Chapitre 450: Chapter 450: Major League Soccer
[Chapter 535: Major League Soccer]
America had many types of leagues. The most famous ones were football, baseball, and hockey, while the NBA, despite its improvements over the years, still ranked the lowest, only slightly closing the gap.
Now, America was about to birth a new league. It was hard to say whether it would succeed, but many intended to get involved.
America did not have an institution like the FIFA in England; all leagues were primarily products of capital games. Even though there were incentive mechanisms, promotion and relegation systems were nonexistent.
As for the pros and cons, Americans didn't care. Sports were just entertainment, after all; it was a business. If they relegated you, what was the point of pursuing that business?
Despite the Hunter family's decline, they still held onto the Super Bowl. This meant as long as Americans continued to watch football, the Hunter family would have a means to survive.
They sold the farm, the oil business, and even their beloved horse racing. The only thing the Hunter family couldn't part with was this league.
Since they were unwilling to sell, William White had no intention of stealing it. They could keep playing; he would just start another league.
Okay, soccer was indeed quite niche. Over seventy percent of Americans showed no interest in the sport. It was hard to understand; didn't people come to America when soccer hadn't even been invented?
There was no reason for it. South America had high standards in soccer. They were on the same continent, so how could the gap be so immense?
Now that the richest man wanted to get involved, it certainly made a difference. After all, this gentleman had many successful case studies.
"Sir, twelve organizations plan to participate. This opening is quite good for such a niche sport," Filson said.
Filson's comment almost choked William White. "You gotta be kidding me, niche sport? Don't you know hockey is the true niche? Soccer is the world's game." (Except in America, alright, and also in India.)
"It's just niche in America. I believe that as the World Cup approaches, Americans will slowly come to understand soccer. Moreover, we are a nation of immigrants, so we're not lacking in South American and African descents. By the way, those twelve clubs..."
"They are the Columbus Crew, D.C. United, New England Revolution, New York MetroStars, Tampa Bay Mutiny, Miami Fusion, Colorado Rapids, Dallas Burn, Kansas City Wizards, Los Angeles Legends, Los Angeles Galaxy, and San Jose Earthquakes."
"Twelve clubs, not bad. For now, let's keep it that way. There's really no need to split into Eastern and Western leagues. America is vast, but travel is manageable. There's no need to copy the NBA."
"Cough, cough, sir, they believe ties are very unfavorable. To increase the fun of the matches, if a game ends in a tie, they will use a one-on-one shot to decide the winner."
"One-on-one shot? What on earth? Filson, are you sure it's not a penalty kick?"
William White was dizzy. Deciding the outcome through penalty kicks was already cruel enough. For the goalkeeper, it was a disaster. If they added one-on-one shots, the goalkeeper would be questioning their life choices.
"No, they said it's actually quite good."
"Ha! A bunch of ignorant fools! I won't allow one-on-one shots, but I don't mind using penalty kicks to determine the winner. I also don't like ties. These guys need to stop meddling; how this league operates is what really matters."
Filson actually wanted to say that if it weren't for what you initiated, no one would have gotten involved. After all, America was a soccer desert. There weren't many suitable fields, and most were converted from football fields.
Of course, there were exceptions. William White's Los Angeles Galaxy planned to build their own home field. There was no need for a stadium with 70,000-80,000 seats; there simply wouldn't be that many spectators. A stadium with around 50,000 for the Galaxy should be a decent choice.
...
With William White's interference, the Major League Soccer also had its own local derby. This was rare in American leagues. Usually, even if a city had two teams, the gap between them was immense, making it impossible for a "clash of titans" to happen.
But this time it seemed a bit different. The Los Angeles Galaxy certainly had the strength to compete against the Los Angeles Legends, and only matches between teams with similar levels could attract fan attention.
"So, how about it, George? How about managing this league? If you plan to enter politics, this would be some solid experience."
"Seriously? Managing a place is a lot more complex than managing a league, isn't it?"
"Hahaha, what are you thinking? Even if you become governor, there won't be too many complexities. To me, that position resembles a stamping machine. If you can handle so many clubs, honestly, you could manage a legislator's work with ease."
"Alright, it does sound appealing. But right now, I don't think so; you know how it is."
"Hmm, then let's wait for the election to finish. I think if you win reelection, you can do whatever you want afterward."
"Fine, it's a deal."
William White was uncertain whether George Bush Sr. would repeat past mistakes. What exactly caused his unexpected defeat?
Initiating a war might have been one reason. After all, no matter how crazy oil prices got, America had its own oil wells. Fighting wars for cheap oil was sheer idiocy.
...
"Sir, I talked to those Scots, and if everything's alright on your end, we can sign the contract."
"Okay, no problem. By the way, I promised Ferguson to give him ten million pounds for signings and another ten million for expanding the youth training camp."
"Got it, sir. I'll inform the folks in London right away."
...
When Americans took over Manchester United, the news didn't cause much stir when confirmed. Fans realized Manchester United remained the same, just with a different owner.
What? You say he doesn't understand soccer?
Ha! He didn't understand basketball either, and look at that! The Rockets just won back-to-back championships. At the time of acquisition, the Rockets were a bottom-tier team.
"Expand the youth training camp? Our current size is already more than sufficient," Ferguson said, somewhat puzzled. The boss was generous, but this order was rather odd.
"Haha, you didn't know, did you? America also has a soccer league now, run by our boss. He wants to immediately revamp the youth training, but there's no time."
"I see. If those kids don't have the chance to join the first team..."
"Of course, you can loan them to Galaxy. If they perform well, you can call them back. Although there are also second-tier matches, to be honest, official matches are still official matches; they're completely different from second-tier games."
"Alright, I support this decision. I think I need to figure out how to bring in new signings. Just to confirm, is the entire ten million pounds allocated for new signings?"
"Absolutely! I think if it's not enough, the boss wouldn't mind spending a bit more."
*****
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
-- Classement
Power Stone 
-- Power
stone