Things Mls And Nycfc Can Do Better

jury is out on NY until we see how our team draws. Miami is unproven also. I'd rather fill a 25K regularly than have 25K sitting in a 30K stadium. RBNY frequently had crowds of 19-22 this year, those empty 3K really impact the feel and atmosphere.
I get what you mean RBNJ never felt that full while watching games
 
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Improve the refereeing. I can't believe some of the stuff that players get away with compared to other leagues. It can be a detriment to the overall play when players know they can get away with being overly physical.

Hire more coaches and staff from Holland, Spain, Italy, South America. And less from colleges and the UK.
 
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Physicality is an American thing. Let them get away with a lot. That's ok with me. We don't have divers like they do in Europe or South America either.
 
Might have already been said but I really don't like the play off system of MLS. Switch to a league table like every other soccer league, and don't try and make it like every other American sport
 
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Improve the refereeing. I can't believe some of the stuff that players get away with compared to other leagues. It can be a detriment to the overall play when players know they can get away with being overly physical.

Hire more coaches and staff from Holland, Spain, Italy, South America. And less from colleges and the UK.

It's a mans game.
 
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Yeah that is probably true. I just thought that it would help attract more of an audience from soccer fans that watch other leagues but not the MLS. I don't think we should even attempt to appeal to the general US sports fans.
But like you say, if it's for other reasons like travel and TV schedules then it makes sense.
 
Yeah that is probably true. I just thought that it would help attract more of an audience from soccer fans that watch other leagues but not the MLS. I don't think we should even attempt to appeal to the general US sports fans.
But like you say, if it's for other reasons like travel and TV schedules then it makes sense.
We should ask want to get American sports fans watching MLS and Soccer. We should want the MLS to get big in the ratings and for the league to be more like the other USS sports league and big for a TV viewers. One of things that got me in to watching soccer is the fact you can watch a game and there are no cm breaks screwing the action up and and interrupting play at the best times.
 
Yeah, I agree with you. But it is so far behind most other sports I am not sure if it is appealing enough to Americans at the moment to follow it religiously, or pay any attention to it.

I have been a soccer fan since the early 2000s (as early as I can remember) and I watch EPL, Serie A, and La Liga regularly, (every EPL game each week), and I have never been interested in the MLS because of the weird league structure and inconvenient game times. In fact, Lampard initially attracted me to NYCFC. Now like you said, it is largely because of the size of the United States and all that; but to me, and many other soccer fans, there isn't anything better than waking up early Saturday and Sunday and watching our favorite teams play. I'm sure that's the reason that many mid-week EPL games are the lowest viewed and they always play the biggest games during the early weekends (so the most people can watch).

IMO, the way forward for the MLS is to attract people that already love the sport (other countries), grow it into a major league, and then the United States' sports fans will take notice.
 
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Yeah, I agree with you. But it is so far behind most other sports I am not sure if it is appealing enough to Americans at the moment to follow it religiously, or pay any attention to it.

I have been a soccer since the early 2000s (as early as I can remember) and I watch EPL, Serie A, and La Liga regularly, (every EPL game each week), and I have never been interested in the MLS because of the weird league structure and inconvenient game times. In fact, Lampard initially attracted me to NYCFC. Now like you said, it is largely because of the size of the United States and all that; but to me, and many other soccer fans, there isn't anything better than waking up early Saturday and Sunday and watching our favorite teams play. I'm sure that's the reason that many mid-week EPL games are the lowest viewed and they always play the biggest games during the early weekends (so the most people can watch).

IMO, the way forward for the MLS is to attract people that already love the sport (other countries), grow it into a major league, and then the United States' sports fans will take notice.
I understand why you say that, the new MLS TV agreement gives us firm weekly date on Friday night on univiosn at 7 and Sundays on ESPN2 at 5 and on Fox sports 1 at 7 (I think those are the times) plus we will see NYCFC mostly on Saturdays on yes network. But just getting people who already watch soccer isn't going to be enough, MLS should appeal to most American sports fans.
 
I don't mind physicality like in the Premier League. But MLS just takes it to a unnecessary extreme.

Lol, I actually meant the premier league has gone soft... remember you are talking to someone who played the bulk of there career through the 70's to 90's.
Just before my first ever game in goal (aged 8) my dad said to me "see that lad over there with the number 9 shirt on, he is going to try to hurt you, make sure you get him first"
Wise words in them days and I built a reasonably successful amateur ( to lower reaches semi pro) career on hitting number centre forwards hard.
My son plays in goal now, I would not last 5 minutes on a pitch with todays rules !!!
 
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Lol, I actually meant the premier league has gone soft... remember you are talking to someone who played the bulk of there career through the 70's to 90's.
Just before my first ever game in goal (aged 8) my dad said to me "see that lad over there with the number 9 shirt on, he is going to try to hurt you, make sure you get him first"
Wise words in them days and I built a reasonably successful amateur ( to lower reaches semi pro) career on hitting number centre forwards hard.
My son plays in goal now, I would not last 5 minutes on a pitch with todays rules !!!
Ha!

Yeah my dad lived in Scotland in the 70's, and he used to talk about how much worse attackers had it back in the day. Players like Ronaldo and Neymar would have left the field in body bags if they played during George Best's days. Two footed tackles, being hacked down from behind, going in with studs showing. All used to be perfectly fine.
 
Yeah, I agree with you. But it is so far behind most other sports I am not sure if it is appealing enough to Americans at the moment to follow it religiously, or pay any attention to it.

I have been a soccer fan since the early 2000s (as early as I can remember) and I watch EPL, Serie A, and La Liga regularly, (every EPL game each week), and I have never been interested in the MLS because of the weird league structure and inconvenient game times. In fact, Lampard initially attracted me to NYCFC. Now like you said, it is largely because of the size of the United States and all that; but to me, and many other soccer fans, there isn't anything better than waking up early Saturday and Sunday and watching our favorite teams play. I'm sure that's the reason that many mid-week EPL games are the lowest viewed and they always play the biggest games during the early weekends (so the most people can watch).

IMO, the way forward for the MLS is to attract people that already love the sport (other countries), grow it into a major league, and then the United States' sports fans will take notice.

I don't really get the bit about inconvenient game times. Sure you get to watch European leagues on a Saturday morning, but that's because of where you live, not scheduling. Those teams aren't actually playing at 9 in the morning, that's just where the time zones line up.
 
I don't really get the bit about inconvenient game times. Sure you get to watch European leagues on a Saturday morning, but that's because of where you live, not scheduling. Those teams aren't actually playing at 9 in the morning, that's just where the time zones line up.
Yeah I understand that. Like I said, I didn't watch MLS last season, or ever before, so I'm not actually sure when the games are. But what I'm saying is that even if the game times for EPL aren't actually at 7-10am Saturday mornings.. For the most they're all on Saturday and Sunday's- and mid day, earlier games for people in Europe; and the games that aren't are the lowest viewed.