***Official 2022 World Cup Thread***
- Thread starter coolerifyoudid
- Start date
I can't watch the MLS, the gap in talent is just too much compared to the EPL. Even in the WC I'll cheer for the US but I'm a lot more interested in the other games, just much more enjoyable to watch.
Basically the same reasons why I like F1 and not NASCAR, etc. Race typically takes less than 2 hours, no commercials.
Yep. For me, it's the turf fields that just don't feel "authentic," and then a lot of the crowd environments leave much to be desired. Most players are unknown, too many drums, and chants are much more forced than with the European crowds. That's what happens when you're still relatively new at things and you're trying to establish traditions vs. teams that have been around for 100+ years.
There's also the lack of promotion/relegation which really does bring an entirely different element to the world leagues. But the US probably won't ever have it, and were we to introduce it, we'd need to have a profitable soccer team in like 100+ cities. That's like 2-3 generations away from happening if it ever does, and I'm sure MLS has zero interest in ever allowing that to happen.
I think the baseball analogy is spot on. The sport is boring if you don't know the strategy going on to see action even when goals/rubs aren't being scored. In soccer, if you don't understand the formations and the strategy of how they are playing, it just looks like you're kicking the ball back and forth with nothing happening in baseball, if you don't understand how the pitcher is trying to work a batter, then they're just throwing pitch after pitch with no action.
Current owners would never have it. Perhaps if you made the financials of the leagues close to comparable then it could work. But you can't have the differences you see in the EPL.
Maybe a sport like arena football would be a great place to introduce the concept to the US?
Totally get it and understand. Just to reiterate…I like soccer. Anymore…I like it more than baseball. Baseball has dumbed itself down to the point it’s almost unwatchable anymore.
As mentioned on another post, the tactics of soccer (and baseball to a lesser degree these days) just aren’t as easy to see, especially for someone who just wants to sit down and have something on. ****…there is so much more going on in a football or basketball game than people realize too.
I was simply saying “score” isn't the reason people who don’t like soccer don’t like it.
Have you seen Donnarumma play? He’s already a top 10 GK for pens saved and has a huge amount of career left. Technically the best GK against penalties still playing is Neur.
I’m just talking about how they look on the line. I have no idea who has the best save % against pens.
Having a team helps a bunch, but when your team struggles (Sporting KC for me) it's much harder to stay engaged, especially at the end of the season. I'm not tuning into the last few matches to see if we finish last or second to last. The playoffs are still fun for me however. The final was fun to watch.
In general, though, overlapping with CFB, EPL, the NFL and the World Series does not do the MLS any favors.