Ultimate Football (Soccer) Thread (2011-2012)

[Northern Sunrise Islands]

I'm comparing it to South America, where half of the stars at the EPL teams normally are formed.

I think that's a slight exaggeration at best. I can think of precisely three South American players at Villa in the past 10 years, and if I were to list every notable South American footballer to have played in the Premier League, I'd bet good money that it wouldn't be a long list.

You'd be right in saying the MLS is weak compared to South American leagues, though. That's not an exaggeration. I think comparing the MLS with South American leagues is a bit unfair though, really. Considering its not even 20 years old yet, I think the MLS is a decent league, and its improving rapidly. The playoff system -- as silly as I think it is, personally -- just makes it more accessible to American sports fans I guess, since that's the norm in American sports, isn't it?

I thought EPL served for European Premier Leagues. And also, Villa? XD

And anyways, if we were to compare with other continents, they'd still be downsided somehow, I think. J-League has almost the same time of the MLS and has a better development in its area, being able to fight countries with a better legacy on the sport, meanwhile the MLS will probably remain being second-placer to good ol' Mexico. Once again, I say, I like the MLS, but not as that much of an important league. The nickname thingy is still pretty fun, though.

[Kinda Sensible People Returned]

I think that's a slight exaggeration at best. I can think of precisely three South American players at Villa in the past 10 years, and if I were to list every notable South American footballer to have played in the Premier League, I'd bet good money that it wouldn't be a long list.

You'd be right in saying the MLS is weak compared to South American leagues, though. That's not an exaggeration. I think comparing the MLS with South American leagues is a bit unfair though, really. Considering its not even 20 years old yet, I think the MLS is a decent league, and its improving rapidly. The playoff system -- as silly as I think it is, personally -- just makes it more accessible to American sports fans I guess, since that's the norm in American sports, isn't it?

I thought EPL served for European Premier Leagues. And also, Villa? XD

And anyways, if we were to compare with other continents, they'd still be downsided somehow, I think. J-League has almost the same time of the MLS and has a better development in its area, being able to fight countries with a better legacy on the sport, meanwhile the MLS will probably remain being second-placer to good ol' Mexico. Once again, I say, I like the MLS, but not as that much of an important league. The nickname thingy is still pretty fun, though.

EPL is English Premier League. And MLS teams regularly give top-of-table Mexican teams a run for their money. And, moreover, in terms of quality, MLS is probably a better league than J League at this point, without the absurd salary inflation of that league.

[Cromarty]

That's hardly fair. MLS is not the league it was ten years ago. While it is obviously not yet at the level of the EPL, numerous players of mid-table EPL quality now play in the United States, rather than in Britain. Parity isn't always great, but the league is still alive because of it.


And, for the record, there are 17 competitive teams. And Portland and Vancouver.

Oh, don't get me wrong. I am all for the development of football at United States of America, but to be sincere, we all know that the only way to consider the tournament disputed is with that format of play-offs that normally does not work coherently. And I'm not even comparing it to Europe. I'm comparing it to South America, where half of the stars at the EPL teams normally are formed.

Quite an overestimation that.

[Thanatttynia]

COME ON BLACKBURN!
YOU CAN BEAT ...Ipswich...

[I V Stalin]

I'm comparing it to South America, where half of the stars at the EPL teams normally are formed.

I think that's a slight exaggeration at best. I can think of precisely three South American players at Villa in the past 10 years, and if I were to list every notable South American footballer to have played in the Premier League, I'd bet good money that it wouldn't be a long list.

You'd be right in saying the MLS is weak compared to South American leagues, though. That's not an exaggeration. I think comparing the MLS with South American leagues is a bit unfair though, really. Considering its not even 20 years old yet, I think the MLS is a decent league, and its improving rapidly. The playoff system -- as silly as I think it is, personally -- just makes it more accessible to American sports fans I guess, since that's the norm in American sports, isn't it?

Let's be honest, the MLS play-off system is at least easier to understand than the way relegation works in Argentina, not to mention having the apertura and clausura seasons.

[Osarius]

I thought EPL served for European Premier Leagues. And also, Villa? XD

EPL = English Premier League
If you meant to speak of European leagues as a whole... its probably best to refer to UEFA, but that's a bad comparison too, since like... most of the biggest commercial revenue deals are in leagues run by UEFA members, meaning they can spend more on transfer fees and wages, meaning they can get better players, better facilities etc etc.

Mexico is probably a better comparison for the MLS in terms of revenue capabilities, and MLS isn't that far behind them. The J-League is a fair comparison in terms of age, and even with the much higher financial investment in the J-League, MLS isn't far behind them either (if at all). So I still don't see the problem. Sounds like you have slightly unrealistic expectations, perhaps. In 20 years, MLS might be one of the world's better leagues, who knows? It all depends on how the popularity of the sport increases in the US, and whether businesses come to regard it as a more financially viable investment opportunity, probably.

And yes, Villa. My local club. One of the founding members of the English Football League and one of the most successful English football clubs of all time. A club that has, on average over the past decade, been one of the ten best teams in England. Not sure why that makes you laugh, really.

Let's be honest, the MLS play-off system is at least easier to understand than the way relegation works in Argentina, not to mention having the apertura and clausura seasons.

Fair point. I've never really understood all that. But different cultures have different ways of deciding champions and stuff though, right?
There used to be relegation playoffs in Italy, I think. Dunno if they still have them. I always thought that was a bit strange too.
Promotion playoffs in England kinda make sense (from a football standpoint) though. But only when the teams finish close on points, imo. If 3rd place is 7pts clear of 4th... they're clearly the more deserving team, right? It seems a bit odd to have a team playing for 6th place and a chance at promotion sometimes, if the top 3 are clearly ahead of everyone else.

[I V Stalin]

I was talking more about the averaging over three seasons aspect. But yes, the playoff is another part of it. I quite like the idea of relegation playoffs. You've got it in the Bundesliga, in the SPL (I think), so it's not as if it's only minor leagues (well, Scotland... ). I prefer them to promotion playoffs, anyway.

[Central Lothian]

I was talking more about the averaging over three seasons aspect. But yes, the playoff is another part of it. I quite like the idea of relegation playoffs. You've got it in the Bundesliga, in the SPL (I think),

No, we don't - but we do have relegation/promotion play-offs in Div 1 and 2 (the second-bottom team in the higher division and the teams finishing second to fifth in the lower division).