Why Americans Hate  

My god. You are a legend. I was beginning to think i may be the only person who can see there is a “best of both worlds” situation to strive for.

Considering that the NBA is actually bringing up the concept of relegation unprovoked, I don't think this is as out of the question as many American soccer fans believe it is...

I'm a fan of **my team** in this league (MLS), and of **my team** in that league (the NBA), etc. How does being a fan of "a league" even work?

I read that Baltimore is looking into a 10k seat soccer specific stadium. Maybe another minor league team feeder for DC United.

@@davidday2373 I'm a MLS FAN AND I follow my team but i also like wstching other games outside of my team (el trafico, texas derby, NY derby) heck I even watched all the 2022 playoff games. that is being fan of a legue, not just watching ur own team

For sure, i think the games and especially attending them live is great entertainment. I think the branding is whats a bit boring to me. For sure feels less community driven and over commercialized. I think its the American model but still needs to be more attached to the communities

EPL and Liga MX advertise a lot more and they do it for money, like any business does. But if MLS does it if feels out of place and too "Americannized"? 🤔 Will never understand that logic.

@@oyaml1211 “Americanized”?… i dont think there is anything wrong with advertising. But when it feels like it came from the league office rather than the individual clubs it feels very franchised, and unoriginal.

@@worldymedia Have you seen the advertising for Liga MX? It isn't done by the teams themselves. It's done by the TV network. Point is, for MLS every single little detail is under a microscope while other more popular leagues do the same and no one says anything.

@@oyaml1211 I mean yeah, that makes total sense. Same with the EPL. But they are advertising their broadcast of the competition more so than the actual per team branding. I fully understand that in that aspect MLS will always be handicapped by SUM and whatever broadcast deal they have. But in terms of the way each team brands their club flows within a specific structure set in place by MLS.

This is why I wasnt so quick to trash them completely and tried to be fair in my criticism. Because I have only followed the mls loosely for about the last 10 years and ive seen MASSIVE strides and i get some of the nuances that have put us in the position we are today. But i believe alot of the things that made that growth possible is holding us back a bit from having a truly great domestic top division.. also not sure if they will push to stray from the NFL model but i think thats within our best intrest.

@@worldymedia absolutely. And I do feel you were fair. I don't think everyone else in the MLS sphere always is fair and objective. The reality is that pro/rel makes for some things to be more boring, but there are plenty of Europeans, Asians, South Americans, Africans tuning in because they love any team can win any game. Personally, I enjoy the parity and don't really want a league where a half dozen teams dump insane cash in order to dominate year after year (partially bc I support PTFC and fear that Seattle would be the ones shelling out $$ in that rivalry). And while realistically not every team has a chance to win every year, it's tight enough to be plausible...better odds than Leicester taking the Prem a few years back. Anyway, enjoyed the video. Cheers!

@@TomCat14 yes! Ideally we could find a mix between balance and open market innovation. Ive tried really hard to break down the logistics of pro/rel and it really would take and insane, unprecedented move by USSF and the leagues would have to find a way to be cordial. But unfortunately the history shows, that is not such an easy task for American sports leagues. The biggest part that seems exciting about pro/rel is I think we could do it better than anywhere here in the USA. especially with a top division of 20 teams. It would be insane. Also I appreciate your feedback, I am glad you enjoyed :)

@@TomCat14 I believe you just made the case both for profit-sharing and for playoffs. Without profit-sharing, the same oligarchy of rich teams dominate, while the poorest alternate between promotion and relegation. Again, the modern Premier League illustrates this perfectly. Likewise, playoffs really DO give a large number of teams a chance to win a championship, and guarantee that the question of league champ will not be settled until the last match is played -- promoting both interest and attendance. At any rate, there now may be a de-facto system of promotion, of a sort, with the rise of the USL. So long as we continue to play the U.S Open Cup (which, it always bears repeating, is one one of the oldest continuously played championships on Earth), the chance for a Sacramento FC to sweep into the final match--defeating three MLS teams along the way--will always be there. And Sacramento may well be 'promoted' to MLS in the next league expansion. A big, sprawling, messy, multi-tiered conglomeration of professional and semi-professional leagues and titles... Sound familiar? It's a beautiful thing ... But it can only grow by producing an entertaining product while maintaining sound fiscal policy. We've tried going the "organic" route repeatedly in the U.S, and it has never been sustainable.

MLS should be 16 teams each conference, 30 Regular conference and 4 Inter conference games, the inter conference games should be position matched from last season, Example top 4E 🆚 top 4W, the conference winner should be the team that finished 1st 🥇 in each conference in regular league play, this would make every match very important, the playoffs should be a 16 team 4 groups of 4 UEFA Champions League or World Cup format.

It is entertaining, hard to follow at times. But for sure entertaining

I know. Its really an uphill battle at this point

How is that "the problem"? The Major League system in the U.S. works great across multiple different sports. Never-end storylines, intensified Rivalries in the Playoffs, competitive... for decades and decades, for generations and generations. P.S. I'm a life-long sports fan, and I never even heard of "Promotion-Relegation" until a few years ago.

I agree. I think everyone wants to capitalize on the drive to survive thing but we can only hope for the best

What's really annoying for me as an FC Dallas fan is that none of our home games are on ESPN plus because for whatever reason they black out our home games in Dallas, you have to watch it on a local station aka you have to have cable.

I don't think putting it behind a paywall will help with growth.

Partly to blame for that are the Soccer fans in the U.S. who follow European leagues and LIga MX. They take away from what MLS _could_ and _should_ be if we had our own people following our domestic league (and not some foreign leagues).

Which is why MLS has lost the CONCACAF CL 22 out of the last 23 years and regularly loses to Central American clubs.

lafc lets gooo

A year and a half since this video was posted, and MLS is even bigger and better. Some of these people just look for anything to complain about.

Playing devils advocate it is impossible for these mls clubs to have history in some cases, however the fact that MLS didnt die on a hill to get the cosmos and other historical brands like the battery tells us everything we need to know

LOL... So you want MLS to jump on a Time Machine and go back 100 years? Speaking of top leagues rich in tradition, in the U.S. we have MULTIPLE sports leagues, like Major League Baseball, and the NFL, and NBA, and NHL, not to mention College FB and College Basketball, that have a track-record of rich tradition and success in the U.S. The sport of Soccer is trying to catch up, and MLS is doing a good job.

@@worldymedia If MLS would have thrown in the towel back in circa 2001, when they were having trouble, then we would not have pro Soccer in the U.S. right now. They'd be talking about giving it another shot after 2026 or something. To be honest, we should be grateful that MLS even survived.

And Maybe that's enough. I have family that remembers the Old NASL days, and what killed that was too much money spent, too fast. Maybe the miracle is the fact that The US has a pro soccer league at all. Maybe we should just be the MACtion (if you know, you know) of Soccer. We so outlr own thing, unconcerned with how the rest of the world sees us. We are the league for Soccer Sickos, along with NCAA Soccer (the paint huffing of Soccer).

MLS would not have survived if it had Pro-Rel. You people don't know what "competitive" means. You call Relegation "competitive motivation," LOL... that's insane to U.S. sports fans... Cheering "not to be the worst" is not in our DNA.

I would love some Monday Night Soccer. Or Thursday. It for sure allows you to follow the league alot better. There is no silver bullet tho. Mls has alot of issues holding it back

@@worldymedia I've only followed the league for a year, and am a neophyte to the sport itself, but I have heard some of the more common criticisms. Personaly, having cut the cord I am pretty happy I will be able to stream the games with no blackouts this year. If Baseball and the NHL had a similar package I would buy those too. I do understand the concern of not having the games on tv to attract new fans. I started watching MLS with my espn+ subscription and would always get annoyed when games I wanted to watch were on cable. Hopefully they can get the issues surrounding the league ironed out, but I imagine there will always be pros and cons. Edit: I just wanted to thank you for the video as well. It was enjoyable content to watch.

@@leerollins Well its better now than never. You picked an exciting time to get involved. Soccer as a whole is on the up and has loads to offer! I am just like you in terms of cutting the cord. and I pay for it dearly to watch my soccer. That's one reason I am scared of apple TV. They had a great thing with ESPN and I watched a bunch, especially since Austin got a team. I will probably suck it up and pay my money but I really wish we got the same deal on a platform I already have lol. Also I really appreciate your feedback. Its comments like this and being able to share opinions and ideas that keeps me making videos so thanks to you! glad we can have this discourse!

Realistically very very few teams in the pl who have just sat at mid table year in and year out. With as many robust markets as we have, it would be nearly impossible to hover at mid table. The competition would be MIGHTY just to survive a season

@@tedlasso5876 this is like talking to a brick wall. My guy. First off this is America, land of the free market economy. 2nd off you’ve just described perfect our argument. The MLS has used various tactics over the years to consolidate power and make it essentially impossible for free market competitors to challenge them because they took the top division, closed it off to outsiders and are trying to consolidate ALL us soccer power withing their markets. And dont kid yourself and think they will not begin using mls np and whatever other dogshit “mls 2” type of league and try to throw a rebranded “mls 2” clubs into smaller counties all over America where that clubs peak dreams can be to have a player come thru that eventually plays for the mls overlords. You are so focused on the fact that MLS has a artificially produced perception of competitiveness that you are overlooking the methods of which they achieve this.

@@tedlasso5876 NFL - 8 teams in the past 10 years, and 14 in the past 20 MLB - 8 teams in the past 10 years, and 13 in the past 20 NBA - 7 teams in the past 10 years, and 10 in the past 20 NHL - 7 teams in the past 10 years, and 12 in the past 20 Liga MX - 8 teams in the past 10 SEASONS, and 10 in the past 20 MLS - 9 teams in the past 10 years, and 14 in the past 20

@@worldymedia There's the XFL. There was the USFL, the AFL. There was the ABA in Basketball. The USL is not controlled by MLS. But if we're questioning the powers that control things...a better question is WHO THE FCK is "FIFA"?? Why do "Federations" have a say in what independent Pro League do?

@@tedlasso5876 A few things. One, clubs have different goals. Not every club goes all in on winning the league year in and year out because they know that they either can't beat a Bayern or a City, or they prefer to focus on other competitions. Your argument, however, implies that have not clubs are those that don't win the league. Eintracht Frankfurt, despite not being particularly close to winning their domestic league, were Europa League winners this past year. Not sure anyone would call that a failed season. Overall, your argument ignores the purpose of qualifying for European football via the UCL or UEL or winning other competitions, not to mention that these leagues are more volatile than you're implying. Serie A has had a different winner each of the last two seasons, and it looks like Napoli could easily make it three in three seasons. I think there's a legitimate debate to be had about a more randomness-driven approach of the American model versus what world football uses, but to dismiss it as a have and have not system doesn't make much sense I don't think.

This is sort of my issue though, you just pay money, check some boxes and congratulations your the next “top” team. Not really sure what alternative option to offer though. Its just unfortunate we dont have a better way to grow clubs organically

God this has become my least favorite point ever made. Until the NFL, NBA, or MLB are playing soccer they do not need to be compared to MLS. Apples to Oranges. Also, i dont have a personal connection to any club because MLS closed system ensures its not as amazing of an investment opportunity to stick a club in a smaller community

Imagine if the best 3 G league teams Joined the NBA then the worst 3 NBA teams went to the G league. They'd have to do away with affiliation first so G league teams could rebrand appropriately and have a second draft for prospects who weren't good enough to attract NBA attention. Your NBA dream wouldn't be dead if you weren't drafted. Go to the G league and fight for a spot in the NBA

If you don't mind me asking, but from an American point of view, do you think promotion and relegation is possible or even desirable for MLS?

@@larryfroot Frankly, as a sports fan from the U.S., Promotion-Relegation is just strange.

@davidday2373 As a Brit, I find promotion and relegation to be essential in creating stakes, at both ends of the table. Games between two relegation threatened teams are as intense as a cup final. And teams in mid-table know that they are only a couple of losses away from being dragged into the mire, again creating pressure. We find the lack of promotion and relegation as strange as you find their presence!

@@larryfroot I would imagine so, but as a fan of a team in MLS, we constantly get lectured/pestered by people trying to sell us on the virtues of Pro-Rel... I doubt you get the same, the other way around (ex: "the British league should add Playoffs and a Salary Cap")

@davidday2373 A few years ago a franchise was created amongst some top European clubs. This was done in secret and then announced to the world. The idea lasted for about a week before being torn to shreds by the respective fan bases of each club.

I appreciate your feedback! I need to get promoted to afford this new mls deal lol. Or maybe the channel will take off and i could get one of them fancy apple tv + subscriptions(and also the mls addon). Haha in all seriousness though i fully agree and paywalls suck. I never thought cable like we had in the mid 2000s would be of such envy in the modern world…

@@worldymedia, as someone who grew up wit no cable i always struggled to find anything outside of Mexican football that wasn't the world cup at most a random game from Germany or Spain but 0 prem until after the 06 world cup when I finally came across fox soccer Channel at a buddies house while channel surfing lol No way I'm paying for an appletv sub just for the galaxy I'm already pulling my hair out just watching them and I hope you get to experience a few games live its a good experience just wish they had something for kids to get in cheaper it gets more families in the seats

@@jetlifewill23 luckily i live in Central Texas so i have no lack of options. Ive been to all 3. Austin FC is by far the most fun. And is actually what brought me excitement about the mls for the first time. Houston and FC Dallas are old guard and do a pretty lackluster job at putting a live event together. Houston is MILES better than Dallas. But the most praise to Dallas on what they do for youth development. Overall a game at Austin FC is on par with games ive been to in Europe. My main issue with the MLS is trying to follow the league from outside the stadiums. Its a horrid experience for a product that still needs work

@@worldymedia, I'm pretty lucky to be in California as we have the most soccer rich history imo plus all the teams we can watch from up north to San jose and all the way south with San Diego loyal in the USL which isn't too bad a league dived in head first this year mostly because of a certain Salvadoran player joining the switchbacks I feel they're only a good TV deal away of getting a piece of the pie hopefully it happens and destroys the elitist closed league MLS is

@@jetlifewill23 i am really really really rooting for the USL. Just because they seem to understand a different aspect of growing the game. And i think you are right. A good tv deal then the investment will be even better than it already is.

I guess the logic of cutting the league in half only works if you have pro rel. But i guess maybe 2, 20 team conferences with top 4 from each doing playoffs would be the next best thing

So long as MLS has playoffs and no promotion/relegation, it's not a true soccer league.

@@samdryden7944 Relegation will not work in the USA. There are limited fan bases, TV & other media will refuse to provide any coverage and until there is a sufficient culture like that in other parts of the world (perhaps in 20-30 years) implementing relegation would mean the death of the American leagues. At the present, MLS depends entirely on wealthy individuals and media coverage to allow it to exist. If you are a fan from Europe, and you have interest in, say American lacrosse, how do you start a league where only a handful of people care about the sport, hardly any billionaires or millionaires want to fund your teams, and where the local media have no interest in covering your game? Right now, unless the local team is doing well, the local fans do not support it thru bad times which means with relegation a team does not get a chance to be better, it would just fold and within a couple of years the entire league. This has already happened three times already and MLS is so far, thanks to no relegation, been able to survive and grow.

Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback! I agree with you too. The USL for sure has a few of its own issues too but they do a great job with their product and at least making every club feel unique and attached to their communities better than the MLS. I really am curious to see how this could all look with an open pyramid. The USL is much more worth my time to pay attention to compared to the MLS just because the teams like Detroit and Tampa Bay. Also cant knock the teams like New Mexico United. They are doing a bunch of great things in that league!

Not in the U.S. We have the NFL, MLB, the NBA, College FB, the NHL, College BB to spend our time and attention on. My team having the possibility of getting "Relegated" is definitely not a selling point.

​@@davidday2373 Thanks for the response, dude! I hear your point. However, in my own experience as a Louisville City fan and Louisville resident, the soccer team is the only PROFESSIONAL sport in a city which probably deserves more -- the college basketball has great attendance, and we had an ABA basketball team back in the 70s. All in all, we're definitely a sports city, but never got the investment opportunity because we're only the ~50ish largest metro area, and big-time team investors don't like the idea of that. College sports are very much distinct from pro sports in my view, and are more than often supported much more casually (excluding major CBB/CFB rivalries, one of which is literally in my city). I'd like to focus more on the positive side of the pro/rel system first. I've seen our pro soccer team literally take over the town over the past decade through consistent success. If pro/rel was a thing, we would be in the MLS right now several times over. One of our local kids is the national team's brightest young prospects after he came up through our youth academy. Our already league-leading attendance would probably increase even more, the potential for our team to use MLS money to get star power would give tons more kids in Kentucky an idol, and the love of the sport would just do the city well. I think that the threat of relegation is scary for owners given the idea of decreased profits, and even the very slim chance of financial ruin (which is usually mostly the fault of faulty organizational setup anyways). It also demotivates fans of teams that are already secure with top-league teams. However, sometimes teams need a wake-up call to stop sucking. In American closed leagues, several teams over the years have not been faced with real risk, causing their fans and players to suffer. Also, taking the 17-week NFL schedule as an example, a team that's already eliminated from playoffs will often just slide for the last games of the season with little reward for trying to win. With the threat of relegation, less clout and less money, teams near the bottom actually give a damn about every game of the season. Also, since literally none of the other leagues will consider pro/rel systems anytime soon, it might be nice to have one sport that does it. If your team gets relegated, you have all the right to just watch more basketball instead, y'know? The important part of sports to me is the emotional connection between teams, players, and fans. That's the stuff people will remember for decades, that what inspires any sports fan's love of the game, and that's what a pro/rel system would facilitate for actual millions of people across the country. We all love underdog stories, we all love innovative teams, we all love good rivalries -- a non-meritocratic sports league doesn't help create these as well as a pro/rel might. Using the MLS vs. the USL as an example, the only really innovative team of the past few years has been Philly's moneyball/youth revolution. Every other team still does soccer the classic way, with little noticeable change to the formula. USL teams like Louisville, Tampa, Orange County, and San Antonio are all culturally unique, have unique brands and distinct play-styles, and are more well-run than most MLS teams (and dare I say have better, more special kits). If they could get promoted, the league's leading storyline will shift from: "another European pro retires in LA" or "Will Cincinnati suck for the 4th year in a row?" to "can this exciting new team kick in in the big league?" and "how will this relegated team, poorly managed and low on confidence, bounce back and try to refresh themselves?" All in all, I think the possibility of pro/rel would actually make the fan experince more interesting and rewarding, if a little more stressful, than the closed system we have today, and it wouldn't hurt to try with one sport with dozens of successful pro/rel systems abroad to use for reference.

@@davidday2373 also, sorry for the giant essay. i have strong feelings on the topic and am also tend to ramble when sleep deprived hahaha

@@49automedon Better thought-out than most Pro-Rel people's arguments. But ultimately the juice is not worth the squeeze FROM A LEAGUE PERSPECTIVE.

To be honest, the stadium point was absolutely weak as f**k. I shouldn’t have said that, they do a good job on that front to be fair. If you have ever even tried to get just a field constructed it is for sure a MASSIVE undertaking

MLS has increased it's salary cap for the last 10 years, the CBA requires that increase...

@@kelvinloyola6070 Needs to be at least $10-$15m

They're getting there on the spending. Toronto FC, the top spending club in MLS, spent more than $26 million last year. However, spending more money is counterproductive if the team spends itself into the grave. Over time, teams have been spending more as revenues allow, and have been improving their rosters as revenues allow. The Apple TV deal will help, and hopefully the partnership with LIGA MX will help. And hopefully MLS will be able to capitalize on 2026 in a significant way. In any case, the main thing is to not be stupid with money while still continuously improving the teams.

Well that's one massive problem there. Allowing the media companies to change times of games to suit their scheduling. Such a thing would be unheard of in any other league anywhere else in the world .

This is true. It is still an infant of a soccer league! To be fair they have made amazing strides in a very short time.

@@worldymedia MLS in the 90s was marketed as so 'family friendly' as to be uncool...that is how they lost 2 teams right away, it took it kind of hooking into 'bro culture' in a few cities and hooking into Latino culture in a few others and now they have an audience. There are still 'legacy' teams like Dallas and Chicago which have never found an audience.

@@aarond23 ahaha i am here for all the Dallas hate. Boring ass club. Boring ass games. Boring ass product. My sisters jv games were more fun. The ONLY thing we must praise Dallas for is that they are a usmnt factory haha

Red Bull and Manchester city can confirm this statement

To be fair a lot of countries do that with regional leagues so I don't really see that as an issue, even Russia manages to make it work (I know most of russia lives in the west but even just European Russia is about the size of the rest of Europe combined.) Also why would you have to do anything about the CPL? It's Canada's league and we should be allowed to have our own system independent of the US.

​@thetabbyguy921 Because of Toronto, Montreal, and the Whitecaps being in MLS. Also, there are a few Canadian teams in USL2. As we are seeing with their fed now, Canada is on life support for going it alone. I wouldn't be surprised if CPL tries to merge with USL1 or MLS NEXT PRO to save their teams in a few years.

That's what I've been saying. The pure size of the United States would make it hard to create a relegation system. Like most European countries you're at most a 9 hour drive away from the farthest club and that's in extreme scenarios. In America you would be averaging well over 9 hours a drive to get to the next club. The answer would be to fly but that is incredibly expensive and not every club could do that if they found their way into one of the top levels.

I appreciate it! Been working to try and just make better quality videos more than anything. Glad you liked it 😁

Thats what it looks like to me from inside America too haha

Promotion and relegation are extremely important, i can't take a sport seriously that doesn't have it.

Thats sorta how it seems to me. I go to the odd Austin fc game when i want to make the hike and they are fun. But i dont have a local team so i just stick to the pl mainly

Really, you agree with everything he said??? Having so many teams -- MLS expansion has added to the excitement, the quality, the viewership, and the significance of MLS. So having "too many teams" is not a problem at all. Having no Relegation is a POSITIVE for MLS. We have Playoffs, a much better more competitive system. Pro-Rel in the long-run, promotes a LACK OF PARITY in a league (less competitive). Attracting neutrals and other sports fans will come with the addition of bigger "star" names, see: the arrival of Messi "and friends". Mark my words: after the 2026 World Cup, MLS will grab-up "star" names from North America, like Pulisic, Alphonso Davies, the next Mexican star, etc.

I agree with you 100%. MLS is a gold covered shit sandwich as far as I am concerned. Looks awesome, but it will leave a bad taste in your mouth. USL is much much more pure and actually aims to include the nation at large in their soccer fun.

@@worldymedia with MLS locked into that Apple deal, now is the perfect time for USL to go on offense. They need to get a big mega billionaire to invest in them and then they start to improve the stadiums and increase capacity. Then they sign a great tv rights deal with ESPN to play on Friday nights and eventually USL can move up to major league status. USL is a bottom up league as compared to MLS which is a top down league and that is why I like USL. USL gives the local kids opportunities.

My argument would be that you dont need “lewa, mbappe, etc” thats the false ideas that the mls has in their heads. Look at austin fc and atl utd. They used their dp slots to bring in club heros, rising stars, and other players that may have lacked reputation but are absolutely peaked to be at thier clubs and fully bought into the community. This is how the club can connect with their communities.

@@worldymedia 100% agree , I don’t feel like you need them either. I’m from STL, have followed STLFC (not CITY) our old USL team, and to me and my kids the players there were more interesting and important than any big name out there. We still run into captain Sam Fink at the park running… I have been a SKC fan for years, but my allegiance will be shifting to STL CITY.

Need more coverage to allow the people to have buy in and feel like they “know” players NFL and mlb do it well

@@brianlocal3 you know that actually makes me sad that they just plop and mls team right on top of a usl team. Please continue to show love to your uls club

@@worldymedia the club had to be disbanded completely unfortunately in order for CITY to come to fruition. I am one of the few who would have preferred to keep a usl team over MLS I also go to gateway grizzly games over stl cardinals. Something about the grassroots of it that makes it more enjoyable

Thanks for the sub!! And I’ve had a hell of a time at some MLS games. Glad that there are other fans of MLS who recognize that there are still bounds to be made in terms of progress. And over my life, MLS has honestly done some unimaginable progression. I just dont think we should sit and accept what they give us. Asking for more isnt always so bad

@@worldymedia what is the closest MLS team from your town? I see that you’re a Manchester United fan. My Premier League team is Tottenham Hotspur. So far this season it hasn’t been the best, but maybe next season they might get better.

@@ernestojohn3225 its a nearly even split between Dallas and Austin based on drive time. Austin is a much much better experience! And haha thats awesome word on the street is United is trying to get Kane on a transfer also spurs is a good choice. One of the only big 6 i dont hate lol

@@worldymedia major loss for the Spurs if Kane leaves, but it’s understandable if he does leave. He is getting older and wants to add some silverware to his resume. I’ve also heard about Bayern trying to lure him as well. IMO, the PL is the most exciting European league to watch. I used to follow la liga but it got a bit boring seeing Real Madrid and Barcelona battling for the title all the time.

See you at the ROSE BOWL🌹 🏟... or are you part of the boycotting Supporters Groups??

There are 2-5 divisions, and Mexico a couple of years ago also suspended pro/rel. What so many people around the world, and specifically Europeans don't understand is that you guys have had those teams and those leagues for over 100 years, I'm 29 and the MLS is younger than me. We have to have time for these fan bases to be built up before you can introduce something like promotion relegation, otherwise teams will just simply go out of business. No one's trying to go to El Paso for an away game at a stadium of 1.5 thousand people. People also forget how insanely large the United States is and how much travel costs here which makes it even more difficult for things like away fans. There's a lot that goes into the promotion relegation talk that European simply have just refused to acknowledge for so long

@@hyperrat12 the advantage to pro/rel is it means teams keep fighting until the end. Here you can't give up because if you do it could end in relegation. As a fan of a team who frequently flirts with relegation there's no feeling of relief like staying up. We were euphoric when we got promoted back to the EFL (after relegation the year before) and there's nothing like that in the MLS. You get rewarded for failure in US sports. You lost every game? Here's your #1 in the draft. I understand these teams need to be established but all it does is prevent NASL/USL teams having a reason to push. Also lack of pro/rel means there is no chance for a team to build itself up from nothing (as in a few friends start an amateur team and rise to the top) so the American Dream is impossible in football over there.

@@DHW3008 My point being is, how old is your club, how much history does it have behind it, and if you get relegated will you go out of business?

Welcome to America and it's cluttered, closed-system landscape! Also, there is a second division, as well as a third and fourth division. The leagues are closed, though.

LOL 😂... What good is having a "2nd division" for, Relegation? No other major league sports has that, or needs that. Why should MLS have it?

What an idiotic delusional statement. You’re supposed to tell me that watching Jordan Morris or Walker Zimmerman stumble around a pitch in person is better than watching Messi or Neymar on tv????? Utter shambles of comment, I would rather watch a 140p RU-vid video of Accrington Stanley vs Stockport United than contract cancer watching Jordan Morris embarrass the entire nation on a football pitch in person

This is what I try and explain to people

This, a billion times over. If you have a team in your town or your region, go to a game, and feel for yourself the visceral connection created when your team scores a goal. The physical sensation of thousands of your fellow human beings experiencing joy together is on a level miles above you doing a fist pump alone in your pajamas on the couch. It's another universe.

This is you should go watch a MLS game because you're a football fan is incorrect. You should go watch your local team, even more so if they're not in MLS. For the sport to grow, the lower league teams need the support, way more than MLS does.

@@jldch26 Or just as many local teams as you can, really. I have season tickets for my local MLS club, local CPL club (Canadian equivalent of USLC/1), local semi-pro club (USL2 equivalent). Less than $500 USD/year total

I think I unequivocally agree with every word you said. You should have written the script for this video lmaoo.

1) MLS is already doing that (that's in the plan) 2) MLS is already doing that (that's in the plan) 3) MLS had the 6th most players in the 2022 World Cup (behind only the "Big Euro 5" leagues) 4) MLS does not rely on College players. I've never heard of MLS requiring players to attend College (like in the NBA, NFL). Sounds like fake news.

Liga MX has proble,s outside the Spanish speaking market.. not even a thought in most sports circles along with MLS, collaborating doesn't help MLS grow either

​​@@davidday2373 yea. Every mls team I'd required to have their own developmental club for potential prospects Never heard of the college requirement

@@riccorich It's called synergy

Up the Mighty Manchester Reds! Bald is best! Hahaha fair play was a great game last weekend!! And i do agree with you on the TV. Ive never really paid for cable though so that was a tough one to speak on. I basically gave you guys my informed opinion but didnt go too far off of things i can speak to from my experiences

Its for sure an odd predicament of American soccer. We are so young though, im sure we can find a way to provide a better competition. I also sort of regret just throwing “add pro/rel” in there as if its just such an easy task. But we can dream, hope for more, shoot for the moon. Nobody has ever been wrong for that. Lol

I'm convinced this is just something that is relevant to people who are already soccer fans. We have four other sports leagues on the continent that have proven models without pro/rel, and people find them plenty exciting, especially since there is actually a reasonable expectation that a team that gets the #1 pick will be in the playoffs before too long. The Bengals and Bills would have long since been relegated if the NFL had a pro/rel system, instead of playing each other in the quarterfinals.

@@Good100 I personality just think it's a better model for any sport in general. It promotes more competition for all positions on the table. In america its very much not a system owners of franchises want because it's super risky. Sure the model without pro/rel is proven in america, but that's because we haven't had any alternatives to the play off system. Do you know how much more interesting American sports would be if a minor league team had the opportunity to be promoted to the major leagues? It'd give people more of a reason to support their local teams.

Pro-Rel is not at all important. Who the hell actually "cheers not to lose"?!?!? That's silly. We have PLAYOFFS! Playoffs are infinitely more exciting. MOST OF THE LEAGUE is still invested late in the season in watching their teams, hoping to make the Playoffs, with a chance to still with the CHampionship. Pro-Rel, celebrates "Lets not be the biggest losers"... gotta be kidding me. That would never fly here in the U.S.

Probably with pro/reg is lower teams can't afford the financials of traveling a large country like the U.S. along with building a bigger stadium and so on.

Hope it just turns more eyes onto the USL🤞🏻

@@worldymedia i do have apple tv for that reason good luck to the MLS in Europe

😎 its true tho

Ohh dont worry, i have a bunch planned. Only problem is i got a bit too perfectionist on the next one so its taking me forever. Hopefully that means its good. Still learning this new skill lol I appreciate the feedback though.

I agree with you, and i also think we are not able to just flip the pro rel switch and its all sunshine and rainbows. We would have to do a LOAD of work to make it happen. Across the entire ussf and soccer landscape. I also am willing to bet one of the big reasons you are so connected to dc united over the European leagues is nothing compares to the game that you can go watch live. And the mls actually has been really really good about making great experience for those in the stadium for the most part. I think a big part of the pro rel drive comes from people who are forced to support their team thru a screen either way because they dont have mls in their hometown and pro rel soccer is just more fun when thats the case… also i think we sre in an interesting chicken and egg situation because without pro rel it is very very hard for the lower leagues build out decent infrastructure. It works in all the places where there are just loads of people. But as you scale down it gets harder and harder to develop the bottom of the pyramid when all the money and intrest is being focused on 29 cities across the country

Desculpe-me se o meu Português será um pouco esquisito. Eu mudei para o Estado Unidos como criança, então não tenho educação em Português, somente em Inglês. Ao volta ao assunto, eu acho que se o MLS fosse se formando no começo do século XX, poderia usar as estruturas mais tradicionais nas ligas ao redor do mundo. Mas como, na realidade, existe mais de cento e cinquenta anos de história esportiva no país que funciona na moda de ter uma temporada que serve como qualificação para playoffs, acho difícil demais introduzir uma estrutura inédita. Especialmente para um esporte que não tem suporte em base popular. Na minha opinião, o MLS, vai continuar a maturar, e eventualmente vai chegar a ser uma das ligas bem respeitadas pelo mundo. Não ao mesmo nível de Inglaterra, Espanha, ou Itália, mais um nível inferior.

@@carlos_takeshi Concordo. Eu entendo que os fans da MLS fiquem animados com a possibilidade da liga rivalizar com as 5 grandes (isso se um dia conseguir). Por vários motivos, tanto por ser uma liga muito nova, tanto por motivos culturais. Estamos falando de ligas que ficam em países onde o futebol é importantíssimo. Primeiramente o interesse por futebol tem que aumentar na América do Norte, segundo, é necessário que uma quantidade de jovens se interessem pelo esporte para que entam gerem um cenário competitivo desde cedo. Na Europa e na América Latina, um menino começa a chutar uma bola mesmo antes de aprender a andar direito, e desde cedo joga contra outras crianças que tem a mesma criação. Isso é algo que vai além de investimento, por exemplo.

(Usei o Yandex Translate do Inglês para o português) esse é o simples facto. Está a levar tempo. MLS está indo muito bem no atendimento. Temos bons estádios novos, não muito grandes, perfeitos para a MLS. Muitas das novas equipas têm uma atmosfera animada nos estádios. A área em que a MLS precisa de crescer é em termos de audiência. O desenvolvimento dos jogadores não é onde a MLS pretende obter as suas receitas. Essa maneira de pensar é comum em outros países (e funciona para eles; Brasil, Argentina, Uruguai, etc), mas para a MLS nos EUA, trata-se de receita de TV/transmissão. (I used Yandex Translate from English to Portuguese) That is the simple fact. It is taking time. MLS is doing really well in attendance. We have nice new stadiums, not too big, perfect for MLS. Many of the newer teams have lively atmosphere in the stadiums. The area where MLS needs to grow is in viewership. Player development is not where the MLS aims to get its revenue from. That way of thinking is common in other countries (and it works for them; Brasil, Argentina, Uruguay, etc), but for MLS in the U.S., it's about TV/Broadcasting revenue.

(Don’t speak Portuguese but I translated your comment) Even though I prefer the normal league method we use in most of Europe, I think MLS needs the play off system. Without play offs or relegation mid table teams have nothing to play for. Thnnka to the large number of play off spots it means that even teams that have no chance of coming first can still get something from the season if they can say they just scratched the play offs.

@@user-yf4gx9lw6c Entendo. Os playoffs dão a chances de times menos consistentes terem a chance de lutar por algo maior. Eu concordo com isso e sei que a existência dos playoffs é necessário. Mas levando em consideração o cenário Europeu/Latino americano como base, você tem a liga nacional (baseada em pontos) e as copas e campeonatos continentais decididas em playoffs. Mais troféus deveriam estar em jogo durante uma temporada, na minha opinião. Isso porque eu sinto que os times da MLS não se envolvem tanto em sua competição continental (concacaf) como vemos em outras regiões.

You are greatly appreciated! Much much more to come! (: These comments really inspire me to keep going!

I appreciate the feedback!

This seems like an easy concept to understand, unless you are someone who is a diehard fan of a MLS club. Also i think one of the BEST parts of soccer is the almost magical sense of possibilities. I mean, your kept glued to the end of a 0-0 in most cases because of the prospect that someone COULD knick a winning goal. I think the same idea goes for the plight of a club, the fans are attracted to the club on a human element. The possibilities, the highs and lows. Sure it sucks to be relegated and release staf, etc. However it heightens the stakes to something very real, on a human level. Edit: this is part of the reason im more attracted to USL clubs. Because im not from a MLS market, i feel more attached to the usl story than mls

If a team gets relegated, it should have no effect on fan passion. If you turn your back on your team because they got relegated then you are not a true fan. The revenue will change, but that should in no way inhibit you from filling a stadium, if you already did in a higher league. This glory hunting is one of the biggest problems with sport in America. In a passionate die hard Man Utd fan and have been since I was young enough to remember. If they got relegated I would in no way choose not to support them because it is in my blood. Having this attitude is the main reason why many fans in North America cannot build a passion or grass roots identity around their clubs. North American fans are always after the next best thing.

You want to build a fan base but then talk to them like this. Sure ok good luck with that

69 subs! nice.

@@Johnm-ko1eo haha im not being rude man, more joking. Idc how many subs i have honestly im tryna just have fun and if yall like my personality and wanna hang around thats cool. If not, also cool. This is a passion project, not a business venture

@@aarond23 muuch much better! 😎

Unfortunately, this style of league becomes a victim of its own success. Having a top league that does not have promotion or relegation bleeds money out of other leagues. You monopolise the league, have all the best players in the one league, which takes away any interest from lower leagues. This is why the European Super League was so vehemently opposed. If created it would no doubt suck all the money out of domestic European Leagues and no doubt cause bankruptcies for certain clubs. The MLS is getting bigger and this franchise system will not be able to support more than 40 teams. Fans like local rivalries and identities. The single owner model is destroying any potential creation of an identity in teams. As you said copy and pasting only makes teams feel sterile. Partnering up with the USL and the Canadian Priemier league is a perfect option. Having a 2 or three leagues with promotion and relegation and removing the stranglehold of the franchise system will bring a more grass roots system. Most MLS fans love the European Leagues. Most don't like the normal American sports. They love the European Leagues because of the grass roots passion. That passion is not compatible with a franchise system. The people want a more European and South American style of league. Give them it.

Yeah the financial regulations are just insane. Makes being a GM much harder than need be.

Exactly my feelings toward the league

The NFL did not like that statement lol

Exactly! haha

Stay tuned for some of the next videos. I go into this topic. In more depth. Its actually alot more effort than we think for these changes to happen

Nah I like the play off brackets instead of having pro/rel

The salary cap could help, but pro/rel would not. You can't just transplant a system that emerged organically from amateur European soccer over a century into a much larger country with higher travel costs and few amateur roots to create loyalty for when you get relegated.

MLS has contiualy and gradually raised the Salary Cap... going as planned. NEVER add Pro-Rel if you want to succeed in the U.S. sports landscape.

I didn’t say all.. haha i know there are some die hards for sure.

Yes, obviously the MLS does a great jobs for the most part like i said. Sorry the salacious title got to you. They do have issues though. As for the jersey’s, they have improved a ton. But that is a recent phenomenon. Just a few years ago away jerseys were the same stitch with different badge and accent.. Pro/rel is amazing nearly everywhere that has it. And I think America has potential to be the best example, not sure we are there yet but there are many examples of how this keeps things incredibly exciting OUTSIDE of the first 29 markets that paid enough money to be apart of the pro soccer clique. Supporters Shied is still an odd award and deserves an * since the team that won it did not even have the same schedule as the one who didn’t…. Not saying alot of this stuff didnt come from place of good reason. But we should always be looking to improve our pyramid and look to include all markets in a linear competition with sustainable sized division to allow each team to play each-other. Edit: sorry for the typos, writing this in from the phone haha

@@worldymedia The 29 in the clique are there because the ones outside couldn't have the money to afford the logistics of the schedule in the first place. Local SC is not going to be able to hop over from Chicago to New York the way Local FC can hop over from North London to the other side of London.

@@Good100 this is the type of conflicts i was speaking of. There is much much more to all of this than “these clubs could afford it, and those clubs cant”

1) Thats true for Average Attendance, not in TV Viewership... 2) Pro-Rel is just a revolving door of mediocrity, adds nothing to MLS success... 3) You can tell these critics of MLS are just grasping as straws, complaining about "jersey colors"?? LOL

@@davidday2373 My brother, you must have zero perspective of this game outside of your shiny new mls stadium. Please realize this game has been played for hundreds of years, before the mls came about. They are for sure not the end all be all of this game. The clear issue with your perspective is you are thinking ONLY what is good for the MLS and not what is good for US Soccer as a whole. And every club and every soccer community around the nation. Outside of the 29 biggest ones. And before you say it, i know MLB has figured out how to do it with their tiered system. And that’s exactly what every soccer fan would like to avoid. Pro/rel provides the solution where every team from every community can win the title in the top division. Regardless of probability it is possible while it is not otherwise.

Idk what will happen with that, but I guarantee you the included memberships that come with the season tickets will be baked into those numbers. Trying to make it look better than it is. You know typical MLS things

The apple tv deal will for sure close some viewers off from access. Very unfortunate to have to buy another service for it

@@worldymedia you pay for what you want.I pay for peacock just to see the same teams win in EPL....at least to me MLS is a bit more entertaining, i will support the league in this. How else will I watch ATLUTD?

@@DWill2022 is what sucks though. Ideally we could do both without spending a fortune. We recently got Austin FC in the MLS just up the road from me and they have attracted me to the mls as a whole. But still love european leagues as well. Personally the streaming service model isnt so bad. I would only use cable to watch sports, now it cost about the same to have a more comprehensive sports coverage. The bummer is that it is SO expensive. Like peacock premium, you get not only the prem but many other shows and entertainment. And its only like $9.99/month instead of nearly $15 for exclusive mls package. Im sure its great for those that live in an MLS market and it just makes more sense to follow along with your local team. But the closest mls team to me is 2hrs so its tough to feel connected

"BuT tHeY nEeD MoRE MoNEy"

Thats all of mls. They specifically look to provide that “nice for the whole family” environmenr. Good idea but the league needs some edge.

It is because the structure. Teams are not independent from one another. And everything is artificial. All “team owners” actually are just investors into the league itself, and MLS owns all the clubs centrally as a single entity. The MLS owns all the player contracts and allocates the players to teams vis a complicated system of allocations which, they don’t release a ton of info on how it works. They decide rivalries at the league office, they do not arise naturally. Its all a smoke-show to trick casual American fans and give them their professional soccer games in a format that is digestible from the perspective of someone who has only cared about American sports.

@@worldymedia Wow, thats...so cynical

If its like that, then, nothing will happen even with the passage of time. Those things, rivalrys, team culture and history, arise organically, with each team managing themselves. I hope the MLS changes for the better

@@josephjoestar2963 they have done certain things that give me hope. And certain things that scare me. They want to rebuild the MLB it seems. Closed tier system. Probably have “AA” and “AA” type of product where majority if not all of the clubs will be rebranded “MLS 2” teams most likely owned by the same non local owners. Maybe like bring one local guy on board who is just happy to be a part of something and they will never complain about having a glass ceiling. It is also worth mentioning that just 2 years after SUM/MLS/LIGA MX partnership LIGA MX suspended PRO/REL and now SUM (which is MLS marketing arm owned by all the MLS investors) seem to be focused on making the closed tier league cup. Its really ass backward idea of competition. And it gives me very little hope that organization will ever expand in a way that benefits soccer before their pockets. Seems like a depressing and cynical view for sure, but the more u look into it it just seems so hopeless for anyone on the outside.

We hope they will, it will be great if they do well. But it is unfortunate that you will be paying close to 20$ a month if you dont already have apple tv

Im with you, supporting mls is like betting against your own intrest lol

Ive been a long time FC Dallas hater lol. I Live not too far down 35, and have been absolutely disgusted by the club refusing to try and make a move from frisco. However, have to give credit where its due. Dallas is the best in the nation at development. And we all owe yall for that. Still think its WILD how they put ntx sc into old rangers stadium instead of fc dallas

They've added even more TAM and given teams more flexibility to spread the Payroll around.

This is an interesting take, ive honestly never though of a format like this. For sure leans into the American model over europe. Which seems worse than it is. Logistics of not splitting it east and west is kinda nuts

@@worldymedia Facts, This format is basically a US/European hybrid, regular season games needs to be more important, not just playoff or decision day games, the 4 Inter conference games could be turned into another competition as well during regular season.

@@donfrossa1432 yeah its a lovely refresher to hear another opinion that’s actually trying to think about a creative way to overcome the challenges that are unique to here

@@worldymedia thanks man, we will continue to try, hopefully they will listen.

Relagation would just mean that those small cities will never get into the big leagues. The bigger cities have all of the best people and many times more money,

@@xaviercopeland2789 How is that when you have some USL Championship Teams that play better than some MLS Teams?

You team is getting regulated for breaking ffp rules

@@oscarlugo5765 Fulham haven't broken any FFP rules so no my team isn't getting relegated for that, or in general.

@@oscarlugo5765 Manchester City is LOL that will be the day as a man U fan

I wish. Thatd be a phenomenal start

The problem with that is the United States Soccer Federation has different requirements for teams depending on the tier they play in. A lot of USL teams would probably need more investments (and bigger stadiums) to meet the requirements put out by the federation for tier 1 teams.

I say those requirements personally need to be scrapped and let teams be as big or small as they get and let them grow organically.

@@jldch26 but just open it up, teams in usl that get promoted will get more money just by being in the league, with time teams will have the chance to grow their team and fanbase, not saying it will be instant but it would be a step in the right direction

@@jldch26 also stadiums will be a limiting factor, maybe we could see a Atlanta united way of stadium sharing, like rowdies at Raymond James, and with time organic growth to teams will see more competition. But if we are looking at us soccer, we will see improvement with a more competitive league, but the whole draft mentality in sports here isn't helping, youth leagues not tied to school and better scouting will be nessisary

We do have an FA cup equal. The mls teams just choose to make it irrelevant for themselves so its kind of a let off when a lower league gets to play an mls team

Haha yeah its not ALL bad. Im in texas so screw the summer season though. Night games are 93 degrees😂

thank you

Yeah its all screwed up

Relegation will not work in the USA. There are limited fan bases, TV & other media will refuse to provide any coverage and until there is a sufficient culture like that in other parts of the world (perhaps in 20-30 years) implementing relegation would mean the death of the American leagues. At the present, MLS depends entirely on wealthy individuals and media coverage to allow it to exist. If you are a fan from Europe, and you have interest in, say American lacrosse, how do you start a league where only a handful of people care about the sport, hardly any billionaires or millionaires want to fund your teams, and where the local media have no interest in covering your game? Right now, unless the local team is doing well, the local fans do not support it thru bad times which means with relegation a team does not get a chance to be better, it would just fold and within a couple of years the entire league. This has already happened three times already and MLS is so far, thanks to no relegation, been able to survive and grow.