Right, so now you stretch it twice as far if you add MLS.
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- Thread starter vadimivich
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Right, so now you stretch it twice as far if you add MLS.
ipitytheblue
...
Toby said Spurs "Didn't play like children" yesterday. Tactical maturity by Poch. 33% possession, wow. Didn't over-counter-press and it worked.
deacondamo
El Jefe
Not necessarily. Just match up MLS teams with Western Euro teams and not Turkey, Russia, etc. These guys aren't flying coach with layovers at Heathrow. EPL, Bundesliga and Champions League are gaining more traction every year in the U.S. Adding MLS teams would just improve the market of all of those games, IMO. The teams/orgs would make a ton of money and it would grow the game. Seems like a win/win to me. Also, maybe MLS could draw more top international players if they could get a spot in the Champions League.
deacondamo
El Jefe
That's obviously an extreme example. A team from Kazakstan has played in the Champions league, so long travel can be done. There was also a team in the Azores about 800 miles west of Portugal. It's not much different than the NFL looking to London. Anyway, I think it would be great for both MLS and the Champions League. If you disagree, that's fine (but I'm right).
Again, their countries are part of UEFA.
Screamindemon3
Well-known member
I assume you're being serious here, so I'll attempt to be serious with my response. The UEFA Champions League is only for European teams, which I assume you know, which makes this argument even more difficult to understand. America is not in Europe, so the hypothetical argument ends there, but we'll pretend it continues and look at how bad they would get slapped. MLS teams aren't even the best in North America. A MLS side has NEVER beat a Liga MX side in the CONCACAF CL final. Ever. If they can't beat the top 2-3 Mexican sides how bad would it get in the CL? Then you bring travel into play. European leagues are playing every Saturday/Sunday and CL Tuesday/Wednesay. Flying to the US and back in between is simply not feasible.
Honestly can't believe this argument exists
timthedeac
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Wait, so this wasn't a joke?
deacondamo
El Jefe
Hahaha. I have never heard of CONCACAF CL which is part of the problem I guess. It's fairly obvious that I am a casual soccer fan (watch EPL/Bundesliga on the weekends, some CL games). I think the UEFA stuff could be worked out in order to create a new Champions League type of organization. like everything else, it's all about money (see adding a billion teams to the WC). Does the winner of the CONCACAF Champions League play the winner of UEFA Champions League or something similar? That would be decent I guess.
I guess MLS still sucks too much for something to happen in the near future. I understand that I am ignorant about some of these things, but thank you for informing me that America is not in Europe.
BillBrasky
#PSF
Damo you might want to check out the FIFA World Club Championships. If an MLS team ever when's CONCACAF CL they can play the UEFA Champion in that competition.
Screamindemon3
Well-known member
Sorry, wasn't sure how much you knew about soccer, wasn't trying to be a dick. But it's as simple as America isn't Europe, lol. Same with African and Asian teams, you'll never see them in the Champions League. Its a UEFA tournament. The USMNT will never play in the Euro as well.*
*But they will play in the Copa, just to complicate things :thumbsup:
BarcaDeac
Well-known member
There are rare examples of teams from outlying UEFA countries playing in the CL and then it's only one team in that country as it would have had to go through qualifying rounds.
The NFL works with London because it's known months in advance and teams usually have bye weeks afterward. There are no bye weeks in European leagues save a winter break. But at that point the group stages of the CL are over. The CL field isn't known until a few weeks before the field is set due to qualifying matches which happen right at and before the start of league play.
wakephan09
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Also, like, the seasons don't line up
deacvision7
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deacondamo
El Jefe
yeah, that's the worst possible reason not to do it. Poor relative level of the MLS clubs and the seasons not lining up are way better reasons not to do it. If MLS was stronger, it would make more sense. Hard to figure out the season not lining up problem though. What do all those bros do in the fall/winter? Watch EPL and Bundesliga like everyone else? Are the good players loaned out?
leftcoastdeac
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North American winter makes playing soccer a challenge. The Germans play through the tail end of winter, but they don't seem to get snow like you see in the north east and Canada where MLS clubs are playing outside. The other big hurdle to aligning seasons is getting MLS decent TV rights during the NFL and NBA seasons (not to mention they would be further competing for TV with Euro clubs that already have deals). Aligning the MLS season to the Euro season seems nearly impossible.
thatguy2016
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damo: check out fivethirtyeight's soccer ratings - https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/?ex_cid=rrpromo
you'll see that Toronto, far and away the best team in MLS, would be fighting to avoid relegation in EPL (and probably failing), would be the third-worst team in Champions' League (there are a few minnows in there), and far and away the worst team at the top level in Germany or Spain
they are roughly equivalent to the top team in England's #2 league
you'll see that Toronto, far and away the best team in MLS, would be fighting to avoid relegation in EPL (and probably failing), would be the third-worst team in Champions' League (there are a few minnows in there), and far and away the worst team at the top level in Germany or Spain
they are roughly equivalent to the top team in England's #2 league
vadimivich
Well-known member
Time zones are the biggest reason - when exactly would CL matches be played local time in the USA to allow them to be prime time in the major European TV markets (which is where most of the revenue comes from). You'd have to have 2:45pm EST Tues/Weds kickoffs to hit the 8:45pm CET kickoff time that all the CL matches are traditionally played at - and that only for east coast MLS teams, it gets worse as you go west.
It's always easier to shift to the east from your major market (like the NFL going to Europe where they have a late afternoon kickoff for daytime broadcast in the USA, or in the CL when Russian teams host and simply kickoff at 9:45pm or even 10:45pm local time) than it is to shift to the west. That's a major problem for European leagues wanting to play any major matches in North or South America. Workable local kickoff times simply are extremely difficult to find.
It's always easier to shift to the east from your major market (like the NFL going to Europe where they have a late afternoon kickoff for daytime broadcast in the USA, or in the CL when Russian teams host and simply kickoff at 9:45pm or even 10:45pm local time) than it is to shift to the west. That's a major problem for European leagues wanting to play any major matches in North or South America. Workable local kickoff times simply are extremely difficult to find.