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There's a bunch of good preview content floating around mls soccer dot com and the athletic and some other places, this is a pretty nice summary of the state of things though (sub required): https://theathletic.com/3149519/2022/02/25/welcome-to-mls-season-27-where-one-key-factor-could-supercharge-the-next-four-years/. Here is 538's opening projections:  https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/soccer-predictions/mls/ And opening MLS Cup odds: quote:MLS Cup 2022 odds – Week 1 I look forward to LAFC being overrated all season yet again, and betting against them most weeks. Nashville looks like the best MLS Cup value on the board to me. I think Chicago and Dallas could surprise some people. I dunno if anyone else here is degenerate enough to bet on MLS but I think there tends to be some good value out there in game lines, if you factor in the ...eccentricities of MLS that don't necessarily map to models that work across other leagues. The 538 odds really highlight how much parity and unpredictability MLS has though, relative to every other league in their model. I'm cautiously optimistic that Houston is finally heading in the right direction, or at least a direction - Segal seems willing to spend and there seems to be a desire to actually develop young players too. Long road to go and Houston should be firmly bottom half of the table, but at least worth caring about again.
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Feb 25, 2022 23:41
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All 4 teams who competed in CCL during the week lost this weekend, scoring 0 goals and conceding 7. Vancouver and cincinatti seem bad Some things never change edit: next thread title should be As team captain I want to apologize and take full responsibility for what happened last week https://twitter.com/LuchoAcosta94/status/1498377453483565056 G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 00:22 on Mar 1, 2022 |
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Feb 28, 2022 15:22
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ESPN has a long standing policy of not cutting off live sports for other sports, it happens across various leagues and sports all the time. MLS fans take extreme offense to it but its not really a big deal (and it prevents what Fox did the other day) The vast majority of matches are going to be only available by streaming anyway so I'd prefer its on a reliable streaming platform full of other good content like ESPN+ and not banished to some lovely service that no one has. I really hope ESPN keeps MLS but I suspect ESPN isn't gonna pay as much as MLS is looking for and its gonna end up with turner or amazon or some poo poo. ive seen some reports that a MLS deal will be done by the end of march so we'll find out I guess edit: https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2022/03/01/Turner-soccer.aspx confirmed now, USSF getting 25-27m a year for English rights, it goes through 2030. HBO Max will stream all of the games live. TBS and TNT have committed to carry about half of them, which will be simulcast on HBO Max. This means that HBO Max will carry around 10 games per year exclusively. G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 21:04 on Mar 1, 2022 |
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Mar 1, 2022 20:18
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https://twitter.com/LuisOmarTapia/status/1498776071344377856 Hector Herrera reportedly signing with Houston, will join in the Summer. Biggest signing in club history, if accurate.
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Mar 1, 2022 23:12
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https://theathletic.com/3162180/202...und-the-league/ This anonymous MLS exec survey is probably one of the more in depth pieces I've seen on MLS and many of its peculiar rules. The 1st half is mostly just a straight survey which is fine too but the open ended 2nd half touches on a lot of interesting topics. A lot if it is around the MLS roster and spending rules and how executives think the guard rails at this point are dated, needlessly complex, and holding back (some) teams. General sentiment is that no one thinks MLS is ready to go full wild west, but that over the next few years a lot of the current restrictions should be loosened or jettisoned, otherwise the byzantine nature is going to increasingly prevent MLS from progressing. The executive sentiment is best summarized by this: quote:“I mean, GAM, TAM, what the gently caress?,”
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Mar 4, 2022 15:27
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Popero posted:God I love MLS. Here's like the 3rd different manager in 2 weeks bitching to a reporter about his squad being bad https://twitter.com/cboehm/status/1499441454791471123?s=19
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Mar 4, 2022 20:03
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Couple of nice goals this weekend https://twitter.com/MLS/status/1503408029424881671?s=19 I'm glad Houston is at least competent enough to beat Vancouver at home
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Mar 14, 2022 18:03
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https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1504091535578648581?s=19 Houston have apparently signed thiaguinho on loan with a buy option. Seems like a perfectly fine low risk/cost move. He has had limited minutes at a senior level so no idea if he's useful, but Houston has been after him for a bit so hopefully the scouts know something. I'd be good with a few more flyers like this for Houston while they're rebuilding.
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Mar 16, 2022 15:18
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https://theathletic.com/3194631/2022/03/18/mls-media-rights-deal-not-likely-to-be-a-game-changer-sources-say/ Not the best update overall here - quote:The main linear broadcasters at the table are current MLS partners ESPN and Univision, the sources said, though neither appears to be interested in offering a paradigm-shifting deal for a league that has long struggled to attract strong viewership. A bunch more in the article, but those are the topline points. Theres also major problems around who would actually pay for production for the massive pile of other matches that no one seems to particularly want very much. It sounds likely we're going to get something fairly similar to the status quo, at least for the next few years, for better or worse. The simple fact is MLS tv ratings are pretty bad, and I'd guess streaming numbers don't look great either, and no one seems particularly eagerly to fork over a bunch of money. Teams are likely going to see only a modest increase in tv revenue based on this, which will also probably mean salary caps aren't going to substantially change soon. I know MLS is really focused on using the 2026 world cup as a launch pad for the league, and hopefully it works, but TV/streaming deals along these lines aren't going to do much to accelerate growth to any degree. G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 19:13 on Mar 18, 2022 |
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Mar 18, 2022 19:10
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Edward Mass posted:What about secondary English-language broadcaster? Is it still Fox Sports, or is someone else? The article suggested no clear bid as of now but one source was basically like I'd guess fox comes in for a similar package as they have now. So maybe? The bigger issue is that all the non national TV games, which no teams have local TV deals lined up as of now. And no one seems super interested in producing them all. And it seems like streaming services aren't as excited as mls hoped about a massive pile of soccer matches between mls, the leagues cup, and mls next pro.
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Mar 18, 2022 21:48
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binge crotching posted:We're only about 20% of the way through the season, but 5 of the 7 playoff spots in the West are currently held by teams that missed the playoffs entirely last year. one of the eastern playoff spots is currently occupied by a team that didnt exist last year, and their manager gave us the the thread title just before the season Also, the supporters shield and mls cup winner last year currently occupy 12th and 13th in the east respectively Major league soccer
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Apr 11, 2022 14:56
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im gonna be annoyed if MLS rights end up on basically the only plausible service or network I don't have for other things (appletv+) it seems increasingly likely though that MLS isn;'t going to get the kind of money they were hoping for. The absolutely atrocious TV ratings so far this season likely are not helping.
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Apr 13, 2022 16:57
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binge crotching posted:As for TV ratings, MLS needs to just start doing what MLB does, and only show the good/popular teams on the nationwide broadcasts. Pretty much every national broadcast for baseball is one of the Red Sox/Yankees/Dodgers, and it's because they are the most popular, as well as some of the best. I dont really want to get into a big europe vs mls derail and i say this as a mls fan but This is what MLS tries to do, the challenge is that because of some combination of lack of stars, the low salary cap, enforced parity, and international competition, there are not clear cut good/popular teams in the sense that other leagues or sports have them. I understand the reasons why and there are merits to the way MLS does things, especially in terms of financial sustainability, but its really not a league currently structured to deliver high tv ratings, and unfortunately tv money is a very important revenue driver for sports. Having good crowds helps but it only gets you so far and to an extent is more novelty than a long term draw. From a national perspective, there just arent cant miss teams or cant miss games. If you look at a weeekend schedule its often hard to even say which games neutrals should watch. Theres better quality soccer on tv than mls nearly everyday, with players that casual fans know more, identifiable storylines and stakes, and its very easy to identify who the best teams to watch are. City vs liverpool is the national tv red sox vs yankees game to casual fans. Or chelsea vs madrid. Or whichever combo of big european teams is on each week. Its very hard for mls to make the case why portland vs seattle should be instead, unless you live in the pacific northwest. Thats the tv ratings problem. G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Apr 14, 2022 |
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Apr 14, 2022 14:07
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https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1515003912872419329 pretty healthy fee there, especially with sell on fees. 5th or 6th largest outbound MLS fee ever.
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Apr 15, 2022 20:55
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I wouldn't mind seeing Bayern even if it is a friendly, but personally I would rather pay for tickets to 2-3 DC United MLS matches for the same price. If it was somewhere without a MLS team, that would be a different story but if you're in DC you can see soccer every week.
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Apr 22, 2022 19:11
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Edward Mass posted:Rapids acquiring Zardes from Columbus for some Garberbux. this seems really sensible for colorado. grats to cbus on selling low i guess i say that not as a big zardes fan or anything but colorado really needed a striker and got an at worst serviceable MLS striker for a small pile of garber bucks G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 22:22 on Apr 22, 2022 |
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Apr 22, 2022 22:19
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https://twitter.com/JohnHayesOnAir/status/1531739373875740675?s=19 I guess karol swiderski runs a mls team now
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Jun 1, 2022 02:48
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i have mixed opinions on this, its a very good number to get guaranteed for MLS, especially if it actually scales at all. Apple+ is not exactly my preferred platform but I do like it all being on one platform and the end of regional blackouts. This will obviously substantially cut the TV rights deal they get, but still once you stack it we're looking at a high end of what MLS was aiming for. I will be interested to see how well apple does on production and such, with no real baseline for what to expect. Also curious to see what pricing looks like.
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Jun 14, 2022 18:17
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its good for MLS but 250 million leaguewide isn't really that much money and realistically they still need to scrap together as much as they can off the TV deal as well. I would also like them to prioritize broad distribution with the natl tv deals, but the streaming money doesn't go that far when you split it among 30 something teams quote:Along with the new deal, the league announced a new schedule on Tuesday. All games will be played on Wednesday and Saturday nights when possible. G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 21:58 on Jun 14, 2022 |
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Jun 14, 2022 21:50
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quote:Yeah, I'm less thrilled with the scheduling but people want consistency about "when's the soccer on" and this is a way to get that. Given that games will be spread across, what, three or four time zones (plus they're still leaving open the possibility of moves for whatever national broadcasters they get + venue conflicts) I'm pretty sure that there'll still be a decent spread of times. Ciprian Maricon posted:The current deal is 90 Million, 250M is huge, its more than ESPN pays for La Liga, its more than Turner paid for the NHL, its an insane amount of money for a product that no one loving watches, and its only a minimum. I totally agree its a huge improvement, but you're still talking about what, 8 million or so per team? That extra 5mil a year isn't radically altering finances in a way where MLS is suddenly all set or anything, they still need to squeeze as much as they can out of a tv deal. It supports the continued growth and stability of the league and is a big win though. G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 23:32 on Jun 14, 2022 |
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Jun 14, 2022 23:30
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harperdc posted:I think it’s less “when’s soccer on” and more “when’s MLS on,” and if you can minimize the number of broadcast windows it’ll help to build that date equity. It’s what the NFL has with its Sunday windows, and single games on other days. And having all the games with no blackouts really helps. G-Hawk fucked around with this message at 13:58 on Jun 15, 2022 |
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Jun 15, 2022 13:55
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Edward Mass posted:It's gotten worse!!!!! toronto+1.5 at +110 is my bet  lafc and san jose today seem like good bets too
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Jun 18, 2022 19:55
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whypick1 posted:This did not happen because betting on Toronto this year is stupid and G-Hawk is probably the biggest degenerate in this thread for gambling on MLS in the first place. I will bet on any mls team at those odds even toronto But yes betting on mls and ufc simutaneously unlocks a new degenerate gambling app where you are offered odds on mls next pro and eagle fighting
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Jun 19, 2022 20:16
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just sitting out here dreaming about a nashville vs kansas city cup final
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Jun 23, 2022 04:07
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https://twitter.com/tombogert/status/1540709056880381958 the not a DP part is interesting
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Jun 25, 2022 16:07
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LAFC suddenly look like MLS cup favorites (in so much as there is one with the playoff format). They're top of the league, Chileni is old as poo poo but I can't see him hurting, and I don't think Bale is totally washed. Curious to see if anyone else adds anything substantial this summer.
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Jun 25, 2022 18:33
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whypick1 posted:Defense is apparently optional in the league now The recent increase in transfer fees into mls has tilted the league more toward attacking in terms of talent balance i think A lot of the league is spending like 5 or 10mil to buy wingers or strikers or attacking midfielders fairly often now and its adding up. Go look at yesterdays scoresheets and its full of recent expensive incoming players
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Aug 15, 2022 00:37
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Edward Mass posted:Ladies and germs, we have a new benchmark with LAFC/D.C. United. on the one hand, betting on dc united is dumb as hell. on the other hand, no mls team should ever be -520 a conundrum. maybe i'll bet dc united+2.5 lol
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Aug 16, 2022 23:29
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Edward Mass posted:
this is a big deal and whichever teams plow money into youth scouting are gonna run the league in 10 years
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Aug 24, 2022 01:47
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Training wheels are coming off
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in case you missed it, https://twitter.com/JDNalton/status/1566693941138923520
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Sep 5, 2022 21:15
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apparently Houston has sacked Nagamura https://twitter.com/soccermattersGD/status/1566912169375109120 He was kind of an uninspiring hire and I don't think has done anything to convince, but I also am not sure he has done much wrong and was handed a pretty big turn around job. I guess i'm fine with sacking him but im curious if they have someone else teed up already
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Sep 5, 2022 23:27
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...Granted, with the state of Atlanta this season, Pineda could be out the door first anyway. Maybe Atlanta can bring back Tata after Mexico sack him in December I wouldn't be surprised if Martinez is playing elsewhere (outside the U.S.) next year though.
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Sep 8, 2022 23:22
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it seems annoyingly complex and hard for casual fans to follow which mls is hard enough as it is for casuals to follow i would like more emphasis on the regular season not less, but i know that is a losing battle. but this format is just silly
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Oct 26, 2022 16:13
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I continue to absolutely hate stacking the matches on the same time slot on Saturday night, it makes absolutely no sense to me, but I guess it is what it is and I'll just end up being able to watch less matches. It also means if you actually attend a match you're effectively missing all of the other ones. The rest sounds fine, though i suspect there will be a lot of tech issues out the gate given how rushed it will be.
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Oct 28, 2022 00:26
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https://twitter.com/MLSist/status/1586109211444154368 boy, i dunno apparently onstad wanted him last year before Nagamura, so I guess he got his guy
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Oct 28, 2022 22:40
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