We don’t want MLS anyway. I’d probably chalk it up to curmudgeonly columnist being curmudgeonly, more than an accurate local sentiment (and the one-sentence paragraphs and random usage of bold and italics throughout would underscore that), but there’s at least some expression of “MLS shouldn’t pick Cincinnati” coming directly from the Queen City.
Of course, that I almost feel guilty linking it because that’s tacit support of… well, you ca read for yourself if you so desire, and make judgments about the quality of the writing yourself. Can’t possibly imagine why newspapers are dying out, though.
Meanwhile the only people complaining about Nashville’s stadium – and don’t get me wrong, there may be some salient points in between all the idiocy – are those who are upset about the city giving away a 10-acre parcel (fair), and those who are too stupid to realize what the state referendum in 2011 entailed (which I’ve already covered, and if you sue the Metro Council because you are incapable of reading, you should be shot into the sun).
We should know relatively soon – the MLS meeting is in two days – the result of the next wave of expansion.
A bit more on pro/rel. If you haven’t yet listened to the hour-plus podcast from the debate we had the other night, I’d encourage it.
In somewhat related news, the Rochester Rhinos will suspend operations for the 2018 season.
This comes as the community rallied to generate increased support over the past two weeks, yet not to the extent needed. Significant gaps remain, including Capelli Sport Stadium’s exclusion from receiving a portion of the Hotel Occupancy Tax.
“Our business cannot exist because it did not receive a subsidy it almost certainly didn’t deserve” is an indication that you do not have a viable business. That isn’t changing if you have a promotion/relegation system. Fans aren’t going to pack that stadium simply because one day, there’s a chance their team could be in the top flight.
I’ve said it before and I’ve said it again: American fans are not going to support such a system. Soccer fans? sure, especially those who also enjoy overseas leagues. But the majority of them are already interested even in lower-division sides. You need money from outside the system to keep clubs like this afloat. A pro/rel system simply puts more clubs in danger of folding when they drop to a lower division, and does nothing to inject more money into the system. The end.
Like I said on the debate, I’m not an anti-pro/rel zealot. Just a guy who understands the reality that it’s not viable (especially for dollar and cents purposes, the most important of all) in American sports today.
Meanwhile, even Liga MX, with far more established soccer culture in its country, has teams getting promoted that can’t even meet the requirements for the top flight. That sounds… less than ideal. Would a Rochester be able to survive financially even in a top flight? How about NASL champion San Francisco Deltas, which won their Division-2 league then immediately folded? Pro/rel isn’t keeping that team afloat: it’s a path to having a top flight that sees teams folding all the time.
MLS’s place in developing domestic talent. …is obviously a topic this site will talk about regularly. I have a large post on the way sooner or later with some of my big-picture ideas. In the meantime, I agree with the general thrust of this Four Four Two story:
Instead of punishing teams that don’t field young Americans or Canadians, MLS should reward clubs that develop and field their youngsters. The league could give extra General Allocation Money to teams that give significant minutes to their domestic U-21s. The incentive system could operate on a sliding scale, with the team that gives the most minutes to American or Canadian U-21s getting the most allocation money, the second-placed team getting slightly less, third-place slight less and so on down the list.
That’s on the right track, no doubt. An expansion of homegrown player rules – vis-a-vis the salary cap, especially – allowing clubs to keep a greater percentage of profit from selling players who come up through their systems (this is one of my big focuses), and a subsidy from US Soccer for developing YNT and MNT talent would be wiser incentives for playing young Americans (frankly, I could give a fuck whether Canada gets talent coming up through MLS, but CSA would be wise to follow suit is USSF did that).
As noted in the article, it’s not necessarily MLS’s job to look out for US Soccer – the murky world of Soccer United Marketing collusion notwithstanding – but the national federation can do its part to incentivize. A bit of deregulation of the single-entity structure of MLS is important, as well.
Got (some) players. Nashville SC’s first signing, Matt Pickens, profiled on the USL website:
Q: What made a move to Nashville the right one for you at this point of your career?
MP: There are many elements that played a part in my decision to join Nashville SC. The most important of all is that of a new challenge with the opportunities in Nashville. I try to continue to challenge myself so that I do not fall victim to comfort in my playing career. I know that this project of building a successful club in Nashville will be fun and challenging at the same time. From the ownership group to the staff and front office persons at Nashville SC, I envision this club will be another gem in the American soccer landscape. I am excited to see the city of Nashville get behind us on this ride we’re about to set off on.
Much more at the link, not much of it particularly interesting int he king of softball interviews. Rowdies management shows support for him on his way out of Tampa.
Looking forward to seeing more signings to know who we’ll be supporting in the team’s inaugural season. You can see my breakdowns on the first four signings here.
Etc. Soccer United Marketing’s World Cup NIT is a legit possibility… If you have to specify “I’m not a bad candidate for the office I’m running fore because my personality is actually very different from how I publicly present myself,” you’re not off to a hot start… Much more on USSF elections in coming days. NPSL looking at a longer season… Soccer-happy markets instead of big ones move more merchandise in MLS… Development and exposure and supporting the growth of the game at youth levels.
Club and Country 