2013 MLS Thread

[5TimeWSChamps]

Loved watching the Crew dismantle Chivas tonight 3-0

Higuain with a great opener, Josh Williams had a phenomenal 2nd, and Oduro hit them on the counter late for the 3rd.

Trip to Vancouver next week, then San Jose at home in 2 weeks. Hoping to make it to all 17 home matches this year

[BuckeyeRed27]

Higuain is a fun player to watch. That goal was beautiful.

I usually make it to about 10 LA Galaxy games a year, which has been a lot of fun the last couple years

[reds1869]

The Crew looked good last night. I think they have a much better squad than last season even though the offseason changes weren't flashy. Higuain and Oduro are both legitimate MVP candidates.

[Caveat Emperor]

Added "seeing a match at Portland" to my sports bucket list after watching tonight's NY/POR tilt.

[BuckeyeRed27]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

Added "seeing a match at Portland" to my sports bucket list after watching tonight's NY/POR tilt.

Absolutely. I almost went last year but plan on making it up this summer when they play the Galaxy. Probably the best atmosphere in American pro sports.

[reds1869]

Add me to the list of people who want to see a Timbers match in person. Those fans do it right.

[Simon Rhymon]

MLS has made a big jump in skill and style of play in the last few years. I'm just as entertained watching many of the MLS teams as I am watching games in Europe. And you guys are right about Portland. But just as important as the atmosphere is, is the job Porter has done in getting players to fit his style in just a few months. Valeri looks like an elite player.

[paintmered]

Originally Posted by BuckeyeRed27

Higuain is a fun player to watch. That goal was beautiful.

I saw this post and did a, "Whaaaa?? Gonzalo Higuaín moved from Real Madrid to MLS?!?"

Federico Higuaín. Not Gonzalo. I was about to throw my wallet at my computer to get some tickets to a Crew game.

[Caveat Emperor]

I've been wondering the last few days if Cincinnati could support an MLS franchise -- it's probably a pipe dream, but the idea of having a Queen City FC in town to support would be kind of neat.

[reds1869]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

I've been wondering the last few days if Cincinnati could support an MLS franchise -- it's probably a pipe dream, but the idea of having a Queen City FC in town to support would be kind of neat.

The idea has been floated by the league offices but we are pretty far down the list. Cincinnati certainly could support a franchise but I think it is many years off if it is to happen.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by reds1869

The idea has been floated by the league offices but we are pretty far down the list. Cincinnati certainly could support a franchise but I think it is many years off if it is to happen.

You need two things to get an MLS franchise: an owner willing to put up the cash and a suitable soccer stadium. At one point, Cleveland was awarded a franchise but had to give it up when financing for a soccer stadium fell through. Note that having an American football stadium doesn't work for most cities as the field is too narrow for good soccer. Seattle is a notable exception because I believe Quest Field was designed to allow for a wider soccer field. Stadia like PBS or Browns Stadium are fine for friendly matches, but are considered unsuitable for regular play. It's also the reason why USMNT World Cup Qualifiers are held in Columbus and not Cleveland or Cincinnati, even though they could sell more tickets for by playing in the bigger football stadia.

[reds1869]

Xavier Soccer shared a somewhat shocking fact on Twitter this morning: not one single American scored a goal in MLS yesterday.

[Caveat Emperor]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

You need two things to get an MLS franchise: an owner willing to put up the cash and a suitable soccer stadium. At one point, Cleveland was awarded a franchise but had to give it up when financing for a soccer stadium fell through. Note that having an American football stadium doesn't work for most cities as the field is too narrow for good soccer. Seattle is a notable exception because I believe Quest Field was designed to allow for a wider soccer field. Stadia like PBS or Browns Stadium are fine for friendly matches, but are considered unsuitable for regular play. It's also the reason why USMNT World Cup Qualifiers are held in Columbus and not Cleveland or Cincinnati, even though they could sell more tickets for by playing in the bigger football stadia.

I think the only way soccer works is if you have a specifically designed stadium that packs 18-25K into a facility for that "sold out" environment v. the same number in an NFL stadium where the atmosphere is deadened by the masses of empty seats. I went to a DC United game at RFK a long time ago, and the environment was just crap for that reason.

That's why this is all really a pipe dream, though -- there's absolutely no way that Cincinnati is ever going to publicly finance another a sports facility after the debacle with Paul Brown Stadium. It's just fun to imagine a soccer-specific facility in town -- maybe down in the West End -- with rivalry games against Columbus every year.

[Yachtzee]

Originally Posted by Caveat Emperor

I think the only way soccer works is if you have a specifically designed stadium that packs 18-25K into a facility for that "sold out" environment v. the same number in an NFL stadium where the atmosphere is deadened by the masses of empty seats. I went to a DC United game at RFK a long time ago, and the environment was just crap for that reason.

That's why this is all really a pipe dream, though -- there's absolutely no way that Cincinnati is ever going to publicly finance another a sports facility after the debacle with Paul Brown Stadium. It's just fun to imagine a soccer-specific facility in town -- maybe down in the West End -- with rivalry games against Columbus every year.

Very true. I think the MLS learned from early mistakes too. New England plays at Gillette and I've heard the atmosphere is terrible. DC has been pushing for a soccer specific stadium for years. Even in Seattle, where they get 30, 000 a game, tarps are put over large parts pf the seating to keep fans concentrated in the lower part of the stadium. That's another reason why MLS requires new teams to have plans for a soccer stadium in any expansion bid.

[Simon Rhymon]

Originally Posted by Yachtzee

Very true. I think the MLS learned from early mistakes too. New England plays at Gillette and I've heard the atmosphere is terrible. DC has been pushing for a soccer specific stadium for years. Even in Seattle, where they get 30, 000 a game, tarps are put over large parts pf the seating to keep fans concentrated in the lower part of the stadium. That's another reason why MLS requires new teams to have plans for a soccer stadium in any expansion bid.

I've been to a Revs game with 15000 and a Revs U18 game with 200 and there is no difference in atmosphere. It seems the best atmospheres (from watching on TV) are in stadiums that have roofs over at least some of the seats, e.g. Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, Sporting KC. Some of the sound gets trapped and magnified.