The Soccer Thread (Version 7.0)

Seems as if the return of the Cosmos will be short lived.

 

Tony Pulis out at Stoke. Di Matteo, Benitez mentioned as possible successors.

 

Whomever it is, hopefully they find something to do with Shea. There's decent talent at Stoke; the question will be reconfiguring it to play actual soccer.

 

It's MLS doubling up on a mistake they made before with Chivas USA and RBNY. I really don't understand the reasoning.

 

Come on Pastor, you know what the rea$on i$ for thi$ deci$ion.

 

Oh, I definitely know. The problem here is that there is no stadium. The deal kills what MLS was trying to do in Flushing Meadows. Where will they play?

The Yankees are not going to tolerate soccer players ripping up their field once a week with grass getting thrown down and not setting before their multi-million dollar center fielder runs out there for a game on Monday. MetLife is a turf field in New Jersey. Sure, I guess they could share Red Bull Arena, but isn't the argument that this is a "New York" team for "New Yorkers"?

In short, there seems to be money involved but no real plan.

Orlando is putting together a plan, with a fanbase and a stadium. They want in. Instead, we get this hodgepodge of flashiness and big names. Wake me when there is substance.

 

I agree with your criticisms, but I'm sure the MLS is thinking another NYC team will boost revenue. Otherwise they'd stick a team in Orlando or St. Louis or somewhere.

 

Stadium in Queens is not dead. Bloomberg wants it. Randy Levine and the Yankees want it, and know how to get a stadium approved and built.

The Mets don't want it, but they don't have as much leverage as they think they do. Community groups will be a tougher opponent than the Mets.

 

Huge news for the Europa League: The winner will get a CL spot starting in 2014-15.

 

The Yankees' franchise may yet play in Queens, possibly even temporarily at the Mets' stadium as the proposed Flushing Meadow Park site works its way to existence (or not). That location is a blatant attempt to entice the ethnic market MLS has been dreaming about since the MetroStars launched. It has not worked yet, not on any sort of sustainable level. Individual international players brought in NYC-based fans from their home countries briefly, but the vast majority of the Red Bulls' crowd is still from Jersey -- even with the PATH accessibility of the new arena.

I enjoyed some of the Tweets and Jersey-centric column by Jeff Bradley, a former MetroStars PR guy and brother of coach Bob. MLS is also counting on the New York vs. New Jersey rivalry... which is a little screwed up since the team that plays and practices in New Jersey still has New York in its name.

That awkward New York/New Jersey place designation for the MetroStars was supposedly partly the fault of the Associated Press, which demands a location for all teams. (Anyone know if that's true?)

Red Bull insisted on keeping "New York" in the team name when it bought the MetroStars -- basically for marketing reasons -- even though there was never any affiliation (unlike, say, the Jets and Giants, both of which were based in New York State at some point in their history as well as the current preseason).

I believe Red Bull New York is keeping its incorrect place designation, even after the new team arrives. To me, that demonstrates that Major League Soccer is still trying to be all things to all people -- soccer moms and ethnic fans alike -- and, well... how's that been working out? :-\

 

Oh, it’s dead.

You’ve three proposals for Flushing Meadows out there, one from the Mets (a mall), one from the tennis center and one from MLS. Which one will win out? Besides, if all three end up going through, MLS is in need of using Citi’s parking. I doubt the Mets will be too happy about that. This is especially true given that the Wilpons wanted to have this MLS team and have that stadium built for them.

Randy Levine signed on for an investment in a league clearly starting to turn profits (but nobody cares about soccer!) and because YES wants network air filler (just like when they bought the Nets).

Bloomberg may want the stadium, but that doesn’t make it happen.

Oh, it’s all about the TV contract coming up. There are now two teams in NY and two teams in LA. Given the rise of soccer on TV… I know why Orlando wasn’t taken next. I’m just disappointed that the league went the route of a gimmick instead of going with a real team.

I’m just not seeing the Queens stadium come about. There are too many chips against it. I just don’t see why it would work.

In the end, I was thinking they’d go the Bronx route and develop some areas there. It would be an interesting gambit.

 

Chelsea and Man City played a friendly in St. Louis last night? The season ended on Sunday.

Next time anyone associated with either of those clubs bitches about fixture congestion, they need a smack in the face.