World Cup 2022

[Forever Spinning Vinyl]

(12-01-2022, 07:37 PM)hollodero Wrote: Sure, I know I fabricated my point a bit. Ted Ligety, Picabo Street, great skiers too, regularly beating Austrians. Daron Rahlves. Phil Mahre. I am aware there were good US skiers at all time.

Loved watching the Mahre brothers, forgot about them. Complete opposite personalities of Bill Johnson.

I went skiing once. No thanks. Cured for life.

Quote:Never saw more than maybe a handful of MLS games. Sure. My judgement is also based on team's market values and the fact that no decent young player from an European league goes there.

This may come as a shock but we've gotten lots of European youth players on loans over the years. Man City bought New York City and have had lots of Man City youth league players get minutes on loan, but most weren't good enough to make an impact on the MLS first team. 

But young European players aren't part of their current model and not every South American wants to play to play in Europe first. Many have grown up dreaming of #1 living in America and #2 playing in Europe and see #1 and MLS as a doorway to #2. Many of those also like being a short flight or a long car ride away from home. Just living in a similar time zone helps a young player's mental health while living in a new country for the first time. So does having a large Hispanic community in pretty much every city that has an MLS team.

Quote:I'm not saying the league is doomed to be mediocre at all times. Maybe the direction is good, I read what you said about that, I can not disagree. But yeah, as of now I'd still be convinced that the Austrian champion beats the MLS champion.

They'd better. Right now, all they're really trying to compete with is the top teams in Mexican Liga MX, whose rosters are currently about 5 times more expensive than an MLS roster. I can tell you this though, I don't see any of your mid table or below teams waltzing through an MLS season. The heat and fitness levels send many Europeans back home pretty soon. Do you remember the Spanish forward Koke?
https://www.mlssoccer.com/news/spanish-forward-koke-set-leave-houston-dynamo
He claims he was not getting enough minutes . . . word got out later that he hated the Houston heat and couldn't adapt. He was told by a team mate that it was going to get hotter in the Summer and he bailed

“[Koke] met with Dominic [Kinnear] Saturday after the game and said he wants to leave because he’s unhappy with his situation,” Canetti said.


The request came as a surprise to the Dynamo front office as they were unaware of any issues with the striker.

“There was nothing that happened before Saturday that led us to believe there was an issue,” Canetti said. “We asked him to stay and give it more time, but he said he wants to return home immediately. Dom and I spoke and decided that we’ll oblige his request and let him go.”

Quote:Not necessarily. Italy probably wins 9 out of 10 times against Macedonia. Upsets still happen.

I'm not necessarily argueing that Italy would have deserved it. I'm arguing that by current design, it's not the 32 best teams of the world that qualify. Maybe that is desired, and I can see why.

Soccer fans all over the world tune into the Euro championship and Copa America because they like watching football played with passion at a high level.

Casual fans mostly tune in only because their nation is playing. You watch Austria play because you're Austrian and a self professed soccer nerd. The lady across the road doesn't give two shits about the Austrian Bundesliga, but she'll tune in to watch the Austrian national team because she's a proud Austrian. Same thing for those five WC nations and most of their neighbors in Asia, those five WC nations and most of their neighbors in Africa and that's a lot of eyes watching your corporate partners ads. It's an exhibition in the form of a tournament. Look at the format of the Canada/USA/Mexico World Cup in 2026. 48 teams starting with 16 knockout games for 32 teams to join the other 16. It's going to be a shit show.