Sports fans of Tildes: Anyone following MLS?
I became a fan of Premier League Soccer after an epic battle with YOShInOn, my smart RSS reader. (I tried to convince it I liked American football and not the other kind of football but in the process of trying to understand why it couldn't learn the difference I changed my mind.)
There's a free Premier League game on NBC OTA TV around 12:30 PM EST and once I got hooked a Peacock subscription seemed like a good idea so I can catch games (somewhat) early on Saturday and Sunday. The university I work at has men's and women's soccer games that I go to (it was fun to go to one where youth players showed up and I felt like we were part of a huge soccer universe) and sooner or later I am going to check out the games of the college on the other hill.
I know there's Major League Soccer here in the US and I understand it's gotten better than it used to be, and I understand you can get an add-on subscription to Apple TV which has all the games. Is there anyone out there who follows MLS?
I try to post a few articles a week about the Premier League and European Soccer and I think it would be great if somebody did the same for MLS, as something interesting has to happen every gameday.
MLS on Apple TV is great in my opinion. The hometown radio audio is generally better than the TV announcers.
Quality between teams varies but the ball is round, and upsets do happen. Some teams are impressive to watch, e.g LAFC dunking on Minnesota before #HeathOut became a reality, but it’s definitely not like watching EPL, La Liga, or Ligue 1. On average, I’d say it’s probably closer in quality of play to a run of the mill Bundesliga or Super Lig match.
The biggest problem with MLS on TV is that several (many) teams play in NFL or MLB stadiums. In MLB stadiums it’s awkward watching them run across a sodded over infield. In NFL stadiums it’s awkward because the stadiums look empty.
Speaking of empty stadiums, watching teams like LAFC, MNU, or Portland on TV is fun. The stadiums are full. The crowd has energy in the background. Watching a team like Salt Lake play isn’t so great because the team isn’t that good and the stadium can look dead.
Just want to add that if you watch MLS on Apple TV on an Apple TV, you can watch 2-4 matches at a time with Multiview. I don’t think they have multiview in browser and I know they don’t have it in the TV app on Mac OS.
The stadium is definitely part of the experience watching on TV. I like home games of Arsenal at Emirates stadium because it has better TV equipment than most, striking architecture, and a raucous crowd. I know catching a football game is one thing I’ll do if I make it to the U.K.
I’ll post MLS stuff if I see anything interesting. Probably will be a bunch of hot drama on the 22nd since the regular season wraps on the 21st. Then playoff drama thereafter.
I haven’t seen much high quality coverage of it, honestly. But if I see anything, I’ll do my part and post.
Best bet is just watch MLS and get your friends and fam into it so we can have proper coverage someday.
I will say that I do appreciate written coverage of sports. It was The Guardian’s coverage of football which turned me into a fan. Lately I’ve been mastering sports photography and first that got me thinking about exposures, composition and that sort of stuff but lately I am seeing the connection with journalism and getting images that tell the story of the game.
Nashville SC fan here. The Leagues Cup penalty kick shootout in the final between them and Miami (with Messi) was an unbelievable moment, and crazy to watch. Definitely up there for me.
Messi joining Miami has brought whole new sets of eyes to the league, and really elevated the game I feel. You don’t have to look much further than Robert Taylor on Miami as well to see that Messi’s presence seems to spur people to really bring the A game. It’s been an exciting time.
Apple picture and production quality seems to have brought a lot of care into the league as well, and it has a high polish that makes it easy to watch and enjoy. MLS pass is somewhat expensive, sure, but it’s a one stop shop for all things MLS, and there’s no blackouts or other ridiculous stuff you normally expect with streaming sports.
Loving the MLS and also hopeful Apple can get some other cool streaming rights, like F1.
I struggle to get into MLS. The pace and flow is much different to the Premier League which I'm used to following, not to mention I like the format of the European leagues where everybody plays each other twice, no playoffs, that's what the Cups are for.
Recently I've just got burnt out of soccer altogether. Premier League has really hit mainstream, and my interest in it has dwindled each year for the past 5 or so. I really liked it around the late 2000s, early 2010s, it had this special vibe and niche interest. I think maybe I've been following the league too close for too long and need to take a step back. I haven't watched a game yet this year, I've been trying to forget about it entirely maybe that spark will comeback.