Category: Leagues: Major League Soccer
New York (AFP) – Major League Soccer welcomes expansion side FC Cincinnati to the competition when the 2019 campaign opens on March 2 with 10 games, the league announced on Thursday. The 10-match opening-day slate will find the MLS newcomers, the league’s 24th club for its 24th season, debuting at Seattle with their second match a March 10 visit to Atlanta United for the reigning MLS champion’s home season opener. Not until Match 17 against Portland, who lost to Atlanta in the MLS Cup final earlier this month, will FC Cincinnati players make their MLS home debut. The season’s first ...
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ESPN’s surprise announcement this week that Jon Champion has decided to relocate to the United States and become ESPN’s lead commentator for MLS is going to leave a gaping hole in the commentaries of Premier League games. Out of all of the Premier League commentators calling games around the world, Champion is the number one in his field. Displaying a very English commentary style with an equal balance of witty remarks and not talking too much during games, Champion is the best in the business. So much so that his commentary style coupled with his knack of saying the right ...
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Photo credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports Given the impressive viewing number for the 2018 MLS Cup Final, how does it compare to previous MLS Cup Finals that have aired in English-language on US television? With the over-the-air FOX network being available in approximately 115 million homes in the United States, Major League Soccer’s decision to televise games on that channel in 2016 and 2018 is paying dividends as can be evidenced below. The network is in far more homes than ESPN (87 million homes). The viewing number for the 2018 MLS Cup Final does mask what has been largely ...
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Photo credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports FOX’s coverage of the 2018 MLS Cup Final between Atlanta United and Portland Timbers averaged 1.5 million viewers on the over-the-air network, an increase of 10% compared to the last time a MLS final was televised on the same network two years ago when Seattle defeated Toronto FC, thanks to a report by Showbuzz Daily. It’s Major League Soccer’s second best viewership on record for a MLS Cup Final. The previous best was 2.2 million that watched the 1997 MLS Cup Final on ABC. MLS’ viewing number greatly benefitted from the Atlanta effect, ...
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Before New York City Football Club had uniforms or a fan base, or an academy, or any semblance of a footballing identity, they had David Villa. The decorated Spanish striker became the club’s first-ever player on June 2, 2014. He joined as the Spanish national teams all-time leading goal scorer, a World Cup winner in 2010, and a winner of both La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. Villa’s stature in MLS was larger than life. He was the latest in a new wave of aging European stars who sought career renaissances in Major League Soccer. Almost four and a ...
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As MLS enters the final stages of the season, it’s exciting to look toward the future of some of the league’s key stars. However, there remains a strong possibility that two stars in particular could be leaving the league. But what will their absence mean for the league? Miguel Almiron Photo credit: Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports Atlanta United’s 24-year-old attacking midfielder Miguel Almiron has had a successful spell in MLS. The Paraguayan has scored 21 goals and assisted 28 goals in 62 MLS appearance for his franchise, and his impressive play has been noticed by some of Europe’s biggest ...
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MLS average attendance during the 2018 regular season dropped 1.09% compared to last year. Despite LAFC selling out many of their games during their debut season, the addition of the new team to MLS didn’t have an impact on the league’s attendance because the stadium’s capacity is much smaller (22,000) compared to previous new teams such as Atlanta United and Orlando City (when they were at the Camping World Stadium). Atlanta set a new season attendance record, beating its own gate from last season. Minnesota has the largest percentage increase, while unsurprisingly Columbus had the biggest decrease. It’s not a ...
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Another round of the annual summer friendlies has come and gone. These are usually a smashing success, both in terms of attendance at the games and the TV viewing audience. However, 2018 was down slightly for these types of friendlies (International Champions Cup attendances were down approximately 10%) while TV ratings dipped somewhat too. There are several possible explanations why this happened. First, it’s possible that there is something of a soccer burnout at the moment with the World Cup just finishing. Second, a number of clubs were stateside without their biggest stars who are on a much needed vacation ...
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