The only way to fix this AEG bull**** is with FANS buying the team a'la FC Barcelona way. Dude. You do know that the entire town of Nacogdoches would be IN HOUSTON that game, don't you? Gio is happy to play alongside Aquino in Spain's Villarreal. I think some better team than a Mexican one will pick up Chicharito after he's no longer needed in MAN U (that team is LOADED with a bunch of players of the same, if not better, caliber than him). Hernandez is losing a step FAST... at least in the last few games I've seen him for both Man U and the MNT. I think he will finish his career in Mexico, but not in the next five years. Generally speaking, players like Dempsey aren't looking for a challenge or looking for a "great place to play"... they're just looking for more money. Heck, we can't even play our better players over millions in Houston... this will never end with AEG owning the Dynamo.
Thank God you made that clear. Hell, I'd don't think an MLS all-star team is a mid level La Liga club. At least not since the new owners have bought in.
I'm an Dynamo/MLS fan first but I have to be real. I think an MLS all star team could do well, contend for promotion in the Championship, but as an EPL, I don't think they could crack the top 4. But I'm not knocking the mls and saying its the wnba. It's far from it. With the wnba, I think you could legit find some d3 players and beat a wnba team.
You should think about that Kam. The WNBA have the best female basketball players in the world since they come from College ball. What international squad could beat a female team USA? Your analogy is off. The MLS just aren't on par with European leagues. They are one of the top 5 in the Americas though.
I doubt that the Beckham/Donovan/Keane Galaxy team was comparable to a low level EPL team. That would mean that the best Mexican teams are comparable to higher end EPL teams, since they are clearly better / deeper than MLS teams including Galaxy. And considering that the Mexican teams are competitive but far from the strongest in the Copa Libertadores, what would that imply about the South American basketball? Are there 20-30 Everton to Tottenham level clubs in South America and another ~8 in Mexico? Are the top Brazilian clubs at Machesters / Chelsea talent level? I think MLS teams have enough talent at the top of their rosters to pull off an upset here and there. But I think MLS rosters have a massive depth problem. The end of those rosters are amateurish. I don't think they'd have sustainable success vs. much deeper Championship teams.
Agudelo just sign a pre-contract with Stoke. They now have Cameron, Edu, Shea, and Agudelo, if Stoke keeps this up we may see how an MLS all star team could do in the EPL.
MLS all star team would be able to compete in the championship I think...get promoted and tow the relegation line. The lack of good defenders in MLS would be their downfall in this hypothetical.
I don't think he's trolling at all, it's a popular opinion. In the end, it's an unfair comparison because those teams are built so differently. Championship teams are built for a marathon. MLS teams are built for sprint. They have a strong punch in the playoffs, and I suspect MLS teams would be competitive in a playoff format vs. Championship teams... I think they'd lose most of those matches, but competitive. But if you put MLS teams into Championship, I just don't think they are built for that type of season, and they'd struggle to survive.
I don't think he was trolling but I don't think he was right and I have never heard of that being a popular opinion amongst educated American/MLS fans. I'd ask Dr. Ludicrous and Leroy their thoughts on it first (no disrespect to DDakota but those two have been following the league for longer). Obviously the format of the Football League Championship is different in terms of it's geared toward relegation/promotion like most of the other leagues, and is also geared towards a playoff whilst MLS is just geared for the playoffs so a run at the right time of the season is all that's needed. Nonetheless, the level of play is still right about the same. If you ever encounter any MLS player that has played in England or an English player in MLS (or coach) they will tell you the same. Giles Barnes is a great person to ask. He'll agree on the comparison between the Championship and MLS.
I think it's popular but obviously, that's just my experience, based on the number of Galaxy vs. Wigan type of discussions I've encountered over the last couple years. If these people are educated or not, that depends on the point of view. Frankly, I don't know that I care what a player says about it. They have plenty of reasons to give props to their current league. A couple months ago, I heard an NBA D-League player claiming that it's the second best league in the world; the guy played in Milan in Europe before that. It's something that you listen to, but still have to keep the mind open and be critical. Myself, I think MLS quality is pretty good. Not Championship level. But close enough. However, I don't agree with opinions that MLS teams would perform well in the actual Championship. Championship teams have plenty of stretches where it's 3 games in 8 days, or 4 games in 12 days. All points matter, and the cup games matter too. MLS teams aren't built for that type of grind.
Were these discussions on Bigsoccer? On random fan forums? In person with people at the store? I mean the discussion may have been popular w/people you spoke with but if they just started following the MLS three years ago or when the Dynamo moved to Houston then yeah that might not be the best barometer. I mentioned asking an MLS player or coach that has played in both leagues just for ease of access. If you're around England and can stop by any Championship club and get an interview(or wait outside the training ground for an autograph) you might be able to ask that question. I've asked players not just in MLS but in England the question. The Premiership players say it is equivalent to the Championship. The players in the Championship seem to feel the same way. I guess maybe check with an American currently in the Championship such as Tim Ream. I don't think anyone believes all MLS teams would perform well in the Championship. Some would and some wouldn't. Performing well also doesn't mean a top 6 finish. I'm sure some, upon added depth, would adjust to the grind of the season and be able to finish mid table to the lower half of the table. Whatever, either way we know it isn't equivalent to the Premiership and anyone that thinks that is delusional. A work in progress.
I mean bigsoccer mls forums mainly. Anyway, I'm saying I think it's popular. You are saying you don't think it's popular among what you consider educated fans. That's fine, I don't know which ones are educated or not. I don't even remember who said what in these discussions, I just remember the topics. Therefore, I'm not surprised to hear similar statements in this thread. I understand, but if I catch Beckham and he tells me that Galaxy > Wigan, it doesn't do much for me. So I just don't see much value in this approach. re adding depth - yeah, but then they wouldn't be the same clubs with the same payroll. I think MLS teams would struggle to avoid relegation right now, but if MLS raised the cap by a couple mil and spent it on backups, it would change things. It would help MLS teams in the NACL too.
I understand that aspect but then there would be more value in the approach where the player asked has played in the MLS previously and now plays in the Championship eg. Tim Ream, Roger Espinoza this season as well as Stuart Holden. That should hold some value seeing as they now earn their pay in the Football League Championship and know how difficult it is to play in England but have played in MLS. So there is some value in the thoughts of the players that have played in both. Well obviously if a few MLS sides were dropped into the FL Championship, Segunda division or Serie B for example, they'd struggle for the entire season due to the lack of serious depth in MLS teams. At the moment one can say the style of play and level is comparable to teams in the FL Championship but obvy no MLS team would make it past midtable or the relegation zone in the Championship without additional depth. Anyway the conversation distracts from the thread topic, Clint and his move. Good move for him financially and in terms of staying in shape w/out feeling fatigued come Brazil 2014, bad move for him "Ambition-wise". We'll see how it turns out.
We are coming to Houston for a soccer tourney next weekend, Dempsey is in town playing the Dynamo, our schedule is not out yet, how hard do you guys think it will be to get tickets to BHVA that Saturday night? Thanks, DD
We are missing each other here. My example is no different than what you are talking about. Beckham played in MLS and in the EPL. And Wigan was that proverbial "low table EPL team" until this season. That's no different than Tim Ream talking about Championship teams and MLS. Sure, I'd be delighted to talk to Beckham or Ream or such, but I just don't see them as "they say so, so it must be right" authority in this case.
We don't know our playing schedule yet, and if we have a late game the team could not go. So I was hoping we had some regular attenders here that could give me some insight about how often it sells out. DD
