ehm Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 I'd love to see the MLS and USL leagues merged into one. Each league is all right, but imagine the strength of the two together? It would be great to see all the Canadian teams playing in the same league. Any one else support this idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 No. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Posted June 17, 2007 Share Posted June 17, 2007 Apart from any other considerations the structure and organisation of the two are too different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bxl Boy Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 Yes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted June 19, 2007 Share Posted June 19, 2007 MLS is set up so that there is no way they could put up with pro-releg, they need to ensure franchises like with all American sport, franchises have to make money or be viable, and need time to build. And can be moved if things do not work. And then there are too many teams in USL Div 1, the league would be too big, you'd have 25 teams. And many of those Div 1 teams are in places that are modest, could not support anything more lucrative. As is, MLS consolidates itself economically, USL stays modest and pays lower salaries but still gives soccer to smaller markets (or if not smaller, to smaller crowds, with a few exceptions like Montreal), there is a wide base of pro or semi-pro teams all over North America where guys can get some experience, the tiering is thus fairly successful. In a few years MLS will have the same number of teams as is recommended by FIFA for a league, 16. They could max at 18, but 18 and then playoffs is a lot of games, especially adding Open Cup in the US, Concacaf club cup. For me the optimum is then 16, with a standard schedule of 32 games, and the rest for playoffs and other competitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KAS Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S. MLS is set up so that there is no way they could put up with pro-releg, they need to ensure franchises like with all American sport, franchises have to make money or be viable, and need time to build. And can be moved if things do not work. Correct. It would be difficult for MLS to create new expansion clubs with relegation as you would expect them to start at the bottom. Furthermore, teams that are not doing well this season, and would therefore be considered threatened with relegation, would be Real Salt Lake (trying to get a new stadium built), and LA Galaxy (YOU CAN'T RELEGATE GOLDENBALLS!). Of course, the New Jersey Red Balls/Metrostars would have been relegated to PDL by now. quote:In a few years MLS will have the same number of teams as is recommended by FIFA for a league, 16. They could max at 18, but 18 and then playoffs is a lot of games, especially adding Open Cup in the US, Concacaf club cup. Blatter's blathering called for FIFA trying to place a cap at 18, not 16. Of course, he wouldn't mind 16 as it would allow for even more internationals in the continuing quest to strengthen FIFA and weaken the G14. quote:For me the optimum is then 16, with a standard schedule of 32 games, and the rest for playoffs and other competitions. How would that work? Assuming a balanced (play everyone home/away once) schedule, a 16 team league would mean 30 games, just as 18 teams would be 34 games and 20 teams would be 38 games (like the EPL). Partial splits, such as by region (the MLS today), or rankings (SPL), would still be possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Jeffery S. Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 quote:For me the optimum is then 16, with a standard schedule of 32 games, and the rest for playoffs and other competitions. How would that work? Assuming a balanced (play everyone home/away once) schedule, a 16 team league would mean 30 games, just as 18 teams would be 34 games and 20 teams would be 38 games (like the EPL). Partial splits, such as by region (the MLS today), or rankings (SPL), would still be possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winnipeg Fury Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 YES Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 I already predicted that this would eventually happen one day. But it wont be all the teams, I think that it will be something like 4-5 of the more solidly run operations. Not the deadwood poorly capitalized operations like theLynx used to be Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Calgary Boomer Posted June 20, 2007 Share Posted June 20, 2007 Only the top teams with the right stadiums could merge. You could make a case for Vancouver (with Stadium) Montreal, Seattle, Portland, Rochester, eventually Atlanta, but after that, I don't see any other city with suitable venues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Free kick Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer Only the top teams with the right stadiums could merge. You could make a case for Vancouver (with Stadium) Montreal, Seattle, Portland, Rochester, eventually Atlanta, but after that, I don't see any other city with suitable venues. I am surprised that you have Atlanta on that list. I seem to recall that they were drawing "family and freinds" kind of crowd numbers and that their facility was akin to a high school field Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarnCherry Posted June 21, 2007 Share Posted June 21, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Free kick I am surprised that you have Atlanta on that list. I seem to recall that they were drawing "family and freinds" kind of crowd numbers and that their facility was akin to a high school field They are drawing that type of crowd, luckily their new stadium at present just seats 3,000. However it is being built in stages and will eventually have enough seats to suit MLS, which is why he probably included it.. However nobody in Atlanta cares about soccer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Spaulding Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S. You are quite right, 30 games with 16 teams, my bath 'rithmetic. In fact there is no reason you cannot have an odd number if you playing just home and away once each. So 16, 17, or 18 seems about right. 17 would mean one team sitting out every week, so 16 or 18 would be better. Do the South American and Mexican leagues have relegation? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vancouversoccerman Posted June 23, 2007 Share Posted June 23, 2007 quote: Do the South American and Mexican leagues have relegation? Technically, they do. But most leagues give the relegated team the ability to buy out the promoted team in the league below them so they can stay in the top tier. It works out because most 2nd div teams don't have the stadium or financial resources to compete at the top level, and it keeps the big teams in the top tier. That's one way it could work here. Sometimes, it really hits the fan when a big relegated team either can't afford to buy out a promoted team, or can't find a team to buy. In Brazil & Mexico, teams have fought their relegation either through the courts (claiming it's their god-given "right" to play top-tier soccer), or in Brasil's case...blowing off the entire league and starting a new top league or season long "tournament". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Impact supporter Posted June 24, 2007 Share Posted June 24, 2007 quote:Originally posted by Vancouversoccerman That's probably the ONLY way pro/rel could work in North America (Canada and the US)if the team were from arge cities. As well big cities with teams would have the financial resources to move up in divisions that smaller cities don't have. i.e. there would be NO WAY that Red Deer Town would EVER be in MLS. )) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 With a population of 82,772, I bet Red Deer town could fill a 15,000-capacity stadium each match. What else is there to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue and White Army Posted June 25, 2007 Share Posted June 25, 2007 With a population of 82,772, I bet Red Deer town could fill a 15,000-capacity stadium each match. What else is there to do? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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