I dont think the addition of Demichelis is going to add many seats on the road. I know he's a really nice player, but lets not act like he's Villa, Lampard, or Pirlo.
2015 Offseason Megathread
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Our team might be better tho, making us showing up a must attend game during the season.
That's the problem. The league is being held back by the poor original owners. I disagree with someone in a previous posting that there are limited rich owners who are willing to splurge. I think there are plenty of them to be had in the US market. The allure of booming soccer market in the US is just too big, especially for foreign owners. I am more than willing to dump the old owners and attract (i don't care where the owners come from) a crop of new owners who will spend freely. we need 4-5 of them to get the market going. F the original owners and the MLS as is...just because they are relatively poor does not mean we all have to suffer along with them. If MLS is not willing to let a preeminent club to spend freely, time to break the ranks and form a new league where only the riches are allowed to play. BTW, i wish all the US leagues were run by business savvy people instead of lawyers...but guess that's too much to wish for.
If there's one thing I've learned from watching stadium negotiations, it's that sports teams always lose money when they need to show they've lost money.
The original owners have team that have massively gone up in value - if for no other reason than CFG making the going rate to buy-in $100M. Throw in stadium/practice facility deeds, and the original owners have a lot of value in their pockets.
Of course the values have gone up. Doesn't mean they have monetized that valuation. If the Krafts paid $1 Million for their franchise, and have lost another $50Million over the past 20 years, it doesn't matter if the franchise is worth $100 Million now. It's a paper gain until they sell it. If they enjoy owning the franchise and have no interest in selling, then who cares if the value is twice what they pumped in? They are still losing money annually.
I have to disagree there. The team valuation is real and that money can be accessed with secured loans without selling the team. Just like your house, you can borrow cheaply against its value.
exactly, spot on. NY did a favor for the whole league. It's just like a new mansion built on the block. existing residents may be complaining and annoyed, but the entire blocks value has gone up. so quit whining the rest of the league, let NYCFC spend!!!
That old gag.
You guys would be horrified with the amount of red, blue and green apparel in my closet. Or my all-NY FUT team for that matter.
Just a reporter pal. And just want NY to be the beacon of American soccer. Nothing more. Nothing less.
NOT HATING ... but I know full well that CFG were incredibly surprised with just how ... limiting ... MLS roster rules were. This was late 2013. And that is acceptable. And they are better today than they were. But. They were surprised.
As for the parent-to-satellite loan deal, I would be imagined they werent aware either since it isn't explicitly detailed (or wasnt at the time). But that has been an MLS rule since the Chivas days.
And anyone -- including ME -- who says they have a grasp on MLS rules is either lying or an MLS employee. Socialist rules are NOT easy to understand in a competitive market place.
Last point ... Roy Miller and Walter Restrepo would be HUGE additions for NYCFC. Immediately ups their quality on the flanks. I know that won't be a popular opinion ... but I stand by it.
Bad answer. Piling debt on isn't the same as free cash flow. Yes the values have gone up. Yes you can access capital against the value of the franchise. But it's not the same as cash flow. Securitized lines like that are best used for capital improvements. Not for "spending."
Agreed. I would add that it's especially true where the underlying asset is currently experiencing operating losses, as MLS is (at least according to public statements). That debt has to be paid. And if the business is not generating sufficient cash flow, then the only way to pay will eventually be (1) paying out of pocket, which destroys the whole point of the loan in the first place, or (2) selling the team.
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