~Soccer Thread~

[SFBadger96]

My experience ties it to age. My 14U team got very few parents anywhere near. 12Us were similar. 10Us some stick around. 8Us a lot stick around. If the parent is willing to help out, he or she can be a great asset. If they are there to provide "extra" coaching for their kid, I don't want them there.

[SFBadger96]

Wisconsin's Chris Mueller (Orlando) and Mark Segbers (New England) are first round MLS picks (6th and 9th overall). That's kinda cool.

[ELA]

Wisconsin's Chris Mueller (Orlando) and Mark Segbers (New England) are first round MLS picks (6th and 9th overall). That's kinda cool.

How the hell were they so bad until they got hot, won the BTT and got an auto-bid?  Didn't they finish like 6th in the conference?

[rolltidefan]

I mean, considering the recent Senate election, I'm sure a joke about Alabama's concern (or lack thereof) over background checks and contact with minors is there to be made, but out of fear of driving this thing even farther off course...

As to the no drop off thing, my kids are young enough that I would never consider it yet, but I imagine at some point wouldn't you WANT no parents at practice?  I think by the time I was 9, my parents just dropped me off for basketball and soccer practice (baseball was different with my dad coaching).  I would think having them at pracitce leads to kids looking to their parents, not the coach, and might make the coach hesitant to coach up the kids too much with dad looking on.

considering how deeply red alabama is and the fact that blue won, i'd think that speaks well of alabama's concern over those issues mentioned.
as for the other point, you're probably right. my kids are not yet at that age.

[SFBadger96]

How the hell were they so bad until they got hot, won the BTT and got an auto-bid?  Didn't they finish like 6th in the conference?

You have reached beyond my knowledge of college soccer. :-)

[rolltidefan]

mls just approved new rule letting mls clubs keep 100% of proceeds from selling player. good move that should have been made from the beginning.

link

[rook119]

mls just approved new rule letting mls clubs keep 100% of proceeds from selling player. good move that should have been made from the beginning.

link

How does this work with a salary cap? 

[rolltidefan]

How does this work with a salary cap?

i'm not sure, i don't know the mls cap rules and those can make big differences in the effect. i'm barely a soccer novice, much less expert, but i think other leagues, particularly in europe, don't have issue working them together.
as it's been, though, clubs had a disincentive to sell players because they didn't get their value. or rather, other clubs/leagues had disincentive to buy mls players due to having to pay way over value. this kept a lot of players in mls that should have a had a chance at europe, which would further their development.

[Brutus Buckeye]

The Concacaf (N American) Champions League gets underway in February, and runs through April.

Here is the BRACKET

---------------

There are 5 MLS teams that will be participating (based on their 2016 accomplishments); 4 from the US and one from Canada.
They are:
-Seattle Sounders FC: MLS Cup Winner
-FC Dallas: Supporters Shield / US Open Champions
-Red Bull NY: Eastern Conference Champion
-Colorado Rapids: Supporters Shield runner up (at large bid, as Dallas snapped up two of the four automatic qualifiers for the USA)
-Toronto FC: Canadian Champion

----------------

Colorado and Toronto will face each other in the opening round of 16. Dallas faces the team from Panama, Seattle faces the team from El Salvador, and New York faces one of the two Honduras teams.

The round of 8 "could" be all USA vs Mexico, IF the four teams from each country win their opening round match up.

[Brutus Buckeye]

So while it would appear that the MLS has five Concacaf Champions League spots locked down between the USA and Canada, it is possible that only three would qualify. Both the US Open and the Canadian Championship could theoretically be won by teams outside of the MLS.

In that event there would only be three MLS teams in the field. In theory, the three would be: 1) the MLS Cup Champion, 2) the Supporters Shield Champion, and 3) the Champion of the MLS Conference opposite the Supporters Shield Champion.

However, since Canada's lone bid goes to their Tournament Champion regardless of their MLS accomplishments, there does exist an unlikely scenario where the MLS Cup Champion, the Supporters Shield Champion, and the Champion of the MLS Conference opposite the Supporters Shield Champion could all be left out of the Concacaf Champions League.
-A Canadian Team would have to win each MLS Conference. Let's say Vancouver(West) and Toronto(East).
-One of them wins the Supporters Shield, while the other wins the MLS Cup.
-A non-MLS team (or Montreal) wins the Canadian Championship.

In that scenario, the four spots allotted to the USA would go to the US Open Champion, as well as the top three remaining US-based MLS teams from that season's standings.

The MLS Cup Champion and the two MLS Conference Champions (including the one that won the Supporters Shield) would all be sitting at home watching from their couch.

[rolltidefan]

ussf president election coming up next week i think. i know very little about the process and the candidates. anyone have any insights?

also, hope solo actually does something i mostly agree with. filed a complaint with the usoc about the ussf focusing to much on mls and not enough on other aspects they are supposed to govern. and with some good points. link

[Brutus Buckeye]

[Brutus Buckeye]

The Concacaf (N American) Champions League gets underway in February, and runs through April.

Here is the BRACKET

---------------

There are 5 MLS teams that will be participating (based on their 2016 accomplishments); 4 from the US and one from Canada.
They are:
-Seattle Sounders FC: MLS Cup Winner
-FC Dallas: Supporters Shield / US Open Champions
-Red Bull NY: Eastern Conference Champion
-Colorado Rapids: Supporters Shield runner up (at large bid, as Dallas snapped up two of the four automatic qualifiers for the USA)
-Toronto FC: Canadian Champion

----------------

Colorado and Toronto will face each other in the opening round of 16. Dallas faces the team from Panama, Seattle faces the team from El Salvador, and New York faces one of the two Honduras teams.

The round of 8 "could" be all USA vs Mexico, IF the four teams from each country win their opening round match up.

The second leg of the round of 16 gets underway tonight, in the Concacaf Champions League, and runs through Thursday, March 1st. 
You can see the results of the first leg by clicking on the bracket link in the quote box. Those games were  on Feb 20-22. 
The United States is not off to a great start. All of the teams either lost or tied during the first leg.
Toronto FC was the only MLS team to win, and that was against the Colorado Rapids. 
Red Bull NY is the only team to draw. 
FC Dallas and Seattle Sounders FC joined Colorado in the loss column. 

[rolltidefan]

fc dallas won, but tied on aggregate and lost on away goals. they're out.

toronto and colorado tied, which puts toronto advancing and colorado exiting on 2-0 aggregate.

redbulls and sounders both play today. redbulls just need a win or 0-0 draw to advance on away goals. sounders need to win by 2 to win by aggregate or win 1-0 to win on away goals.