2025 MLS Season thread

[Kingspoint]

By Tyson Alger | The I-5 Corridor

The Portland Timbers have lost their star.

Finally.

While it’s true a soccer franchise the caliber of the Portland Timbers should never celebrate parting ways with a talent the likes of Evander, the long, drawn-out breakup between the MLS club and its star designated player came to a close on Tuesday.

Evander, according to a Portland team source, is now a member of FC Cincinnati after a blockbuster deal between the two franchises sent the 26-year-old MVP finalist to the Eastern Conference in exchange for $12 million. According to a source, the Timbers are taking nearly $6 million of that money to finalize a transfer with 24-year-old Lens (France) midfielder David Pereira da Costa as the team’s new designated player.

https://www.oregonlive.com/timbers/2025/02/portland-timbers-send-evander-to-cincinnati-source-says.html

[Kingspoint]

https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/fc-dallas-acquire-luciano-acosta-from-fc-cincinnati-in-blockbuster-trade

Wednesday, Feb 12, 2025, 12:10 PM


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TRANSFER TRACKER STATUS: Trade

DAL receive: Luciano Acosta
CIN receive: $5 million guaranteed, $1 million incentives, trade %

Luciano Acosta has a new home in MLS, with FC Dallas acquiring the 2023 Landon Donovan MLS MVP from FC Cincinnati on Wednesday. In exchange for the Argentine No. 10, Cincinnati receive $5 million guaranteed in a straight cash-for-player trade. They could get up to an additional $1 million if certain performance-based metrics are achieved, and retain a trade percentage if Acosta is again moved for cash within MLS.

This new type of deal was introduced in the 2025 MLS roster rule changes, allowing clubs to use out-of-pocket funds to trade for players without utilizing General Allocation Money (GAM) or other assets. "This is a landmark signing for FC Dallas and a statement of our commitment to building a championship-caliber team," said FCD president Dan Hunt.

"Bringing in a player of Lucho’s caliber – an MVP and proven leader – demonstrates our ambition and desire to compete at the highest level. We are thrilled to welcome him to the FC Dallas family and cannot wait to see him inspire our fans and teammates alike. Acosta's exit from Cincinnati caps a months-long saga that began last November. After an earlier-than-expected Audi 2024 MLS Cup Playoffs exit, Acosta declared "maybe it’s the end for me at the club."

[Roy Tucker]

Not MLS but it is soccer.

Soccer game cancelled after player's child bites referee's testicle

https://local12.com/news/offbeat/soccer-referee-bite-testicle-child-kid-bitten-bit-bites-ref-football-futbol-team-cancelled-game-games-match-cancel-genital-genitals-testicles-german-germany-children-attack-attacked-assault-assaulted-sport-sports-pain-hurt

[sdwagers]

Celetano with an amazing double save earning the MOTM here vs. Nashville.

https://youtu.be/cRg1L2IHSBg?feature=shared

[Kingspoint]

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[Kingspoint]

Portland's goalie coughed up (literally) a goal in the 91st minute to give away a victory and turn it into a draw at home.

[Kingspoint]

The Transfer Portal has opened up.

Here's a link to all transfers: https://www.mlssoccer.com/league-reports/all-transfers/?utm_source=mlssoccer&utm_medium=hp-promo&utm_campaign=all-transfers


Tough loss for Columbus.

Huge win for POR @ LAFC.

[Chip R]

FCC beat writer Lauren Pfahler has some interesting things to say about how poor the media's access to the league is now. The article is free.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/141166212

[Kingspoint]

FCC beat writer Lauren Pfahler has some interesting things to say about how poor the media's access to the league is now. The article is free.

https://www.patreon.com/posts/141166212

It was a moronic move for the games to be exclusively on Apple TV. A lot of idiots involved in that decision.

They basically alienated 90% of the audience.

Alienation is something they are very good at.

They set the league back 10 years with that Apple TV deal.

[bucksfan2]

It was a moronic move for the games to be exclusively on Apple TV. A lot of idiots involved in that decision.

They basically alienated 90% of the audience.

Alienation is something they are very good at.

They set the league back 10 years with that Apple TV deal.

Maybe I am wrong here, but at the time I think it made sense.

Most of your soccer fans signed up for Apple TV, or at least the ones I know.

It also gave the MLS a massive infusion of cash which in turn made the league better.

Look at it this way, is it better for the MLS to be on Apple TV or down channel on Fox, NBC, or ABC's tiered package? They aren't putting MLS up against Football in the fall.

[dabvu2498]

Maybe I am wrong here, but at the time I think it made sense.

Most of your soccer fans signed up for Apple TV, or at least the ones I know.

It also gave the MLS a massive infusion of cash which in turn made the league better.

Look at it this way, is it better for the MLS to be on Apple TV or down channel on Fox, NBC, or ABC's tiered package? They aren't putting MLS up against Football in the fall.

And that’s just the handful of games that were being aired nationally that were getting second-billing. Most regular season games were relegated to the regional sports nets or over-the-air local stations. FCC games were on Star 64 for goodness sake. Meaning, even though they were free, a lot of folks had no access to them, especially people who lived more than 30 miles from the city.

$99 is a pretty decent bargain for a subscription. There aren’t many sections of TQL Stadium where you could buy 2 tickets for this weekend’s game for less than $100. And it’s free if you’re a season ticket holder.

The game coverage is pretty good and even the non-game coverage is decent.

I have no idea is Apple is making any money at broadcasting these games, but I’d say MLS is not unhappy with it.

Also, Laurel Pfahler is right. Especially in a tight media market like Cincinnati. She’s the only non-team source that covers FCC regularly. The Enquirer quit. The local TV stations might report a game story or a big player move, but that’s about it. They should be giving her all the access she can handle.

[Kingspoint]

And that’s just the handful of games that were being aired nationally that were getting second-billing. Most regular season games were relegated to the regional sports nets or over-the-air local stations. FCC games were on Star 64 for goodness sake. Meaning, even though they were free, a lot of folks had no access to them, especially people who lived more than 30 miles from the city.

$99 is a pretty decent bargain for a subscription. There aren’t many sections of TQL Stadium where you could buy 2 tickets for this weekend’s game for less than $100. And it’s free if you’re a season ticket holder.

The game coverage is pretty good and even the non-game coverage is decent.

I have no idea is Apple is making any money at broadcasting these games, but I’d say MLS is not unhappy with it.

Also, Laurel Pfahler is right. Especially in a tight media market like Cincinnati. She’s the only non-team source that covers FCC regularly. The Enquirer quit. The local TV stations might report a game story or a big player move, but that’s about it. They should be giving her all the access she can handle.

When the general public has no public access to the games, you lose the local market and it becomes a non-story for newspapers. The small percentage of people interested enough to dish out a appletv subscription dwarfs the audience one would get if the casual observer qho catches them on a free channel. These are the people you want talking about a team and these are the people a news channel or major newspaper wants to report to as they represent the large audience advertisers are seeking. Nobody cares about the season-ticket holder or Appletv subscriber's interest in coverage. It's not a marketable size that justifies coverage.

[bucksfan2]

When the general public has no public access to the games, you lose the local market and it becomes a non-story for newspapers. The small percentage of people interested enough to dish out a appletv subscription dwarfs the audience one would get if the casual observer qho catches them on a free channel. These are the people you want talking about a team and these are the people a news channel or major newspaper wants to report to as they represent the large audience advertisers are seeking. Nobody cares about the season-ticket holder or Appletv subscriber's interest in coverage. It's not a marketable size that justifies coverage.

Did the general public have access to the game when it was on Star 64? I think the fallacy in your argument is there was this robust demand for MLS soccer, both regionally and nationally. I do think had one of the big networks thought it was worth their wile, they would have picked up the contract.

I tend to watch most FCC games when I have the time to do so. I have noticed that MLS is regional sport that really differs from city to city. Some cities sell out the stadiums and have a great atmosphere, others play in a baseball park and looks like a USL game. More than anything MLS needed money to grow the game. The Apple TV deal gave them that. It gave them an influx of cash to put into their team. I do think the quality of play has gotten considerably better over the past decade and will probably only grow moving forward.

I would argue that as the MLS gets better and continues to grow, the product will be more in demand. Their biggest problem is does NBC, CBS, FOX, or ABC want to invest in a TV product that goes against College Football or the NFL in the fall? Would NBC want to pick up the MLS and show it Sat night over the ND or B1G football game? Same with ABC? It would make sense February until August.

One final thing about the MLS, while the playoff is fun and all, the overall season winner, the Supporters Shield, tends to be the bigger prize. Its kinda anticlimactic for the networks.

FWIW I would argue that MLS viewership skews younger, and those viewers are more likely to find Apple TV than they are Star 64.

[dabvu2498]

FWIW I would argue that MLS viewership skews younger, and those viewers are more likely to find Apple TV than they are Star 64.

This is an excellent point. MLS was smart to cater to streamers vs people who watch over-the-air TV or cable. Especially because of how terrible the streaming options were pre-Apple. Remember FloSports?

Plus, Apple was willing to drop far more money in the teams’ laps than most (all?) of their local deals+the limited national coverage they got.

[dabvu2498]

Also, on an AppleTV note, they just announced they have bought the rights to cover Formula 1 in the US. Hopefully that means no more Danica Patrick on F1 coverage.

[Kingspoint]

Week 1 Playoff Schedule:

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[Betterread]

Week 1 Playoff Schedule:

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Uh, there was a big match tonight. A playoff matchup between two Ohio cities. Is anyone on this site interested in the contest or the result?

[Fil3232]

Hell is Real. Better team won tonight. Bring on the Messi’s

[Chip R]

Messi and six of his teammates are going to play for their national teams for the next week but will be back to play FCC on the 23rd.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/inter-miami/article312852900.html

[dabvu2498]

Messi and six of his teammates are going to play for their national teams for the next week but will be back to play FCC on the 23rd.

https://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/inter-miami/article312852900.html

That’s the way it is when you have good players. FWIW, FC Cincinnati has 7 called up for international duty this week.

[Chip R]

MLS owners are going to vote on a proposal to switch to a Fall-Spring schedule
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6801193/2025/11/12/mls-fall-spring-calendar-season-format-change-owners-vote/

[bucksfan2]

MLS owners are going to vote on a proposal to switch to a Fall-Spring schedule
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6801193/2025/11/12/mls-fall-spring-calendar-season-format-change-owners-vote/

I think this is a good idea. I know they are going to be going up against CFB and the NFL in the start of the season, but it puts them on par with the rest of soccer across the globe.

As the quality has gotten better, you may see more movement from European clubs to make an impact on the MLS teams. From a FCC perspective, it would have been fun to see what Brenner over the course of half a season would have looked like. It would also give rising MLS stars the freedom to transfer to Europe and complete on offseason training program.

I don't know how you handle the current structure of teams. Without promotion/relegation you have an ungodly number of teams. I don't really mind the East/West divide.

[Betterread]

MLS owners are going to vote on a proposal to switch to a Fall-Spring schedule
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6801193/2025/11/12/mls-fall-spring-calendar-season-format-change-owners-vote/

The schedule would involve a two month break in Dec- Jan to avoid CFB and NFL playoffs and Super Bowl. And Feb is winter and snow for the NE and Midwest states so that would mean a two and a half or three month gap of no home games for those cities. That doesn’t sound ideal.
I think that MLS benefits from the reduced sports schedule in June - Aug.

[Chip R]

The schedule would involve a two month break in Dec- Jan to avoid CFB and NFL playoffs and Super Bowl. And Feb is winter and snow for the NE and Midwest states so that would mean a two and a half or three month gap of no home games for those cities. That doesn’t sound ideal.
I think that MLS benefits from the reduced sports schedule in June - Aug.

I think they are off part of February too. Probably until after the Super Bowl. From what I've read it's a positive because it lines up with all the other leagues' schedules. I suppose we are going to find out if MLS will sink or swim in the U.S.with the schedule change.

[Boss-Hog]

I think they are off part of February too. Probably until after the Super Bowl. From what I've read it's a positive because it lines up with all the other leagues' schedules. I suppose we are going to find out if MLS will sink or swim in the U.S.with the schedule change.I believe the winter break is from mid-December to early to mid February, resuming either the week before or after the Super Bowl, as you mentioned, so I think they're going to be off about two full months before the second half gets underway.

[bucksfan2]

I think they are off part of February too. Probably until after the Super Bowl. From what I've read it's a positive because it lines up with all the other leagues' schedules. I suppose we are going to find out if MLS will sink or swim in the U.S.with the schedule change.

MLS isn't going to sink. Soccer is growing in the US, the quality of play is better, and stars are coming to the league with a little more left in their career.

I think it makes sense to sync to the rest of the international calendar. I do think they keep the playoffs (its an American thing to do) but having your marquee matches in the middle of an international break as well as CFB and the NFL getting good is hard. But if you are going to pick a window to play your most important matches, wouldn't you pick May when baseball is just getting started and its the early rounds of the NBA playoffs?

[Betterread]

I think they are off part of February too. Probably until after the Super Bowl. From what I've read it's a positive because it lines up with all the other leagues' schedules. I suppose we are going to find out if MLS will sink or swim in the U.S.with the schedule change.

I think you are right that this schedule change may be an inflection point for MLS. Right now the league playoffs are at the conference semifinal stage and there is a two week break because of international qualifiers and scheduling difficulty with fall sports.
Casual fans have trouble keeping track of the playoffs because the games are (mostly) only on Apple TV and because of the broken up playoff schedule. Something has to change.

Synchronizing with other countries’ transfer windows is also a needed change. Teams are completely changed by in season changes (the biggest single factor in Cincinnati’s success was the poaching of Evander after the start of the season from Portland, whose season was destroyed on the other hand - Although they still made the playoffs, good for you Portland).

But there will no longer be short season loans and teams will have to get used to having their Latino stars who won’t leave the locker room for games at subzero away games in New England, Montreal and Minnesota. I also mentioned the two month winter break as a weird thing. It will completely change seasons. Hot teams will cool off, bad teams can regroup.

[Boss-Hog]

Synchronizing with other countries’ transfer windows is also a needed change. Teams are completely changed by in season changes (the biggest single factor in Cincinnati’s success was the poaching of Evander after the start of the season from Portland, whose season was destroyed on the other hand - Although they still made the playoffs, good for you Portland).

I agree with your point, but Evander has been with FCC this entire season.

[Chip R]

It will be interesting to see. The two plus month layoff could lose some supporters - both casual and rabid. But I take it EPL and the other big soccer leagues have a similar break. FCC markets their product very well. I could see them getting players to come up here during the break for something like Reds Fest so the supporters can keep them in their minds.

[Betterread]

I agree with your point, but Evander has been with FCC this entire season.

Yes. I remembered it as just after the season started, but I looked it up and you Bought him on Feb 17, first game Feb. 19. Scored in his first game. That worked out great. Your management found an Acosta solution just in time.

- - - Updated - - -


It will be interesting to see. The two plus month layoff could lose some supporters - both casual and rabid. But I take it EPL and the other big soccer leagues have a similar break. FCC markets their product very well. I could see them getting players to come up here during the break for something like Reds Fest so the supporters can keep them in their minds.

Big Euro leagues only take two weeks (some even less) over Xmas/new years.