Aside from NYC, which MLS teams do you actually follow?

[sbrylski]

As the league grows, I'm finding it more difficult to pay attention to every team around the league and every game each week. This past week in particular, there were a lot of interconference games that I found myself skipping right over. As the league gets even bigger and parity continues to slip, I think this sentiment will grow.

I pretty much track the scores and news around Toronto, Red Bulls, and Atlanta in the East, and LA Galaxy, LAFC, and Cascadia in the West. Tack on SKC and Orlando due to their hot streaks, and that's about it.

I watched some of Colorado and RSL yesterday due to the rivalry, and it wasn't a very good game and I barely knew the players. I ended up turning it off before the two late goals by RSL.

Thoughts? Who do you watch? Is this a problem for the league?

 

[Christopher Jee]

Apart from NYC, I don't follow any other teams.

I wonder if part of that is just that we have the privilege of watching one of the better sides. Any other team in MLS apart from Atlanta seems like a step down. I wonder if fans of struggling teams are more likely to follow other MLS sides than we are.

I would guess that the league thinks it gains more from gaining entirely new audiences than maximizing attention value from existing audiences though. And maybe that's not the best strategy. If the big long play for MLS is to demonstrate the viewership in order to land a more lucrative TV deal, cross-selling between teams may have a lower cost-per-acquisition.

 

[Victors87]

Aside from NYCFC i follow Zlatan

 

[Fake Jew]

I'll watch whatever game is on and at least 3 previous games of our upcoming opponent.

 

[Seth]

None. NYCFC only. I'll watch neutral MLS matches on occasion, but I don't follow any particular teams other than us.


Was tempted to say Man City but thought better of it.
But not enough better of it to avoid saying it here, of course.

 

[ferrarinycfc]

I support MLS in general. I really want it to be in the top 5 leagues one day. I'm more interested in the teams with good support and interested owners that are helping lift MLS towards that.

Saying that, outside of NYCFC, I really like what LAFC are doing.

 

[Midas Mulligan]

LAFC and Atlanta are worth watching. I’ll watch Zlatan.

I watched more of other teams when we sucked (the times before this particular instant).

I’ll also watch more if we play earlier in the match week and win. Flip side is, if we lose or suffer a shit draw, I’m almost entirely out until we play again.

The other way to get me to watch more is to have weeknight games. I enjoy a little Wednesday action when it’s a decent match or if it’s us away from home.

Frankly, my habits for MLS aren’t much different from those I employ with PL.

The other thing that keeps me away from watching more of any league is crappy production. As much as I want to watch even more BL and LaLiga, Fox and BeIN make it really hard.

I’ll often end up watching Swansea v Stoke or some similarly crap match just because it looks, sounds, and feels better than having the broom closet, remote commentary you get with other leagues.

Underrated league for entertainment that is on at least once a weekend is Belgian Pro league. That league is often wild. I describe it as MLS meets Eredivivisie meets bathtub speed.

ETA: yes, I often have footy on for 8-12 hours per day on weekends, with varying levels of attentiveness. I’m married and don’t have kids, and I feel like that demographic is optimal for sports watching. Single folks want to go out. Folks with kids have responsibilities.

 

[Ulrich]

The other thing that keeps me away from watching more of any league is crappy production. As much as I want to watch even more BL and LaLiga, Fox and BeIN make it really hard.

Stu Holden was unwatchable last night. It went beyond how bad we played, but his self-serving commentary was horrendous- too many times making crazy commentary about calls and “if that had been called” type crap with the VAR, or pushing goes on all the time in the box and shouldn’t be called (right after Ofori was pushed away tockear space for he header goal). It’s what I’ve come to expect from Fox/FS1 and it’s a disservice to the viewer.

 

[LeeNYCFC]

Stu Holden was unwatchable last night. It went beyond how bad we played, but his self-serving commentary was horrendous- too many times making crazy commentary about calls and “if that had been called” type crap with the VAR, or pushing goes on all the time in the box and shouldn’t be called (right after Ofori was pushed away tockear space for he header goal). It’s what I’ve come to expect from Fox/FS1 and it’s a disservice to the viewer.

He and Twellman talk so, so, so much more than they need to.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I’ll also watch more if we play earlier in the match week and win. Flip side is, if we lose or suffer a shit draw, I’m almost entirely out until we play again.

This is true for me as well. Sometimes I'll have a weekend with my only plans to hang out and watch MLS. Then we lose and that goes out the window as I lose interest until we play again.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I've followed Seattle a bunch over the years as my son is a big Clint Dempsey fan and has since developed a rather odd support for Seattle teams in all sports. That has started to wane.

Otherwise for me, MLS is like other sports. I follow my team and the other teams that are doing well - Toronto, Atlanta, SKC, New Jersey - plus, watching Zlatan is still a fun diversion, but I think that is starting to hit its half life.

 

[mgarbowski]

I don't know if "follow" is the right word for how I approach non-NYCFC MLS teams but I pay more attention to MLS overall than any league in any sport right now. I have tried to build interest and fandom in various foreign leagues and teams, but in the end I really don't care. I can appreciate the quality of play, but results generally leave me cold, and that's no way to sustain interest.

Within MLS, most of my attention goes to current rivals for success, so predominantly Atlanta and TFC right now followed by Crew and Red Bulls. I have no particular interest in NY/NJ except to the extent they get in our way. If we're still in SS contention later in the year any West teams also in contention will become more interesting. I cared ever so slightly for Seattle for a few years because like Gotham Gator's son, Deuce was my favorite USMNT player but that is fading. I also seem to have a minor but lasting and inexplicable interest in and affection for Minnesota, which includes their MLS team. I also root for turnarounds. I enjoyed watching the Fire last year, as long as they didn't pass us. I'm kind of rooting for the Revs to do something similar this year and I'd even like to see Orlando make the playoffs for once, but again, never at our expense. The Rapids had an almost perfect year for me in 2016, improving by 21 points while losing to us 5-1. None of these yearly fixations last but there is always a new one.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I wouldn't necessarily say that there are other teams that I follow. I'll try to watch the big matchups when they happen, and then mostly try to stay on top of games affecting the Eastern playoff picture (Atlanta, TFC, NJ, etc.).

But honestly, it really depends on schedule and what I'm able to catch. I've been a big fan of MLS Live but really only used it to watch live games and the occasional NYCFC replay, not so much the condensed matches.

 

[Schwallacus]

I followed Portland a bit before NYCFC came to be, so I keep up with them here and there. I will watch matches based on atmosphere, so Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, are all pretty good with that. I enjoy watching games and hearing the fans sing in the background. Makes watching the BuLi on Fox watchable when I focus on the technical play and atmosphere rather than the old ass comments shitty announcers.

Agree with Midas Mulligan on the ineptitude of announcers making some games or leagues unbearable to watch. Sometimes I'll just put them on mute and find some music to play instead. Good commentary definitely helps watching games on TV, but bad ones just make it horrible.

I do hate when ESPN or FS1 has a Philly vs. Colorado prime time game though. Some teams I just can't watch aside from 4-minute highlights without sleeping. Just boring and dumb coaching makes for a slog of a match.

 

[LionNYC]

I don’t follow teams, I follow the league. Since 2016, I’ve likely watched 80-90% of MLS games. Then MLS Live, now ESPN+. It’s good to know how other teams as doing, how they play, etc. This is especially the case if they’re an upcoming opponent. Watching the highlights shows you the highlights but not how those highlights are created. The condescended games are great for MLS fans.

Who I do root for? Whoever is best for NYCFC in terms of standing. A western team against an eastern team. A lower eastern team than a higher eastern team. This may even mean rooting for the Red Bulls, or a tie, in some cases.

 

[Mario]

I don’t follow teams, I follow the league. Since 2016, I’ve likely watched 80-90% of MLS games. Then MLS Live, now ESPN+. It’s good to know how other teams as doing, how they play, etc. This is especially the case if they’re an upcoming opponent. Watching the highlights shows you the highlights but not how those highlights are created. The condescended games are great for MLS fans.

Who I do root for? Whoever is best for NYCFC in terms of standing. A western team against an eastern team. A lower eastern team than a higher eastern team. This may even mean rooting for the Red Bulls, or a tie, in some cases.

jeez, how much time do you have on your hands?

 

[dkalev2]

I don’t follow teams, I follow the league. Since 2016, I’ve likely watched 80-90% of MLS games. Then MLS Live, now ESPN+. It’s good to know how other teams as doing, how they play, etc. This is especially the case if they’re an upcoming opponent. Watching the highlights shows you the highlights but not how those highlights are created. The condescended games are great for MLS fans.

Who I do root for? Whoever is best for NYCFC in terms of standing. A western team against an eastern team. A lower eastern team than a higher eastern team. This may even mean rooting for the Red Bulls, or a tie, in some cases.

 

[Gotham Gator]

I don't know if "follow" is the right word for how I approach non-NYCFC MLS teams but I pay more attention to MLS overall than any league in any sport right now. I have tried to build interest and fandom in various foreign leagues and teams, but in the end I really don't care. I can appreciate the quality of play, but results generally leave me cold, and that's no way to sustain interest.

Within MLS, most of my attention goes to current rivals for success, so predominantly Atlanta and TFC right now followed by Crew and Red Bulls. I have no particular interest in NY/NJ except to the extent they get in our way. If we're still in SS contention later in the year any West teams also in contention will become more interesting. I cared ever so slightly for Seattle for a few years because like Gotham Gator's son, Deuce was my favorite USMNT player but that is fading. I also seem to have a minor but lasting and inexplicable interest in and affection for Minnesota, which includes their MLS team. I also root for turnarounds. I enjoyed watching the Fire last year, as long as they didn't pass us. I'm kind of rooting for the Revs to do something similar this year and I'd even like to see Orlando make the playoffs for once, but again, never at our expense. The Rapids had an almost perfect year for me in 2016, improving by 21 points while losing to us 5-1. None of these yearly fixations last but there is always a new one.

I will echo what Mark said at the beginning of his post. I follow MLS more closely than any other professional league in any sport. Sure, the technical ability is higher in some of the European leagues, but I follow sports in large part for an emotional connection to my team and its league - and I've never been able to develop that for teams in the EPL, etc. I think that approach is consistent with my growing up in a college sports household - sure, the NFL & NBA are played at a higher level, but I love the emotion of college sports.

 

[SoupInNYC]

I think that approach is consistent with my growing up in a college sports household - sure, the NFL & NBA are played at a higher level, but I love the emotion of college sports.

I'm somewhat the same in this, but a bit backwards. Even though the quality is much higher in the NFL, I find college football as a whole, a lot more exciting. But, I don't have a college team (the school I went to doesn't have a football program), and am a huge Steelers fan. So I get wrapped up much more in following the NFL than college football. (And then this is the reverse with NBA and college bball)

 

[LionNYC]

jeez, how much time do you have on your hands?

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