MLS All-Star Game with EFC?

[Jondi10]

this is America, people do not want a single table system

playoffs run this country and I think if the MLS goes the system route that would hurt the sport, not help it

Eh I disagree. The NFL, NHL, MLB, and NBA all have the playoff format but already have a big, solid fan base. As a new sport it's going to be harder to break into the system and gain a fan base from these people who are use to the same format over and over. You're bringing in a format everyone is use to but look at it this way. If you've see something so much you're not going to want to spend even more time and money to tune into a new sport with the exact same format as 4 other major sports in the country.

Now if you put in a format that people aren't use to. People will look at it as something new. Instead of having the same format people will check out this new format to see what it's all about. It's just like any other business model. In order to gain new customers you have to come up with a new "feature" or model. If you contiune to spit out the same mold as everything else people won't be willing to look into something they've already seen over and over.

 

[lordyefc]

You've got to remember that the US is a different country to us, culturally and geographically. US sports all have a similar structure for good reason - the smaller markets need to be propped up to keep them going for the good of the sport.

In England you've got a population of about 55m? all reasonably tightly packed, and spread reasonably uniformly around the country. You can put a team in any decently sized city, and they can attract a decent crowd from that city and the surrounding area.

America isn't like that. Take Utah, where we are going. Utah has a population of less than 3 million - in an area double that of England. There's only one soccer team, but they have to compete with other major sports (while rugby and cricket draw smallish crowds in the UK, baseball, gridiron, hockey and basketball draw big crowds in the US), plus college sports (which for some reason are huge over there and draw genuine crowds).

On the other hand, look at cities like New York, Boston and LA. Relative to other US cities, they have a huge local population and much bigger spending power.

Now, a quarter of the top flight teams are based in London. In any one year, that number could easily be 4 or 5 higher if you include teams like Watford and Reading. That's fine in the UK though, because easily a quarter of the UK population could probably get to these games in under 3 hours travel. You couldn't have a quarter of the teams based in New York though - you'd be excluding most of the population of the US.

Essentially the point I'm making is that the gap between New York and Salt Lake City is massively bigger than the gap between London and Liverpool, which is why a different system is necessary. If you had promotion and relegation, the big markets will dominate. The smaller markets would be relegated, reducing interest even further - who is going to travel 1000 miles to see a second division game? So the point of the US single tier structure is to (artificially) keep the smaller teams competetive, because otherwise they will die. Other ideas like salary caps or draft picks are useless if the smaller teams aren't even playing at the top level.

 

[TX Bill]

Well said Lordy.

 

[WestCoastToffee]

agreed

I don't care where the game is going to be held I'm there. Not many chances I get to see Everton in the US.

I'll be there too. Anyone up for an LA->SLC roadtrip?

 

[FC Brugge]

Trust me I have no clue either. I guess the same reason ESPN likes to show stuff like Texas Hold'em Poker, Bowling, and the Spelling Bee instead of the MLS.

don't mock the spelling bee. that sh*t is hardcore

 

[alexander]

i may fly out to this.

 

[Huey]

I'm roadtripping from Seattle with a couple other people.

What section are people getting tickets in? We're going to buy ours in the next couple of days.

 

[steefc4]

Are you gonna make the road trip up to canada? Seattle is not that far!

 

[Huey]

I have a wedding to attend that day so I can't make it up to Edmonton.

Otherwise I'd be planning a massive loop road trip from Seattle to Edmonton to Salt Lake City to Seattle.

 

[brado_efc]

I'd love to go but don't have the money

 

[Torontoblue]

Just a heads up for anyone still thinking of going to this game. It's the Edmonton Indy race that weekend and hotel rooms are selling out quick, especially the cheap ones. What a weekend to choose to play a footie game!!!!

 

[ChicagoToffee]

Lordy - very insightful. Well posted.

 

[steefc4]

Yeah it's goin to be a very busy weekend in Edmonton! I was lucky to get in the Fairmont for that weekend!

 

[Goat]

All-Star Team Announced | WVHooligan - Soccer Blog

Major League Soccer announced the All-Star selection for this month’s All-Star game in Sandy,UT at Rio Tinto Stadium. Dominic Kinnear will manage the side against EPL side Everton.

Keep in mind this first eleven doesn’t actually mean this is the starting roster for the game against Everton, Kinnear will decide that.

The first XI goes as follows:

Kasey Keller (Sounders FC), Geoff Cameron (Houston), Chad Marshall (Columbus Crew), Wilman Conde (Chicago Fire); Shalrie Joseph (New England Revs), Stuart Holden (Houston), Guillermo Barros Schelotto (Columbus Crew), Freddie Ljungberg (Sounders FC), Dwayne De Rosario (Toronto FC); Landon Donovan (LA Galaxy), Conor Casey (Colorado Rapids) .

No real comments on the players picked today. Not as much ballot stuffing as once thought here from Seattle or Toronto. No RSL player in this mix so it will be interesting to see which RSL guy gets called up to the game.


God knows what that last paragraph means.

 

[Goat]

And

Soccer: Reigning MVP highlights MLS All-Star team - Salt Lake Tribune
Landon Donovan and reigning league most valuable player Guillermo Barros Schelotto highlighted the First XI players named Monday to play in the annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game, but no Real Salt Lake players were voted onto the team that will play Everton FC of the English Premier League in the game at Rio Tinto Stadium on July 29.

Schelotto was by far the most popular choice among the fans, players, coaches and media members who voted for the First XI.

The star midfielder for the Columbus Crew was followed by Donovan of the Los Angeles Galaxy and fellow striker Conor Casey of the Colorado Rapids. Casey was among seven players named to the team for the first time, along with goalkeeper Kasey Keller and midfielder

Freddie Ljungberg of the expansion Seattle Sounders, among others.

Only one RSL player -- retired defender Eddie Pope -- has ever played in an MLS All-Star Game, but RSL is certain to be represented when the final seven players are chosen for the game next week.

All-Star coach Dominic Kinnear of the Houston Dynamo will choose five of those seven players, while league commissioner Don Garber will choose the other two. One of them could be wildly popular superstar David Beckham, even though he has not played for the Galaxy yet this season while on loan to AC Milan in Italy.