Soccer 2015/16

[Dave B]

Is there a table of how much the actual payout each team is making?  I thought nominally it is still a capped league but there are numerous exceptions.

http://www.spotrac.com/mls/

I'm going to guess the cap is around four million. Designated players don't count against the cap. I thought each team only was allowed two DPs. LA has four. I think DPs can get paid as much as they want. LA payroll is almost twenty mil

The cap is meaningless it seems. As it should be if the league is trying to improve

[HalfSmokes]

If the league wanted to improve, they wouldn't arbitrary decide what teams euro 'stars' go to

[Dave B]

If the league wanted to improve, they wouldn't arbitrary decide what teams euro 'stars' go to

I'm not sure how arbitrary it is. The player probably has influence. These guys have options. You think pirlo was gonna settle in Columbus or Houston?

[HalfSmokes]

http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/2239083/major-league-soccer-toronto-fc-have-inside-track-on-altidore-due-to-allocation-rankings

Seems pretty arbitrary

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Thierry Henry said NYC or fugghetaboutit. Too bad for him it wound up being Joisey.

I'm not sure how arbitrary it is. The player probably has influence. These guys have options. You think pirlo was gonna settle in Columbus or Houston?

[JCA-CrystalCity]

Also, can't they trade allocations?

I'm always a little disappointed Clint didn't come back to the Revs, but I'm not sure he had good feelings for the Krafts.  They used to hold out on sales to Europe, and I think a few players missed their chances when they got hurt (Twellman comes to mind, maybe Joseph, too).

[HalfSmokes]

I've never understood why guys good enough to end up in Europe bother with the MLS at all, by the time they're old enough for a contract with the MLS to be binding, they're old enough to know they're better than the league

[JCA-CrystalCity]

I've never understood why guys good enough to end up in Europe bother with the MLS at all, by the time they're old enough for a contract with the MLS to be binding, they're old enough to know they're better than the league

Other than being paid some money during what otherwise  might be your retirement years, spending it in good weather instead of the dead of winter, exploring an interesting country and cities like New York and LA without constantly harassed on the street . . . why would you want to do that?  Even Beckham would usually not be the biggest celebrity at the restaurants he and his wife went to. 

[HalfSmokes]

Other than being paid some money during what otherwise  might be your retirement years, spending it in good weather instead of the dead of winter, exploring an interesting country and cities like New York and LA without constantly harassed on the street . . . why would you want to do that?  Even Beckham would usually not be the biggest celebrity at the restaurants he and his wife went to. 

I understand it as the twilight tour- it's a great retirement home for guys who can't play in the top euro leagues. I guess with Twellman he was washing out of Munich when he cam over, but a guy like Joseph could have been better off not bothering with the MLS

[Natsinpwc]

What the heck happened to Chelsea this year? 

[OldChelsea]

What the heck happened to Chelsea this year? 

That's what I'd like to know (just bought a ticket to their Champions League match at The Bridge against Porto on 9th December) - meanwhile, the hotel I stayed in in Lisbon this past week got Chelsea TV and I saw both of Mourinho's pre- and post-Liverpool pressers - he looked and sounded really whipped.

[Natsinpwc]

That's what I'd like to know (just bought a ticket to their Champions League match at The Bridge against Porto on 9th December) - meanwhile, the hotel I stayed in in Lisbon this past week got Chelsea TV and I saw both of Mourinho's pre- and post-Liverpool pressers - he looked and sounded really whipped.

Sounds like a fun match to watch even if they are not doing well.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

The Special One must be dreading that game.

(just bought a ticket to their Champions League match at The Bridge against Porto on 9th December)

[HalfSmokes]

Russia should be banned from athletics competition, a World Anti-Doping Agency commission report has recommended.

Wada's independent commission examined allegations of doping, cover-ups, and extortion in Russian athletics, which also implicated the IAAF, the sport's world governing body.

http://www.bbc.com/sport/athletics/34765444

that could make the 2018 world cup a little awkward

[houston-nat]

Tokyo Sexwale has been cleared to run to lead FIFA. He was a big anti-Apartheid activist who was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela, and also, his name is Tokyo Sexwale.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

FIFA has all of the good names.

[Natsinpwc]

Tokyo Sexwale has been cleared to run to lead FIFA. He was a big anti-Apartheid activist who was imprisoned with Nelson Mandela, and also, his name is Tokyo Sexwale.

Sounds like a pictures star.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Real Madrid just crapped the bed in front of a billion people

[Natsinpwc]

Real Madrid just crapped the bed in front of a billion people

Didn't see it but 4-0 is very bad.  Hope Ronaldo was at least able to keep his hair in place.

[HalfSmokes]

http://screamer.deadspin.com/acting-fifa-president-appears-to-fall-asleep-during-mee-1746035055

[Dave B]

So they just arrested two more fifa guys at the same hotel Zurich. How long til they start video conferencing these gatherings

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

I wouldn't be surprised if FIFA quietly moved HQ to Moscow in the middle of the night.  Or Doha. 

[OldChelsea]

Greetings from London - the newspapers over here are now starting the death watch for Mourinho after that Bournemouth disaster on Saturday.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

How many trophies has he won?  Not just at Chelski, he won like 6 at Real Madrid and Inter Milan. 

Greetings from London - the newspapers over here are now starting the death watch for Mourinho after that Bournemouth disaster on Saturday.

[Ali the Baseball Cat]

Arsenal vs Olympiakos is on in a half hour or so. Hopefully they won't go the way of Man U (who got buttraped by Wolfsburg yesterday).