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Promotion and relegation is not happening in the MLS, nor is it needed. All it does is given the bottom feeding teams something to hold their hat on, is finishing 17th in the Premiere League really something to cheer about? More often than not, these teams that get promoted are unable to compete for Champions League or even Europa League spots.
The MLS needs money to attract top tier foreign talent - simply having American players that are elite is not going to be enough. Look at England. Their top teams are loaded with players from South America, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, etc.
Why can't we develop our own top players rather than needing more money to attract foreign players?
I'll give you a hint: Your first and second paragraphs are actually more closely related than you might think. What MLS lacks (and yes, pro/rel is part of it, but there's more) is exactly why these other countries are developing the types of players that you are arguing we need here. The current closed system has severe limitations which cuts out a large number of potential investors.
And that's to say nothing of the fact that an increasing number of our best young players are bypassing MLS and going overseas to play in top European leagues.
Because of "No relegation", there is no pressure on Teams to improve their performance. They know that their place is guaranteed irrespective of their performance.
Because of "No Relegation", instead of investment going in bringing new young players, money goes in old retired players from abroad and cash on their old exploits. Instead of Ibrahimovich whom no club in England wants, invest that money in academies, young players (domestic and abroad). But a team safe from relegation will bring semi-retired old players.
Because of "No relegation", there is no pressure on Teams to improve their performance. They know that their place is guaranteed irrespective of their performance.
Because of "No Relegation", instead of investment going in bringing new young players, money goes in old retired players from abroad and cash on their old exploits. Instead of Ibrahimovich whom no club in England wants, invest that money in academies, young players (domestic and abroad). But a team safe from relegation will bring semi-retired old players.
And not only that, but how many metropolitan areas have tier one professional (i.e. MLS) teams? Now imagine how many more we'd have if we had a two or three tier system with clubs trying to compete with one another through pro/rel? Each of those clubs creating their own academies to develop local players who may one day help them climb the latter.
This is what England, Germany, Spain, France, etc. all have. Multiple tiers with dozens of clubs, all investing in growing the game. This is what we're missing out on with the top-down, franchise-based system that the USSF endorses.
Another major issue with developing top talents here is the ridiculous cost of youth competitive soccer. These prices prevent pretty much all disadvantaged kids from playing competitively.
In other words, stop running the MLS like the other American sport leagues. There should be no more than 25 yet here they go trying to put up to near 30. I think that is a mistake. All other top leagues have no more than 20ish teams for a reason.
Those leagues didn't choose the number of teams. FIFA told them how many team to have in the early 90s. FIFA then wanted them to go to 18 each, but the leagues refused in the 2000s.
In the Premier League only 5 teams have won the championship in the last 25 years. What so great about only the rich teams having a chance to win in a league?
Reason MLS doesn't make as much money, or soccer in general in the US, is there aren't any TV timeouts for commercials.
Correct, because the quality of play in MLS doesn't hold a candle to what's being played elsewhere. Give American soccer fans credit, they are interested in good soccer, as evidenced by the large sums of money paid by FOX, NBC, and ESPN for the rights to the Bundesliga, Premier League, and Champions League, as well as of course the World Cup.
A high quality American professional soccer league could generate significant revenues. Unfortunately we don't have that league and with the current people running the MLS, probably won't until they're gone.
The problem in the United States is TV advertising. You can't make any money with two 45 minute halves with zero commercial breaks. Without the national TV exposure, it's tough to get fans to pay big money for games.
I had Revolution season tickets where the ticket and close-in season parking with 5th row seats at the corner flag cost less than one New England Patriots game ticket plus much farther away parking for the seat. It was unusual to completely fill the lower bowl at Gillette. That funds Lee Nguyen and Diego Fagundez, not Ronaldo or Mohamad Salah.
Argentina with Lionel Messi vs Venezuela in Copa America sold out a couple years ago.
The soccer purists are not going to like it but until MLS institute commercial breaks and TV time outs they will never command the advertising money to bring team revenues to a level needed to be able to compete with the Top Tier for top talent. Soccer does not have the prestige in American culture among American youth as Football has. The low prestige, low exposure on TV and low salaries of MLS comparable to the NFL NBA, MLB, and the NHL makes soccer an unappealing sport for youth at Jr High and High school level to commit to.
So, for how many decades now have soccer fans been saying that Americans will soon come-around and become as big of soccer fans as the rest of the world?
Ain't gonna happen.
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