This is either going to result in an title or much more likely, an absolute disaster.
They’re dead last in their conference, it’d take a miracle. I’d love to be witness to that though 😅
That said, isn’t that how leagues work in the US for most sports? The bottom teams are constantly given legs up to keep the winners cycling. That’s what the whole draft system is about, right? Full disclosure: I know close to nothing about US sports.
No disrespect to US sports fans or athletes but over there it seems more like the brand they care about is the league itself, as an entertainment product, compared to football teams in most of the world which are much more independent. Even just the name “franchise” says something.
In general, yes; however, that leg up in most of our sports leagues is through player drafts. Since most good players in soccer don’t go through US college athletics, that usual leg up doesn’t mean nearly as much.
And yeah, you’re right on the money on the teams vs leagues thing; the leagues in most US sports tend to wield quite a bit of power over franchises, and negotiate labor contracts directly with player unions. MLS is a wonky outlier in many ways (largely because America doesn’t have a near-monopoly on top talent like it does in some other sports), but the league itself is definitely seen as a priority over any one club.
Might as well name it Barcelona Retirement Football Club.
“The Gang Misses the Playoffs”
