MLS vs USL D1

[ted]

An interesting take on the competitiveness of the two leagues:

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/238150_sounders26.html

MLS a desirable partner for Sounders

Team GM wants affiliation

Friday, August 26, 2005

By MATTHEW GASCHK

SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Adrian Hanauer has long been hopeful he could bring Major League Soccer to Seattle.

The whispers began in 1997 when then-MLS commissioner Doug Logan assured Seattle a franchise once Seahawks Stadium was built.

When the league expanded by two teams last year, it seemed certain Seattle would receive one of the bids, only to be trumped in the 11th hour by an ownership group in Salt Lake City.

With expansion talks on the back burner until he can find an ownership partner willing to put up the $10 million expansion fee, Hanauer, the Sounders' general manager, has shifted his thoughts toward a different relationship with MLS.

"It is my personal belief that our league has to have a larger relationship with the MLS," Hanauer said. "It is too difficult a business to have to slice up the customers, the sponsors and the television carriers."

According to Hanauer, several entities in the MLS and United Soccer Leagues First Division are proposing an affiliation system between the leagues. However, teams that have experienced great success at the USL level are becoming more difficult to convince of the importance of pushing the MLS brand.

Hanauer hopes the USL can at least return to the relationship it had with the MLS three years ago, when there was a formula for compensation when USL players were picked up by MLS teams.

The competitive separation between the MLS and USL has remained narrow. This is evident in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in which the Minnesota Thunder and Rochester Raging Rhinos each defeated MLS teams to advance to the quarterfinals.

There is a vast difference in payrolls, however, a separation in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to Hanauer, it is just the top-end players who distinguish the MLS from the USL.

"The difference right now is about three players. If we could add three top-end players to our roster we could play with any MLS team," Hanauer said. "The MLS and USL are very similar, other than those two or three special players that are making big money that the USL just can't afford."

© 1998-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

[Daniel]

Watch the MLS highlights. The calibre is much better, with better goals and more ground play. Yes, certain teams can compete, but overall the difference is pretty big. And I can't see the Whitecaps or the Impact interested in "pushing the MLS brand". As for compensation, USL teams have to do like any other and get transfer fees for players. It's their own fault if they don't ask for any.

[canso]

Watched an Impact game for the first time the other day (1-0 vs Virginia Beach)and found there was a noticeable difference in the quality of players who had spent time in MLS: Shak and Brillant really caught the eye for the Mariners and Greg Sutton looked a giant amongst men at this level.

Having watched two whole MLS games this year hardly makes me an expert but there is a gulf in class in terms of skill level and style of play, but hardly more of a gap than exists between the Premiership and the Fizzy Pop league.

Just wish they would get their heads around the idea of a promotion/relegation scenario.

[canso]

Watched an Impact game for the first time the other day (1-0 vs Virginia Beach)and found there was a noticeable difference in the quality of players who had spent time in MLS: Shak and Brillant really caught the eye for the Mariners and Greg Sutton looked a giant amongst men at this level.

Having watched two whole MLS games this year hardly makes me an expert but there is a gulf in class in terms of skill level and style of play, but hardly more of a gap than exists between the Premiership and the Fizzy Pop league.

Just wish they would get their heads around the idea of a promotion/relegation scenario.

[DarnCherry]

quote:Originally posted by ted

An interesting take on the competitiveness of the two leagues:

SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER

http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/238150_sounders26.html

MLS a desirable partner for Sounders

Team GM wants affiliation

Friday, August 26, 2005

By MATTHEW GASCHK

SPECIAL TO THE POST-INTELLIGENCER

Adrian Hanauer has long been hopeful he could bring Major League Soccer to Seattle.

The whispers began in 1997 when then-MLS commissioner Doug Logan assured Seattle a franchise once Seahawks Stadium was built.

When the league expanded by two teams last year, it seemed certain Seattle would receive one of the bids, only to be trumped in the 11th hour by an ownership group in Salt Lake City.

With expansion talks on the back burner until he can find an ownership partner willing to put up the $10 million expansion fee, Hanauer, the Sounders' general manager, has shifted his thoughts toward a different relationship with MLS.

"It is my personal belief that our league has to have a larger relationship with the MLS," Hanauer said. "It is too difficult a business to have to slice up the customers, the sponsors and the television carriers."

According to Hanauer, several entities in the MLS and United Soccer Leagues First Division are proposing an affiliation system between the leagues. However, teams that have experienced great success at the USL level are becoming more difficult to convince of the importance of pushing the MLS brand.

Hanauer hopes the USL can at least return to the relationship it had with the MLS three years ago, when there was a formula for compensation when USL players were picked up by MLS teams.

The competitive separation between the MLS and USL has remained narrow. This is evident in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, in which the Minnesota Thunder and Rochester Raging Rhinos each defeated MLS teams to advance to the quarterfinals.

There is a vast difference in payrolls, however, a separation in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. According to Hanauer, it is just the top-end players who distinguish the MLS from the USL.

"The difference right now is about three players. If we could add three top-end players to our roster we could play with any MLS team," Hanauer said. "The MLS and USL are very similar, other than those two or three special players that are making big money that the USL just can't afford."

© 1998-2005 Seattle Post-Intelligencer

Hanauer has almost run the Sounders into the ground. Anything he proposes is garbage.

The last time MLS had an agreement with the USL the USL got screwed. For instance Richmond lost De Rosario with very little in compensation.

[Guest HamiltonSteelers]

Personally, it sounds like a PR move to make it seem like the gulf between USL and MLS isn't widening beyond repair.

[DarnCherry]

quote:Originally posted by HamiltonSteelers

Personally, it sounds like a PR move to make it seem like the gulf between USL and MLS isn't widening beyond repair.

It's PR move by the Sounders owner to out the "MLS" brand name on the USL-1. This is because of instead of doing anything to help Sounders attendance such as actual promotion he'd rather just complain that Seattle is a major league town and won;t support a USL franchise. As Finnegan on the USL board succintly put it:

quote:Simply put he doesn't think marketing for the Sounders works because if he invests X amount of marketing dollars for a match he expects that X amount +1 to come back at that match.

So despite the fact that the Sounders used to draw good numebrs, he;d rather believe it's the minor league aspect that is shrinking the crowds in Seattle rather than a lack of marketing.

[Gian-Luca]

I think there is a clear gap, though in addition to that the MLS games are mostly played in better, more professional facilities which make the gap look even bigger.

[Richard]

There may well be a gap when comparing averages or median performance, but it is an indisputable fact that some USLD1 teams routinely defeat some MLS teams in the US Open Cup.

[Gordon]

I don't think the gap in playing quality is that big between MLS and the top 5 or 6 USL D1 teams, Seattle included, but the gap seems quite distinct at this point when the bottom 5-6 USL D1 teams are factored - in at least over a whole season. I was quite dismayed by the Toronto - Puerto Rico game in terms of quality. I know the Lynx were missing many key players, maybe the same was true of P.R. but it was not great soccer. One off games do not mean much, its the consistency in level of play over the whole season that is the distinguisher.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by Gordon

I don't think the gap in playing quality is that big between MLS and the top 5 or 6 USL D1 teams, Seattle included, but the gap seems quite distinct at this point when the bottom 5-6 USL D1 teams are factored - in at least over a whole season. I was quite dismayed by the Toronto - Puerto Rico game in terms of quality. I know the Lynx were missing many key players, maybe the same was true of P.R. but it was not great soccer. One off games do not mean much, its the consistency in level of play over the whole season that is the distinguisher.

But the gap isn't that big between the top of the USL D1 and bottom. The matches between Montreal and Toronto have been pretty close and there was a less noticable advantage IMO compared to when you watch Saturday or Sunday morning matches involving top and bottom of the table clubs. Ok, maybe a little more noticeable in the last Impact game in Toronto but, certainly not the season opener.

Then watch a game like Man U versus Norwich ( that I happen to recall from last year). The difference was humongous and it was almost exclusively attributable to the offensive talent and options on both sides.

I think what happens with leagues like the USL D1 is that the offensive talent is the hardest to retain. So teams that excell are those who can play it as air tight as possible. You don't see all that many goals resulting from individual brilliance or creativity. I only ever saw one MLS game live and I recall that the offensive chances were much more varied and less predictable. I think thats the big difference. But defensively, I agree that the gap between the top USL D1 clubs is probably quite small compared the top USL and clubs and MLS. Hence I suspect that in any given game the USL side could win. But over a 28 game season, a club like the Impact would have to seriously upgrade its offensive personel and game plan.

[canadiankick97]

Well Norwich beat ManU last year, FK.

[Free kick]

quote:Originally posted by canadiankick97

Well Norwich beat ManU last year, FK.

Yeah the game that killed Man U [:I]. alright, I may have have been thinking of a different opponent other than Man U and the game that I am thinking of was earlier in the season. But I assure you, I am not making it up.

[canadiankick97]

Lol, it's ok, I know what you mean.

[Gordon]

quote:Originally posted by Free kick

But the gap isn't that big between the top of the USL D1 and bottom. The matches between Montreal and Toronto have been pretty close and there was a less noticable advantage IMO compared to when you watch Saturday or Sunday morning matches involving top and bottom of the table clubs. Ok, maybe a little more noticeable in the last Impact game in Toronto but, certainly not the season opener.

Then watch a game like Man U versus Norwich ( that I happen to recall from last year). The difference was humongous and it was almost exclusively attributable to the offensive talent and options on both sides.

I think what happens with leagues like the USL D1 is that the offensive talent is the hardest to retain. So teams that excell are those who can play it as air tight as possible. You don't see all that many goals resulting from individual brilliance or creativity. I only ever saw one MLS game live and I recall that the offensive chances were much more varied and less predictable. I think thats the big difference. But defensively, I agree that the gap between the top USL D1 clubs is probably quite small compared the top USL and clubs and MLS. Hence I suspect that in any given game the USL side could win. But over a 28 game season, a club like the Impact would have to seriously upgrade its offensive personel and game plan.

You see USL live week in and week out, so I'll defer to your opinion on this (somewhat ). The one friday night game a week (more or less) USL that I watch, along with 3 A-league games in the last 3 years compared aganst the Saturday MLS game are all I can base my observations on. Television can mask a lot. In any event, I think you are saying more or less the same thing as the Seattle guy, who says the difference is just the top three guys. Or am I overstating that?