Major League Soccer (MLS) Thread

[Scuba Steve]

No one died???

Amazing.

[dena]

2009 MLS Cup awarded to Seattle

http://www.soccerbyives.net/.a/6a00e54ef2975b8833011168d35cea970c-500wi

The city of Seattle will play host to the first MLS game of the season and the last.
Major League Soccer has awarded the 2009 MLS Cup to Seattle, which will see its expansion team, Seattle Sounders FC, open play on March 19th against the New York Red Bulls.
The 14th playing of the MLS Cup will kick off on Sunday, Nov. 22 at 8:30pm at Qwest Field, making Qwest Field the eight stadium to host the event. The game will be played on artificial turf, making it the first MLS Cup to not be played on grass.
What do you think of the choice? Glad to see it in the Pacific Northwest? Wilalalala weren't going to be on the West Coast for a second straight season?
Share your thoughts below.
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If our stadium was more on schedule I'm sure it would be us who get it but, good for Seattle, must be exciting for them.

[Scuba Steve]

Wow. 8:30 kickoff. Direct competition for the game on NBC.

[Scuba Steve]

But the game is on ESPN, and not ABC. Darn, thats not what we needed. They always move shows for sporting events (world series, etc and what not).

Why not the same with us?

[dena]

Originally Posted by hokiegooner

But the game is on ESPN, and not ABC. Darn, thats not what we needed. They always move shows for sporting events (world series, etc and what not).

Why not the same with us?

Because this is soccer

[Scuba Steve]

Oh yeah, I forgot.

The decision is not terrible. It will be fine. Its not like we have the 12:30 pm slot on Tuesday or something crazy like that.

[dena]

Yeah... primetime is primtime I guess, but I wilalalala was in the east (or at least Rio Tinto) this go around and... Seattle in November?

[Scuba Steve]

Same as January -- December for Washington. Rain, rain, rain. Just cooler rain.

Thats how the '96 Cup final was played though at the Foxboro in Mass. Driving rain the entire match.

[dena]

8 days until the start of the season, waiting is getting ***er by the day.

Apparently the Portland franchise decision will be known today, a 5 person panel will decide whether to fund the stadium or not, kind of hoping they don't get it. I'd rather see Vancouver or St. Louis get a franchise before Portland.

[dena]

Portland's city council approves stadium funding.
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Where in the world is Fredy Montero?



The Seattle Sounders are a week away from their first game as a Major League Soccer expansion team and the sell-out crowd at Qwest Field for the season opener vs. New York is expected to enjoy an unforgettable night.
Unfortunately, Colombian striker Fredy Montero may not be there.
The Seattle Sounders' leading forward has left the club to return to South America, where reports say he is dealing with contract issues. Now, this might not normally be a cause for concern, but it becomes one when you consider that Seattle doesn't list Montero on the team's website.(I've gotten conflicting accounts on whether he was ever there before or not).
Ruh-Roh.
Now, this may be nothing (The Seattle Times is reporting that Montero is expected back on Friday), or it may be the collapse of what some league observers had questioned as a deal that seemed too good to be true. Montero was one of the best young goal-scoring prospects in South America before his surprising deal to join Seattle. The deal looked even more unbelievable last week when MLS salaries were released and Montero was listed as making just $155,000.

[Scuba Steve]

Sounds like its just him finalizing his visa or something like that.

But he apparently has never appeared on the roster on the site.

[dena]

Hopefully the issue isn't resolved before the 19th

Ives did a pretty good preview for us also, got me real excited about our chances this year.

This may be the year where at the end of the season I finally don't say "I got season tickets for that!!!"

[M1ZZ0U]

Not sure if anyone has read this or not yet:

FOX Sports on MSN - Major League Soccer - Blatter: MLS should switch to traditional schedule

Personally, I appreciate the thought but find his view to be way off base, bordering on ignorance.

Has Blatter thought to ask himself why European clubs are their own current schedule? Someone needs to explain to this guy the basic fundementals of the Earth's axis and seasonal changes in temperatures.

Today, it's March 12th and the temperature here in Chicago today is 15 degrees (that's relatively warm lately). In London, it's 55 degrees. Now, let's rewind it a few weeks / months and look at the temperatures....snow flurries, freezing rain and -20 & -30 degree weather just back some 5 weeks ago.

Comparing soccer to American Football in terms of what an athlete is capable of is missing the point and entirely off base. Notice how I haven't even brought up the fan aspect of this ignorant view point.

Soccer is a growing (not thriving) sport here in the States. To expect the average/casual fan (which is the foundation the sport is still growing with and marketing towards) to attend a game in the climate I described or one similiar in D.C., New England is beyond rationality....it's bordering on insanity. The only reason why men, women & children will do this for American Football is because it has truely become America's national sport.

Not only will this not happen but it shouldn't happen. Disregard the excuse of shared venues with NFL teams, it has much more to do with the temperature, fan appeal & overall quality of the game. Sincerely, there are much larger aspects to tweak and I have very little concern if we're on the European schedule, mostly because I have common sense of the consequences of doing so.

Absolutely ignorant viewpoint but someone that needs to gather some worldy perspective, along with some general understanding of Science and rationality, too.

[dena]

It's pretty safe to say Sepp knows nothing about anything.

Other than that... not much I can say... pretty sure you attacked that article from almost every angle, damn. Thanks for taking away all the fun

[M1ZZ0U]

Originally Posted by denapro

It's pretty safe to say Sepp knows nothing about anything.

Other than that... not much I can say... pretty sure you attacked that article from almost every angle, damn. Thanks for taking away all the fun

Yea, my bad, kinda went on a brief rant, didn't I?

It's these generalizations and pompous arrogance by a certain sector of people in that region of the world that view this as " their game " so unquestionably, they know how to go about A,B or C in any equation related to the sport.

As the saying goes, Rome wasn't built over night, nor was any sports league (let alone the complete foundation of an entire sport itself).

Clearly this man's (along with many others) pretension has clouded his ability to rationalize the most basic of common sense.

[dena]

Yeah you did, kinda...

I think the structure of our leauge is fine, lalala me and you both are older than it's oldest franchise, a few things should be addressed and messed around with (promotion/relegation, single table, stadiums) but they will in due time. Overall I'm sure we're on the right track, why Sepp felt the need to come out and talk about a leauge that he knows absolutely nothing about boggles me, stick to your part of the world, and we will stick to ours.

[Scuba Steve]

Yeah, well Blatter is Blatter. So, while he pretty much ignores us otherwise, for some reason he always butts in every once in a while.

I am not sure why he is going after just us though. We aren't the only league to run it like this (Sweden and Russia come to mine -- and oh my gosh -- they play in Europe! The horror).

[dena]

Carolina Challenege Cup is on if anyone (doubt it) is interested, RSL - TFC I think it's 2-1 TFC Ives has the stream

[Scuba Steve]

United takes on Charleston in a couple of minutes. We have already lost to the other two, so it would be nice to get a victory at some point.

No live stream of our game though apparently.

[dena]

Yeah you guys aren't having the best of pre-seasons but you know half the time in sports a **** pre-season means absolutely nothing

Hopefully this time... it means something muhahahah

[Scuba Steve]

Yeah I know.

I will just catch the preseason highlights later on Sportscenter then.

[dena]

Originally Posted by hokiegooner

Yeah I know.

I will just catch the preseason highlights later on Sportscenter then.

That's a good one, I'd literally **** myself if I saw that

[Scuba Steve]

Wait, I usually see MLB, NHL, NBA, and definitely NFL preseason highlights on ESPN. You telling me I won't see MLS highlights?

[dena]

Don't forget that you can see first round (the worst round) highlights of golf, along with NASCAR pole races and even a Bassmaster Classic preview show on ESPN, but you definitely won't see MLS highlights!

Soccer? ***** please, I want what you're smokin'

[M1ZZ0U]

Now, now.

You fellas are bordering on being soccer snobs, in a round about way. Let's not be hypocritical while trying to deliver the sarcasm.

However, point taken very clearly.