Could The Big Apple Support Three MLS Clubs?

                                          

The New York City metropolitan area is home to more professional sports teams than any other city in the United States of America.  It has over 20,000,000 residents in its sprawl and easily supports multiple teams in the big four sports leagues.  MLS will soon have two teams into the New York area, but could the city support three teams?  The New York Red Bulls draw average attendance in a 25,000 seat arena and New York City FC will eventually have a 25,000 seat stadium of their own in the coming years.  Three teams representing one city would be unprecedented in modern sports leagues in this country.  The New York Cosmos ownership group has very deep pockets and our very ambitious.  They have won the NASL in their first season back as a club with a team compiled of MLS cast-offs and a highly paid Spanish legend named Marcos Senna.  The club has submitted plans  for a 25,000 seat stadium in Long Island and want to be the talk of the town.  It is still hard to be considered big time if you play in the second division or minor leagues of any sport in America and a move to MLS is a must.  Most people believed the Cosmos were on their way to MLS when there were talks of another team being added to New York City.  The Cosmos ownership group played some serious hard ball and the league looked at other options before rewarding the expansion to the Manchester City/Yankee ownership and New York City FC.  The Cosmos brand is too enticing not to be include in the league if a stadium deal is passed.  The unique dynamics of New York City and the sheer size of the city could allow it to support three clubs.  The Red Bulls would be a club that attached to the New Jersey section of the New York City metro because they play there.  Manhattan and the Bronx would attach to the newly founded New York City FC, with a stadium deal being discussed in those boroughs.  If the Cosmos were ever accepted into MLS they would attach to Long Island, having already played there this season and their stadium being planned there.  It could be a stretch, but those teams pulling from only that specific third of the New York City metro, still have more of a populace to pull from almost every MLS team.

Zlatan Ibrahimović and MLS

   Zlatan Ibrahimović is one of the most prolific goal scorers that the world of soccer has ever seen and like most aging superstars he wants to come to MLS.  The Swedish international is one of the most accomplished players to play the game, winning titles wherever he has played in Europe and scoring goals in every fathomable way.  Ibrahimović has played for some of the most prestigious clubs in the world including: Ajax, Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Barcelona, and PSG.  Not only has he played in numerous leagues, his talent never seems to waiver.  There are always questions of what would happen if certain players had to move leagues where playing styles. physicality and competition are quite different.  This question makes some believe Messi may not be as prolific in a league like the Barclay's Premier League or Bundesliga, where physicality is part of the game and players do not receive calls for mere contact.  It is impressive that Ibrahimović has not been effected by the constant movement around the continent of Europe.  He is a true hired gun with seemingly no club loyalty, but thirsty to leave another league terrified of his 6'5 frame running at their defenses.

                           

  Everyone knows that Zlatan is a talent not seen every generation.  He is one player that you can say can literally score from anywhere in the attacking third and beyond. His sheer size is a sight to behold itself.  This size, however, is complemented with grace that is usually left for players far smaller and he has uncanny technical ability.  Not only is Zlatan a impressive talent, he also is quite interesting and very cocky.  He holds a black belt in taekwondo, and this expertise has led to martial arts type goals.  This has led to a flury of YouTube compilations of just Zlatan's martial arts style scoring exploits.  Zlatan is quite charismatic and cocky and often talks to himself in the third person.  In sports this is not unheard of in the US and it is often this cockiness which make the players great.  The unwaivering belief in one's ability and the ability to back it up.  Zlatan is the Terrell Owens of soccer and even though you may not like the attitude or what they say, you still want to know what they are saying.  The entertainment value in Zlatan coming to MLS will occur both on and off the field.  If you doubt the entertainment potentially coming to MLS you simply need to look at YouTube's 30 Crazy Things of Zlatan Ibrahimović.  Zlatan has expressed his desire to play in MLS, but only if he is able to contribute and win titles.  This is the type of player we should want in this league.  Although Ibrahimović will be 34 when his PSG contract is up, he should still be more than able to score goals.  He is not slow, but his game does not  revolve speed.  He is a poacher and an opportunist who will take the league by storm.  In my eyes, I already see where he will be plying his trade: New York City FC.  Zlatan already has a penthouse on Manhattan and he will give the new MLS club the star power they need.  Zlatan has expressed that he is not as well known in America as he should be and I believe that in a few years time the entire sporting public in this country will know his name.

New York City FC 2015

     We have known for months that another New York club will be coming to the league in 2015.  For those who like to troll, I am including the Red Bulls as a New York club.  New York City FC will be joining the league under the ownership of superclub Manchester City and the New York Yankees.  The ownership group is an odd couple, despite their commonality of being flush with cash.  This is where my first problem comes in.  I long have been an advocate for another team in the city proper if it is done the right way, but having another soccer club own another club is worrisome.  This is not like an FC Barcelona B being owned by FC Barcelona, where the team is obviously a development team in the same soccer pyramid.  This is an actual outside ownership of a club in another top flight league and could be seen as a Chivas USA situation.
                           
     The mere mention of Chivas USA causes American soccer fans everywhere to cringe.  We all have seen the horror that the second LA club has endured, mostly by their own doing.  Chivas USA is a marketing nightmare.  The original club owners merely adding a "USA" to the new club and have the team playing in the exact same uniforms as the Liga MX side.  Chivas USA even began a racist policy of only employing Mexican or Latin American players.  This racial or ethnic discrimination is not unheard of in soccer.  The La Liga side Athletic Bilbao only allows Basque players to represent the club.  There is one key difference in the situation of Chivas USA and Athletic Bilbao.  Athletic Bilbao is actually located in the Basque region of Spain, while Chivas USA is trying to only include players from a country the club isn't even located.  The new club was suppose to gain legions of followers from LA's large Mexican population.  What they didn't anticipate was that not every Mexican in LA supported Chivas.  The end product was complete alienation of the majority of the Mexican population of LA and the other ethnic groups and races the club would not employ.
     Chivas USA aside, NYCFC is seemingly being made in the footprint of Manchester City.  There is  no club crest yet, but everything on the new website is Manchester City driven with contests about the club and the club's game results.  The contests are luxurious, with trips to England and UEFA Champion's League games, but shouldn't the new club be trying to implement an identity for themselves?  In my opinion, trips to NYCFC games or season ticket packages would be much better suited for club's contests.  The club must embrace the New York public and represent the city.  New York fans will dismiss any team that doesn't represent the five boroughs or at least one of them.  This farce must stop and in this year before they take field, a sound effort must be made to get their own identity away from the ownership club.
      New York City FC does have many things going its way, however, that lend me to believe that the league and Manchester City are aware of the problems that currently plague.  The team appointed American soccer legend Claudio Reyna as their Director of Football Operations.  This hire gave the club instant credibility and hope that local identity and not foreign will reign.  Furthermore, the club also has pried Jason Kreis away from Real Salt Lake to be the club's first head coach.  Kreis is widely held to be the most promising soccer mind in the game and the next generation of great American coaches.  His club's playing style is some of the most appealing in MLS and it seems to me that club owner's have scored big time.  It is interesting that the club owner's are having him spend time in England to seemingly learn the Manchester City way.  Hopefully, this isn't an attempt to influence tactics, but merely training workshops both conditioning and technical.  One thing we do know is that Kreis will have limitless access to top talent around the world.  The cap will not allow a true superclub to be made, but we do know the club will have big name stars.

Expand!

         Entering the post-Beckham era ,the MLS has some exciting new possibilities and as always expansion is one of them.  In the past few months, we have seen the plan for New York 2 clearly laid out and it looks like will definitely be happening.  Don Garber has the team playing in 300 million dollar playpen that will be his crowning achievement.  The "team to eventually be" will be starting in 2016 and we have no idea if this will the Cosmos or some other team.  There are rumors that Manchester City's deep pocket ownership is looking to invest in the expansion opportunity.  If that's the case someone should explain to them how a salary cap works and DP slots.  The fact that this team won't start to play until 2016 has raised some eyebrows.  Why so late?  It is obvious that the league has been admitting a new team to it almost every year in recent times and a three year gap does seem like a long time because of this.  The newest revelation has come from Orlando City's ownership claiming that they are closing in on a stadium deal and want to be in MLS in 2015. This seems to be like news to MLS who has probed the market but have not made any explicit statements about this expansion.  I praise the nerve of Orlando City in stating their goals to enter the MLS and pursuing the stadium they desperately need.  In my opinion, as long as the ownership group is there and the stadium is in place Don Garber will admit any viable market the league has probed.  There is nothing stopping me from believing that Orlando City could sneak in before New York 2 or possibly come in at the same time.  I can already hear the groans of expansion drafts.  Why not capitalize on this opportunity to place a team in the south, in a market that was not readily thought of before, and expand the league to 21 teams by 2015 or 2016. 

The game of soccer is as popular as ever in America and any city that has the market and is willing to invest in a stadium should be consideration.  We see the demand flowing out across the country for pro soccer and the lower divisions are placing more teams than ever in their ranks.  USL PRO will be adding a team in Phoenix and Sacramento while NASL is adding teams in Ottawa, Northern Virginia and bringing the Cosmos back.  These markets are also potential MLS markets and some are almost certain to come into the league when expansion is complete.  Each of the leagues are have record attendance numbers and it shows that the game is taking hold like it never has before.  The fact of the matter is that soccer markets are ripe for the picking in the US right now.  We must tread lightly on expanding too fast but we should also look at the unique opportunity in front of us to add more teams into this league.

Proposed NY2 Stadium

Is There A Major League Soccer Hierarchy?

             Is Major League Soccer developing a Barclay's Premier League vibe?  I say this only in the relation to developing a few powerful clubs.  In the Premier League, over many years and financial influx there developed a set of powerful teams. These teams now being; Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea and Tottenham.  These teams have the deepest pockets and invoke the most power on the league.  It is almost guaranteed that one of these teams will win the league every year.  Major League Soccer and it's "soccer socialism" structure seems that a system like that could not happen, however, I feel that certain aspects of the system lend itself to the development of a hierarchy.  The designated player rule in Major League Soccer allows a club to have three players that do not count against the salary cap.  This allows a team to bring in big name players on their dime.  The owners that have the cash to do it will shell out millions.  When it comes to big time players coming to America they always tend to want to play in only two cities.  The statement always is, "I want to play in Los Angeles or New York City."  This gives these teams a certain advantage over landing worldwide talent.  In a way, the league has developed powerful teams.  These, of course, being the LA Galaxy and Red Bull New York.

There recently has been a development where the Montreal Impact can lure top talent to their club.  Another team with power will definitely be Seattle Sounders FC.  They can  lure 40,000 people to each of their home games. They can also draw designated players in due to this fact. The league is also finalizing a deal to build a downtown stadium in New York City.  I believe that that team will also be immediately thrust into the designated player hierarchy.  These big money clubs have developed considerable power in Major League Soccer.  Now, I know this system is not at all what has developed in England.  I believe that they are unique, but the fact is each league has a few powerful clubs.  The hierarchy structure development in America has not translated into a plethora of championships.  Only one of the mentioned clubs has ever won the MLS Cup.  Obviously, a great soccer team depends on more than three players. That is very satisfying to know that this environmental and money advantage has not created a league monopoly.  I hope that the league never develops a four or five team race. 

The Carolina Question

           Major League Soccer is one of the fastest growing leagues in the world today.  With this increased growth and revenue, it is obvious that numerous cities and owners are interested in expansion.  I have covered numerous options on this blog before.  The most recent development has scene an unmentioned market jump into the fray.  This market being the Carolinas.  Major League Soccer has sent a probe down in the past few months to test the atmosphere.  According to reports, MLS was welcomed by hundreds of fans that are hungry for a pro franchise.  There are numerous questions that have to be answered.  Where would an expansion team be placed in the Carolinas?  This a unique question.  If there were to be a team do you put it in North or South Carolina?  Do you place the team in one city or a region between many cities?  The Carolina region already has four professional soccer franchises.  That is right, four. The Carolina Railhawks, Charleston Battery, Wilmington Hammerheads and Charlotte Eagles all call the region home.  I don't think that South Carolina has enough populace to sustain major league sports.  This being why no other league has ventured here.  It is a shame because Charleston Battery is a great soccer brand.  Battery is the longest running professional soccer franchise in America.  The probe that came in focused on the Carolina Railhawks.

This team is the Triangle region of North Carolina, the most populous region of all the Carolinas.  This, to me, would seem like the most logical place to put a team.  It not only has the most people, it also has key MLS demographics.  The ownership group of the Railhawks are also very motivated to someday reach Major League Soccer.  I have no idea if the Carolina region will be viable enough to support an MLS team.  The population is right and the ownership is right.  There are numerous things to be addressed.  The new MLS team would have to decide if they will rebrand or keep a current team brand.  They also will need to address stadium issues.  If the stadium is not placed in the right location in the Triangle, it may lead to a major league disaster. The south has failed to support numerous professional franchises.  This thought always looms over the region when it comes to expansion.

Cristiano Ronaldo to Major League Soccer?

That's right, Cristiano Ronaldo to Major League Soccer.  This idea was the occasional pipe dream of many soccer fans here in the United States until recently.  During the recent Real Madrid preseason tour of America, CR7 did an interview in which he hinted at coming to MLS one day.  Now, this speculation has to be taken with a grain of salt.  I watched the interview and it was quite hard to tell if he wasn't merely flirting with the girl performing the interview.  He did, however, seem to have future MLS aspirations.  This move would be the biggest to ever happen to Major League Soccer.  It would make the David Beckham move look like a complete joke.  Comparing Ronaldo and Beckham on the field is not fair.  Beckham was world class, but Ronaldo's skill level far exceeds that of Beckham.



There are numerous similarities to the two players.  Both are international sex symbols.  Both are very image conscious and both are entrepreneurs.  I know many of the guys who follow soccer love CR7 for his sheer skill.  I also know girls who don't follow soccer but love CR7 for other reasons.  All of this combined lends itself to this move actually working in the future.  The trend now is for world class talent to come to our shores towards the end of their career.  I don't see Ronaldo making the move until he is basically accomplished everything he wants to in Europe.  He plays for arguably the best club in the world and has quite a paycheck.  I can see him coming over later in his career and getting paid an absurd amount of money.  If he plays his cards right he will be able to set himself up with potential ownership opportunities, a la Beckham, or he will increase his global marketability tenfold.  This will be hard to do for someone with 13 million Twitter followers, and who possibly is the most recognized athlete on the planet.  The big question is, "Where will Ronaldo play in MLS?" Unless the league's landscape has vastly changed by the time he decides to come over, the obvious choices are either LA Galaxy or Red Bull New York.  I have no idea where he will choose, if he ever does.