We’re entering the second week of FIFA corruption trials for three men in New York City and already the court cases are providing more entertainment than an HBO series. The FIFA scandal keeps getting weirder, and that’s not really a good thing for fans of the game, but it’s great for fans of an interesting narrative.
Here’s a pro tip for all you executives out there who want to run a professional soccer league: make sure your best team doesn’t disband the same week it wins the league championship.
Speaking of, it’s been one helluva week for the San Francisco Deltas — henceforth to be referred to as NASL’s bottle rockets. The Deltas came, they saw, they conquered then they got the hell out of Dodge, all within a span of two years.
There’s a proverb or two that probably apply here, something about counting eggs before they hatch or putting the cart before the horse. But this is Major League Soccer, where allocation money and salary caps make fools of us all and expansion is the single greatest boon to owners’ pocketbooks since skyboxes. So really, this is business as usual.
Back before Anthony Precourt invested in the Columbus Crew in 2013, the Crew had a decidedly punk feel. Prior to going with a Bundesliga-inspired crest that’s actually quite nice, the Crew boasted the most ruffian logo in all of American sports with three dudes wearing construction hats beneath a giant stylization of the word “Crew”. It was hardcore, a tradition that’s been vociferously kept alive by the Nordecke supporters’ group and all who’ve given their voice to the #SavetheCrew movement.
Atlanta United set the MLS season attendance record in its first year in the league and fans did more than just show up — they bought plenty of jerseys. Paraguayan sensation Miguel Almiron had the top-selling MLS jersey for the 2017 season. The Atlanta United midfielder had five teammates with him in the list of the top-selling MLS jerseys released by Major League Soccer on Friday.
Below is the complete list of the 25 top-selling MLS jerseys:
Former Houston Dynamo and USMNT striker Brian Ching has plans to make one of the coolest soccer bars in America. The venue, called Pitch 25, is expected to open in March 2018 and will feature natural lighting, an outdoor biergarten and even an indoor soccer field.
The World Cup prize money for 2018 will increase from 2014, but only for countries that win a few matches first. The total purse for the 2018 World Cup will be $400 million, a $42 million increase from the 2014 World Cup, FIFA announced following a meeting of the FIFA Council on Friday.
Back in May of 2015, the United Soccer League (the second division of the American soccer pyramid) announced its ambitious plan to have all its clubs playing in soccer-specific stadiums by 2020.
There’s no end in sight for the drama surrounding the Columbus Crew, owner Anthony Precourt and the fans who’ve supported the club since it began as one of Major League Soccer’s ten charter clubs back in 1996. The ownership group, Precourt Sports Ventures LLC, released a statement on Tuesday outlining it’s vision for the franchise in the near future, triggering an intense round of accusations between all involved parties.
Newcastle United owner Mike Ashley has made no secret of his desire to sell the club over the past year, but the 53-year-old sporting goods billionaire has now made his intentions perfectly clear via a formal statement from Saint James’ Park officials.