Soccer beats Hockey in the US

[Voight]

MLS does well for what it is. I know they have ambitions to be a major player on the footballing stage, but a 500 mil price tag for ultimately what is a mid league is kind of remarkable in itself.

100%, this is a league that one point had like 75% of its teams owned by two people. It was on the verge of collapse many times.

They need to accept that they'll never be at the same level as some of Europes leagues. They had a 100 year head start and soccer is just so much ingrained in the culture there; it's like how the SHL and other Euro hockey leagues will never be competitive with the NHL. Just accept that you have a good thing going and leave it at that; your best players (like Davies and Pulisic) will always leave for better leagues across the pond there's no shame in that.

Is hockey that much cheaper, or any cheaper at all, to play in the US as opposed to Canada?

Honest question.

Yes, cost of living is generally lower and things cost less overall in the US compared to Canada. There's also less taxes, giving families more discretionary income.

 

[Fantast100]

100%, this is a league that one point had like 75% of its teams owned by two people. It was on the verge of collapse many times.

They need to accept that they'll never be at the same level as some of Europes leagues. They had a 100 year head start and soccer is just so much ingrained in the culture there; it's like how the SHL and other Euro hockey leagues will never be competitive with the NHL. Just accept that you have a good thing going and leave it at that; your best players (like Davies and Pulisic) will always leave for better leagues across the pond there's no shame in that.



Yes, cost of living is generally lower and things cost less overall in the US compared to Canada. There's also less taxes, giving families more discretionary income.

Even top 40/50 SHL players are NHL level.

Two promising Finn in did great hockey in HV71.

Two national team players in HV71.

Henrik Borgström and Joona Luoto.

 

[TCNorthstars]

Club hockey is bigger than club soccer in the US.

Club soccer is bigger than club hockey in Sweden?

You have that backwards for the U.S. Club soccer is bigger than club hockey many times over.

 

[Golden_Jet]

You have that backwards for the U.S. Club soccer is bigger than club hockey many times over.

lol an MLS team is more popular than an NHL team?

 

[TCNorthstars]

lol an MLS team is more popular than an NHL team?

We must have different ideas on what club means. To me, and hence the reply, club means kids. Like my kid plays club soccer and not rec soccer.

 

[SoundAndFury]

We must have different ideas on what club means. To me, and hence the reply, club means kids. Like my kid plays club soccer and not rec soccer.

"Football Club" is a synonym for a professional football team. Like FC Barcelona, or FC Chelsea, or FC whatever team you know. Your idea of what club means might be correct to your family, or your neighborhood, or that particular context but it isn't what it means outside of it in a generic conversation.

Even top 40/50 SHL players are NHL level.

If this was true they would go to the NHL and get paid 3 times more. Obviously, you would fine some cases of really bad players in the NHL or fairly decent in the SHL but in general, look at someone like Rodrigo Abols who is failing to get into the NHL for 2nd time.

 

[Fantast100]

You have that backwards for the U.S. Club soccer is bigger than club hockey many times over.

Around the world it is.

If this was true they would go to the NHL and get paid 3 times more. Obviously, you would fine some cases of really bad players in the NHL or fairly decent in the SHL but in general, look at someone like Rodrigo Abols.

Even SHL has national team players.

 

[SoundAndFury]

Even SHL has national team players.

Like, who? Not really sure what are you arguing. If the players are NHL-caliber, they try to get into the NHL for obvious reasons. Guys like Dahlen, Lodin, Oskar Steen have tried it and failed. Top scorers of last year's playoffs in Innala and Abols are trying it and failing as we speak. So what exactly are you saying?

 

[Fantast100]

lol an MLS team is more popular than an NHL team?

Not so credible that the MLS is ahead of the NHL in the US rankings.

 

[Golden_Jet]

Not so credible that the MLS is ahead of the NHL in the US rankings.

It’s not for US

And for Canada
Research Co. and Glacier Media recently asked Canadians if they consider themselves fans of six different professional sports leagues. A majority (55%) say they are fans of the National Hockey League (NHL). The National Football League (NFL) is a distant second with 36%, ahead of the Canadian Football League (CFL) (32%), the National Basketball Association (31%), Major League Baseball (MLB) (also 31%) and Major League Soccer (22%).

 

[varsaku]

its true, NHL NBA NHL MLB a major sports because its the best leagues by far, MLS could have NFL kind of viewership but it would not be a major league anyway, no serious talent would ever consider going to MLS, i dont know where it is ranked in the world, when and if it becomes first for talents to chose it could be major, major is not about viewership or money, it is where the best in the game play, MLS is a nothing in europe, its like Canada caring about czech hockey, they got jagr, miami has messi

according to Football League Rankings | Analysis of Top Football Leagues
its ranked 9th, say its 300 players in each league, that would mean roughly the 2400-2700 best players in the world play in MLS, how on earth could that be Major?

according to Most valuable players


Messi (who im guessing is the most valuable player in MLS) is ranked 325th in the world(tied with a host of others) Think of NHL NBA MLS and NFL, that their best and most valueble player eas ranked 325th in the world

and national sport events versus club events is incomparable, in sweden in the last olympics Curling was the most watched, but on club level.... according to article from 2022 they make 900 dollars per month(the best team) and could get a whopping 270-810 dollars extra per month.

The talent pool for soccer is significantly larger than any other sport. The 325th best soccer player by percentile is way ahead of someone 325th in another sport.
People are so focused on the top 5 soccer leagues but don't address the bottom end teams of those leagues. The gap between the league leaders and relegation zone teams are massive. Many of those teams play in front of ~10K fans and are in the borderline of financial ruin.

 

[Yukon Joe]

"Football Club" is a synonym for a professional hockey team. Like FC Barcelona, or FC Chelsea, or FC whatever team you know. Your idea of what club means might be correct to your family, or your neighborhood, or that particular context but it isn't what it means outside of it in a generic conversation.

For what it is worth - when I saw the phrase "club soccer" I definitely read it the same way - that it means kids, and is the difference between club soccer and rec soccer (which is - club soccer is more serious and more expensive)

 

[SoundAndFury]

For what it is worth - when I saw the phrase "club soccer" I definitely read it the same way - that it means kids, and is the difference between club soccer and rec soccer (which is - club soccer is more serious and more expensive)

Like I said, I understand that might be completely acceptable use in certain contexts and locations. However, you probably understand biggest teams in the world branding themselves as clubs carry bigger weight in this than the type of practices somebody's kid attends. So "club football" vs "international football" is mostly used to describe the separation between the one clubs as opposed to national teams play.

 

[Jets4Life]

They need to accept that they'll never be at the same level as some of Europes leagues. They had a 100 year head start and soccer is just so much ingrained in the culture there; it's like how the SHL and other Euro hockey leagues will never be competitive with the NHL

Technically this is untrue. If we were to look at the history of soccer in America, there was a very successful soccer league in the US in the 1920s. Financial mismanagement and the Great Depression killed it off, and soccer become obsolete in the US.

 

[LPHabsFan]

Soccer has, and always will be, more popular in the U.S than hockey, and it hasn't impacted the growth of hockey one bit.

The problem is that people confuse interest in domestic league with evidence of popularity.

Will the MLS overtake the NHL one day? Maybe, but there would have to be a major shift in the economics of the league before that ever happens, and I'm just not sure if they're capable of that.

 

[wetcoast]

Even top 40/50 SHL players are NHL level.

You could probably say this for what 500 players not in the NHL?

Sure they are "NHL level" at their peak and could play some games but they aren't real NHL players just guys who could be fill ins if injuries occur ect....

Two promising Finn in did great hockey in HV71.

Two national team players in HV71.

Henrik Borgström and Joona Luoto.

The last 2 guys aren't NHL level unless you look up at my first point.

 

[Fantast100]

The last 2 guys aren't NHL level unless you look up at my first point.

They play great in the SHL anyway.

 

[PCSPounder]

I’m upset that I didn’t resurrect this thread 17 years later first.

Anyway, there’s another measure to use here. If you go to the “other pro hockey” board here, it becomes easy to determine that trying to get a new rink constructed for ECHL or the lower leagues- and perhaps even the A- is very much like pulling teeth.

The number of projects for USL (and other) soccer is fairly substantial. One project just completed in Lexington, Kentucky has them moving up to Championship next year, while I can point to Milwaukee, Providence/Pawtucket, Lancaster CA, and Eugene with active projects. Meanwhile Des Moines, Omaha, Greenville SC, Albuquerque, Boise, and Oklahoma City are near ready to break ground. Not including Jacksonville (a smaller park for MLS Next), Indianapolis (where Eleven Park is getting stalled because city leaders want to try straight for MLS at a different site), Sacramento (just entering the planning stage), Oakland (their move into the Coliseum next year is not meant to be permanent), and Homestead FL (just inked an agreement with USL Miami FC for what will be a slow move).Mind you, the five teams entering USL League One next year aren’t enough and two folds right at season’s end emphasize their problems. However, they’re also capable of wedging into existing facilities.

 

[Greatzsky 99]

MLS cup final 468k viewers

 

[joelef]

MLS cup final 468k viewers

Absolutely pathetic

 

[blueandgoldguy]

MLS cup final 468k viewers

I wonder how that compares to the past 5 years?

 

[Greatzsky 99]

I wonder how that compares to the past 5 years?

2020 1.57mil
2021 1.56
2022 2.15
2023 no number cause of Apple deal
2024 468k network, the apple figures unknown

List of MLS Cup finals - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Reaser]

2020 1.57mil
2021 1.56
2022 2.15
2023 no number cause of Apple deal
2024 468k network, the apple figures unknown

List of MLS Cup finals - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

2023 was 890k combined on FOX/FOXD