MLS vs NASL

[21Architect]

Up until 2 years ago, I thought NASL was a bit of a joke. Then I went to a few Strikers matches (I live 15 min from their stadium) and watched them beat the Cosmos on Saturday night, actually

I know there is bad blood between Striker supporters and those who are holding out for a MLS team in Miami.

The Strikers fans are like "hey stop waiting years for something that might not happen and come support this team that you already have". I'm starting to agree with them but there's no denying I'd be a founding Season Ticket Holder if the Miami Beckham United group got their act together soon.

 

[Goodfella]

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.

depends on a few factors a few off the top of my head: NASL status, salary cap, # of international spots.

 

[Schwallacus]

depends on a few factors a few off the top of my head: NASL status, salary cap, # of international spots.

Got a little curious off of the international spots, so out of that curiosity & boredom, I looked at how many international spots the Cosmos would need. Based on my review of their roster page, 14/24 spots on their roster contain players born abroad.

Source

Obviously it could happen where a few of those players may have US Citizenship to get the total amount of roster slots down, but that is a ton of internationals. Also, this is a mini "what if" analysis.

 

[Goodfella]

Got a little curious off of the international spots, so out of that curiosity & boredom, I looked at how many international spots the Cosmos would need. Based on my review of their roster page, 14/24 spots on their roster contain players born abroad.

Source

Obviously it could happen where a few of those players may have US Citizenship to get the total amount of roster slots down, but that is a ton of internationals. Also, this is a mini "what if" analysis.

interesting, a saw somewhere recently (most likely Twitter) where the 14 number was mentioned a ProRelot (pro/rel zealot) insisted it was only 11.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Up until 2 years ago, I thought NASL was a bit of a joke. Then I went to a few Strikers matches (I live 15 min from their stadium) and watched them beat the Cosmos on Saturday night, actually

I know there is bad blood between Striker supporters and those who are holding out for a MLS team in Miami.

The Strikers fans are like "hey stop waiting years for something that might not happen and come support this team that you already have". I'm starting to agree with them but there's no denying I'd be a founding Season Ticket Holder if the Miami Beckham United group got their act together soon.

Those people are still in denial that MLS is THE LEAGUE in the US. Why don't those people root for MLS, I would counter argue.

 

[Ulrich]

Those people are still in denial that MLS is THE LEAGUE in the US. Why don't those people root for MLS, I would counter argue.

Yes, MLS is The League, but if your town has NASL and no MLS, then support your town first and the geo-centric MLS team that you're drawn to - don't have to do that but I see the merits of it. It'd be the same as supporting a local Division 2 college football team and also being a fan of Alabama, OhioState, USC, Texas or FSU.

 

[Shawn Ryu]

Yes, MLS is The League, but if your town has NASL and no MLS, then support your town first and the geo-centric MLS team that you're drawn to - don't have to do that but I see the merits of it. It'd be the same as supporting a local Division 2 college football team and also being a fan of Alabama, OhioState, USC, Texas or FSU.

Agreed but then why not want your city to have MLS squad?

 

[QuigrNYCFC]

I wonder if there are any stories of people who were die hard Cosmos fans but gave allegiance to Metrostars/New Jersey Red Bulls or NYCFC.

The whole nostalgia around the 70s Cosmos and the lasting impact on the city seems vague. I wonder if people are die hard Cosmos fans who were on board in the Pele days.

 

[21Architect]

Agreed but then why not want your city to have MLS squad?

I don't think anyone in Ft.Lauderdale or Miami is actively rooting against Miami getting an MLS franchise.

I just think Strikers fans that show up to matches are annoyed at MLS In Miami types that don't support the NASL team they already have.

And now Miami FC further complicates that.

 

[FredMertz]

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.

 

[Goodfella]

I wonder if there are any stories of people who were die hard Cosmos fans but gave allegiance to Metrostars/New Jersey Red Bulls or NYCFC.

The whole nostalgia around the 70s Cosmos and the lasting impact on the city seems vague. I wonder if people are die hard Cosmos fans who were on board in the Pele days.

there's a few die hard Red Bulls guys that were around (as kids/teens) for the Cosmos days in Giant Stadium, I only know of 1 that shifted back to the Cosmos with the reboot. Keep in mind that the original Cosmos played their last game nearly 40 years ago so if someone in their 20's was following them, they'd be in their 60's now.

 

[Gene]

I wonder if there are any stories of people who were die hard Cosmos fans but gave allegiance to Metrostars/New Jersey Red Bulls or NYCFC.

I've related my totally non-interesting story more than once. Readers Digest Version: Didn't take long to see the Cosmos were full of shit and when they doomed themselves by heading to the NASL (didn't matter whose story you believed) I looked towards NYCFC.

There were quite a few guys on a Cosmos themed message board where I used to post who felt the way I did. Out of curiosity I just surfed into that forum for the first time in years to see what they're up to, but I see the webmaster did a total revamp of his site. What once was a somewhat active webpage is now as empty as their stadium, so I guess it's safe to assume I'm not the only guy who bailed.

Is there anybody here who used to post on TICC?

Add to the fact that they have by far the most deluded/idiotic fanbase in creation made it that much easier to wash my hands of them.

Keep in mind that the original Cosmos played their last game nearly 40 30 years ago so if someone in their 20's was following them, they'd be in their 60's now.

Bookkeeping

 

[FootyLovin]

My Cosmos story:

I'm a lifelong soccer fan but never got obsessed with any one team. Around 2011-12 started going to 2-3 Cosmos games per year. Hofstra is a 20 minute drive for me (much closer than YS). Never went on a forum. Never became obsessed. The stadium experience was fun 2-3 times per year, but the field was horrible and the player quality, let's say, variable.

That said, had Cosmos announced an entrance into MLS along with a stadium across from Belmont before NYCFC announced, I definitely would have gone that route. Commuting distance matters. But now that I have the NYCFC bug, it's hard to imagine ever going back to Hofstra stadium. (Except to see NYC in a USOC match.)

 

[Taurus]

My Cosmos story:

I'm a lifelong soccer fan but never got obsessed with any one team. Around 2011-12 started going to 2-3 Cosmos games per year. Hofstra is a 20 minute drive for me (much closer than YS). Never went on a forum. Never became obsessed. The stadium experience was fun 2-3 times per year, but the field was horrible and the player quality, let's say, variable.

That said, had Cosmos announced an entrance into MLS along with a stadium across from Belmont before NYCFC announced, I definitely would have gone that route. Commuting distance matters. But now that I have the NYCFC bug, it's hard to imagine ever going back to Hofstra stadium. (Except to see NYC in a USOC match.)

My Hofstra Stadium story:

A bit off topic.

I was 7 years old and also lived about 20 minutes away from the stadium. I was with my father driving somewhere on Hempstead tnpk, my father noticed a commotion at the stadium and it was not Hoftra football. We parked to check it out and it was a soccer game. A friendly between El Salvador and Costa Rica. He bought us tickets and that's where I attended my first ever professional soccer game. I'll never forget it.

 

[QuigrNYCFC]

A little late. But I just realized this was an elaborate way to correct my grammar. Well done sir.

 

[Goodfella]

My Cosmos story:

I'm a lifelong soccer fan but never got obsessed with any one team. Around 2011-12 started going to 2-3 Cosmos games per year. Hofstra is a 20 minute drive for me (much closer than YS). Never went on a forum. Never became obsessed. The stadium experience was fun 2-3 times per year, but the field was horrible and the player quality, let's say, variable.

That said, had Cosmos announced an entrance into MLS along with a stadium across from Belmont before NYCFC announced, I definitely would have gone that route. Commuting distance matters. But now that I have the NYCFC bug, it's hard to imagine ever going back to Hofstra stadium. (Except to see NYC in a USOC match.)

I've attended 4 Cosmos games since the reboot and actually enjoyed them all. There is something to be said for watching a live game where you have no skin in the result.

 

[Gazza_55]

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.

The league has no control over players' contracts. The agent shows the player the contract offer - it states all the terms including length, salary, bonuses etc. The player either signs it and plays in MLS or doesn't sign it and he goes to one of the other 10,000 professional clubs in the world (including 100+ clubs in NA). The player has 100% control of the contract he signs. What's to get angry about?

 

[Seth]

The league has no control over players' contracts. The agent shows the player the contract offer - it states all the terms including length, salary, bonuses etc. The player either signs it and plays in MLS or doesn't sign it and he goes to one of the other 10,000 professional clubs in the world (including 100+ clubs in NA). The player has 100% control of the contract he signs. What's to get angry about?

What's to get angry about? Hmmm, let's see.

Poku contract owned by MLS: $67k-ish if I remember right
MLS contracts: capped amount per team
vs.
Poku contract with Miami team: $millions
NASL contracts: negotiated freely

Gee, sure woulda been nice to keep Poku, but hey, no need to get angry he can get a 10x salary increase with Miami that gets him more money than almost all of our players. Combined.

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

What's to get angry about? Hmmm, let's see.

Poku contract owned by MLS: $67k-ish if I remember right
MLS contracts: capped amount per team
vs.
Poku contract with Miami team: $millions
NASL contracts: negotiated freely

Gee, sure woulda been nice to keep Poku, but hey, no need to get angry he can get a 10x salary increase with Miami that gets him more money than almost all of our players. Combined.

They have 12 people at their games and a crappy TV contract that no one watches. Signing poku isn't going to change that. MLS is taking their best teams. They are bankrupting themselves

 

[Seth]

They have 12 people at their games and a crappy TV contract that no one watches. Signing poku isn't going to change that. MLS is taking their best teams. They are bankrupting themselves

Not necessarily going to disagree with any of that but that's not my point. What you're saying is that for those reasons the NASL is a third-rate league but what I'm saying is that MLS is a second-rate league because we won't pay our players. I don't want to lose Harrison in a year or two because we can't pay him a decent salary. Same with Mix. With no cap hit implications nobody'd be talking about having to get rid of him.

And I get that the league wants to make sure it survives long-term. But for now at least that means we're just not as good quality-wise as other leagues.