Liga MX does beat EPL in the US but that's primarily because of the Spanish Language channels. The EPL blows it away on English language channels
Concacaf champions-league if anyone cares
- Thread starter Fk_Pitt
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A lot. Its the "major" league in the US. Some might still consider it minor leagur to Europe and it is but its the main league here and I would be excited if Pgh won MLSWhat would winning MLS "do for you"?
No way!! Lol.
Are the games even carried by any English speaking channels? Maybe streaming on ESPN+?
But it doesn't really do any more for you PERSONALLY than a USL title to be honest. It's all in your head, you can enjoy anything you want. I really enjoyed the Baltimore Blast winning 3 indoor soccer titles, it's really low, low minor league-barely even considered a real sport, but it was FUN, if you go to a few games and the place is like at 90% capacity and the fans are into it, and you can watch on TV, then it's as much FUN as a bigger title, part of it is because it's local and you have first person contact with it. YOU GET nothing more with an MLS title vs a USL title.
ESPN doesn't own the television rights. If they did their coverage would be completely different.
See as an example, the prominence that the NHL playoffs are getting now on ESPN and their web site versus prior years when ESPN didn't have the rights to show the games and if all you went by was ESPN it would be hard to know that the NHL playoffs were even going on.
They dont have the CCL, but they do televise a lot of MLS and US Soccer. Seattle winning CCL is good for them and good for US Soccer. I didn't watch their coverage but I would have thought they should have made a big deal of it. You know, have Taylor Twellman come on and tell us how important this is and how great it is for soccer in this country and all that.
If it is not abundantly clear to you that they do not think that anything that happens in any sport that they do not have the rights to is particularly good or relevant I don't know what to say.
Like I said, just look at the way that they ignored the NHL for years, both on Sport Center and on their web site, and then contrast that to the coverage that the NHL now gets on both of those platforms. The NHL was nothing to them when they didn't have the rights, and now it is an important property that needs to be highlighted.
Yea, um, they werent in the hockey business until this year. Not only are they in the soccer business, they are heavily vested in MLS and do a ton of Seattle games. Bad move on their part for not pumping up this win. They should have made it out to be what an awesome league MLS is, now watch Sunday's game between....well LAFC or LA Galaxy I'd imagine.
It will be an afterthought next year when Seattle is playing Liverpool or Real Madrid in the Club World Cup too.
The problem for me, as it was I assume for many, is both CCL games were after 10pm, so it might as well not happened. Combined with lack of coverage, it essentially didn’t.
I rarely miss a Euro game that I want to watch because it’s on around 3pm and I can plan my work day around it. Although I can see that a problem for some.
and as far as EPL games, I never miss because they are on when I wake in the morning and I get my teams match in before I start my day.
euro time zones, at least for me, are great for the sport.
I rarely miss a Euro game that I want to watch because it’s on around 3pm and I can plan my work day around it. Although I can see that a problem for some.
and as far as EPL games, I never miss because they are on when I wake in the morning and I get my teams match in before I start my day.
euro time zones, at least for me, are great for the sport.
The Club World Cup is generally an afterthought anyway but they may not play the Euro team which is a disappointment.
Its
The Oceania champ plays the host country champ for the 6 seed.
Seattle, Asia, and Africa will get 4, 5, 6, not sure which order.
Euro and SA get 1, 2.
So it could be
Seattle vs Asia. Winner plays (and probably loses to South America). Or Seattle could lose their 1st game to Asia or Africa.
With the elimination of the Confederations Cup, which I disagree with, they are supposed to rebrand the Club World Cup into an every 4 year summer tournament with teams winning their Champions Leagues in the prior 4 years getting bids but that's been tabled due to Covid.
Also, I always wondered why the US doesn't ever host the Club World Cup. Plenty of domes and warm weather winter cities. Always in Asia or Middle East.
Of course it’s an afterthought. But it shouldn’t be. It’s a trophy like anything else, and you can’t even play for it if you don’t win your confederation. So it’s a big deal in a lot of ways. So when Liverpool is playing for it next year, no one else in Europe will care because no one else is in it and it’s anticlimactic. No one in the US cares because a US team has never really been it. But in South America it’s not an afterthought at all. It’s a big deal. It gives them a chance to claim superiority over Europe and everywhere else.
Yeah, and anyone with even an ounce of common sense laughs at them when they do it. Because they are the only ones who care about that tournament.
Because no one here cares about it, so it won't make any money.
I mean if you transported this year's tournament to the US, how many people do you think show up to see games like Al Jazira versus AS Pirea, or Al Hilal versus Al Jazira, or Al Hilal versus Al Ahly? The only games that would have had any interest at all would have been the ones that Chelsea played in, the ones that Monterrey played in, but only if you played that game in the right city, and maybe the games that Palmeiras played in, but again, only if you played the game in the right city.
Hey now…I care! I watched my team win a trophy, one that they’ve never won before. When you consider that you have to win champions league to qualify, it’s a big deal from that point of view. Having that trophy in your trophy case puts you in rare company.
Btw, Chelsea are going for a treble when they play Liverpool in the FA Cup Final.
.Those games in Asia or the Middle East would draw more than Texas or LA or some place like that? The Euro, Mexican, and SA teams would be huge draws and there's enough North African and Asian immigrants in the US to draw.
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Sure, some of those games would be big draws if you put them in the right cities. But places like Abu Dahbi and Qatar and UAE aren't bidding for those games based on making money selling lots of tickets. They bid on those games for reasons that have nothing to do with sports, and they are willing to pay far more than what they are worth because of those reasons.
And if we should know anything at all, it's that FIFA is going to chase the money, first, last and always. As long as someplace like Qatar is willing to give FIFA a giant sack of cash to play the games there FIFA is going to continue to play the games there.
What I was saying about the lack of Americans getting regular minutes in MLS, here was Seattle's CCL winning lineup
Stefan Frei 🇨🇭 (though moved here at age 15 and is a citizen now I believe)
Albert Rusnak 🇸🇰
Raul Ruidiaz 🇵🇪
Nico Lodeiro 🇺🇾
Joao Paulo 🇧🇷
Yeimar 🇨🇴
Xavier Arreaga 🇪🇨
Nouhou 🇨🇲
Jordan Morris 🇺🇸
The Roldan Brothers - born in the US to parents from Guatemala and El Salvador. Cristian plays for the US. Alex plays for ES.
This is basically every MLS team. 2-3 Americans, 5 South Americans, 2-3 Europeans, 1-2 Africans.
Stefan Frei 🇨🇭 (though moved here at age 15 and is a citizen now I believe)
Albert Rusnak 🇸🇰
Raul Ruidiaz 🇵🇪
Nico Lodeiro 🇺🇾
Joao Paulo 🇧🇷
Yeimar 🇨🇴
Xavier Arreaga 🇪🇨
Nouhou 🇨🇲
Jordan Morris 🇺🇸
The Roldan Brothers - born in the US to parents from Guatemala and El Salvador. Cristian plays for the US. Alex plays for ES.
This is basically every MLS team. 2-3 Americans, 5 South Americans, 2-3 Europeans, 1-2 Africans.
Someone asked me yesterday on the freeboard if I watched MLS. Of course I don’t, but it’s not like I haven’t tried. I hope it’s not some kind of unintended xenophobia on my part. I just can’t relate to the teams and the players. But I honestly can’t imagine I’d be xenophobic since I enjoy euro soccer so much and there are essentially no Americans.
Does that mean if you hate watching womens pro soccer you are a sexist? I’ve watched hours upon hours of college woman’s soccer but not even 10 minutes of the NWSL. And I’ve probably only watched a few hours of MLS. I have a family member about to start his pro career, so that’ll change, but there is just something about euro soccer. I guess the tradition and quality of play. Being in a euro stadium watching a game is so much better too.
That’s a great point. Not to mention that I haven’t been to a riverhounds game since they played at Char Valley HS. Actually scratch that. I went to a game when they played at Wild Things Park. But if I had a friend or relative play for them, maybe that would be my gateway into it.
Why do you even care? I just see that team as SEATTLE, I don't care where the players are from. Sometimes I watch Olympiacos of Greece, it's the same there 3-4 Greeks and another 7-8 of the best they could get from somewhere else. It's probably pretty common worldwide. What % of EPL starters are born Englishmen?
Premier League Nationalities
You can click around and see the number for other leagues. For instance:
Here's the List for MLS
Because they are asking me, the American soccer fan in a market with no MLS team, to watch an inferior league comprised mostly of inferior non-American players. I want to watch Americans. I want the announcers to say so and so is in his 3rd year out of Duke. I can relate to that. I can watch these guys in hopes some rise to USMNT level. Instead, I get South American C teamers. Its just bad TV
Bad TV for you. I have a team DC United, I've been following them for years, I never was concerned who the players are, Just watched it hoping they do well, no matter where they came from. I don't care if any of them ever play for USAMNT, although some have. I also don't care if it's an inferior product, I have come to realize, I don't care about quality of play as much as teams in places like DC, LA, NYC, Philly, Chicago, in the same time zones I live in, I don't want to wake up and watch a game at 7 am and pretend I care about an English city's teams, I don't. I've even watched Riverhounds games a couple times, I found it easy to be a fan, just because I saw my city in the background, I'm a pure American soccer Yinzer, who the players are or where they're from doesn't matter, I just want a local league and team, I don't care if anyone ever goes to a higher level, or accomplishes anything beyond this. The idea of where the players are from never entered my mind until now with you bringing it up, and I have been following MLS to some degree since 1996, I never cared where DC got their players, never thought about it, just wanted to see good performances by whoever they got
So when it comes to soccer, SMF is a xenophobe and you’re not.
I’m not sure if I should let SMF off the hook for this or not as I’m not interested in South American C teamers either. But I’m also not interested in North American C teamers either.
I've always been team oriented, that's why at times I am able to be a fan of a minor league sport and not care that the players are C Teamers. Any sport, I don't care where the Steelers players come from. Some here actually root against Penn Staters who join the Steelers, to me, as soon as the Penn Stater joins, I hope he ends up a Hall of Fame Steeler, even if he loves JoePa and Sandusky
I am interested in USA C-teamers. I am interested when I hear the announcer say that Player X went to Clemson and Player Y went to Creighton. I can relate to that. Its an American league and I want to see Americans OR world-class stars. These 2nd tier South Americans, I have no interest in. Its not xenophobia, its that I am a US soccer fan and I want to see American kids getting these opportunities.
I treat MLS like I do the NFL, I watch games between teams, with zero concern of where the players came from. I've been a DC United fan and if that team succeeds or wins a championship with South American or Arab D teamers, then I CAN relate to and enjoy that. I never cared, or even knew where players came from... I just see a game, like DC vs. NY for example. You say you don't like MLS because it's poor quality or whatever crap like that that I don't care about, but like any other league in the world, they should get the best players they can, and I'm sure that's what they try to do, they probably sign South American C teamers, BECAUSE THEY ARE BETTER PLAYERS than the American kids from Clemson or Creighton.
No, I am a soccer nationalist. I want an American league to have American players.....unless its a world class league, in which case you can bring all the top tier South Americans you want.
MLS used to require that teams have Americans. Lets be honest, if they followed their old rules and the teams were mostly American players, you as a DC United fan would still watch. Undoubtedly, the 2nd and 3rd tier South Americans are better than Americans but are they making the league that much better that the tradeoff of not having Americans play in an American league worth it? Their TV ratings are still garbage.
MLS needs to follow the SMF model: over the hill world stars + Americans
I guess I don't care either way. I mean if I still lived in Pittsburgh I'd become a Riverhounds fan no matter how poor the quality or where the players come from, that's how I relate, if it's in my time zone and I can get a broadcast, local, I can easily get into it.
Exactly. Ratings and attendance would be exactly the same if they used the old rule requiring Americans. The South Americans increase the level from "totally sucks" to "sucks." That isnt a good enough reason to deny American kids a spot in MLS.
But, would the league be good enough to send players directly to the biggest clubs? Because it wasn’t before, and is now.
That's a tough question. The bottom line is there arent very Americans getting regular playing time in an American league and for a league that already sucks, that's a problem. If you want me to watch an American version of the sport, I'd like to watch Americans with of course some international players sprinkled in.
