General MLS Discussion

[KevinJRogers]

I've always thought we should have leaned hard into the City theme, to the point of being downright parochial about it. Something along the lines of an #OurCityOurTeam hashtag kind of thing (yes, that's supposed to pick a fight with the Red Bulls LOL).

With people in the know I talk about both the team and the supporters as Pigeons. For everyone else, I generally say "I'm a City man in MLS and a Gooner in the Prem." Which St. Louis has now complicated for me a little, to be honest. I'll be a lot happier when they get tagged with the Arches or the Gateways or just the Louies or something and everyone forgets the CITY thing.

 

[adam]

When talking about the team with friends and family we call them NYC. Due to the nature of the conversation they know I’m talking about NYCFC. It flows off the tongue easily but obviously the down fall is that it’s literally the initials of the city. I think it would be fun the adopt the pigeon full time though. We have the pigeon statue on the goal and had a jock tag of the pigeon as well which I think is a nod to supporters from the club. The other name the flows of the tongue for me is the celestes. I think it’s a pretty word and a pretty color and works well even if it isn’t my first thought most of the time.

We technically are NYC. When watching the PL. does the announcer say “Fulham FC” or Fulham? Do they say Liverpool FC or Liverpool? Etc…. We’re New York City or NYC for short. I remember when we were formed Redbull wouldn’t allow us to be NYFC. But did it also extend to being called New York City or NYC? That I don’t remember.

 

[gbservis]

We have the personnel, especially now with Santi and Sands back and the addition of Ledezma. After watching the highlights from last night (we were pretty bad) I'm more convinced than ever the big holdup is Talles Magno being out of position. When he's central he's much more containable.

Put him on the wing and just about any genuine shooter between him and Gabi and we should be a lot more dangerous.

It looked like Keaton had a bad night last night too, which didn't help. Maybe he was pressing a little. He grew up in Frisco so seeing Houston in front of him may have gotten him a little too hyped. LOL

I'm not as optimistic about Magno and his ability to produce next to just any genuine #9. The only time Magno has been consistently productive is next to Taty, an elite MLS striker. Since Taty left Magno has 2 goals. That includes a few games with Magno on the wing next to Heber who is slightly past his prime but still a capable average MLS #9. Unless they bring in another guy that will occupy both CBs the way Taty did I think Magno will continue to struggle regardless of where he lines up.

 

[moogoo]

damn. refs and VAR in the red bulls game was TERRIBLE. two clearly missed red cards.

 

[Gene]

I remember when we were formed Redbull wouldn’t allow us to be NYFC. But did it also extend to being called New York City or NYC? That I don’t remember.

I can't recall the Red Bulls having any problems with our name, but I'm pretty sure there was already a NYFC in one of the lower leagues. NPSL, maybe?

 

[adam]

I can't recall the Red Bulls having any problems with our name, but I'm pretty sure there was already a NYFC in one of the lower leagues. NPSL, maybe?

Just spluge all over my theory why don’t you? Idk why i remember they didn’t want us to be called “New York” and also couldn’t by NY on the score ticker either. Part of them giving up sole control of the NY market. But it’s so long ago I’m not even sure myself anymore.

 

[Marito]

I'm not as optimistic about Magno and his ability to produce next to just any genuine #9. The only time Magno has been consistently productive is next to Taty, an elite MLS striker. Since Taty left Magno has 2 goals. That includes a few games with Magno on the wing next to Heber who is slightly past his prime but still a capable average MLS #9. Unless they bring in another guy that will occupy both CBs the way Taty did I think Magno will continue to struggle regardless of where he lines up.

Same here. I have never been too high on Magno. He has amazing ball control at times and great flicks and stuff, but he plays very very slow for a winger, will never beat anybody for pace, so his ball skills and turns and twists inside a phone booth have to be super crisp and consistent for him to actually beat several guys in traffic and create danger. I usually find him doing 1/2 or 3/4 of an amazing play before losing the ball, but rarely completing the play.

 

[Revfugee]

didn't realize that Ring got stripped of his captaincy at Austin. yikes.

Link?

 

[KevinJRogers]

I'm not as optimistic about Magno and his ability to produce next to just any genuine #9.

I'm not saying it's about Talles Magno's ability to produce. I'm saying we'd be more dangerous as a team with him in his proper position. He may or may not score more. To me, it doesn't really matter. What's important is getting more quality shots on goal from whomever and from whatever direction.

Personally, I think Magno's greatest strength is dragging defenders around with his dribbling skills. He creates space. We lose much (if not most) of that with him at striker.

 

[Gotham Gator]

Enwhyseeefsee.

 

[moogoo]

Link?

2023 Austin FC season - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[mgarbowski]

When talking about the team with friends and family we call them NYC. Due to the nature of the conversation they know I’m talking about NYCFC. It flows off the tongue easily but obviously the down fall is that it’s literally the initials of the city. I think it would be fun the adopt the pigeon full time though. We have the pigeon statue on the goal and had a jock tag of the pigeon as well which I think is a nod to supporters from the club. The other name the flows of the tongue for me is the celestes. I think it’s a pretty word and a pretty color and works well even if it isn’t my first thought most of the time.

Like me, you have substituted for something more sound-pleasing. And it works in context, just like my family's usage. But it's not universally helpful. If someone does not know you're talking about MLS and know a bit about MLS, they don't know what you mean.. It does not advance the brand they way simply saying I'm going to see the Mets, Jets, Nets, Islanders, etc. does.

Enwhyseeefsee.

Been thinking about this as I tend to do and figured out why it sounds so off to me. There's no stressed syllable in NYCFC. English is a stress-timed language and, excluding 1-syllable words, words with no stress are extremely rare. The most common stress pattern in English is every other syllable, eg Shakespeare. A five syllable word with no stress does not exist, I'm nearly certain. Plenty of other acronyms have no clear stress pattern, which is why they are usually shorter - USC, CBS, UT - or rendered as pronounceable words like POTUS, NASDAQ, and sonar. You can play with adding a stress pattern to NYCFC: Nycfc, NyCfC, nyCfc. They all kind of work but none are automatic and most people pronounce a flat "enwhyseeeffsee."
This obviously bothers some people more than others, and some not at all. It bothers me a lot. It just sounds very, very off and it's why it seems unnatural to say it out loud.

YMMV, so to speak.

 

[Gotham Gator]

What it all boils down to is... It's a shitty fucking name.

It doesn't roll off the tongue quickly or easily, and so far there is no widely recognized shorter form.

 

[moogoo]

the solution is to always wear team merch and point to the badge when referring to them.

 

[CCMore]

Mets, Net, Jets, Islanders, Giants, Yankees, and I’m sure I’m missing many teams. What do theses all have in common? They are based on a mascot or a recognizable name. Maybe that just how it works here in America. I’m curious how people in Europe discuss their teams that are named after the city. I know FC Barcelona is shorten to Barça, atlético Madrid is Atleti. But how does Liverpool fans discuss the team in Liverpool, or Girona Fans discuss Girona FC? Is it based on a nick name? Like rojiblancos? I’m now thinking we need to adopt some sort of mascot or moniker like “Atlanta United FC’s”Five Stripes just to advance discussion of the damn team with potential new supporters

 

[mgarbowski]

Mets, Net, Jets, Islanders, Giants, Yankees, and I’m sure I’m missing many teams. What do theses all have in common? They are based on a mascot or a recognizable name. Maybe that just how it works here in America. I’m curious how people in Europe discuss their teams that are named after the city. I know FC Barcelona is shorten to Barça, atlético Madrid is Atleti. But how does Liverpool fans discuss the team in Liverpool, or Girona Fans discuss Girona FC? Is it based on a nick name? Like rojiblancos? I’m now thinking we need to adopt some sort of mascot or moniker like “Atlanta United FC’s”Five Stripes just to advance discussion of the damn team with potential new supporters

They generally go by place names. If a town has multiple teams they either use neighborhoods for all or some like Everton in Liverpool. There are dozens of teams in London and I think none use London in favor of neighborhood names or landmarks or something specific. Manchester has Man City and Man United. They became City and United because they are both separately and together bigger than any others who use that name. Not sure if there are other Uniteds, but there are a lot of Citys. And the good little Euro-wannabes in the US multiplied them here.

Most MLS teams also use city names as the shorthand. Whether Gen 1.0 teams with nicknames, or newcomers, you can say Columbus, Seattle, Nashville, Charlotte, Portland, Dallas, etc, and you know who they mean. Only LA and NY can't do that. Which circles us back to "City," which never caught on here, and I don't think it will, though I guess CFG hoped it would. St. Louis might pull it off, precisely because St. Louis fans don't worry about feeling like little cousins to Man City, even if they root for United, Chelsea, or Arsenal (people like KevinJRogers who root for the Gunners but are easygoing enough to lean into "City" branding borrowed from Man City seem not to be too common). And it also folds into the whole issue of the special challenges marketing MLS in New York. We have multiple teams in every league. None of them generates anything that approaches universal civic pride or engagement the way teams in smaller cities do. And you can't come in as the 11th NYC-area team and announce "Just call us 'New York City' or 'City' because we represent New York in a way that no existing team does, and by the way, this branding is taken second hand from a team in an English city slightly bigger than Fresno. Cool, right?"

 

[Seth]

Enwhyseeefsee.

I want this jersey

 

[Revfugee]

2023 Austin FC season - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Making Driussi captain and "stripping" it from Ring don't necessarily have to be the same thing. Maybe he acknowledged the reality that Driussi is the key man. And maybe he WAS stripped of it. But seems like speculation to say they "stripped" him of it. Not the kind of thing that I would imagine could be done quietly.

I guess we'll find out eventually, especially if they continue to get poor results.

 

[moogoo]

Making Driussi captain and "stripping" it from Ring don't necessarily have to be the same thing. Maybe he acknowledged the reality that Driussi is the key man. And maybe he WAS stripped of it. But seems like speculation to say they "stripped" him of it. Not the kind of thing that I would imagine could be done quietly.

I guess we'll find out eventually, especially if they continue to get poor results.

what team changes their captain all of a sudden while the former captain is still there? not counting those teams who swap captains like musical chairs.

can't imagine ring would willingly say "ah yes .. you are the future, take the captaincy".

 

[KevinJRogers]

And it also folds into the whole issue of the special challenges marketing MLS in New York. We have multiple teams in every league. None of them generates anything that approaches universal civic pride or engagement the way teams in smaller cities do.

I think this is really the point. We're a classic relevant market vs. total market case study. Looked at from that perspective, what really matters is connecting with the live fanbase rather than finding the right shorthand to achieve some kind of wider reach.