Any soccer fans here? In particular MLS, since that's the league I follow closest. My daughter and I have season tickets to the Philadelphia Union, and I write a monthly opinion piece on a local soccer site about life as a "soccer dad." I also started playing this year, for the first time.

Who else out there likes the Beautiful Game?

I watch mostly EPL games and used to watch a lot of Serie A.

I've never been invested in the MLS because the quality just isn't that high. I know that the quality will increase if people support it more and all of that but it's not very compelling to me. I know that it's been expanding a lot recently and is getting better but it still is not that of the quality of the top leagues.

No, it's not with the top leagues. And frankly, despite their goals they may never get there because they can't afford to pay the top players. It's a vicious catch-22, like all sports. For most sports, the big money comes from TV deals. But TV networks only dish out the big bucks for games that will get watched by a lot of people (like EPL on NBC). But a lot of people won't watch MLS because the quality is a lower grade. And round and round.

Like I said, it's getting better. it's about on par with England's 2nd division right now. They have a couple players who could play just about anywhere, and they have quite a few kids - especially young Americans - who will some day transfer out and play in EPL or Serie A or Bundisliga or etc.

They have 19 teams right now. The 20th team - a 2nd team in NY - starts play... next year, I think, but it might be 2015 they come online. And the league has said they'll add four additional teams beyond NYCFC by 2020, to bring the total to 24. The speculation is that they announced the future expansion now because their TV deals are up after the MLS cup, and they see that expansion as a selling point to the networks.

I keep track of it like most people would expect from Dutch people.
Mostly the national league, but I love the Primera division and the Premier League as well.

Shame our teams have been really sucky in Europe as of late. But good thing there's still Barcelona and Manchester United.

Can I ask which serie a team you like?

As someone who grew up in Italy, I followed the serie A from a very young age and grew up to be a Milanista. Though lately our team has been sucky so I kind of half-follow reluctantly.

Manchester!

My baby takes the mornin train...

He works from 9 till 5 and then...

I saw man u in person once.

Was so cash

City or United?

Given all the attention they get, my daughter is becoming a Man U fan.

I'll watch just about any pro game that's on the handful of times in a month that I sit down to watch TV. I do go out of my way to watch all the Philly Union away games, though. Because I must like doing this:

United. That isn't even a question.

I only cared (I didn't really follow) about the Metrostars because they were a new jersey (it being from jersey is a big deal) team.

Funnily enough, Philadelphia mockingly calls them the New Jersey Red Bulls. Or even more mocking, the New Jersey Pink Cows.



I know. Just trying to pull your leg. (Although right now City looks better.)

I don't know what sports are.

SWINDON TOWN

Well, Philly is literally the worst place on the planet. so they have that going for them.

North Jersey > Philly

I love soccer! It's the best sleep aid since Moby Dick.

You've obviously not watched much golf!

I love playing soccer, I just cant watch it / follow it. Its always a bunch of drama, and fake falls etc.

The diving bothers me. And it seems to be getting worse, even though leagues say they're going to crack down on it.

You've never heard of this "Basketball" thing, have you?