Over Toronto FC’s brief existence, they have developed a reputation for continuously inventing new ways to shoot themselves in the foot. They didn’t reach the playoffs (a low bar given that more than half the league qualifies) until last season—their ninth in the league. This season, however, things were different.
Led by the likes of Sebastian Giovinco, Michael Bradley, and Jozy Altidore, they’ve built a strong team and the club that had never won a playoff game suddenly won three rounds in a row.
Riding this unfamiliar high of success and relishing the added bonus of hosting the MLS Cup final, everything seemed perfectly alined for Toronto to prove their critics wrong and stand atop the MLS mountain instead of getting crushed by yet another self-created avalanche.
But then they got a little ahead of themselves. And as ESPN’s Doug McIntyre revealed two days before the final, Toronto already had a specially marked display case for the trophy they were sure would soon be theirs.
Toronto FC has a spot all picked out to display the MLS Cup they're hoping to win Saturday night against the Seattle Sounders. pic.twitter.com/JlJr3ZjNef
For those thinking TFC just erected this, it's been there all year, next to another empty display for the CONCACAF Champions League trophy. https://t.co/ci6nuJMYkw
Anyone familiar with sports knows that curses have been born of far less than this. I don’t care if you’re superstitious or not—this is the type of thing that bends the laws of science to create a magic vortex of karmic punishment. And for Toronto FC, that’s exactly what happened.
Facing a Seattle Sounders team that sat in last place and fired the only coach they’ve had in July, then finished the season with the seventh best record in the league before mounting their playoff push, Toronto had to be feeling good as they looked more dangerous during the match. It remained scoreless into extra time, but when Jozy Altidore’s header that should have produced a dramatic winner for the home side was miraculously saved by Seattle’s Stefan Frei, it started to become clear that great forces were working against Toronto and their MLS Cup display case.
The match then went to a shootout, which Seattle won 5–4 to claim their first ever MLS Cup in spite of having exactly zero shots on goal (Toronto had seven). No shots on goal. None. Zip. Nada. And the trophy was theirs.
(MLS/Twitter)
The only way Toronto can overcome this self-created disaster is to destroy the building that houses that still empty display case and hope the next 100 years pass quickly. This is only the beginning.
Existing outside the constraints of a domestic league might be the way forward
(NY Cosmos)
Days after winning their third title in four years within the modern, second-division NASL, the New York Cosmos have purged their squad and staff as a familiar demise seems inevitable 31 years on from their first collapse. On the pitch, the second iteration of the Cosmos was a success, but they were once again undone by their outsized ambitions in a volatile league.
Despite playing their home matches at a modest university stadium and competing in one of two rival second-division leagues in the U.S., the Cosmos still managed to harken back to their original star power by signing the likes of Marcos Senna and Raul to participate in a competition that seemed lightyears away from La Liga.
The high point for the second generation Cosmos—from a standpoint of continuing the glitz and international profile that made their forebears the iconic club of American soccer, even today—arguably came in their very first match after being reformed, though. Before they joined the second attempt at an NASL.
That first match was Paul Scholes’ testimonial. Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United v New York Cosmos at Old Trafford. With Eric Cantona as the Cosmos’ “director of soccer” and manager for the day, leading a squad filled with aging greats like Fabio Cannavaro, Dwight Yorke, Robbie Keane, Patrick Vieira, and Robert Pires.
(Sky Sports)
The Cosmos lost that match 6–0—after all, this was a group that had only met a few days earlier and they were playing against the reigning Premier League champions. Regardless of the result, the match and a Cosmos team filled with real-live Cosmos (plus Wayne Bridge) succeeded in sparking intrigue and excitement about the reborn club.
Obviously, to go from that to second-division matches at Hofstra University is a difficult trajectory. Flashy stadium proposals and attempts to claim a spot in MLS failed—league commissioner Don Garber rejected the idea of a third MLS New York team as recently as Friday—leaving the Cosmos in a dead-end position. Even if MLS did want them and the City of New York was willing to let them build a state of the art home of their own, that wouldn’t be the way for the Cosmos to be the Cosmos.
MLS’s constrictive rules and salary cap, as well as their “all for one” mentality, runs counter to the Cosmos’ big, bold, and individualistic image and a new stadium could be more of a burden than a necessity. So for the Cosmos to make a third go at existence, they might have to forge their own path. One outside the U.S. leagues that have always been too small for them.
Putting together a revolving squad of out of contract or recently retired superstars and playing friendlies and unofficial tournaments (like the International Champions Cup) around the world might be the first step towards finding a sustainable way forward for the Cosmos. They could play in premier venues and would be sure to draw big crowds, as preseason friendlies and star-fueled charity matches have been proven to do. They could be a sort of football version of the Harlem Globetrotters—global ambassadors for American soccer and an asset to the USSF—but without the buckets of confetti (side note: the Globetrotters have apparently “drafted” Leo Messi, Neymar, Tim Howard, and Landon Donovan in recent years…so the Cosmos would have to watch out for them, oddly enough).
If matches were scheduled to fill gaps in the TV schedule, broadcast rights would likely be desirable and the global nature of the endeavor could attract internet companies looking for live content to stream. And if there’s one thing the Cosmos proved upon reforming in 2010 its that they can sell merchandise.
With a focus more on entertainment and showmanship than trophies, the Globetrotters have succeeded for 90 years while playing utterly meaningless games from a results standpoint, so that shouldn’t be the primary concern for the Cosmos in this scenario. That said, in an age when top clubs almost seem held back in their own money-spinning globetrotting by their domestic campaigns as they actively search for ways to form new leagues beyond national or even continental boarders, the Cosmos could get a leg up on the global competition and prove their value as an addition to a potential/inevitable international super league of the future by taking on this form and creating new fans around the world.
Of course, if they did one day make the transition from touring team to a competitive club in an actual league, assembling a squad of younger players would be necessary. And the profits made as the former would ideally be used to fund the latter. In addition, being a part of a new global mega-league would almost certainly help them get a stadium built, which would then be necessary. While these might sound like futile plans for the day after never, these are the types of things a Cosmos 3.0 would have to map out—ways to be the masters of their own domain and limiting dependence on the success or approval of others—to avoid hitting yet another dead end.
Despite crumbling twice now, the idea of the New York Cosmos still has undeniable value and a credibility that few other American clubs, if any, have been able to achieve. It’s something that top players want to be associated with and multiple generations of fans have now supported. A third attempt at creating a viable model remains a worthwhile endeavor, but it will only be achieved through adaptation and evolution, and not regression or compromise. The Cosmos began as a pioneer club for America, now they have to look to being a pioneer club for the world.
With a club record 61,004 packed into Olympic Stadium to see the Montreal Impact host Toronto FC in the maple leaf derby/MLS Cup semifinals, the match had to be delayed. Because the dumdums who drew the lines on the pitch made the penalty box too narrow. Seriously. This is a thing that happened at a professional match attended by more than 60,000 people.
Once that got sorted, Montreal went on to win the first leg of the tie 3–2, but Seattle, host of the other semifinal against Colorado, weren’t about to let that one slide.
And to put Montreal’s win into a loss sandwich, Didier Drogba announced that he’s leaving the Impact at the end of the season immediately after the match.
This shouldn’t come as a surprise given that he tried to slip out of his contract to return to Chelsea back in January and then refused to play last month. That said, Montreal have gotten better results without Drogba than with him, so maybe this is his attempt to ensure they go on to win the MLS Cup. Never question Didier Drogba. The man ended a civil war. He can do what he wants.
Well reasoned backing for a major overhaul of the U.S. system
(Ben Fast)
In a report that could vindicate the ardent, grassroots support for promotion and relegation in U.S. soccer that has often been met with eye rolls from the gatekeepers to the American game’s top levels, Deloitte has laid out the benefits and dangers of implementing promotion and relegation in the United States.
With long-standing questions about public interest and the financial health of American soccer leagues, the promotion and relegation system seen in many other parts of the world has been ignored in the U.S. in favor of closed leagues, as seen in more established and American-centric sports. New franchises in top-tier MLS are now paying eight to nine figure buy-in fees to gain entry to a single-entity format that guarantees first division play for as long as the league stays afloat. Naturally, fears over changing the terms to these agreements and suddenly adding a great deal of risk to investors has prevented promotion and relegation discussions from going beyond the realm of hypothetical fan theories. But this new report from accounting and professional services firm Deloitte—the company behind the annual Deloitte Football Money League—might change that.
In a press release, Dan Jones, Head of the Sport Business Group at Deloitte, says:
“U.S. soccer has a major opportunity to capitalize on the nation’s growing interest in soccer. We believe the introduction of promotion and relegation into the existing league system could have numerous long term benefits, including increased attendances, increased broadcast audiences, improved commercial revenue and a positive impact on both elite players and grassroots participants.
“The current closed system has served MLS well in its early years, but as it matures it is reaching member capacity, preventing further expansion. Other challenges facing the current structure include growing fan interest in overseas leagues such as the English Premier League and a stagnation in the number of players annually registered with U.S. Youth Soccer. The number of registered players has barely risen since 2000 despite vastly increased rates of participation in high schools.
“Though the U.S. soccer league system may not be ready for such a move immediately and its implementation may not appear urgent, the topic is worthy of greater exploration and debate. U.S. soccer should properly consider the merits of introduction of promotion and relegation and a transition plan for its successful introduction in order to drive U.S. soccer forward.”
Though promotion and relegation would present challenges—especially since it would have to be implemented into a pre-existing structure—Deloitte says that the benefits outweigh the drawbacks. First, to address the biggest hurdle, they suggest instituting a phased introduction (playoffs to determine if a club goes down or remains) and parachute payments for relegated clubs, as the Premier League does, to mitigate risk for owners. Added regulations and minimum league standards would also be necessary, according to the report. The English Football Conference and Korea’s K-League are given as examples as once closed leagues that have successfully transitioned to a promotion and relegation format.
The stated benefits of promotion and relegation are far reaching. From increased fan interest and broadcast friendly storylines that, in turn, drive up commercial values, to an increase in owner motivation to succeed, improved player development (increased competition at all levels leading to more aggressive investment in coaching and training facilities), and infrastructure lending itself to natural growth.
(Deloitte Analysis of Promotion and Relegation in the USA)
A companion survey of more than 1,000 U.S. fans conducted by Deloitte demonstrates that there is an appetite for promotion and relegation in America. A whopping 88% of respondents said promotion and relegation would benefit the U.S. and 50% said they would be more likely to watch matches on TV if it were introduced. This increased interest would even extend beyond the club level to the U.S. national team, if this survey is to be believed (which could be a big “if”).
(Deloitte U.S. fan poll)
Another interesting potential benefit to promotion and relegation, according to Deloitte, is the possibility of reinvigorating the country’s stagnant youth player registration. Over the last 16 years, growth in this area has dropped off significantly and increasing competition would also increase demand for and investment in youth development.
(Deloitte)
The potential drawbacks, however, do not seem insurmountable. As previously mentioned, Deloitte recommends that promoted clubs would have to meet minimum organizational requirements to ensure competition, and player costs would likely skyrocket, as they have in Europe. What Deloitte repeatedly stresses, though, is that despite all the theoretical benefits, U.S. soccer might not be mature enough to handle such a transition just yet, especially with the question of fairness to those who have already invested to wide-ranging degrees.
(Deloitte Analysis of Promotion and Relegation in the USA)
And that’s been the primary reason behind American soccer’s most powerful shutting down the conversation in the past.
“We play in a country where the major leagues are really successful,” said MLS commissioner Don Garber at the Soccerex convention in 2015. “There is no promotion and relegation in hockey and basketball and they work really well. It is not happening in MLS any time soon.”
“We have a structure that intrigues the rest of the world, the idea that owners can come together and be partners off the field and try and beat the heck out of each other on the field has worked really well in the U.S. in other sports to make some of the most valuable leagues in the world. It is attractive, it allows for some ability to plan and invest over a long period of time.
“How does America benefit? Massive investment in bricks and a league that will be around in 100 years from now. It has become more of a seller’s market. There is more interest in investing in MLS than there are teams available.”
USSF president Sunil Gulati has also said that implementing such a system would be “frought with peril” and would require “very long discussions with many people with high LSAT scores [i.e. lawyers].”
At this point, it should be noted that Deloitte’s report was commissioned by Silva International Investments Ltd.—a company founded by Riccardo Silva, president and co-owner of one-year-old Miami FC in the second-division NASL. Surely these findings will be music to his ears, even though they present a less than iron-clad case, especially as the NASL’s future is once again looking less than certain.
Even with this report to fortify the argument in favor of promotion and relegation in the U.S., nothing short of a movement amongst MLS owners—the people with the most money on the line—is likely to bring about change on this front. And that would require a level of financial bravery that they seem both unlikely and unable to possess.
The full report summary can be viewed here: [MidfieldPress]
Atlanta United will join MLS next season (along with Minnesota United), which means they’ll need something to wear. So on Tuesday night, they unveiled their first ever home kit. And it looks rather familiar.
Here’s Atlanta’s new kit…
(Atlanta United)
And here are a couple of kits worn by the MetroStars (now the New York Red Bulls)…
Of course, there’s also a distinct similarity to the Milan’s famous home kit. That’s not to say that any of these comparisons are a bad thing. It’s an attractive enough design. But Atlanta will surely hope to have more success in their kit than the MetroStars did.
David Beckham insists that he is certain his Miami MLS franchise will begin play on or before the year 2098.
It has now been more than 1,000 days of toiling in uncertainty for Beckham’s Miami project, which was first announced in February 2014. Since then, two other clubs have joined MLS and three others are set to follow over the next two years, with several more viable options actively pursuing inclusion.
“MLS team in Miami?” Beckham asked when questioned about the project while promoting one of his thousands of other commercial interests. “Oh right! Yes, it’s definitely still happening no later than 2098. That’s for sure. We’re hoping that when climate change submerges Miami underwater over the next 80 years, we’ll be able to find the perfect subaquatic stadium site and by then mankind should have the technology that will allow us to contact alien lifeforms in other galaxies about investing in our project. It’s exciting stuff.”
A proposed stadium site in Miami that was first announced in December 2015 is still far from completion and additional investors for the imaginary club are still needed by Beckham and his partners, Simon Fuller and Marcelo Claure.
Despite these endless delays and the continued uncertainty, Beckham remains upbeat about Beckham Miami United’s ability to sign superstar players.
“I’ve spoken to Cristiano Ronaldo and he’s assured me that if he has a great-great grandson one day, the boy will consider playing for us. So we’re happy about that,” Beckham said with a confident grin. “Also, Zlatan Ibrahimovic will probably still be playing at 116 years old, and he’s open to joining as well. And if MLS can survive the Great Robot Wars of the 2050s, our club will surely become one of the best in the world just before the universe collapses upon itself in 2182. I can’t wait.”
As a young, rapidly growing league that seeks to position itself among the world’s best, MLS often struggles reconciling its caviar dreams with its Big Mac realities. While world famous players like David Villa and Kaka make millions, the league’s minimum salary for players under 25 years old is still just $36,500.
Given the more “average Joe” wages of the lower end of the league’s talent and the minuscule salary cap of $3.49 million per team, it might make sense that MLS clubs fly commercial — something that LA Galaxy coach Bruce Arena finds embarrassing. So embarrassing that he tells his players not to wear team apparel in airports so as not to draw attention to their commoner status.
Didier Drogba had a pretty miserable Saturday. First, he had to watch Arsenal embarrass Chelsea 3-0. This alone was enough to share a catty tweet aimed at Theo Walcott implying that if he was still at Chelsea, the result would have been different.
Steven Gerrard recently did one of those videos where they put a footballer with a kid and let the adorableness of the interaction hypnotize you into wanting to buy his shirt. But after telling the child that Leicester “crap,” the kid brought up a now interesting topic: Landon Donovan’s retirement.
In the second minute of Montreal’s match against Orland, Didier Drogba took a free kick and added a bit of wizard magic to it. The ball moved in slow motion and right at the goalkeeper, hypnotizing him into pushing the ball into his own net.
Orlando went on to win 4-1 after Montreal’s goalkeeper was sent off early in the second half, but only because Drogba didn’t feel like stopping time all together and scoring five more times while everyone else was frozen in place.
