Can the MLS be a top 5 league?

1,153 Views | 12 Replies | Last: 3 yr ago by heddleston
Rudyjax
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AG


So, I was going to post about it on twitter, but thought about bringing it here.

Why couldn't it be if they were willing to pay top dollar?

Would the world tune in if their best players were playing in the US like we tune into Europe?

Couldn't the INTL television pay for the salaries?

Or would they stick with their teams ad leagues? Do they root for laundry or players?

PatAg
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Yes, and IMO they have gone about it the right way. They made a commitment to stay financialy viable, instead of just spending beyond their means (like previous leagues that failed did).

Currently they are accepting being a selling league, which is totally fine and you can still be a really high quality league that way.

What will be hard is not being able to be a part of the CHampions League, but I think there is a very real chance they will let North American and South American clubs take part within the next decade.

Maybe one MLS club, one Liga MX, one Brazilian at the start and see how they perform. Travel would be an issue of course.
Dre_00
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Top 5 league in talent? I highly doubt it. Assuming that the current top 5 reside in Europe, that would mean that MLS would have to be better than Ligue 1 in France. I don't see that happening. Even if they throw millions upon millions at players, you're not going to get a lot of the supremely talented players from Europe because you don't have CL and even non-PSG clubs in Ligue 1 can still throw a lot of money at players. China gave some insane wages to some above average European players and...it did next to nothing for their league.

Mathguy64
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IMHO they are roughly equivalent to the English Championship level of play in terms of speed of play and level of touch on the ball. They have a long way to go to be top 5
JW
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Not unless invited to CL
Pahdz
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I think the better question is are they even top 10? If so, is that ok? I know as Americans we're used to have the top league for everything, but I think if MLS could get to solid top 10 status that should be ok for the time being.
Rudyjax
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Pahdz said:

I think the better question is are they even top 10? If so, is that ok? I know as Americans we're used to have the top league for everything, but I think if MLS could get to solid top 10 status that should be ok for the time being.


Aren't they considered 9 or 10?
agsalaska
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Mathguy64 said:

IMHO they are roughly equivalent to the English Championship level of play in terms of speed of play and level of touch on the ball. They have a long way to go to be top 5
I don't think they are on par with the Championship. Maybe the top of the MLS could avoid relegation, but none of them could compete at the top of that league. Of course that just an opinion worth nothing.


As for the OP, I do not think so. 1/3rd of the league makes less than 100k a year. That would have to change dramatically.


That all being said I have a lot of respect for MLS. They have done a fantastic job being viable and putting a pretty good product on the field. I only started watching MLS just in the last couple of years and it is a good brand of soccer.
jeffk
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MLS won't crack the top five anytime soon, but sitting somewhere inside the 6-10 range is perfectly fine.
deadbq03
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The better question is: Can it be a Top 5 league in in terms of popularity in our own country?

If TV money/ratings are any indication, it's not only getting whipped by the obvious American sports, but it's also getting beaten by LigaMX and EPL viewership here in the US.
JJxvi
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MLS would probably be just below that realm now if they just removed the salary restrictions. The league has chosen business and stability over the best possible product and you have to keep that in mind when you judge it, or think about how things could be.
Dre_00
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Globally? It's very subjective but I would say no.

MLS clearly isn't as good as Liga MX. Liga MX isn't as good as the top leagues in Argentina and Brazil. That means MLS is, at best, 4th in this hemisphere. Now take into account that the top leagues in Spain, England, France, Germany, and Italy are all better than MLS (clearly). That pushes MLS to, at best, 9th.

Is MLS better than the other top rated European leagues (going by CL coefficients that would be, in order, Portugal, Russia, the Netherlands and Belgium). I would say no for the majority of those leagues if not all of them but those leagues are typically pretty top heavy in talent so...top to bottom...MLS could maybe compete. But in any case, MLS would very much struggle to be considered top 10 globally and I for one don't think they should be considered top 10.
carl spacklers hat
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CAN it be Top 5? Possibly. Will it ever be Top 5? No. At least, not until the powers that be more closely align MLS with peer leagues around the globe. As long as MLS insists on doing things the "American Way" regarding soccer, the league, and the US as a (men's) soccer country, will always be a laggard.
heddleston
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Who cares if it's the best. What MLS is is fun as hell. It's the soccer version of MACtion or SunbeltFunbelt or PAC12 After Dark.
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