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Double post but time, different topic, yada yada
Newcastle have just won the (Carabao) EFL Cup, 2-1 over Liverpool. There was some drama toward the end with an offside disallowing a goal by Liverpool, which was reversed by VAR (correctly). That goal was into extra time, about +4 of the +8. The VAR added another good three minutes on top of that +8.

The EFL Cup is the lesser of the cups in England, but this is notable because Newcastle haven't won a major title since 1954-55. (or 69, or whenever).
I guess there are some asterisks to that, and some may find the current owners... problematic. Welcome to Football in the 21st Century. It was one of the longest championship-less-streaks in professional sports. The loss also is a real kick in the teeth to Liverpool, as they were just knocked out of the Champions League this week by PSG.

Edit to add in the lead article, some grammar issues
 
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Who on Arsenal hurt you to hate them so much?
You can blame AFTV and their reactionary fans for profiting off of being delusional. City won the treble and you stopped hearing about it after a few weeks, but Arsenal fans will remind you of their invincible season like it was yesterday.

Newcastle have just won the (Carabao) EFL Cup, 2-1 over Liverpool. There was some drama toward the end with an offside disallowing a goal, which was reversed by VAR (correctly). That goal was into extra time, about +4 of the +8. The VAR added another good three minutes on top of that +8.
Worth adding that for the last 20 or so minutes Slot was throwing every attacking option he had onto the pitch to secure goals while Newcastle was doing the complete opposite and throwing out defenders to keep their lead.

The narrative to come out of the match will be that Slot is fully focused on the league and doesn't care about the loss, but you can't hide that desperation to have everyone and their mother in attack to try and win it and still not getting the job done. Here's hoping Everton/Moyes have it in them to make it an interesting derby.
 
My team won a trophy today and we did it the right way. Just wish my grandparents were still alive to see it, traveled home and away for decades. Grandad died a few months ago but I knew he didn't miss it today.
 
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19 points gap at the top of the French league right now.
 
Not even the squad (could never hate Rice) but goddamn is their fanbase annoying.

Seeing their eternal suffering is almost as fun as seeing spurs and united fans suffer
This and a fanbase like this needs a good humbling. It'll be a cold day in hell before the Gunners ever get relegated, but if it ever does happen, it'll be hilarious.

I know there's even less of a chance VARdrid ever get relegated, but that may be the greatest day in football history.
 
Not even the squad (could never hate Rice) but goddamn is their fanbase annoying.

Seeing their eternal suffering is almost as fun as seeing spurs and united fans suffer

You can blame AFTV and their reactionary fans for profiting off of being delusional. City won the treble and you stopped hearing about it after a few weeks, but Arsenal fans will remind you of their invincible season like it was yesterday.
Yeah that's fair. Delusional fans are nothing new but I can't stand like half the fan base




This and a fanbase like this needs a good humbling. It'll be a cold day in hell before the Gunners ever get relegated, but if it ever does happen, it'll be hilarious.
Bro what did I do to you to wish this upon me?
 
In a historic vote, USL (United Soccer League) owners have approved of a European style promotion-relegation system for the lower divisions of American soccer. It will consist of 3 divisions: USL Division One (newly launched), USL Championship (Division Two) and USL League One (Division Three). This system will not be introduced to the MLS however.

While a date has not been set for this new system, they are targeting a 2028 start date.

Article from the USL.
 
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Usually the same people that wanted promotion and relegation here are the same that always shit on MLS anyway, and watch the Premier League and La Liga etc. instead. I doubt they'll start to watch USL. It's all a LARP to them.
 
It most likely will be over here. Like I mentioned before, I can't imagine someone who doesn't like the quality of MLS is going to support their local third division USL team.
 
It most likely will be over here. Like I mentioned before, I can't imagine someone who doesn't like the quality of MLS is going to support their local third division USL team.
The quality of USL isn't that great and having them jump through divisions will just add more expenses to teams that can't afford it. USL teams survive by playing in regional leagues at the lower levels so they can control expenses. Pushing them into massive expense increases without an increase in revenue will have teams just fold being successful and there will be nobody to save them because these aren't teams that have almost a hundred years of history and massive amounts of money at the top moving its way down the pyramid.

I can't fully prove it, but I think the entire reason that the promotion/relegation talk kept getting pushed (almost exclusively from USL clubs) was to get a bunch of teams and owners trying to sneak into the top division without having to pay the expansion fee. USL owners aren't going to pay over 300 million to expand in MLS but they want to try and tell a bunch of other teams who did pay hundreds of millions to participate that they are going to be playing in lower leagues because other countries do promotion and relegation.
 
Eric Wynalda (former US player, coach, ran for President of US Soccer...) talks about MLS, USL, and how the pyramid might be good for the U.S.
Above is kind of a Part 0, which goes through MLS and the impending schedule change.

Part 1 talks about the MLS reset and how the pyramid works. Pretty remedial for someone going in this thread.

Part 2 looks at the potential for USL, but also quite a bit about him coaching in the Hunt Cup. One interesting thing from this one, apparently the USL final on CBS had better ratings than MLS? Which is apparently isn't quite true.
For USL, 362,000 in 2024. It did beat an MLS derby game in LA head to head.

For MLS in 2024, it was 468,000. Still, that's pretty close, like within 30%?

Edit later to add in the video 1. Also lol, Apple is bullshitting eyeballs.
 
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Pushing them into massive expense increases without an increase in revenue
But playing in a higher league increases revenue.
Also of pro/rel is so teams actually try to be good enough, and so that each city can have an actual professional team,
USL owners aren't' forcing MLS to do it they just thought it will benefit their leagues and did it,
 
But playing in a higher league increases revenue.
Also of pro/rel is so teams actually try to be good enough, and so that each city can have an actual professional team,
USL owners aren't' forcing MLS to do it they just thought it will benefit their leagues and did it,
The percentage difference market value between 2nd tier, 3rd tier and 4th tier is similar to other countries like England and France so relegation and promotion works. Americans need to understand that it's only the bottom 2/3 that get relegated, it's a very slow process that isn't like half of the league suddenly get a drop in revenue. Besides, the jump of revenue between the 3 leagues is not even that much. It actually strengthens the finances of the leagues and teams that have so much room to grow.
The problem is the finances of the MLS being so insane almost 1000x the size of these other leagues, when the MLS started there was no thought of building a proper league structure because American owners want guaranteed income every season but it really restricts the flexibility and jeopardy of American soccer. It's a good move to do this relegation and promotion but it will be fairly irrelevant if the MLS isn't a part of it but I totally understand why that will never happen.
 
Club León from Mexico has been kicked out from the new club world cup because of multi ownership (Pachuca also is in).
Honestly the new CWC (lol the acronym) has been a disaster in every aspect. My candidates for it's replacement are:
Los Angeles Galaxy: winner of MLS and the one that should have qualified
Barcelona: CWC desperate for ratings after bad TV deals
Al Nassr: Ratings too. the last club competition with and Messi Ronaldo
Whoever is top at Concacaf club ranking: easy fix
Leon: they will do whatever RB Leipzig does and pretend they aren't multi owned
LoL the CWC is not only this stupid but also left us with the also dumb Intercontinental cup with an official title per match
 
I am excited for Albania vs Serbia we will bring flare and gypsy repellant
 
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