Where does MLS rank among the world's best? | The Boneyard

Where does MLS rank among the world's best?

shizzle787

King Shizzle DCCLXXXVII of the Cesspool
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If you had tried to rank MLS against the rest of the world's league 10 years ago, the league might have just cracked the top-20. Today, it is knocking on the door of the top-10.

Here is my top-12 leagues:
1. Premier League
2. La Liga
3. Bundesliga
4. Serie A
5. Ligue 1
6. Eredivise
7. Brazilian Serie A
8. Argentinian Primera Division
9. Portuguese Liga Nos
10. Liga MX
11. MLS
12. Belgian Pro League
 
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I would probably put a couple of second divisions around place 10 before the bottom 3 listed.
 

shizzle787

King Shizzle DCCLXXXVII of the Cesspool
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I would probably put a couple of second divisions around place 10 before the bottom 3 listed.
The Championship I could see an argument for, but I don’t think any other second tier could make a case.
 
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I am fairly certain that FIFA does rank leagues. And The Championship is well above any other second division.
 
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Liga MX got rid of pro/rel so I can see them falling way behind MLS if MLS starts paying real $ up and down the entire roster
 

shizzle787

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Liga MX got rid of pro/rel so I can see them falling way behind MLS if MLS starts paying real $ up and down the entire roster
Liga MX has a 5-year hiatus on pro/rel but it could become permanent.
 
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10. Russian Primeir Liga
15. MLS
19. Argentina Primera Division
30. USL
 
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The Championship I could see an argument for, but I don’t think any other second tier could make a case.

I think I just sprained my eyeballs.

Everything you are saying is wildly wrong,

Spain and Germany.

Have you even been there to watch these leagues?

In MLS you literally still have guys making $65k a year.
 

shizzle787

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I think I just sprained my eyeballs.

Everything you are saying is wildly wrong,

Spain and Germany.

Have you even been there to watch these leagues?

In MLS you literally still have guys making $65k a year.
Yes, I'm not sure what your point is.
 

shizzle787

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10. Russian Primeir Liga
15. MLS
19. Argentina Primera Division
30. USL
The Russian Premier League has fallen off a cliff in the last five years, and MLS is not better than the Argentine league.
 

shizzle787

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Spain and Germany’s second divisions are better than MLS.
No way. La Segunda is bad. The bottom third of La Liga itself is worse than the bottom third of Serie A, Bundesliga, or Premier League. I get that you don't like MLS. I really don't either. But you have to admit it has made strides in the last 10-15 years relative to a lot of other leagues. You may think the 2. Bundesliga is better due to have some brand name German teams yo-yoing between the first and second divisions but MLS has passed that league.
 
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No way. La Segunda is bad. The bottom third of La Liga itself is worse than the bottom third of Serie A, Bundesliga, or Premier League. I get that you don't like MLS. I really don't either. But you have to admit it has made strides in the last 10-15 years relative to a lot of other leagues. You may think the 2. Bundesliga is better due to have some brand name German teams yo-yoing between the first and second divisions but MLS has passed that league.

Way.

I lived in Germany for 3 years and watched tons of 2nd and 3rd Div Bundesliga. And then came back to the USA and became a Sporting KC Season ticket holders.

The difference in quality is jarring.

It is a far more professional environment than MLS. They have pro/rel, actual EXPECTATIONS and managers actually get fired for not doing well.

MLS has no pro/rel and very little expectations. Oh and guys making $65k a year too.

You do not know what you are talking about.
 

shizzle787

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Way.

I lived in Germany for 3 years and watched tons of 2nd and 3rd Div Bundesliga. And then came back to the USA and became a Sporting KC Season ticket holders.

The difference in quality is jarring.

It is a far more professional environment than MLS. They have pro/rel, actual EXPECTATIONS and managers actually get fired for not doing well.

MLS has no pro/rel and very little expectations. Oh and guys making $65k a year too.

You do not know what you are talking about.
I don't know when you lived there, but salary and significant fan interest does not equal talent per se. How short of a lease a manager gets does not equate to talent either. If you look at elo ratings, SPI ratings, heck even FIFA ratings, MLS blows the 2. Bundesliga out of the water. 10 years ago was different. Again, I get your anti-MLS bias, but it's not 2007, it's 2022.

Btw salaries is deceptive: the highest paid 2. Bundesliga player makes about $2 million per season. Plenty of MLS guys make more than that. The average MLS salary is close to $500,000. The average 2. Bundesliga salary is somewhere in the 200-350k range from what I can find.
 
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I don't know when you lived there, but salary and significant fan interest does not equal talent per se. How short of a lease a manager gets does not equate to talent either. If you look at elo ratings, SPI ratings, heck even FIFA ratings, MLS blows the 2. Bundesliga out of the water. 10 years ago was different. Again, I get your anti-MLS bias, but it's not 2007, it's 2022.

Btw salaries is deceptive: the highest paid 2. Bundesliga player makes about $2 million per season. Plenty of MLS guys make more than that. The average MLS salary is close to $500,000. The average 2. Bundesliga salary is somewhere in the 200-350k range from what I can find.

Uhhh yes salary does. If MLS was actually getting $200,000 talent for $65,000/year then someone elsewhere in the world would go sign that player. Scouts are everywhere.

The player market is actually pretty efficient.

And to prove this all you need to do is see why MLS still holds down then salary cap.

They have to have a certain number Americans on each roster and they know the market value of the players and the depth of the talent pool.

They do not want to overpay for American talent based on their market value in world football.
 

shizzle787

King Shizzle DCCLXXXVII of the Cesspool
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Uhhh yes salary does. If MLS was actually getting $200,000 talent for $65,000/year then someone elsewhere in the world would go sign that player. Scouts are everywhere.

The player market is actually pretty efficient.

And to prove this all you need to do is see why MLS still holds down then salary cap.

They have to have a certain number Americans on each roster and they know the market value of the players and the depth of the talent pool.

They do not want to overpay for American talent based on their market value in world football.
A lot of American kids would rather play in MLS for less than play in a 2nd or 3rd division for more, but have to learn a new language (if not England or Western Spain), culture, and be away from their families. It is the same reason why a lot of guys prefer playing in the G-League to playing in Spain, the Balkans, or France.

Either way, MLS players on average make more than 2. Bundesliga players, and we are aren't going to agree on the overarching theme here: MLS vs. 2. Bundesliga.
 
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A lot of American kids would rather play in MLS for less than play in a 2nd or 3rd division for more, but have to learn a new language (if not England or Western Spain), culture, and be away from their families. It is the same reason why a lot of guys prefer playing in the G-League to playing in Spain, the Balkans, or France.

Either way, MLS players on average make more than 2. Bundesliga players, and we are aren't going to agree on the overarching theme here: MLS vs. 2. Bundesliga.

Give me some names. You’re just making this up.
 

gtcam

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Spain and Germany’s second divisions are better than MLS.
Just plain crazy talk
We all get you are not a MLS guy
I’ve been following soccer since the mid 60s and can say for certain that the MLS has escalated itself quicker than most any league in the world. It is not in the top 7 but once the payrolls increase it will attract more of the top tier players simply because it’s the USA
 
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Just plain crazy talk
We all get you are not a MLS guy
I’ve been following soccer since the mid 60s and can say for certain that the MLS has escalated itself quicker than most any league in the world. It is not in the top 7 but once the payrolls increase it will attract more of the top tier players simply because it’s the USA

NCAA soccer doesn’t count. Your opinions are like straight outta 1994.

People have been talking about increasing the payrolls since forever. The league isn’t turning big profits and the ratings are pitiful.

It will never be more than a selling league.
 

HuskyHawk

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Retirement league. Messi wants to go to the beach and get paid for it.
Plus, no income tax. His endorsement money alone would be more than any MLS player makes, by a lot.
 

HuskyHawk

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I really have no idea how MLS stacks up to 2nd division leagues, other than clearly being behind The Championship. The issues with MLS relate to depth, and that comes from the salary cap and the limit on foreign players. Was the Revs team of two years ago good? Sure, they found Turner out of nowhere, they had young Canadian Buchanan, Polish striker Buksa and a quality Spanish mid in Gil. But MLS doesn't allow you to keep that intact. Turner, Buchanan and Buksa are all gone, each at over $6M transfer fee. They may have found another gem keeper in Petrovic.

The Transfer market/value is probably a good way to evaluate the leagues. The issue with the MLS is that it isn't supposed to be a developmental league, like some of the lower division European leagues.
 
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I really have no idea how MLS stacks up to 2nd division leagues, other than clearly being behind The Championship. The issues with MLS relate to depth, and that comes from the salary cap and the limit on foreign players. Was the Revs team of two years ago good? Sure, they found Turner out of nowhere, they had young Canadian Buchanan, Polish striker Buksa and a quality Spanish mid in Gil. But MLS doesn't allow you to keep that intact. Turner, Buchanan and Buksa are all gone, each at over $6M transfer fee. They may have found another gem keeper in Petrovic.

The Transfer market/value is probably a good way to evaluate the leagues. The issue with the MLS is that it isn't supposed to be a developmental league, like some of the lower division European leagues.

I saw a list of the MLS transfers so far this winter. Lots of $4-10M sales. It’s basically a second division euro league or a small euro league.

Some aren’t even Americans. Just foreigners that they buy and flip for a profit. Which is nice to make money.

One is Aaronsons brother.

 

Waquoit

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MLS was designed to keep the payroll down. It will never get any better than it is right now. American still do not get soccer, you can't run MLS the was they run other major sports in America. The other USA leagues are the best in the world. They only idea for growth is trying to crush the USL.
 

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