Beckham Confirms He Will Own 21st MLS Team

[Jntg4]

He has yet to officially decide on Miami though, it seems. I'd still peg Miami as a 90% shot. Said team would be announced in the next few months.

Questions:
1) Does Orlando come with them as #22?
2) How many teams is enough?
3) Will the new team fare better than the Fusion?
4) Could Tampa Bay eventually follow or would 3 Floridian teams be too many?
5) What about Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, and San Antonio?
6) Is it time to go to a division format like the new NHL alignment with two divisions per conference as the league gets to 22 teams?
7) Do you prefer divisions or more single-table/conference alignments? Obviously one leans towards reduced travel expenses and local rivalries while the other emulates more traditional soccer league setup.

 

[CreepyBasementGuy]

as a recent fan I can't answer some of those questions but I will say the fact that the league is expanding must mean the mls is doing alright. that's good to hear.

would be interested to hear others opinions on question 7. I think traditional is better but I could sway easily on that

 

[Jntg4]

Personally, for #7 I believe that the more American style is better for this league, for several reasons.
1. The size of the two countries, this isn't England with 6 EPL teams in one city alone.
2. Feeding off rivalries from other sports, teams tend to get associated with the cities, and create natural rivalries. I hate the Whitecaps for example, but it is really because I hate the Canucks, and the City of Vancouver by extension.
3. EPL fans often get excited over Top 10 finishes because 1st through 5th are so out of reach for most teams, granted Man U isn't in the MLS, but the AL and NL added divisions in 1969 because 12 was deemed too many to just award a pennant. We aren't in quite as bad a situation with playoffs being about half the league, but the conference sizes are getting up there.

 

[y2chae]

1) I would guess MLS thinks 2 Florida teams might be too risky, didn't work so well last time
2) Interesting question... most top soccer leagues max out at 20. I think the English Championship is 24. That is probably a good number for MLS to settle at, unless MLS overtakes the NHL or MLB.
3) Can only hope
4) I think 2 Florida teams might be too much, Florida has proven to be a poor market for professional sports, with some exceptions
5) St. Louis is a great soccer city, too bad no one wants to put up the money to put a team there
6) Division are possible, I don't see it happening though
7) I don't think conferences are going away

MLS should be wary of over expanding though. I think if they go 22 teams, it should stay that way for at least 10-15 seasons, unless there is some huge increase in TV ratings that indicates the market for MLS is rapidly growing.

 

[Jntg4]

1) I would guess MLS thinks 2 Florida teams might be too risky, didn't work so well last time
2) Interesting question... most top soccer leagues max out at 20. I think the English Championship is 24. That is probably a good number for MLS to settle at, unless MLS overtakes the NHL or MLB.
3) Can only hope
4) I think 2 Florida teams might be too much, Florida has proven to be a poor market for professional sports, with some exceptions
5) St. Louis is a great soccer city, too bad no one wants to put up the money to put a team there
6) Division are possible, I don't see it happening though
7) I don't think conferences are going away

MLS should be wary of over expanding though. I think if they go 22 teams, it should stay that way for at least 10-15 seasons, unless there is some huge increase in TV ratings that indicates the market for MLS is rapidly growing.

I think 24 would be a max based on soccer tradition for us, but market-wise, I could see more than 30 someday.

 

[giaco]

Questions:
1) Does Orlando come with them as #22? yes
2) How many teams is enough? The Don says 24
3) Will the new team fare better than the Fusion? yes
4) Could Tampa Bay eventually follow or would 3 Floridian teams be too many? not likely
5) What about Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, and San Antonio? not yet, YES, not yet, and YES
6) Is it time to go to a division format like the new NHL alignment with two divisions per conference as the league gets to 22 teams? not yet
7) Do you prefer divisions or more single-table/conference alignments? Obviously one leans towards reduced travel expenses and local rivalries while the other emulates more traditional soccer league setup. not sure, both have pros/cons

The new teams will be Orlando, Miami, Minnesota, and San Antonio (as best I can tell). Other cities will need to crop up and up their game--but the biggest part for anyone who wants in now is going to be solid ownership and a stadium of their own (or plans that can be enabled once MLS is green-lit).

I like the idea of pro/rel between 2 tiers with teams being able to loan players to 'affiliates' in the other division, and it will also allow for more flexibility in ownership spending and ambition.

 

[Jntg4]

Questions:
1) Does Orlando come with them as #22? yes
2) How many teams is enough? The Don says 24
3) Will the new team fare better than the Fusion? yes
4) Could Tampa Bay eventually follow or would 3 Floridian teams be too many? not likely
5) What about Atlanta, Minneapolis-St. Paul, St. Louis, and San Antonio? not yet, YES, not yet, and YES
6) Is it time to go to a division format like the new NHL alignment with two divisions per conference as the league gets to 22 teams? not yet
7) Do you prefer divisions or more single-table/conference alignments? Obviously one leans towards reduced travel expenses and local rivalries while the other emulates more traditional soccer league setup. not sure, both have pros/cons

The new teams will be Orlando, Miami, Minnesota, and San Antonio (as best I can tell). Other cities will need to crop up and up their game--but the biggest part for anyone who wants in now is going to be solid ownership and a stadium of their own (or plans that can be enabled once MLS is green-lit).

I like the idea of pro/rel between 2 tiers with teams being able to loan players to 'affiliates' in the other division, and it will also allow for more flexibility in ownership spending and ambition.

I hate the concept of pro/rel though, at least in this country. There already aren't enough people following most teams in the league... and then if that team gets relegated to D2... ouch.