DISQUS

Donjuego · 1 year ago

I missed the stories of potential MLS players turning down transfers to MLS due to the schedule. Is there even one example of this? Who? When? How does the number of national team players on MLS rosters keep growing if this is true?

Are Russia, Norway, and other Northern leagues considered renegade leagues because they use the same schedule that MLS uses now?

Mark · 1 year ago

donjuego every league you named breaks for internationals.

the big issue isn't the march-november time frame per FIFA rules. It's the not breaking for internationals. BIG DIFFERENCE.

MLS is losing guys for sure because of this policy. Alot of players don't say it in public but I have heard snickering about what a joke league it must be to play matches on television at the same time as the national team and how if american players had a choice they'd bail on the league in a heartbeat.

on the record examples, no unless kartik can provide them. off the record sentiment? plentiful and frequent. trust me. i interact with agents etc, who just think mls itself is a joke for playing through international dates and would prefer their clients unless retired from the national team sign elsewhere.

kkfla737 · 1 year ago

Comment from the cal which was accidently deleted:

Juan Sebastian Veron - "I want to play in the Copa Libertadores for Estudiantes." cited that as the reason he backed out of a DC United deal at the 11th hour.

Ariel Ortega - "I need to help my club right now. I can not consider anything else yet. Maybe later."

Robbie Fowler - "The schedule over there is quite different. That's something that I have to consider because it would affect everything from when to go and how to go there." (Refering to an offer from New England).

There are others, Joao Pinto, Edgar Davids, Kiki Musampa, Victor Sikora....

Mario in SJ · 1 year ago

I would love to see how many fans show up at any of the stadiums in February in NE, Chicago, Toronto, Phila, NY, Wash...

You choose to ignore the fact that winter in Northern US is not the same as England, Italy and Spain.

Joe · 1 year ago

This would be an improvement over the current awful scheduling.

Alllen · 1 year ago

"NE, Chicago, Toronto, Phila, NY, Wash..."

and Colorado, Seattle, and RSL. If you think it's hard getting butts in the seats when it's 80F and sunny, just imagine how few will show up when it's 28F and snowing or 38F and raining. I love the game but I can't see hauling myself out for games in that sort of crap.

Speaking of data, where's the data showing "meaningful" games get people to games? We should see a bump in MLS attendance for the playoffs or at least leading up to them if that were the case. But we don't see that and this schedule doesn't get around the issue of competing with football in late summer and the fall. In fact, the current situation of the drop off in attendance after July 4th shows that "meaningful" isn't what gets people buying tickets. Seems like people seeing what they want to see in the numbers even when they clearly show the opposite.