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On October 19 2017 01:35 Stratos_speAr wrote:Show nested quote +On October 18 2017 12:59 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:Major League Soccer is littered with unique quirks. Among the many is its age. MLS is one of the youngest professional soccer leagues in the world. And its history, therefore, doesn’t protect it from the gut-wrenching news that broke Monday night: Columbus Crew ownership is considering relocating the club to Austin, Texas.
The news hit home like a stake to the heart of a club, a stadium and a soccer city that do have history. The Crew, Mapfre Stadium and Columbus are MLS outliers. They were – they are – MLS originals in more ways than one. The Crew were the league’s first charter member back in 1996. They built the league’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999. The stadium has hosted every U.S. men’s home World Cup qualifier against Mexico since.
And now, in 2018, the club might perish. Or relocate. For Columbus, the two are one and the same.
Crew owner Anthony Precourt took his fight for a downtown stadium public on Tuesday morning, 12 hours after Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl and others broke the news that Precourt was contemplating a move to Austin. It’s a classic leverage play for a new, partially taxpayer-funded stadium. But the intent also seems somewhat real.
“Despite our investments and efforts, the current course is not sustainable,” Precourt said Tuesday of the club he bought in 2013. “This Club has ambition to be a standard bearer in MLS, therefore we have no choice but to expand and explore all of our options. This includes a possible move to Austin, which is the largest metropolitan area in North America without a major league sports franchise.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber, quite remarkably, also heaped pressure on the city of Columbus and backed Precourt’s efforts. “Columbus’ situation is particularly concerning,” he said. “Columbus Crew SC is near the bottom of the League in all business metrics and the Club’s stadium is no longer competitive with other venues across MLS. The League is very reluctant to allow teams to relocate, but based on these factors, we support [ownership]’s efforts to explore options outside of Columbus, including Austin, provided they find a suitable stadium location.”
Precourt said Tuesday that it was “premature” to talk about specific locations in Austin, but did say the Austin stadium would be privately funded. Austin’s mayor told the AP Monday night that the club would not receive public funding. The University of Texas said it was aware of the Crew’s interest, and that it had “no opposition to exploring possible collaborative opportunities.” A Columbus Dispatch report said a deal to play games at the university in 2019 was “all but done,” through Precourt said no deal is in place.
As anything other than a leverage play, the potential move is as baffling as it is heartbreaking. It would be a move from the 32nd biggest market in the U.S. to the 39th. From a small market with soccer history to a small market without it – without the one thing that made the Crew attractive and relevant.
It is born of a thirst for something fresh and new, whether that’s in Austin – Precourt noted its “vibrant economy,” its multicultural makeup and its millenials – or in Columbus. Precourt, a Bay Area-based businessman, took over the Crew in July 2013. Later that summer, the club sent a delegation to Kansas City to soak up Sporting KC‘s success. Kansas City, also an MLS original, also in a mid-sized Midwestern market, had grown stale toward the end of last decade. A plush new stadium catalyzed its rebrand and rebirth in 2011. Six years later, it has sold out over 100 consecutive games.
The Crew, meanwhile, sit 20th out of 22 MLS teams in per-game attendance this season. Mapfre Stadium’s location is inconvenient. Its infrastructure is “antiquated,” according to Precourt. He has explored the possibility of a downtown stadium for over a year – three possible sites have been recommended – and clearly sees it as a necessary centerpiece for a Sporting KC-style rebuild.
But it’s easy for Crew fans to see something else: Precourt’s hypocrisy. On the day he was unveiled as majority owner, he spoke of the club’s “tremendous history,” its “culture,” and its “consistency, the familiar, family-like atmosphere.” After all the ceremonial optimism subsided, the Dispatch’s Adam Jardy approached Precourt and asked if there were any clauses in the deal that required him to keep the club in Columbus. According to Jardy, Precourt scoffed at the question. Source One of the worst things about American sports. Owners can hold cities hostage and force them to pay ridiculous sums to subsidize these stadiums under the pretense of "we bring economic activity to the region!" when all evidence points to the contrary. Minneapolis recently subsidized the new Vikings stadium quite heavily. It's a complete rip-off that does literally nothing except for giving massive discounts to the incredibly rich with zero gain for the surrounding community. As for CL football, BVB is an embarrassment. Bosz is a one-dimensional coach that deserves zero confidence from the fans, and Bürki needs to get benched and replaced by a better keeper. There are no excuses for his slip ups over the past several weeks. I wouldn't say having the best stadium in the nation gives zero gain for the surrounding community. Its not like the building is empty the days of the year the vikings aren't using it or the local community doesn't benefit from the increased traffic. Its not fair to having to compete to keep teams like these but its a farcry from being a bad thing.
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On October 19 2017 01:35 Stratos_speAr wrote: As for CL football, BVB is an embarrassment. Bosz is a one-dimensional coach that deserves zero confidence from the fans, and Bürki needs to get benched and replaced by a better keeper. There are no excuses for his slip ups over the past several weeks. Burki has been very good in Bundesliga. I'm not sure if it's still a factor, but he was very traumatized by the bomb attack during the last UCL, maybe it's still showing. In Bundesliga he has been generally consistent enough and at best pulls off some De Gea level stops.
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Germany3128 Posts
6 mins played and bayern already got a goal wrongly disallowed and a penalty that wasn't awarded
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Germany3128 Posts
And I used my 2000th in a post pro-Bayern -.-
Also did you have to link that game? Went there and saw it live. Gruesome gruesome game with an even worse ending
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On October 19 2017 04:12 TheNewEra wrote:And I used my 2000th in a post pro-Bayern -.- Also did you have to link that game? Went there and saw it live. Gruesome gruesome game with an even worse ending Eh I take full credit for this result cos I forgot it happened and missed it, also you won 3 in a row and youll win the next 3 so you'll survive =)
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lol Pique, got caught trying to play the refs for fools. I wonder if in that situation if you just admit you handled it and say it wasn't a goal you might not get sent off.
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what the hell is wrong with Chelsea
and that United goal lmao
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Chelsea becoming Arsenal 2.0
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Roma scoring some really nice goals though. Obviously shouldn't let them have that much space, but they sure make use of it too.
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That Juve goal was fault, bullshit
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Dave with the rare off day. Was it his fault for all 3 goals?
Still not convinced Christensen is suitable for conte system. And it's sad because he is playing well. I think his distribution is poor, and he is not fast or technical enough to play like a sweeper. As good as he is defensively, his flaws exposes his fellow CBs and also makes passing from the back too predictable.
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On October 19 2017 02:43 Sermokala wrote:Show nested quote +On October 19 2017 01:35 Stratos_speAr wrote:On October 18 2017 12:59 {CC}StealthBlue wrote:Major League Soccer is littered with unique quirks. Among the many is its age. MLS is one of the youngest professional soccer leagues in the world. And its history, therefore, doesn’t protect it from the gut-wrenching news that broke Monday night: Columbus Crew ownership is considering relocating the club to Austin, Texas.
The news hit home like a stake to the heart of a club, a stadium and a soccer city that do have history. The Crew, Mapfre Stadium and Columbus are MLS outliers. They were – they are – MLS originals in more ways than one. The Crew were the league’s first charter member back in 1996. They built the league’s first soccer-specific stadium in 1999. The stadium has hosted every U.S. men’s home World Cup qualifier against Mexico since.
And now, in 2018, the club might perish. Or relocate. For Columbus, the two are one and the same.
Crew owner Anthony Precourt took his fight for a downtown stadium public on Tuesday morning, 12 hours after Sports Illustrated’s Grant Wahl and others broke the news that Precourt was contemplating a move to Austin. It’s a classic leverage play for a new, partially taxpayer-funded stadium. But the intent also seems somewhat real.
“Despite our investments and efforts, the current course is not sustainable,” Precourt said Tuesday of the club he bought in 2013. “This Club has ambition to be a standard bearer in MLS, therefore we have no choice but to expand and explore all of our options. This includes a possible move to Austin, which is the largest metropolitan area in North America without a major league sports franchise.”
MLS Commissioner Don Garber, quite remarkably, also heaped pressure on the city of Columbus and backed Precourt’s efforts. “Columbus’ situation is particularly concerning,” he said. “Columbus Crew SC is near the bottom of the League in all business metrics and the Club’s stadium is no longer competitive with other venues across MLS. The League is very reluctant to allow teams to relocate, but based on these factors, we support [ownership]’s efforts to explore options outside of Columbus, including Austin, provided they find a suitable stadium location.”
Precourt said Tuesday that it was “premature” to talk about specific locations in Austin, but did say the Austin stadium would be privately funded. Austin’s mayor told the AP Monday night that the club would not receive public funding. The University of Texas said it was aware of the Crew’s interest, and that it had “no opposition to exploring possible collaborative opportunities.” A Columbus Dispatch report said a deal to play games at the university in 2019 was “all but done,” through Precourt said no deal is in place.
As anything other than a leverage play, the potential move is as baffling as it is heartbreaking. It would be a move from the 32nd biggest market in the U.S. to the 39th. From a small market with soccer history to a small market without it – without the one thing that made the Crew attractive and relevant.
It is born of a thirst for something fresh and new, whether that’s in Austin – Precourt noted its “vibrant economy,” its multicultural makeup and its millenials – or in Columbus. Precourt, a Bay Area-based businessman, took over the Crew in July 2013. Later that summer, the club sent a delegation to Kansas City to soak up Sporting KC‘s success. Kansas City, also an MLS original, also in a mid-sized Midwestern market, had grown stale toward the end of last decade. A plush new stadium catalyzed its rebrand and rebirth in 2011. Six years later, it has sold out over 100 consecutive games.
The Crew, meanwhile, sit 20th out of 22 MLS teams in per-game attendance this season. Mapfre Stadium’s location is inconvenient. Its infrastructure is “antiquated,” according to Precourt. He has explored the possibility of a downtown stadium for over a year – three possible sites have been recommended – and clearly sees it as a necessary centerpiece for a Sporting KC-style rebuild.
But it’s easy for Crew fans to see something else: Precourt’s hypocrisy. On the day he was unveiled as majority owner, he spoke of the club’s “tremendous history,” its “culture,” and its “consistency, the familiar, family-like atmosphere.” After all the ceremonial optimism subsided, the Dispatch’s Adam Jardy approached Precourt and asked if there were any clauses in the deal that required him to keep the club in Columbus. According to Jardy, Precourt scoffed at the question. Source One of the worst things about American sports. Owners can hold cities hostage and force them to pay ridiculous sums to subsidize these stadiums under the pretense of "we bring economic activity to the region!" when all evidence points to the contrary. Minneapolis recently subsidized the new Vikings stadium quite heavily. It's a complete rip-off that does literally nothing except for giving massive discounts to the incredibly rich with zero gain for the surrounding community. As for CL football, BVB is an embarrassment. Bosz is a one-dimensional coach that deserves zero confidence from the fans, and Bürki needs to get benched and replaced by a better keeper. There are no excuses for his slip ups over the past several weeks. I wouldn't say having the best stadium in the nation gives zero gain for the surrounding community. Its not like the building is empty the days of the year the vikings aren't using it or the local community doesn't benefit from the increased traffic. Its not fair to having to compete to keep teams like these but its a farcry from being a bad thing.
The economic effects of stadiums have been well-studied, and they definitely do not bring in an the type of impact that can make up for the subsidies that the communities give them, both in direct money and tax breaks.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51319 Posts
On October 19 2017 10:17 DucK- wrote: Dave with the rare off day. Was it his fault for all 3 goals?
Still not convinced Christensen is suitable for conte system. And it's sad because he is playing well. I think his distribution is poor, and he is not fast or technical enough to play like a sweeper. As good as he is defensively, his flaws exposes his fellow CBs and also makes passing from the back too predictable. Just something wrong with the back 3 to be fair i would love to see that game where we started 3-4-3 instead of 3-5-2 as we just couldn't keep the ball at all. There is alot to fix though but it is fixable. I think for the next game, put dave wingback as we get more defensive cover, Rudiger starts in the back 3 for strength. Roma were just prepared for the 3-5-2 and exploited it, we could or should still use that vs Watford on the weekend to protect Cesc more, if not we might find ourselves trying to out score opponents which isn't the way we play.
Oh well, in Conte we trust!
Nice stat too; After three complete UEFA Champions League rounds the five English teams have zero losses and 37/45 points in total
England number 1 :D
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On October 19 2017 18:02 Pandemona wrote:Show nested quote +On October 19 2017 10:17 DucK- wrote: Dave with the rare off day. Was it his fault for all 3 goals?
Still not convinced Christensen is suitable for conte system. And it's sad because he is playing well. I think his distribution is poor, and he is not fast or technical enough to play like a sweeper. As good as he is defensively, his flaws exposes his fellow CBs and also makes passing from the back too predictable. Just something wrong with the back 3 to be fair i would love to see that game where we started 3-4-3 instead of 3-5-2 as we just couldn't keep the ball at all. There is alot to fix though but it is fixable. I think for the next game, put dave wingback as we get more defensive cover, Rudiger starts in the back 3 for strength. Roma were just prepared for the 3-5-2 and exploited it, we could or should still use that vs Watford on the weekend to protect Cesc more, if not we might find ourselves trying to out score opponents which isn't the way we play. Oh well, in Conte we trust!
Nice stat too; After three complete UEFA Champions League rounds the five English teams have zero losses and 37/45 points in total England number 1 :D
This time England number 1 is true xDD
I think the coaches with experience in CL (Pep, Klopp, Mou, Conte, etc.) are going to improve a lot English teams performance in CL.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51319 Posts
All it took was to stop Wenger ruining it :D
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Norway28256 Posts
The English teams just look way stronger this season. And come on, Arsenal made it from the group stage every single year, and then they ran into either barcelona or bayern munchen and lost - every other english team would have fared the same with that draw. ;p
Since 2010, United failed group stage twice, city twice, chelsea once, liverpool once, Tottenham once. Arsenal 0. Not really fair to pin the blame on them!
Also, PSG looks amazing.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51319 Posts
I meant on the losing games front in the points total thingy. Yeah Spurs were the issue last year, but Wenger loses stupid games in Europe
37/45 points in total and 0 defeats would be different if Wenger was messing around xD
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Norway28256 Posts
But looking at the uefa club coefficiency (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UEFA_coefficient#Club_coefficient) arsenal are still #2 of english teams since 2013, below City, ahead of Chelsea and United. That's somewhat likely to change after this season as EL gives less points than CL (although winning the EL is comparable to a 'decent-good' CL performance), but they'll still be top 4. I understand it's just ribbing on your behalf, I'm just saying it'd be far more on point to target United, the last season they were in the CL, they were eliminated twice -from a wolfsburg - PSV - CSKA group and another time from a Benfica-Basel-Otelul group. Liverpool got 5 points when grouped with Basel and Ludogorets.. Arsenal's CL performance has been remarkably solid, they've just continuously ran into a top team in the RO16 - often also after facing a top team in the group stage. Their last season they ended up winning the group (with PSG in it), but then they still ended up facing Bayern in the ro16.
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Pandemona
Charlie Sheens House51319 Posts
Solid going out in the last 16 every year? I mean qualifying from the group was the norm for any English side until like 2012. Since then there has been issues with Yanited having a bad manager and arguably squad, Liverpool were just not up for it, City were all over the place and Spurs had no experience and were to young. Chelsea were not in it but whenever they are in it they normally go the furthest of most clubs due to Mourinho being in charge and playing a certain style which works in Europe. https://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/index.html -- better version by the way.
Plus my point was down to the points available on offer for all english clubs and being what it was undefeated. Arsenal champions league group always goes so they clutch through the last game due to Bayern drop points somewhere or whatever. Which is fine but everyone knows by February (first knockout round) Arsenal are out of every competition xD
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