Among the big-name signings of Frank Lampard, David Villa and Andrea Pirlo, New York City FC owners, the Abu Dhabi United subsidiary City Football Group, were also keen to add one of America’s own. They got that in the form of USMNT midfielder Mix Diskerud, but he didn't come cheaply.
In a move that’s set to massively boost the income of both Minnesota United and MLS, the club and league have announced a partnership with Minnesota-based retailer Target, the 38th-ranked company in the Fortune 500 list. Minnesota’s 2017 jersey will now feature the Target bullseye logo.
The MLS SuperDraft, which began last Friday and was completed on Tuesday (it didn't continue through the weekend, although at times it felt like it was going to), contains two elements that are completely wrongheaded.
Ever since the LA Galaxy acquired the rights to USMNT midfielder Jermaine Jones in exchange for a 2017 1st Round MLS SuperDraft pick, it’s been something of a foregone conclusion that the former Colorado Rapids player would sign with the club. On Wednesday, the Galaxy used targeted allocation money to officially sign the 35-year-old.
After Missouri Governor-elect Eric Greitens called public funding for stadiums "welfare for millionaires", the bill pledging $80 million in public funds for a soccer stadium in St. Louis seemed like a long shot. Now, the bill is officially dead.
Surely the picture above is not some kind of metaphor for Missouri Governor-elect Eric Greitens, a former Navy SEAL, shooting down a proposal for an MLS team in St. Louis that included a hefty chunk of public funding for a new stadium.
That would be ridiculous.
Greitens has once-and-for-all said that state funding will not be used for stadiums if he can help it.
According to ESPN, Real Salt Lake and another team from the MLS Eastern Conference have entered discussions with Landon Donovan over the 34-year-old continuing his career in 2017.
Donovan made a shock return for the LA Galaxy in 2016, appearing in nine matches for a Los Angeles squad that had been left depleted in attack following a serious injury to Gyasi Zardes and the questionable fitness of Robbie Keane and Steven Gerrard.
There was a time when simply building a soccer specific stadium was setting the bar. Then came the era of enclosed-seaters around 20,000 following the same mold, like Sporting KC, Houston and Dallas. In today’s MLS world, a statement is needed in order to make an impact. Welcome to the "Purple Wall," MLS’s great new attraction.