Out of balance: As 2021 ends, MLS continues to show that improving quality of play isn’t top priority
3 years, 3 months ago

Out of balance: As 2021 ends, MLS continues to show that improving quality of play isn’t top priority

New York Times  

MLS is achieving what it wants. Even by the league’s wacky standards, this year was especially off-the-wall, with teams at the lower end of the wage scale dominating their higher spending counterparts during the regular season. Yet despite having a comparable level of salary spending, it’s reasonable to say that those high-spending MLS teams would struggle over a course of a season against their peers in those listed European leagues. There are several reasons for MLS teams’ struggles against Liga MX opponents with comparative salary budgets, but the MLS roster rules might be one of the biggest. It’s also hard for MLS to claim it wants to become a top league in the world without understanding that doing so would involve substantially improving the quality of soccer.

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History of this topic

Commentary: The MLS Cup Curse is real, and the Galaxy are determined to beat it
1 month ago

Commentary: The MLS Cup Curse is real, and the Galaxy are determined to beat it

LA Times  

Before joining the Galaxy two years ago, Christian Ramírez spent two seasons with the Columbus Crew, winning an MLS Cup one year and then failing to get out of the first round of the playoffs the next. And if the Galaxy, who won the MLS Cup last season, didn’t know that already they certainly found out Sunday when they opened …

MLS Embarks on 30th year with a 30th team, a crowded schedule and, yes, more Messi
1 month, 1 week ago

MLS Embarks on 30th year with a 30th team, a crowded schedule and, yes, more Messi

Associated Press  

While the main attraction is still Lionel Messi, it’s perhaps fitting that for Major League Soccer’s 30th season the league is welcoming its 30th team. Led by winger Hirving “Chucky” Lozano, San Diego FC is among the teams to watch this year, along with the expansion club’s first opponent, the defending MLS champion LA Galaxy. The Galaxy won their sixth …

MLS has shed its ‘retirement league’ tag. Its recruitment is building for the future
2 months, 1 week ago

MLS has shed its ‘retirement league’ tag. Its recruitment is building for the future

New York Times  

It would not be January silly season without a bounty of 30-somethings being linked with a move to Major League Soccer. The most recent MLS season in 2024 had Inter Miami top the regular-season tables with a squad led by Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, both 37, and 36-year-old Sergio Busquets, while Christian Benteke, now 34, won the league’s Golden …

MLS attendance up 12 percent from 2023 — and it’s not all down to Messi
9 months ago

MLS attendance up 12 percent from 2023 — and it’s not all down to Messi

New York Times  

Attendance at MLS matches is up 12% compared to data up to the same date in 2023, the league announced on Monday. Nearly 6.5 million fans have attended a total of 279 MLS matches in the first half of the regular season — nearly 700,000 more fans than the same date in 2023. After all, three clubs set new single-game …

MLS players, coaches aggravated by congested soccer schedules
1 year, 9 months ago

MLS players, coaches aggravated by congested soccer schedules

LA Times  

Apparently it is possible to have too much of a good thing. With the addition of the Leagues Cup, the 34-game regular-season schedule, the longest playoff tournament in league history, eight CONCACAF Champions League matches, the U.S. Open and Campeones cups, LAFC could play 56 times in less than 32 weeks, more games than any MLS team has played in …

LAFC’s transformation into MLS Cup title contenders comes with a $10-million price tag
2 years, 5 months ago

LAFC’s transformation into MLS Cup title contenders comes with a $10-million price tag

LA Times  

LAFC forward Gareth Bale, second from left top row, and defender Giorgio Chiellini, second from right top row, celebrate the team’s Supporters’ Shield award after a win over Nashville on Oct. 9. LAFC spent approximately $10 million to sign five players this summer, lifting the overall team payroll above $19 million for the first time, according to figures released Monday …

MLS 2022 salaries analysis: Highest earners, balance across teams and players
2 years, 10 months ago

MLS 2022 salaries analysis: Highest earners, balance across teams and players

New York Times  

Chicago Fire attacker Xherdan Shaqiri is the new highest-paid player in Major League Soccer — at least for now. According to the release, the average guaranteed compensation for all MLS players is $472,008, a 14 percent increase from last fall’s average of $413,998. By team Atlanta, Galaxy leading the way Atlanta United is spending more on salaries than any other …

MLS salary breakdown: Top spenders struggling in 2021 as new signings add to wage bills
3 years, 5 months ago

MLS salary breakdown: Top spenders struggling in 2021 as new signings add to wage bills

New York Times  

A new player has cracked the top-five of the MLS salary rankings. The 25-year-old Brazilian has an annualized guaranteed compensation of $3.94 million for 2021, which is highest on Atlanta United and just ahead of teammate Josef Martinez, whose $3.89 million salary ranks sixth in MLS. LA Galaxy striker Javier “Chicharito” Hernández, who is enjoying a solid bounceback season after …

MLS launching lower-tier player development league in 2022
3 years, 9 months ago

MLS launching lower-tier player development league in 2022

Associated Press  

Major League Soccer is launching a lower-tier professional league aimed at developing young players from its academy system. The new league, which will rank below the second-division USL Championship, will begin play next year and will include teams affiliated with current MLS clubs as well as independent teams. MLS Deputy Commissioner Mark Abbott said the new league is an outgrowth …

Start of 2021 MLS season is being delayed two weeks
4 years, 1 month ago

Start of 2021 MLS season is being delayed two weeks

LA Times  

Seattle Sounders and Columbus Crew players line up for the national anthem before the MLS Cup championship match on Dec. 12, 2020, in Columbus, Ohio. MLS Commissioner Don Garber said Wednesday the league is anticipating another lean year in 2021, with losses expected to approach $1 billion for a second consecutive season. Speaking in a teleconference with reporters two days …

MLS to invoke force majeure clause, prompting serious risk of work stoppage
4 years, 2 months ago

MLS to invoke force majeure clause, prompting serious risk of work stoppage

New York Times  

MLS and its players association are set to negotiate a third collective bargaining agreement in the span of 12 months. But, like the other leagues in the United States and Canada, MLS needs to address the ongoing challenges caused by the pandemic and will engage in good faith discussions with our players about ways to manage the significant economic issues …

MLS concerned after COVID-19 takes bite out of 2020 revenue
4 years, 3 months ago

MLS concerned after COVID-19 takes bite out of 2020 revenue

The Hindu  

Major League Soccer suffered nearly one billion USD revenue hit compared to last year due to COVID-19 but is hopeful 2021 will bring a reprieve as it plans to launch its new season on schedule next March, Commissioner Don Garber said on Tuesday. “We are concerned about what this will look like leading into 2021 and are working at figuring …

MLS planning to start 2021 regular season in March despite pandemic concerns
4 years, 4 months ago

MLS planning to start 2021 regular season in March despite pandemic concerns

New York Times  

Major League Soccer intends to start its 2021 regular season in early March, as usual, despite the ongoing novel coronavirus pandemic. “Based on the crowded international calendar next year, we are targeting to start our season in early March, as usual,” MLS deputy commissioner Mark Abbott said in a statement. Like all leagues, we are concerned about those restrictions continuing …

MLS delays launch of three expansion teams due to COVID-19
4 years, 8 months ago

MLS delays launch of three expansion teams due to COVID-19

The Hindu  

Major League Soccer has unveiled a revised expansion timeline with three of its four new teams' inaugural seasons delayed by one year due to the novel coronavirus pandemic. Charlotte, originally scheduled to begin playing in the MLS next season, will now make its debut in 2022 while St. Louis and Sacramento will begin in 2023 instead of 2022. “We have …

Major League Soccer to restart season July 8
4 years, 9 months ago

Major League Soccer to restart season July 8

The Hindu  

Major League Soccer said on Tuesday it will restart the season after being shut down for almost three months for the COVID-19 outbreak on July 8 with a tournament without fans at Disney World in Orlando, Florida. “We are pleased to team up with Disney to relaunch the 2020 MLS season and get back to playing soccer,” said commissioner Don …

MLS, players reach new labour deal, to resume with tournament
4 years, 9 months ago

MLS, players reach new labour deal, to resume with tournament

The Hindu  

Major League Soccer and its players’ union agreed to a six-year labour contract through 2025 that paves the way for a tournament in Florida after the season was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic. READ | Players agreed to a 7.5 percent salary reduction starting with the May 31 payroll and a USD 5 million cap on team and individual performance …

MLS is coming back, but the process to get there has left lasting scars
4 years, 9 months ago

MLS is coming back, but the process to get there has left lasting scars

New York Times  

Text messages started to whip around the player pool as soon as the video conference ended. … it was something that made our job as players extremely easy, because we knew who we were sitting across the table from.” Or, as another player who spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity in order to prevent retribution put it, “You …

MLS must remove salary cap to compete with European leagues: Rooney
4 years, 11 months ago

MLS must remove salary cap to compete with European leagues: Rooney

Deccan Chronicle  

London: Major League Soccer must remove caps on salaries if it is to fulfil its potential and compete with Europe’s top leagues, former England captain Wayne Rooney has said. Rooney, who spent one-and-a-half seasons at D.C. United, said that although salary caps were common in other American sports leagues, it was not feasible if the MLS wanted to be compete …

LAFC franchise value sets MLS record of $700 million
5 years, 1 month ago

LAFC franchise value sets MLS record of $700 million

LA Times  

LAFC showed last season it was one of the best teams in MLS history. When members of the team’s 30-person ownership group bought out Malaysian businessman Vincent Tan’s 20% stake recently, the deal put LAFC’s value at $700 million, by far the most for a franchise in the soccer league’s 25 years. The valuation continues a long stretch of good …

LAFC is stretched thin by outdated MLS rules
5 years, 1 month ago

LAFC is stretched thin by outdated MLS rules

LA Times  

Leon’s Ramiro Gonzalez, left, kicks the ball away as LAFC’s Diego Rossi tries to block it in the first half during the CONCACAF Champions League match at Banc of California on Thursday. Powered by a pair of quick strikes from Carlos Vela and a breathtaking winner by Diego Rossi, the comeback secured Bradley’s team a place in the quarterfinals of …

It’s official: MLS All-Stars will face off with Liga MX stars in L.A.
5 years, 4 months ago

It’s official: MLS All-Stars will face off with Liga MX stars in L.A.

LA Times  

Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, from left, LIGA MX Executive President Enrique Bonilla, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber and LAFC President Tom Penn announce that the MLS 2020 All-Star soccer game will be held in Los Angeles during a news conference Nov. 20 at Banc of California Stadium. “It’s valuable for everybody.” MLS commissioner Don Garber and Liga MX …

Inside the confidential 2016 study that provided the blueprint for MLS’s modern era
5 years, 4 months ago

Inside the confidential 2016 study that provided the blueprint for MLS’s modern era

New York Times  

For almost its entire existence, Major League Soccer has struggled with one fundamental quandary: how does it compete with the world’s best leagues — and how does it do so while remaining financially responsible, a facet of the league’s modus operandi that has kept it around longer than any professional soccer league in U.S. or Canadian history. The study says …

An inside look at why billionaires buy into money-losing Major League Soccer (hint: It’s not really losing money)
5 years, 4 months ago

An inside look at why billionaires buy into money-losing Major League Soccer (hint: It’s not really losing money)

New York Times  

With the addition of Sacramento Republic FC, Major League Soccer will gain a new squad of players, a new stadium, and a new home city to its ranks. Unlike teams, which are mostly limited in their chief revenue streams to game day/merchandise/ticket/corporate sponsorship sales, SUM is free to generate additional significant money through whatever avenues happen to come up as …

MLS: Atlanta United edge out Los Angeles Galaxy as most valuable club in league with record-setting spectator support
6 years, 4 months ago

MLS: Atlanta United edge out Los Angeles Galaxy as most valuable club in league with record-setting spectator support

Firstpost  

Atlanta United drew an MLS playoff record 70,526 fans for a home playoff contest and averaged more than 50,000 spectators a match to top the table thanks to ticket sales. New York: Atlanta United debuted atop the list of most valuable Major League Soccer clubs unveiled Wednesday by Forbes magazine, edging the Los Angeles Galaxy thanks to record-setting spectator support. …

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