David Beckham's MLS 2020

[LL!]

It's been a rough road getting here but I feel it's one that has made us stronger and now MLS IS ON NOTICE. Thank you, David Beckham. Thank you. 

[OctoberRaven]

Well, what really got him here is that he learned they were playing in a place that's good to retire in. Those Sunrise condos will definitely give him a nice view of Sawgrass Mills and the Everglades.

How many 'game chaning' signings does it take to build a team that's only mildly pathetic?

More than it takes to build a championship team, apparently.

[Adam]

Matuidi and Higuain could both play easily for top six Premier League teams, they're great signings for an MLS team.

I'm not even trolling here, I'm genuinely impressed.

[OctoberRaven]

8 minutes ago, Adam said:

Matuidi and Higuain could both play easily for top six Premier League teams, they're great signings for an MLS team.

 

I don't doubt that, but there's at least nine other top-shelf players on those teams, and they probably wouldn't be relied on as cornerstones as their best years are behind them.

If having one or two star players was all it took, the USL Championship would just hand the trophy over to Ft Lauderdale legendicon Darnell King's team and be done with it. Then again, Phoenix Rising may actually win the championship, so maybe not the best example.

[gunnar hendershow]

In MLS one player is really significant though. Look at how much better Zlatan made LA Galaxy when he was there. They averaged half a point more for game during his time with the club than they did the season before he arrived.

Likewise for Schweinsteiger at Chicago. And now Miami has two players who are Champions League caliber. It's going to immediately make them better.

[OctoberRaven]

10 minutes ago, damsher hatfield said:

In MLS one player is really significant though. Look at how much better Zlatan made LA Galaxy when he was there. They averaged half a point more for game during his time with the club than they did the season before he arrived.

Sometimes it adds a piece to the puzzle, sure. But a team dead last in the league can't expect to rocket up the standings, especially since he'll probably have to be in isolation for at least another week since this has been a done deal already.

And even then, you might have a Wayne Rooney to DC situation where you go from having a disaster team make it to the playoffs but still get bounced in the first round of knockout play.

Of course, we all know why I'm saying this in the first place.

(yes I know it should be the other way around but fuck it it flows better plus I really need to rewatch They Live sometime)

[gunnar hendershow]

Galaxy and Chicago were both dead last. They both got bounced in the playoffs but they still saw a significant improvement almost exclusively due to the addition of one player.

[OctoberRaven]

3 minutes ago, damsher hatfield said:

Galaxy and Chicago were both dead last. They both got bounced in the playoffs but they still saw a significant improvement almost exclusively due to the addition of one player.

Not mid-season, though, right? I know Rooney was.

[Adam]

Rooney was basically Championship standard by the time he went to DC, well past his best. Higuain scored 11 goals for Juventus last season, he's much closer to a Zlatan or Thierry Henry signing than Rooney.

[gunnar hendershow]

Just now, OctoberRaven said:

Not mid-season, though, right?

No, the season before. This season's extremely wonky for a lot reasons, their impact is more about next year. But they'll probably be impactful enough to shoot Miami past the couple clubs they need to in order to make the expanded playoff field. They're currently just 3 points back of the play-in round.

With the changes to the European seasons and transfer windows these moves that in a normal season would have occurred probably in June are now occuring close to October.

[OctoberRaven]

That's fair. Still gonna mock Inter every chance I get, though. Hopefully by October things will be open enough that Himmarshee FC will be back and I'll be too busy watching the return of quality footy to Broward County to care.

And who knows, maybe Beckham can get Suarez. It'd be a shame to see a vampire following stereotypes and working with The Antichrist though.

[Szumi]

Suarez is taking his Italian citizenship test to try and get his move to Juve, so he's not going to MLS for another 1-3 years, I reckon.

No joke on nothing, Inter Miami can absolutely both make the playoffs and have a run in it. Anything is possible in this league once you make the playoffs, and it's so easy to get in this year. Inter are about to have a striker who is going to score for fun in MLS. Higauin isn't going to need to move around or run a lot, he just needs service, and Miami have enough players to do that. They have a playmaker in Pizarro who I imagine will thrive now that he has Higauin, and it will probably help their young DP, Pellegrini too, who hasn't played great.

There's an underrated core of proven MLS guys in that squad with Robles in goal, Ramon Torres and now Gonzalez Perez, who was the star CB for Atlanta FC the past several seasons. Will Trapp and Victor Ulloa are MLS proven CMs to rotate alongside Matuidi, and there's other decent guys like Ben Sweat, Brek Shea, and Juan Agudelo. The latter 2 never lived up to their potential, but they can certainly play well on their day.

They're a running gag in this thread, but they're going to massively improve in the run in to the MLS Playoffs, and once they're in, all bets are off.

[METALMAN]

There's a chance Higuain might just be shit though.

[OctoberRaven]

3 minutes ago, metalman said:

There's a chance Higuain might just be shit though.

The chances of that are better than Beckham getting his downtown Miami stadium. But then again, so are the odds of William Shatner becoming POTUS.

[Lowerdeck]

6 hours ago, OctoberRaven said:

Then again, Phoenix Rising may actually win the championship, so maybe not the best example.

Everyone thought Phoenix Rising was gonna run away with it last year, until they lost to Monarchs. 

There's at least a half dozen teams with valid chances of winning the league.  

[OctoberRaven]

3 minutes ago, Lowerdeck said:

Everyone thought Phoenix Rising was gonna run away with it last year, until they lost to Monarchs. 

There's at least a half dozen teams with valid chances of winning the league.  

They didn't have The King last year. 😉 Though I wouldn't complain if it was Miami FC that got it instead.

[OctoberRaven]

Was a humid night in NoHart Stadium
All the beer in South Beach can't console them
When Red Bull hit the grass
Inter were on their ass
It was their biggest loss since the Freedom Park vote

[Chorus]
New York 4! Miami 1!
Miami's Championship Chances Are None!
New York 4! Miami 1!
Miami's Championship Chances Are None!

Higuain watched as his new team were dunked on
Twilight of his career laid out before him
Oh, karma is so sweet
Savor every Inter defeat
That's whatcha get for tearing down Lockhart!

[Repeat Chorus]

What's it mean when a club that's all supporter-run
Is better managed than the team owned by Beckham?

Ft Lauderdale's legacy is ours
We've got coral snake-colored scarves
 Everyone knows the future's red and gold
Himmarshee FC

[Chorus x5]

[METALMAN]

Music and verse are such wonderful gifts, and nothing can rouse us or bring us together quite like song. You obviously have something special, but I beg you to use it for healing rather than hating. We really need it right now.

[OctoberRaven]

48 minutes ago, metalman said:

Music and verse are such wonderful gifts, and nothing can rouse us or bring us together quite like song. You obviously have something special, but I beg you to use it for healing rather than hating. We really need it right now.

I came up with the parody lyrics at work, and it took my mind off my tweaked ankle, so I kind of did.

Besides, it's a footy song. Like a third of the Strikers supporter songs boiled down to "Fuck The Rowdies" to a pop song.

EDIT- Okay it's more like a fifth but STILL.

[Lowerdeck]

Hartford clinched a playoff spot.  Second year of existence, first time in the playoffs.

With that said, they're gonna lose like 4-0 to Lou City.