aong cangkol
SILVER
MLS will never beat NFL, not even NBA in my lifetime. But I don't think it is necessary to have a respectable national team.I'm not talking about youth participation.
I'm talking about size and popularity of the league as a whole in the US. It's overall attendance and viewership which translates to more TV money which translates to higher salaries which translates to more global talent / youth athletes going into the sport/league.
NBA just signed a 11 year $76 billion deal. Apple's deal with MLS is $2.5 billion over 10 years. It's not comparable.
I know markets like LA Seattle Atlanta have been very good for local attendances. But viewership and national interest in MLS pale in comparison to the NBA. And obviously miniscule compared to the NFL or even college football.
Yep, I watch a lot of European soccer... But that's the thing. There is interest in global soccer / top leagues. Yea it'll help growth here just by having people be more interested in soccer in general... but it's not the same as watching MLS...
I do agree that the younger demographic of MLS fans or soccer fans in general in the US provides some hope. Maybe the new national team manager can do something... But we aren't going to get anyone we didn't know about in 2024 to suddenly show up and play world class level in 2026... This is what we've got. We'll get a favorable draw being a host nation... but that's all we got going for I think...
I know people have different expectations, most US soccer fans only want to be at the same level of Japan, South Korea, Marocco, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey. Hard to beat and sometimes can go deep in a tournament with a little luck.
Lost to Panama and struggling in WCQ, playing in sub-zero midwest weather only to beat an amateur team is NOT ACCEPTABLE.