Managing in America

[NandoIsGod9]

im thinking about managing in the USA , but is their any stupid rules like their is in seria A. also is it fun in USA, what club should i be?

thanks

 

[Steve*]

im thinking about managing in the USA , but is their any stupid rules like their is in seria A. also is it fun in USA, what club should i be?

thanks

I take it you mean MLS that you want to play in?
Check out this:
MLS Guide

Also the teams id suggest are Toronto or New York.
They have the strongest squads but beware as Toronto have a very impatient Chairman

 

[jboney82]

if you think Serie A has stupid rules, you will probably think the MLS has EVEN MORE stupid rules.

 

[Steve*]

if you think Serie A has stupid rules, you will probably think the MLS has EVEN MORE stupid rules.

If you check out the link above it explains all the rules in detail. No point posting if your not going to be helpful.
Sorry if i sound blunt.

If your up for a challenge go for it,if you want a simple game maybe try Mexico or Brazil/Argentina.
The MLS isnt one of the easier leagues to manage in.

 

[ajt09]

I've been tempted to try out the MLS for a totally new challenge, but read that it had pretty complicated rules. Thanks for pointing out the link-will give it a blast and see what its really like

 

[desjardfan]

Go with Chicago. Best fan base in the league, for what it's worth. And the best stadium.

 

[Galaxy Until I Die]

LA Galaxy! The starting squad is very good and there is a lot of depth (in some of my saves, Tristan Bowen is better then Buddle which means Buddle can be sold - assuming you don't have the latest transfer update).

 

[ajt09]

think I'll test the waters with a team that has lowest expectations, so can get used to the system. Doesn't seem too complicated after reading the guide.

 

[Steve*]

think I'll test the waters with a team that has lowest expectations, so can get used to the system. Doesn't seem too complicated after reading the guide.

Id recommend Houston. Good squad and patient enough chairman. There ok but its hard to win MLS with them in the first year or 2.

 

[ajt09]

Id recommend Houston. Good squad and patient enough chairman. There ok but its hard to win MLS with them in the first year or 2.

Thanks. Just what I need. Been a few times when I've started lower league in England, even with a media prediction of 13-14th, I don't tend to last long if things go badly. Once I get more used to it, will start a new save thats more challenging. Cheers for that

 

[jboney82]

I think I was being pretty helpful in saying that if the OP thinks that Serie A has stupid rules, that the MLS has even more stupid rules. I'm not knocking the MLS. But c'mon, the biggest complaints that MLS fans have about the league is its league table structure, or its playoff system where team with a .500 avg. (or even lower) has a chance to win the cup, or the salary caps, etc. etc. etc.

Yeah, it's a great challenge, but if quirky rules that set it apart from other leagues are not your bag, it's certainly not for you.

It's just like if someone said:
"Should I try the turkey here? I don't like how dry their chicken is."
"You definitely should not try their turkey, it's even drier than their chicken."

 

[Meemo]

I think the MLS has a good system actually. Not the standard but different is not the synonym of bad.

 

[desjardfan]

I think the MLS has a good system actually. Not the standard but different is not the synonym of bad.

No, but "MLS" is. That is some awful, awful football.

 

[Meemo]

No, but "MLS" is. That is some awful, awful football.

Well, they need some time. It's not like the league has been around for 187 years. In time the quality will go up.

 

[desjardfan]

Quality will go up when they completely abide by the FIFA calendar and quit making ridiculous bullshit rules regarding salary distribution and player development/movement, and stop pandering to over the hill one-legged players like Beckham who'd probably rather spend his time at Derby County.

 

[curtis290]

Quality will go up when they completely abide by the FIFA calendar and quit making ridiculous bullshit rules regarding salary distribution and player development/movement, and stop pandering to over the hill one-legged players like Beckham who'd probably rather spend his time at Derby County.

No, quality will go up when people actually start playing the sport.

As for the FIFA calendar, it's a pain in the ***, but you can't seriously make the claim that it is a big factor in player development. 99.9% of the players aren't even affected by it since they're not in the national team pool, and the ones that are get to play and miss a club game. If they're not allowed to, they miss out on one national team game. Not too big of a deal.

Salary distribution and player movement has to do with the fact that it's a franchise system. That's the only way it's going to work here. European-style club system would not work with American sports for geographical reasons and because we have several sports that are very popular here, and of course in the case of soccer, it's not one of them. It also has nothing to do with player development.

As far as player development goes, in case you haven't been paying attention, the MLS has already developed an academy system, and although there are a lot of problems, a lot of progress is being made. Every year the system gets better and the youth leagues are being more consolidated. Keep in mind that a lot of our good players now are academy players, Bradley, Altidore, etc. Andy Najar is a very promising 16 year old academy product. It's going to take time, especially because no one over the age of 25 or 30 ever played the sport, but we're making a lot of progress.

As for Beckham, he completely put soccer on the map in this country and every game he played him had much higher attendances than usual. Most Americans hadn't heard of a single soccer player before he came, and now, everyone knows who Beckham is and most people have even watched a game. Our record World Cup ratings have a lot to do with him.




You have way too high expectations. The league has been in place since 1996 and isn't commercially successful. You can't expect us to have a top ten national team just like that. More importantly, it's not taken seriously here as a sport (although that's changing), and young kids don't really play it on their own. In any country in the world, by the time you're 3 or 4 you play a lot in the yard, and you play with your friends constantly by 5 or 6. By the time you're 9 or 10 and join a team, you have great ball skills, an understanding of the game, and creativity. In America, it's different. You start playing at 6 or 7 on a team without having really played on your own. It's probably a co-ed team, a parent who has never played the sport is the coach, and it's purely recreational. You don't really play in your free time and by the time you quit the sport in favor of basketball, baseball, football, or hockey, when you're 11 or 12, you still aren't as good as your typical 4 or 5 year old Latin American kid.

If you're European, don't comment on what you're not informed about. If you're American, you should start paying attention and support our league rather than just belittle it for not being attractive football. I hate watching MLS but it needs a lot of time and support to grow. Which is ultimately the only way we can have a good NT and the only way we'll get meaningful soccer at home.

 

[JakeHartlepool10]

i aslo think quality will go up when the top class players from usa stay and help develop the mls

 

[desjardfan]

How long did it take you to build a soapbox that big? Jesus...

It's a ****** league, I'm sorry. And I do watch it, because what the **** else is on in the evenings during the week? Millions of people play the sport, many more millions than any other sport.

Also, assuming one in Europe (which I'm not) is uniformed simply by way of where they live is pretty blind. By that you can know nothing of any league that plays on the other side of the Atlantic.

Don't know how you can say salary distribution has nothing to do with player development, but okay. Since you made no claim other than to say it simply doesn't I guess I'll have to take you at your word. And the reason it's a franchise system is because it's run by Am. football men. The fact that you can't make a reasonable living as a young player in MLS is probably enough to keep more than a handful of players away.

Beckham did **** for football in this country, other than draw out some wankass wannabes to a couple games then trot off back to Europe for a loan deal as soon as one came up, and he continues to do less. Having top-flight leagues from around the world on television regularly is what has driven the growth in popularity, and ESPN/ABC willingness to invest in broadcasting the Euros and WC. The **** did Beckham do besides fill up some stadiums his first couple times around the block? He can **** off back to wherever he'd rather be besides here.

But yeah, you're right, and because you're American and therefore understand the nuances of MLS better than anyone else ever could.

---------- Post added at 04:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 AM ----------

I'll reply for him: Waaaaahhh, MLS needs more time. Waaaaaaahhhhh... playoffs are somehow good, and so is not having promotion/relegation!

---------- Post added at 04:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 AM ----------

How can you know anything about Independiente? Or admire Arsenal and Barca? You can't possibly understand anything about the way they play football.

 

[curtis290]

How long did it take you to build a soapbox that big? Jesus...

It's a ****** league, I'm sorry. And I do watch it, because what the **** else is on in the evenings during the week? Millions of people play the sport, many more millions than any other sport.

Again, it's not a high quality league, but it's as good as we can expect it to be. It's been around since 1996 and has made incredible strides. No one in the older generation played the sport. You can't expect the first generation playing a sport to be good at it. I think we're doing a **** good job since I don't think the Mexican league is that much better than us and they've been playing the sport for a century longer than we have.

Also, assuming one in Europe (which I'm not) is uniformed simply by way of where they live is pretty blind. By that you can know nothing of any league that plays on the other side of the Atlantic.

Why would a European know anything about MLS? How many games are televised in Europe? How many Europeans on here can name an MLS player other than Beckham and Donovan (without help from FM)?

Don't know how you can say salary distribution has nothing to do with player development, but okay. Since you made no claim other than to say it simply doesn't I guess I'll have to take you at your word. And the reason it's a franchise system is because it's run by Am. football men. The fact that you can't make a reasonable living as a young player in MLS is probably enough to keep more than a handful of players away.

You were the one that claimed salary distribution has nothing to do with player development, I am saying there is nothing to support that claim. When you make a claim, you have to back it up. The burden of proof lies on you. You mentioned two unconnected things, salary distribution and player development and just assumed there was a connection without backing it up. I'm telling you they have nothing to do with each other and you haven't proved that they do. Player development has to do with the academy system and how kids in the country play the sport, which doesn't have to do with the salary cap.

The reason it's a franchise system is because that's how sports are in America. That's how they always have and always will be. It's a huge country, and it makes sense to have one (or maybe two, in the case of New York and LA) teams per city. And more importantly, there are several sports in this country, and one couldn't survive having a promotion/relegation system.

As far as salaries go, well in Argentina salaries are very low but they produce good players. As for us, until we have well-paid soccer players, we'll lose athletes to other sports. But the salaries are low because the sport isn't popular. Getting rid of the salary cap won't help that. Do you seriously think that if we got rid of the salary cap the sport would instantly become profitable? That we could out of nowhere start paying our athletes well? Have you ever heard of the NASL? That's what happens when you don't have a salary cap with a new sport that has to compete with a bunch of others.

Beckham did **** for football in this country, other than draw out some wankass wannabes to a couple games then trot off back to Europe for a loan deal as soon as one came up, and he continues to do less. Having top-flight leagues from around the world on television regularly is what has driven the growth in popularity, and ESPN/ABC willingness to invest in broadcasting the Euros and WC. The **** did Beckham do besides fill up some stadiums his first couple times around the block? He can **** off back to wherever he'd rather be besides here.

So greatly increasing attendance, merchandise sales, TV ratings, and thrusting the sport into the mainstream media and getting people to talk about MLS who had never even mentioned it before, as well as helping us get record high ratings for the World Cup after he came...yeah, he did **** for this country.

As far as the "wankass wannabes" go, they're the ones that pay for the sport. Without them, MLS will have low salaries and will always be a second-rate league. I'm assuming that you think when you go to an NBA game, everyone there is a hardcore fan. Have you ever been to an NBA game? In reality, most sports fans in America are fair weather fans, and a sporting event is more of a social thing. Beckham brought a lot more people to the games, especially families, and they helped pay for the league during a financial crisis. They discovered MLS games as an affordable form of sports entertainment, unlike any of the other professional leagues here. Some of them, especially the kids, may have been converted into fans, and will continue to pay for soccer and play it. Which is how sports in this country go.

But yeah, you're right, and because you're American and therefore understand the nuances of MLS better than anyone else ever could.

Considering your lack of knowledge of how American sports work, I bet I understand it better than you do.

---------- Post added at 04:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:51 AM ----------

I'll reply for him: Waaaaahhh, MLS needs more time. Waaaaaaahhhhh... playoffs are somehow good, and so is not having promotion/relegation!

Great argument. Like an owner and the city are going to invest in a team and new stadium if one bad season means relegation to the minor leagues. Like people in a major city are going to support a team in a lower league for a sport that they're just getting to like. There is a reason promotion/relegation isn't used in American sports...it wouldn't work, and in soccer's case, it would absolutely kill the sport. You have too many other sports to compete with and it's a huge country with lots of major cities. If a London team gets relegated, all of the fair weather fans will go to the next team. Can't have that in the US. As if people here would want to see the Spokane Spyders on national television and the team from LA in one of the lower leagues. No one seriously thinks that promotion/relegation could work in an American sport, much less an unpopular one like soccer.

---------- Post added at 04:54 AM ---------- Previous post was at 04:53 AM ----------

How can you know anything about Independiente? Or admire Arsenal and Barca? You can't possibly understand anything about the way they play football.

Because I lived there and went to all of their games while I was there. I watch every one of their games streaming online. So I watch more games than a lot of their Argentine fans. Do I truly understand the way they play as well as a 50 year old who has watched every game since he was 4? No. But due to my loyalty to them I can at least consider myself a fan.

As far as Arsenal and Barca, I watch them play a lot. Did I claim to fully understand how they play? No, but I know more than someone who hasn't. I'm not a fan, I just said that I admire the way they play. I don't think that requires me to live in Europe or have to pass some soccer knowledge test.



If you could name me another league that has been around for 15 years and is as good as the MLS (with some of the limitations that we have here), go ahead and do so (and you better not even think about naming the Premiership, having started in the early 90s, since many of those teams have been around since the 19th century). Could you name me another country that has gotten this good this quickly at soccer? Up through the mid 1990's our players were mostly amateurs and we would routinely get beaten by tiny Central American nations. Now we are possibly top 15 in the world with a lot of good solid players in European leagues. It takes generations to get good at a sport, and we're doing it pretty fast despite the many limitations we have. The MLS definitely isn't a "good" league, but it's already a mediocre one and getting better all of the time. It was much worse only 5 or so years ago. And it's about as good as you can expect it to be. I don't know how you can possibly think we're just going to start playing the sport and 15 years later rival the best nations in the world.

 

[desjardfan]

Salary distribution and player movement has to do with the fact that it's a franchise system. That's the only way it's going to work here. European-style club system would not work with American sports for geographical reasons and because we have several sports that are very popular here, and of course in the case of soccer, it's not one of them. It also has nothing to do with player development.

You were the one that claimed salary distribution has nothing to do with player development,

I'll just start and stop there since you've run in so many circles already I'm going to throw up. Besides, your understanding of the intricacies of the American sporting system is obviously encyclopedic, and all of my completely reasonable claims regarding a league that'***** "restart" three times in a decade an a half (and nearly went into a WC year without a labor contract) are obviously absurd in the glaring light of your knowledge.