SoccMan Posted February 17, 2007 Share Posted February 17, 2007 Over on the Big Soccer boards the rumour about Zidane coming to MLS refuses to go away. Now the rumour has him signing with the Chicago Fire as early as this Monday. If this were to happen TFC season tickets could realisticaly reach the 20 000 mark if MLSE does not put a cap on sales. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RS Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 MLSE has already capped the season tickets. Paul Beirne announced it on the U-Sector and RPB boards a few days ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesW Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 This would be huge, but... I don't think it will happen. However I would be a fool to say that it will not happen. I hope it does! James Wadsworth http://canuckreport.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Start fan in exile Posted February 18, 2007 Share Posted February 18, 2007 Anyone remember Pele? Cruyff? Beckenbauer? Best? Zizou may be right up there with those guys in terms of his influence on the game during his career. He is also exactly the wrong kind of player to bring to MLS - one of the all-time greats who can no longer play at his peak, and would be coming to NA for the paycheque and one last moment of adulation from adoring fans. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a star, get someone like Christiano Ronaldo - someone who is just starting to realise his potential and has yet to put his stamp on the game. If MLS has the financial muscle and the ambition to play with the eurpoean big leagues, then dammit, play! Don't go chasing castoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 I agree. Forget Zidane. quote:Originally posted by Start fan in exile Anyone remember Pele? Cruyff? Beckenbauer? Best? Zizou may be right up there with those guys in terms of his influence on the game during his career. He is also exactly the wrong kind of player to bring to MLS - one of the all-time greats who can no longer play at his peak, and would be coming to NA for the paycheque and one last moment of adulation from adoring fans. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a star, get someone like Christiano Ronaldo - someone who is just starting to realise his potential and has yet to put his stamp on the game. If MLS has the financial muscle and the ambition to play with the eurpoean big leagues, then dammit, play! Don't go chasing castoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JamesW Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Start fan in exile, suggesting that "someone like Christiano Ronaldo" would even think about coming to the MLS at this time is crazy. A few years down the road when people like Zizou and Beckham make Soccer one of the top pro sports in the US, THEN you think about getting the world class players. James Wadsworth http://canuckreport.blogspot.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAS Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Jamit Start fan in exile, suggesting that "someone like Christiano Ronaldo" would even think about coming to the MLS at this time is crazy. A few years down the road when people like Zizou and Beckham make Soccer one of the top pro sports in the US, THEN you think about getting the world class players. I agree. you have to get these old guys first, then the younger talent may be encouraged to follow. Christiano Ronaldo won't come because he hasn't won anything yet! With a few league titles/cups and CL trophies under his belt, he may feel secure enough to decide that he has fully proven himself and can go after a new challenge and more money. A top talent can't consider MLS until they have fully proven themselves in the top leagues in Europe - especially CL. Beckham has won everything you can win at the club level. Zidane has done that and won the World Cup. Their resumes are stacked and they have proven themselves. BTW, Zidane is not only one of the greatest midfielders ever, HE IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST! The World Cup was just last summer, and he was the best player there. The WC had C. Ronaldo, Fat Ronaldo (now #99 - The Fat Gretzky), Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, and almost all of the other top players in the world - and Zidane was the best player there. His earlier drop in quality with RM was injury related, and he had clearly recovered for the WC. His current break, and the smaller schedule of MLS, means he will be ok. A healthy Zidane can embarass any MLS side with ease. It is guys like Edgar Davids, Neil Lennon, and Graveson that I don't want. They are old "stars" who were never "superstars" like Zidane. They will not generate nearly as much revenue, or even play as well, as Beckham and Zidane, but they will still want big paycheques. Their costs will exceed the extra revenue they create. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Start fan in exile Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by KAS I agree. you have to get these old guys first, then the younger talent may be encouraged to follow. Christiano Ronaldo won't come because he hasn't won anything yet! With a few league titles/cups and CL trophies under his belt, he may feel secure enough to decide that he has fully proven himself and can go after a new challenge and more money. A top talent can't consider MLS until they have fully proven themselves in the top leagues in Europe - especially CL. Beckham has won everything you can win at the club level. Zidane has done that and won the World Cup. Their resumes are stacked and they have proven themselves. BTW, Zidane is not only one of the greatest midfielders ever, HE IS STILL ONE OF THE BEST! The World Cup was just last summer, and he was the best player there. The WC had C. Ronaldo, Fat Ronaldo (now #99 - The Fat Gretzky), Ronaldinho, Thierry Henry, and almost all of the other top players in the world - and Zidane was the best player there. His earlier drop in quality with RM was injury related, and he had clearly recovered for the WC. His current break, and the smaller schedule of MLS, means he will be ok. A healthy Zidane can embarass any MLS side with ease. It is guys like Edgar Davids, Neil Lennon, and Graveson that I don't want. They are old "stars" who were never "superstars" like Zidane. They will not generate nearly as much revenue, or even play as well, as Beckham and Zidane, but they will still want big paycheques. Their costs will exceed the extra revenue they create. Look, I know that it's crazy to think C. Ronaldo will come to MLS - and it's not about the money. The prestige and quality of play are simply not good enough. And yes, Zizou was sublime at the World Cup, and arguably the best player there. But he's retired now. If he were motivated to play at a high level, he'd still be playing with Real Madrid. (or some other top Euro club) If he were to come to MLS, you won't get a motivated and lively Zidane - you'll be getting a retired superstar looking for an easy paycheque. NA soccer has been down this route before - Pele was THE greatest, and Beckenbauer and Cruyff were the best of their generation and among the top 10 of all time. Bringing them to the NASL did wonders for short-term attendance but nothing for the development of the NA game. I think MLS is falling into the same trap as the NASL - Becham will attract huge crowds for a couple of years, but there will be no long-term benefit for the game. Quite to opposite - crowds will be artifically inflated by having the superstar in the league, and when he is gone, the ones who came to see the star will disappear again, forcing the league to either keep importing superstars past their prime or risk the same collapse that took the NASL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canuck Oranje Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 While I do think trying to encourage a retired superstar to come out of retirement to play is not the right strategy, I am not opposed to getting some older stars that are still playing. Yes Zidane was great last year, but that was last year and he hasn't played competitively since. It seems to me that money thrown at a player that doesn't want to play anymore will be money that could be better spent elsewhere. However, to say Pele did nothing to develop soccer in North America is completely wrong. If you go to most youth soccer clubs in Canada and the USA, you will find that they were formed in the late 70s or early 80s. That was a direct result of the appearances of players like Pele, Beckenbauer, and Cruyf. None of these players were retired already though. In fact, Cruyf went back to the Netherlands and continued to play a couple of years more. And another player, Carlos Alberto, actually played for Brazil after playing in the NASL. The situation at the time of the NASL in North America and today is completely different. There was hardly a development structure in place in the 70s (just in some of the major cities). Today we have a system but it is not performing well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Start fan in exile Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Canuck Oranje However, to say Pele did nothing to develop soccer in North America is completely wrong. If you go to most youth soccer clubs in Canada and the USA, you will find that they were formed in the late 70s or early 80s. That was a direct result of the appearances of players like Pele, Beckenbauer, and Cruyf. I lived in Canada from '79 to '06 and do realise there was a huge development in youth soccer in both Canada and the US following the "superstar" era in the NASL, but the league itself was a failure. I did exagerate to make a point, but I think the point is valid: importing stars to the league did nothing to develop professional soccer in NA; ie. to build a stable and sustainable audience base that would allow a professional league to grow and flourish. Tens (if not hundreds) of thousands of parents drove their kids to soccer practise throughout the '80s, but they did not - for the most part - go to watch professionals play. MLS has been building patiently, and while they may have made mistakes along the way, the principle of building strong clubs with a local following is a good one. Of course Beckham (or Zidane) will attract people to the stadiums, and may indeed inspire more kids to play, I do not think his presence will help MLS in the long term. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dionattan Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Start fan in exile Look, I know that it's crazy to think C. Ronaldo will come to MLS - and it's not about the money. The prestige and quality of play are simply not good enough. And yes, Zizou was sublime at the World Cup, and arguably the best player there. But he's retired now. If he were motivated to play at a high level, he'd still be playing with Real Madrid. (or some other top Euro club) If he were to come to MLS, you won't get a motivated and lively Zidane - you'll be getting a retired superstar looking for an easy paycheque. NA soccer has been down this route before - Pele was THE greatest, and Beckenbauer and Cruyff were the best of their generation and among the top 10 of all time. Bringing them to the NASL did wonders for short-term attendance but nothing for the development of the NA game. I think MLS is falling into the same trap as the NASL - Becham will attract huge crowds for a couple of years, but there will be no long-term benefit for the game. Quite to opposite - crowds will be artifically inflated by having the superstar in the league, and when he is gone, the ones who came to see the star will disappear again, forcing the league to either keep importing superstars past their prime or risk the same collapse that took the NASL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dionattan Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 quote: Look, I know that it's crazy to think C. Ronaldo will come to MLS - and it's not about the money. The prestige and quality of play are simply not good enough. This is a more accurate comment. Some people are forgetting that if these young superstars like C. Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Messi, etc were to come to MLS, their national team careers would be over. Their coaches would think that they aren't challenging themselves. Think about it, if a coach like Scolari thinks the level is too low for C. Ronaldo in the EPL, what do you think he would say about the MLS? It's also probably one of the reasons that Brazil's Ronaldo decided to go to AC Milan and not come to the MLS, he still believes he can play on the national team. I think that the MLS should do what the Mexican league does and get young South American players that aren't good enough to play in Europes top leagues (England, Spain, and Italy) but could be in a league like Belgium or the Netherlands. This has greatly increased the quality of their league, and it's shown in South American tournaments. Focus on getting the quality first. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alex M Posted February 19, 2007 Share Posted February 19, 2007 Zidane could walk into, and start for any team in the world, including national teams, today. He was one of the best players at last year's WC and this is precisely why I don't think he'll come to the MLS. quote:Originally posted by Start fan in exile Anyone remember Pele? Cruyff? Beckenbauer? Best? Zizou may be right up there with those guys in terms of his influence on the game during his career. He is also exactly the wrong kind of player to bring to MLS - one of the all-time greats who can no longer play at his peak, and would be coming to NA for the paycheque and one last moment of adulation from adoring fans. If you're going to spend that kind of money on a star, get someone like Christiano Ronaldo - someone who is just starting to realise his potential and has yet to put his stamp on the game. If MLS has the financial muscle and the ambition to play with the eurpoean big leagues, then dammit, play! Don't go chasing castoffs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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