2013 Major League Soccer Thread (aka The Ancient Mystical Society of No Timbers)

[GoGo Yubari]

Eddie Gaven has surprisingly retired from pro soccer.

Also history aside, I really do not see Pareja leaving two years into rebuilding Colorado for FC Dallas. Actually, I think Dallas might not be unwise to see about bringing Martin Rennie in.

Meanwhile, Houston Dynamo are winning in their playoff match. I know. You're shocked.

[GoGo Yubari]

Good god did Montreal ever implode. I mean, I don't think anyone was expecting to win after flaming out the way they predictably did halfway through the season, but wow.

[HailtotheYo]

Yeah that was baaaad. I mean, Houston does this but holy hell did Montreal look like ass.

I am pretty shocked on Gaven. Absolute trucker ....

[GoGo Yubari]

Alessandro Nesta is apparently poised to become the next manager of Montreal Impact. We might be en route to at least half of the teams in the league having different managers at the start of next season than they did last season.

Sigi remains a question mark, though switching to the diamond formation might actually end up being a saving throw. I just wish we'd switched to it like a month ago.

[HailtotheYo]

http://www.dispatch.com/content/blogs/covering-the-crew/2013/11/two-eliminated.html - Schelotto no longer in the running for CLB job.  I'd LOVE to see this man managing in the league.  Heeeeyyy DALLAS ...

 

.@torontofc offered a 3y €7million contract to Gilardino. #MLS also watching Amauri, Rosina & Mauri http://t.co/dYYNAFuTEi @MLSTransfers

— Soccer Italia (@MLSsocceritalia)

November 1, 2013

 

... he'd supposedly be there in August.

[OctoberRaven]

Yeah Miami isn't gonna work unless Beckham is willing to foot the bill for the stadium.

He's putting in 25m .... absolutely no way he puts 80+m into it just for a stadium. No way. That would be the "looking for other investors" portion

If he does that, then I doubt the club will last very long at all. Even if he gets people willing to invest in a team that shouldn't expect high attendances at all (Miami Fusion averaged what, less than 1,000?), they'll probably end up with a location nobody will want to drive to, is far away from any public transportation route, and the costs will be as high as they would at Joe Robbie Stadium.

Beckham really should have seen the writing on the wall when he held a rally and about 20 people came, and that the team Miami does have currently has more people on the pitch than in attendance. Sure, they're a minor league team, but so is Orlando SC, and they have no problem getting fans to come to their games.

[Tits McGee]

I really hope Houston does not make it to the final this year. They are so boring to me.

[HailtotheYo]

Well, NE said hello tonight. Glad that SKC will have to work for it if they advance.

Eh, I don't mind HOU (other than being an FCD fan that is) because they remind me of the few good traits that American soccer had before we entered this "new" era we're in now. Strong, physical play with the entire team being a chore to break down. It doesn't exactly create a good time to watch, but results are results.

[GoGo Yubari]

Sigi remains a question mark, though switching to the diamond formation might actually end up being a saving throw.

Nah he's probably gone.

[HailtotheYo]

Portland looked really good last night ... but holy hell how did Deuce not have anything go in ? Jeebus.

Of course, I'm surprised both teams didn't just walk off the pitch with freaking Toledo out there

[Tits McGee]

Nice. NY up one nil

[GoGo Yubari]

Apparently Genoa has accepted Toronto FC's offer of six million for Alberto Gilardino so it's up to Gilardino if he wants to move. Still skeptical that he will.

EDIT: So I guess the workaround to "never bet against Kinnear when the playoffs are on the line" is to actually suspend Kinnear. I don't have a major problem with Houston but I am so hopeful that we won't get a third straight year of the AEG Cup.

[GoGo Yubari]

Coaching updates! Alessandro Nesta will not be the next Impact coach. Grant Wahl admitted to having gotten that one wrong and apologized.

The new Columbus Crew manager is Gregg Berhalter, which has prompted a sea of indifference to horror from Crew supporters.

[GoGo Yubari]

So Gilardino has apparently agreed to join Toronto FC! ... next summer. So really it's a move for 2015 because midseason DPs rarely come firing right out of the gate (but there are exceptions, like Federico Higuain).

Meanwhile, NYRB have imploded in the playoffs at home again. It's rad that they got the Shield but Petke wasn't able to break every curse in one year.

SKC need a goal in the next ten minutes to even take it to extra time.

EDIT: Aaaand they've gotten it. It could seriously be both games going into extra time tonight.

EDIT II: Oh Revs

[HailtotheYo]

I'm still trying to figure out how Tally Hall saved a few of those shots from Henry .... simply unbelievable.

Major League Soccer executives are expected to announce on Nov. 19 that Orlando will be its 21st franchise.

[Sweet Holy Moses]

Having Orlando in MLS is going to be great. That organization has done everything right since buying the Aztex. Honestly, giving them a team is pretty much a no-brainer.

[HailtotheYo]

Wooo hoooo Porterball into the Western Conference Finals !!!! It's going to be a great match up with POR/RSL. Which leads me to WOOOOOOOOOO RSL ! Go home LA, ya bitches. I'm loving the teams left. All of them are very well rounded and have really good depth. This should be a very fun finish.

And from the Rapids president:

http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/11/08/colorado-rapids-president-tim-hinchey-squashes-oscar-pareja-departure-rumors

[HailtotheYo]

So HOU/SKC in a brawl for one spot in the final, and RSL with a big advantage over POR for the other spot.

LA signs Baggio Husidic (actually liked that guy with CHI).

[HailtotheYo]

MLS trying to put the best possible teams into the CCL: http://soccer.si.com/2013/11/11/confusion-lingers-over-mlss-concacaf-champions-league-berth-allocation/

[GoGo Yubari]

I'm fine with the MLS Cup runner-up losing the CCL berth it provides. You really shouldn't get a CCL spot for suddenly showing up in the postseason but not being good enough to win the whole thing, in all honesty. The rumors of the US Open Cup winner losing the spot would be complete and utter bullshit, totally hamstringing a competition that MLS teams as a whole are only starting to take seriously while also shutting the door on lower division teams ever getting a chance at CCL again (unless they're Canadian). But US Soccer outright said that rumor was unfounded on their Twitter, so I hope they mean it and it was never that spot in jeopardy.

And if they suddenly change it as if it's been in effect this season that's bullshit too. You can't change qualification rules on the fly. If Portland comes back against RSL and books their spot in the final, they get a CCL spot. If they don't, better luck next year.

Also, there is apparently another new type of DP now. This is the type of DP that Toronto claimed they could sign/have signed and MLS publicly was like "hahaha, what? We don't know what they're talking about!" except they totally did and that's how Diego Valeri got signed too. I don't really have a problem with the rule, but the lack of transparency is crazy.