Arsenal. I also support Fulham....I saw a few matches there in '07. Craven Cottage rocks! First match I ever went to McBride scored....I went OFF.

Well yeah. The EFL was founded before MLS but is far less relevant to American Football than the MLS is to soccer. You really can't expect us to have a top tier league when it just started 15 years ago and there wasn't even a pro league before that. (NASL was way before).

LOL, I like how you guys all answered.

Laley I know you're Barcelona through and through..

The reason I ask is, while I LOVE soccer and follow both the EPL and La Liga closely, I've never really adopted a team. I've always followed players (recently it was Ronaldinho and now Wayne Rooney) However, I really want to get 'attached' to a team and stick with them.

I figured I could just pick up ManU right now, but I'm just not feeling them, if that makes sense..

I basically went with were my favorite players were. Henry was the first player to spark my interest for the game and Arsenal was my favorite team to watch. Around 01-04 they were awesome.

McBride is my favorite US player so after he left the Crew I just went with Fulham. I studied abroad in North London, so became more attached to Arsenal, but could only afford Fulham tickets.

hoops23;403568 wrote:LOL, I like how you guys all answered.

Laley I know you're Barcelona through and through..

The reason I ask is, while I LOVE soccer and follow both the EPL and La Liga closely, I've never really adopted a team. I've always followed players (recently it was Ronaldinho and now Wayne Rooney) However, I really want to get 'attached' to a team and stick with them.

I figured I could just pick up ManU right now, but I'm just not feeling them, if that makes sense..

Lampard is one of my favorite players so that's kind of why I have liked Chelsea. But I also really like Cech.

Just see what team you like the style of and if they have some players you like then awesome. But it'll be one of the competitive teams because unless you're directly in the local fan base (Indians for example) no one likes a bad team.

hoops23;403568 wrote:LOL, I like how you guys all answered.

Laley I know you're Barcelona through and through..

The reason I ask is, while I LOVE soccer and follow both the EPL and La Liga closely, I've never really adopted a team. I've always followed players (recently it was Ronaldinho and now Wayne Rooney) However, I really want to get 'attached' to a team and stick with them.

I figured I could just pick up ManU right now, but I'm just not feeling them, if that makes sense..

Following a team is WAAAAY more fun than players. I wouldnt just pick up ManU out of the blue. If have some reason behind whoever you try to start supporting (Rooney could be the reason though). I also wouldnt pick a shit side at your age. Might as well try finding a team who will compete for titles/Champions League berths. If you wanna follow Barca your welcome, I can even help educate you haha.

If you go EPL, you can ride the ManCity bandwagon before they become huge and say you were a fan beforehand haha. I also think Tottenham are a pretty fun team, but they mightve hit a high this season finishing 4th. But personally, I think if you go Everton you are about to be able to follow Howard and Donovan for a couple years and they have some other really fun young players

I found myself paying attention more to Hull City this season during Jozy's stint there.

It's a tough decision lol.

Barca is interesting, because I definitely love their style.. remember, I followed Ronaldinho so I'm well aware of Barca lol. Love Messi too.

hoops23;403582 wrote:I found myself paying attention more to Hull City this season during Jozy's stint there.

It's a tough decision lol.

He was on loan though. Plus that team blows. You dont wanna follow them haha. Especially cause if he ever does become great, he will be gone by the next transfer period.

Laley23;403587 wrote:He was on loan though. Plus that team blows. You dont wanna follow them haha. Especially cause if he ever does become great, he will be gone by the next transfer period.

Oh I know he was on loan, I didn't give two shits about Hull City until he came there and I only followed them because of him. I mean, I still didn't give two shits about Hull City when he was there, but I did love following Jozy.

Laley23;403512 wrote:Well duh, but we have only had a league for 15 years. Thierry Henry...arguably this generations GREATEST forward.....is probably going to be in America next year. Beckham, Henry, Ljungberg, Juan Pablo Angel, etc. is quite a few foreign stars coming over. Raul, the Spanish legend is considering it as well as Ruud Van Nistelrooy of the Netherlands. Just have to give the MLS time to grow as a league.

Come on Laley, I know you're not ignorant enough to use those people to legitimize the MLS. Those are all washed up stars who no longer get significant playing time for their club teams, with the exception of Beckham who still plays on loan.

Face it, the MLS will never become a big time league. There's too much tradition in Seria A, La Liga, and EPL for anyone to actually choose to play in the MLS over those other leagues. You play in the league with the best competition, which is why you'll never see a Henry or Raul or Messi play in the US in their prime.

I liken it to Josh Childress. He was in the NBA but then didn't get playing time so he went overseas against worse competition because they paid him more.

hoops23;403526 wrote:The MLS has improved so much in it's 15 year history. It's undoubtedly becoming a legit league. The overall talent pool still isn't there, but it's no longer at the point where MLS games are seen as a joke.

Philly had been drawing 30,000 fans to their home games at Lincoln Financial before today when they just moved into their own stadium (not sure how many people it holds, but it was PACKED)

I know Columbus has a very loyal following, as do just about every team in the MLS. Like I said earlier, the league average for attendance is 16,500. That is pretty damn good compared to what it was.

Give the MLS a few more years and it'll definitely be a good league. I'm guessing a lot of the foreign players may give it a try over here especially if the league continues to grow. There is a lot of money to be made in America, especially if you're a star.

No. It's not going to happen, at least not in the next 20 years. There's TOO much history, pride, respect, and reputation that comes with playing in a premiere European league. Why do you think the best US players play overseas and not here? Read my response to Laley.


You're a wishful thinker at best. Just because there's money to be made doesn't mean it would happen.

Remember the rumor Lebron would be paid $50 million a year to play in Greece. Why didn't he, if it was about the money? Because you don't play against the best competition in the world, and I'm sorry but the best soccer competition in the world will never be in the US.

hoops23;403529 wrote:lhslep134, who's your EPL team?

Liverpool. My friend, who is a Chelsea fan, came back from England a few years ago and was at the Chelsea-Liverpool game at Anfield and kept singing the "fuck off chelsea fc" song and I thought it was awesome to I started watching Liverpool on FSC and started following them and just started liking them. Disappointing finish this year, especially with the talent of the team, and obviously Rafa's firing was the result.

lhslep134;403706 wrote:Come on Laley, I know you're not ignorant enough to use those people to legitimize the MLS. Those are all washed up stars who no longer get significant playing time for their club teams, with the exception of Beckham who still plays on loan.

Face it, the MLS will never become a big time league. There's too much tradition in Seria A, La Liga, and EPL for anyone to actually choose to play in the MLS over those other leagues. You play in the league with the best competition, which is why you'll never see a Henry or Raul or Messi play in the US in their prime.

I liken it to Josh Childress. He was in the NBA but then didn't get playing time so he went overseas against worse competition because they paid him more.

It isnt gonna happen in the near future. But even 5 years ago the thought of those players ever coming over here was out of the question. Henry is not washed up yet either. ManCity and Spurs and a host of other EPL teams are going hard after him. Just cause he cant play for Barca deosnt mean he is washed up. Same with Raul. He was a great player for Real the last few years when healthy. Not finding the starting 11 for those teams is not being washed up. Someone like Luis Figo is washed up. When you cant play in one of the top 5 leagues in Europe you are washed up. But not being able to play for the top teams in Europe isnt quite the same.

Ruud Van Nistelrooy might be washed up though, and Freddie Ljunberg is for sure washed up, haha.

Im not saying MLS is gonna be some great league soon. But the more global stars to come over (at whatever point) the more coverage soccer will get in America thats all I am getting at. The league will continue to grow and get better, and wont ever be La Liga, Serie A, Bundesliga, EPL, etc. But it can be better than some of the European leagues.

And here is another thought. Barcelona has easily the best youth system in Europe. They play in the same tree as the parent club, but if they ever did qualify for the first division they wouldnt be allowed in because they use the same players. Barcelona tried to get a MLS team in Miami (it failed for this year, but they are still going after it) so they can send a lot of their young stars to play in America before they are promoted. They would keep their Spanish youth team, but just have a team here. I think Madrid are looking into it as well. Imagine if we have players like Gai Assulin, Pedro, Bojan, Jonathan Dos Santos, Giovani Dos Santos, Gerard Pique, etc over the last 5 years

I hate every Mexican player in the world...but G Dos Santos is my fuckin dude

Laley, I DEFINITELY agree that it can be better than a good amount of European leagues. I just don't ever see a Henry or Raul playing over here in their prime, which is the point I was trying to make.

lhslep134;403971 wrote: I just don't ever see a Henry or Raul playing over here in their prime, which is the point I was trying to make.

lhslep134;403708 wrote:No. It's not going to happen, at least not in the next 20 years. There's TOO much history, pride, respect, and reputation that comes with playing in a premiere European league. Why do you think the best US players play overseas and not here? Read my response to Laley.


You're a wishful thinker at best. Just because there's money to be made doesn't mean it would happen.

Remember the rumor Lebron would be paid $50 million a year to play in Greece. Why didn't he, if it was about the money? Because you don't play against the best competition in the world, and I'm sorry but the best soccer competition in the world will never be in the US.

WTF are you talking about? Did you even READ my post? Nobody said the MLS is going to be a top tier league, but that doesn't mean it's not going to be a GOOD league. Look at the improvements it's made in the last 4 or 5 years. Great crowds, a good following, and now getting star players to come over (even if they are a little long in the tooth).

That shit wasn't happening 5 years ago. Nobody is stupid enough to say the MLS will compete with the EPL or La Liga, those leagues are too rich and deep with history.

Read a little better man.

As far as me saying a lot of "foreign players may give it a try", well, I messed up my grammar a bit there. Foreign players are already over here in huge numbers playing in the MLS.. What I meant though was the major (but older) foreign stars looking for that last big pay day.

lhslep134;403971 wrote:Laley, I DEFINITELY agree that it can be better than a good amount of European leagues. I just don't ever see a Henry or Raul playing over here in their prime, which is the point I was trying to make.

Well, yeah. Thats impossible at this point as both are past (I know, I know. You meant players like them). But Henry would be the best player in the league next year if he comes over (Donovan has a case if he stays). Henry still has pace and skill, and is still an elite finisher He just doesnt have enough pace to beat out Pedro (not a bad thing, hell Pedro is one of the first subs for the Spanish national team at at 20 I think) and Bojan who is a boy wonder...has more talent than Henry did at that age. If he hadnt left Arsenal, he would still be the starting #9 for that squad, imo. He would be GREAT for America as well, because he speaks the language very well and is one of the most respected players in Europe, even with the hand-ball.