_lax6]

So Chicago changes badges again. Very cubs like. Mls needs to ease up on brand work. Fans are revolting. Changes are not helping.

[DaveInSeattle]

Sounders started 5 teenagers tonight against Austin.



Vargas is 15!

And Ruidiaz with a great goal...

[wlu_lax6]

If you have not had a chance to watch DC United this year, I highly recommend it. Losada has a very aggressive system that it taking a team with pretty limited star power and getting a ton from them. It is very much a style of Bielsa. Run Run Run, Press, Press, Press and aggressive vertical passing. Add in Kevin Paredes who is just blossoming this year. They are worth the time to check them out.

Other thoughts
* If DC spent some money they could be real competitors.
* Nice to see the academy players start to contribute. DC had the lowest ranked academy for years. Now we get Parades and Nymen getting big minutes. Griffin Yow seems to make the bench pretty regularly but for the kid who was supposed to be the star it has been surpassed by other academy signings.
* Hamid keeps getting hurt. He is a DP. I think I am ready to move on. I like Hamid and the DC back ups are not as good but good enough and bring much higher value per salary.
* I know Najar is on the back side of his career but his return to DC has bene a huge lift. Glad it did not really work out between LAFC and Najar.

[Rex]

I don’t think you can afford to DP your keeper in MLS anymore. Just try to strike gold with a young prospect or settle for a journeyman and try to win every game 4-3. Atlanta is going through the same thing right now with Guzan (who is not a DP but is overpaid for what you get).

[sancarlos]

[DaveInSeattle]

Two pretty amazing goals in lasta nights beatdown of the Timbers...

[P.D.X.]

Think that might be the nail in Saverese's coffin.

[Steve of phpBB]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/real-sal ... -midseason

Apparently the big knock on Freddy is that he is terrible at substitutions. Now we have Pablo Mastroeni as our coach.

[wlu_lax6]

so Montreal shutting down the fan section of the stadium. Violence, intimidation, and vandalism.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cf-montreal ... -1.5576958

[govmentchedda]

so Montreal shutting down the fan section of the stadium. Violence, intimidation, and vandalism.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cf-montreal ... -1.5576958

Shit like this is why I'm not an Orlando City fan. Their wannabe tough guys are the fucking worst. Also, I just can't get into MLS.

[Steve of phpBB]

so Montreal shutting down the fan section of the stadium. Violence, intimidation, and vandalism.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cf-montreal ... -1.5576958

Shit like this is why I'm not an Orlando City fan. Their wannabe tough guys are the fucking worst. Also, I just can't get into MLS.

These guys who want to be ultra-fans of a team that didn't exist ten or twenty years ago are annoying as hell.

[Nonlinear FC]

so Montreal shutting down the fan section of the stadium. Violence, intimidation, and vandalism.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cf-montreal ... -1.5576958

Shit like this is why I'm not an Orlando City fan. Their wannabe tough guys are the fucking worst. Also, I just can't get into MLS.

These guys who want to be ultra-fans of a team that didn't exist ten or twenty years ago are annoying as hell.

Yeah, it's been going on with almost every team since the beginning. DCU had a tiny group that wanted to be neo-Nazis, but that got rooted out pretty quickly. I remember Red Bull and the Crew also had elements that would get talked about back in the early days. Things got pretty heated between those 3 franchises to the point that respective management had meetings with supporters clubs about fighting in the stands and in parking lots.

It's all VERY silly.

[P.D.X.]

Even the proud boys get in on the action

[The Sybian]

so Montreal shutting down the fan section of the stadium. Violence, intimidation, and vandalism.

https://montreal.ctvnews.ca/cf-montreal ... -1.5576958

Shit like this is why I'm not an Orlando City fan. Their wannabe tough guys are the fucking worst. Also, I just can't get into MLS.

These guys who want to be ultra-fans of a team that didn't exist ten or twenty years ago are annoying as hell.

Yeah, it's been going on with almost every team since the beginning. DCU had a tiny group that wanted to be neo-Nazis, but that got rooted out pretty quickly. I remember Red Bull and the Crew also had elements that would get talked about back in the early days. Things got pretty heated between those 3 franchises to the point that respective management had meetings with supporters clubs about fighting in the stands and in parking lots.

It's all VERY silly.

I can't fathom having a rivalry or hatred of opposing fans for a new league. Especially in those days, the league owned the teams and player contracts, so it wasn't even like real clubs, the league placed star players near their hometowns to drum up interest and moved players to try to create parity in the league. In the early years MLS felt like college intramurals or a rec league for this reason. I guess assholes were looking for an excuse to act like thugs and the violence was the motivation, the fandom was a lame excuse.

[Nonlinear FC]

Yeah, these were guys (and a few gals) that romanticized the hooliganism in Europe, as well as a faction from Argentina and a few other S.A. countries that wanted to replicate the bullshit that goes on between River and Boca and other teams.

It's all just so stupid because these are middle- to high-class white folks (mostly) that have NOTHING in common with the thugs and kids from barrios that make up most of the hooligans/ultra types in these other countries.

Add on to that what you are saying, just how artificial the entire league felt at the time... Let alone posing as a hardcore fan base with some kind of half-baked "rivalry" after 2 or 3 years?

Ridiculous.

[The Sybian]

Yeah, these were guys (and a few gals) that romanticized the hooliganism in Europe, as well as a faction from Argentina and a few other S.A. countries that wanted to replicate the bullshit that goes on between River and Boca and other teams.

It's all just so stupid because these are middle- to high-class white folks (mostly) that have NOTHING in common with the thugs and kids from barrios that make up most of the hooligans/ultra types in these other countries.

Add on to that what you are saying, just how artificial the entire league felt at the time... Let alone posing as a hardcore fan base with some kind of half-baked "rivalry" after 2 or 3 years?

Ridiculous.

On the flip side, I went to a Red Bulls game maybe 10 years ago and we went to one of the supports bars before the game and marched across the river from Newark to the stadium. It was a surreal experience. There were around 100 people in the group at the bar, at an outdoor area playing drums, singing and dancing (and drinking) for a couple hours before the game. Everyone walked over with the drums going, chanting, waiving flags, etc... I didn't give a crap about the team other than being excited to see Thierry Henry in one of his first games in MLS, but it was powerful to experience, I can see how people get swept up in the scene. There were fans of whatever team Red Bulls played that day, but it was all friendly taunting with them. The supporter groups are truly incredible and create an amazing atmosphere throughout the entire stadium. Even if you are in the opposite end, the drums vibrate the whole stadium and keep the energy up.

[govmentchedda]

Yeah, these were guys (and a few gals) that romanticized the hooliganism in Europe, as well as a faction from Argentina and a few other S.A. countries that wanted to replicate the bullshit that goes on between River and Boca and other teams.

It's all just so stupid because these are middle- to high-class white folks (mostly) that have NOTHING in common with the thugs and kids from barrios that make up most of the hooligans/ultra types in these other countries.

Add on to that what you are saying, just how artificial the entire league felt at the time... Let alone posing as a hardcore fan base with some kind of half-baked "rivalry" after 2 or 3 years?

Ridiculous.

On the flip side, I went to a Red Bulls game maybe 10 years ago and we went to one of the supports bars before the game and marched across the river from Newark to the stadium. It was a surreal experience. There were around 100 people in the group at the bar, at an outdoor area playing drums, singing and dancing (and drinking) for a couple hours before the game. Everyone walked over with the drums going, chanting, waiving flags, etc... I didn't give a crap about the team other than being excited to see Thierry Henry in one of his first games in MLS, but it was powerful to experience, I can see how people get swept up in the scene. There were fans of whatever team Red Bulls played that day, but it was all friendly taunting with them. The supporter groups are truly incredible and create an amazing atmosphere throughout the entire stadium. Even if you are in the opposite end, the drums vibrate the whole stadium and keep the energy up.

It's all good until one person gets aggro.

[Nonlinear FC]

Screaming Eagles, Barra Brava and La Norte held RFK together in a pretty incredible way for over a decade. I totally get that aspect.

My buddy that lives in Seattle (and who owns a vodka/limoncello distillery within walking distance of the stadium) had me join him for the march to a Sounders game when we were out there a few years ago. Like Syb said, that shit'll give you goosebumps even if you don't like the team your marching for.

[mister d]

On the flip side, I went to a Red Bulls game maybe 10 years ago and we went to one of the supports bars before the game and marched across the river from Newark to the stadium.

I bet a well timed "wait, we're walking all the way to New York?" comment could have ruined that entire vibe.

[Rex]

It looks like MLS and Liga MX have settled on how they want to merge (for now):



The other piece of it is an expanded CCL. I like anything that forces MLS clubs out of the kiddie pool, but this seems like a lot of games.

[P.D.X.]

Leaning toward this is a good thing but it sure throws a wrench in the current hierarchy of of competition importance.

[brian]

Ooooof.

This is Not Good.

[HaulCitgo]

Has to be really hard to throw soccer games unless you have others in on the scheme. One guy just doesn't impact a game that much unless you're doing blatant stuff that would raise suspicion or get you benched.

[brian]

Has to be really hard to throw soccer games unless you have others in on the scheme. One guy just doesn't impact a game that much unless you're doing blatant stuff that would raise suspicion or get you benched.

Legitimately not sure what your actual point is here. Players betting on games they're playing in is OK in certain sports? It's not a big deal because it wasn't obvious enough for him to get caught by his coaches?

Try to help me out here.

[HaulCitgo]

No. I'm just saying it's hard to pull off game fixing in soccer without it being obvious. Somehow you've got to give the other team a goal (or two).

[brian]

No. I'm just saying it's hard to pull off game fixing in soccer without it being obvious. Somehow you've got to give the other team a goal (or two).

Trying to fix a match is only the bare tip of the iceberg of why a player betting on a game he's playing in is a bad idea and why this is really, really, really bad news for MLS. They're lucky it's going to get swept up in a couple of other bigger brouhahas like Gruden being a racist, the MLB playoffs as well as WCQs.

[P.D.X.]

Sounds like he just has a gambling problem.

The investigation, which was performed by international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, found no evidence that any MLS match had been compromised or that Hernandez had ever bet on an MLS match involving his own team.

[Brontoburglar]

Sounds like he just has a gambling problem.

The investigation, which was performed by international law firm Paul, Weiss, Rifkind Wharton & Garrison LLP, found no evidence that any MLS match had been compromised or that Hernandez had ever bet on an MLS match involving his own team.

yeah, the immediate follow up tweet to the original posted in here was some necessary context

[brian]

OK, definitely true but still really, really bad.

[Brontoburglar]

OK, definitely true but still really, really bad.

in terms of his personal safety being threatened or betting on two league games?

I'd argue it's much more the former coupled with the mental health aspect (and that's not excusing the obvious breach of contract)

[Steve of phpBB]

OK, definitely true but still really, really bad.

in terms of his personal safety being threatened or betting on two league games?

I'd argue it's much more the former coupled with the mental health aspect (and that's not excusing the obvious breach of contract)

Isn’t athletes-mixing-with-gamblers inherently really f’ing bad?

[Brontoburglar]

yes

[wlu_lax6]

So pitch invader during a fight. Wearing a lucha mask. Fights and gun shots. The MLS Liga thing in the summer will be wild.
https://www.espn.com/soccer/major-leagu ... raze-wound

[Rex]

Thank you to MLS for giving me my fix of batshit crazy tonight. Feel bad for DCU, they deserved better. Do not feel bad for Galaxy.

[Rex]

Also, Wondo retired, in case you missed it

[wlu_lax6]

Thank you to MLS for giving me my fix of batshit crazy tonight. Feel bad for DCU, they deserved better. Do not feel bad for Galaxy.

No they did not. DCU had chances over the last month they botched with bad d and sloppy play. But good coach, a style of play, some interesting players (which they have been missing in the last few years). If DC can open up the checkbook a bit this offseason, use the South American relationships the coach has...they could be fun next year.

[phxgators]

[Rex]

I like that video!

[DaveInSeattle]

Well...that sucked...

[P.D.X.]

Woof. Hate to see those RSL tactics prevail but not terribly sad to see the Sounders out of course. Feel like it was just a matter of time before Morris, Lodeiro, and Ruidiaz started clicking again.