MLS vs NASL

[QuigrNYCFC]

Few discussion questions to throw out there.

1. Will MLS have a major labor dispute on their hands if/when the league gets increasingly popular and players are going to ask for more autonomy.

and

2. Will NASL, with it's more open rules regarding player contracts etc., become The League in the USA.


The MLS needs a major overhaul when the league becomes very profitable and the players continue to get shafted by draconian rules and contract issues. It just seems like an inevitable problem to come.

 

[Ulrich]

Are you trolling???

Your title alludes to trouble and yet you don't substantiate anything to suggest there's trouble with MLS collective bargaining agreement nor do you substantiate why the open rules of the NASL make it better. And all of this from a newbie having posted only 3 times previously.

Yeah, with the Open Cup match a week away, you're trolling.

 

[QuigrNYCFC]

Are you trolling???

Your title alludes to trouble and yet you don't substantiate anything to suggest there's trouble with MLS collective bargaining agreement nor do you substantiate why the open rules of the NASL make it better. And all of this from a newbie having posted only 3 times previously.

Yeah, with the Open Cup match a week away, you're trolling.

Sorry you think I'm trolling. Just trying start an honest discussion about this stuff. I am a bit guilty for trying to get people to pay attention to the thread by giving it a attention getting title.

I do think that the two leagues might come to a head at some point and that the players will probably get angry about how much control the league has over their contracts.

 

[Gavin23]

I have no loyalty to MLS. Only NYCFC. If MLS falls and NASL replaces it all the better. I frankly hate the MLS rules and structures and believe it is holding back Soccer growth in this country not enhancing it.

 

[mgarbowski]

The idea that MLS will be forced to pay the players more and give them more freedom over their employment terms when the leagues and/or sport reaches a critical mass of popularity is not exactly groundbreaking. It is not even worth discussing as I am quite certain that nobody disagrees with it.
There will be disagreement over when that happens, but the market corrects for that. If the NASL steps in and overpays players before the soccer market can support it, then the NASL will fail and MLS will be left as lone king. If MLS reacts too slow and tries to hold on to its current labor relationship too long then the NASL will appropriately step in and compete for talent and fans. The most likely outcome then is that the leagues will merge/reorganize. But most likely the MLS will start making a major change more or less when it is required because the signs and numbers will add up and the consequences of failure will be too high.

 

[QuigrNYCFC]

The idea that MLS will be forced to pay the players more and give them more freedom over their employment terms when the leagues and/or sport reaches a critical mass of popularity is not exactly groundbreaking. It is not even worth discussing as I am quite certain that nobody disagrees with it.
There will be disagreement over when that happens, but the market corrects for that. If the NASL steps in and overpays players before the soccer market can support it, then the NASL will fail and MLS will be left as lone king. If MLS reacts too slow and tries to hold on to its current labor relationship too long then the NASL will appropriately step in and compete for talent and fans. The most likely outcome then is that the leagues will merge/reorganize. But most likely the MLS will start making a major change more or less when it is required because the signs and numbers will add up and the consequences of failure will be too high.

Suppose that kind of sums it all up then.

Sounds similar to the NHL vs WHA that happened in the 70s. WHA paid players too much money relative to demand, folded and then was absorbed by the NHL. But thats a discussion for another thread.

 

[Seth]

They have 13 teams, we have 22 if you count the 2 new ones. That's 35 teams if you're going to put them into one league. That's a lot of teams.

 

[FredMertz]

Few discussion questions to throw out there.

1. Will MLS have a major labor dispute on their hands if/when the league gets increasingly popular and players are going to ask for more autonomy.

and

2. Will NASL, with it's more open rules regarding player contracts etc., become The League in the USA.


The MLS needs a major overhaul when the league becomes very profitable and the players continue to get shafted by draconian rules and contract issues. It just seems like an inevitable problem to come.

The NASL averages fewer than 5000 fans per game.

Discussion over.

 

[QuigrNYCFC]

They have 13 teams, we have 22 if you count the 2 new ones. That's 35 teams if you're going to put them into one league. That's a lot of teams.

Yeah for sure. I imagine some teams would have to shut down for it to really work.

If we go pro/rel it could work.

 

[Ulrich]

Yeah for sure. I imagine some teams would have to shut down for it to really work.

If we go pro/rel it could work.

That will never happen. MLS will never dilute their product, one that has a buy-in, in order to have pro-reg. MLS may create their own 2nd division which is closed,MLS II, and have an internal pro/reg, but they will never, ever do it with the NASL. There is so much written about this on the web already.

 

[Goodfella]

That will never happen. MLS will never dilute their product, one that has a buy-in, in order to have pro-reg. MLS may create their own 2nd division which is closed,MLS II, and have an internal pro/reg, but they will never, ever do it with the NASL. There is so much written about this on the web already.

totally agree with this. The closest thing we'll have to pro/rel will be MLS I & MLS II. I could see this happening when we hit 40 franchises, do a 20 team split.

 

[adam]

totally agree with this. The closest thing we'll have to pro/rel will be MLS I & MLS II. I could see this happening when we hit 40 franchises, do a 20 team split.

I'm not sure teams paying huge franchise fees would allow themselves to be relegated. Even to MLS II. If we get to 40, I'm thinking we get 4-6 divisions. 38 game schedule. Each team in division twice, other team in same conference one. Alternate all teams in one division the opposing conference. But now we're getting into fantasy land. However, I did bring up and interesting point: with all this expansion is 34 matches per season written in stone, or will it change over the next few years? That's probably a more relevant question then Pro-Rel right now.

 

[jerseyhotspur]

right now, NASL has a deal with ESPN3 (basically online-only) and beIN SPORTS. The BeIN deal isn't threatening to MLS, but I doubt MLS would like it if NASL popularity grew and MLS would have to compete for eyeballs on the rest of ESPN.

MLS thinks their 5h!t don't stink, so a popular NASL would question its position as the top division of US soccer. Ultimately, I don't think NASL could ever thrive with the current management of MLS.

The only future I see is NASL clubs breaking away one by one and buying their way into MLS (with NASL going the way of the dodo allowing USL to grow).

 

[JCMore]

Here we go again with Pro-Rel...

 

[Goodfella]

Here we go again with Pro-Rel...

slow day MLS international break conversation. no worries, we don't have our tin foil hats on and we didn't invite Ted.

 

[Taurus]

I'm not sure teams paying huge franchise fees would allow themselves to be relegated. Even to MLS II. If we get to 40, I'm thinking we get 4-6 divisions. 38 game schedule. Each team in division twice, other team in same conference one. Alternate all teams in one division the opposing conference. But now we're getting into fantasy land. However, I did bring up and interesting point: with all this expansion is 34 matches per season written in stone, or will it change over the next few years? That's probably a more relevant question then Pro-Rel right now.

Without Pro/Rel (which I don't think will happen) I don't think MLS ever goes to 40 clubs anyway. NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB which is more established are not even close to 40. Plus Garber officially at this point put the expansion number to 28 clubs.

 

[Ulrich]

Without Pro/Rel (which I don't think will happen) I don't think MLS ever goes to 40 clubs anyway. NFL, NHL, NBA, MLB which is more established are not even close to 40. Plus Garber officially at this point put the expansion number to 28 clubs.

He's set on 28 teams until a new consortium offers $250M+ as entry..... it's like Pavlov's dog, all Garber hears is cha-ching - cha-ching and he starts salivating and waging his tail

 

[joe]

I'm not sure teams paying huge franchise fees would allow themselves to be relegated. Even to MLS II. If we get to 40, I'm thinking we get 4-6 divisions. 38 game schedule. Each team in division twice, other team in same conference one. Alternate all teams in one division the opposing conference. But now we're getting into fantasy land. However, I did bring up and interesting point: with all this expansion is 34 matches per season written in stone, or will it change over the next few years? That's probably a more relevant question then Pro-Rel right now.

34 has only been in effect since 2011. Words MLS Rules are wind.

 

[Taurus]

He's set on 28 teams until a new consortium offers $250M+ as entry..... it's like Pavlov's dog, all Garber hears is cha-ching - cha-ching and he starts salivating and waging his tail

ok, 50 clubs. Maybe 60

 

[QuigrNYCFC]

totally agree with this. The closest thing we'll have to pro/rel will be MLS I & MLS II. I could see this happening when we hit 40 franchises, do a 20 team split.

Separate but related: Doesn't expansion by default dilute the product anyway? Less teams means less talent to throw around. As NYCFC fans we know this first hand.