Europa League Archives • The Game Haus

May 14, 2017 by The Game Haus Staff

MLS TV Ratings: Why are viewers missing the net?

Last week Major League Soccer revealed a new plan to Sports Business Daily that involved boosting TV ratings. As we all know, soccer is a sport that is still growing in popularity year by year here in the United States. Hopes are that one day soccer will be just as popular in the U.S. as it is in other regions of the world.

Game attendance has been at record highs this year, with new expansion team Atlanta United having amazing turnouts for their first few home games. However, the TV ratings just do not seem to match.

Parts of this new plan is to replicate the television production values of other major sports in the country. Some of the things listed in this new plan include:

microphones on coaches for listen ins
cameras in locker rooms pregame
allowing access to team huddles

These things all sound interesting and will give viewers a lot more to look forward to when watching their favorite clubs go head to head each weekend, but will they be enough?

Take a look at some of the broadcasts of games from other leagues around the world. Let’s use the English Premier League as an example. None of these things are necessary, yet the viewers and ratings are always high on gameday. Fans know the competition is fierce and the league is challenging the players. Could there be underlying factors that may stop people from showing too much interest to the games on television as compared to just going to support your club on the pitch on gameday?

Photo by Deadspin

Let’s take a look at the general format of the MLS and think about the excitement factor for a second compared to other leagues. The MLS season lasts about 8 months, and just over half of the teams qualify for the playoffs. This does not make the competition as fierce as compared to other leagues.

I will use the example of the English Premier League again to compare. The EPL season is the same length, but there is way more at stake based on where you place in the league once it is all said and done. There is also no playoff tournament to figure out who the winner of the league is. First place in the standings is the winner of the league.

This does not stop the other teams from working towards placing well though. The top four teams qualify for the Champions League while the fifth through seventh place teams can battle for Europa League contention.

All of these are still very sought after and commendable titles to go after. Knowing where your team places and what is at stake is definitely something that will make fans want to sit down every week and catch these matches. The fans now feel as if every game counts towards an end goal of trying to either win the league or at least qualify for one of these tournaments.

Image by www.premierleague.com

The MLS should also look into partnering up with some of the lower-tier leagues to enforce a promotion or relegation type of system. In the EPL, the bottom three teams in the league face relegation down to a lower league. They then get replaced by the top three teams from the league below it. This brings the pressure to perform.

People will support their clubs in any way possible to ensure the players are performing well enough to avoid relegation. This also gives teams with great potential in areas where there may not be an MLS team the opportunity to grow in to a top contender at some point.

All of these factors will raise the amount of support and viewership. You will have new people in new areas watching. People who are already watching will be more inclined to watch due to the extra entertainment value of the added pressures of these new systems put in to place.

The MLS has done a lot for American soccer and will continue to do so. These are the changes that I feel are necessary to further the growth of American soccer and gain more support.

What are some things you would like to see added or changed by the MLS to promote ratings and growth? Feel free to comment below and let’s talk about it.

Featured Image by World Soccer Talk

If you want to contact Maurice directly feel free to send him an email at: maurice.barton.tgh@gmail.com

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May 12, 2017 by The Game Haus Staff

What Next Season’s Contenders Need to do to Improve in the Summer (Part 2)

Manchester City

Pep Guardiola’s second season in Manchester will be highly anticipated and expectations will be massive. With a year of experience in England under his belt, a title and run in the Champions League (assuming City make top four) will be expected.

City have perhaps the least amount of work to do as far as improving personnel. One storyline will be whether Sergio Aguero departs the club following the emergence of Gabriel Jesus. In Jesus and Kelechi Iheanacho, Guardiola has two young strikers with massive potential to develop. Aguero is nearing the end of his prime and may fancy a move back to Spain or Argentina in order to get more play time.

When City do go shopping in the summer, it will be mostly geared towards their defense. City’s deficiency at full back could be solved by signing Tottenham right back Kyle Walker. At left back, Jose Luis Gaya of Valencia would be a massive improvement over the departing Gael Clichy. Finally at goalkeeper, Guardiola needs to find an alternative to the horror show that has been Claudio Bravo and Willy Caballero this season.

Arsenal

The most uncertain future among England’s top clubs is that of Arsenal. The Gunners could very well lose their manager and two best players at the end of the season.

The club has been pretty mum on whether Arsene Wenger will still be at the Emirates next season. A split fanbase has made this story one of the most talked about in recent months. If Wenger ends his 21 year run at the club, two rumored candidates are Borussia Dortmund’s Thomas Tuchel and Monaco’s Leonardo Jardim.

Alexis Sanchez looks to be on his way out of the Emirates this summer. The Chilean leads the club with 25 goals in all competitions this season.

On the field, the team’s leading scorer this season, Alexis Sanchez, is all but guaranteed to be leaving in the summer. His list of possible suitors contain Chelsea, Paris St. Germain, Juventus and Bayern Munich. Midfielder Mesut Ozil also faces an uncertain future.

If either Sanchez or Ozil leave the club, it will leave a massive gap. However, the massive transfer fee Arsenal will collect will give them options in the replacement process. Monaco’s Thomas Lemar and Everton’s Ross Barkley are the latest rumored targets to replace Sanchez and Ozil respectively.

Manchester United

Much of what United is able to accomplish in the summer will be dependent on their result in the Europa League final May 24 vs Ajax. A victory would boost the Red Devils into next season’s Champions League, and equally importantly, it would make Old Trafford a very attractive destination in the summer.

Uncertainty over the striker position is first and foremost on Jose Mourinho’s mind. Zlatan Ibrahimovic is 35 and just sustained a serious knee injury. Marcus Rashford, while equipped with serious talent and potential, is still raw. Mourinho could look to the transfer market at that position. Antoine Griezmann has long been linked with a move to Man U and his addition would certainly make United quicker and more creative in the final third, an area they lacked in Mourinho’s first year with the club.

Two familiar faces could potentially depart the club this summer. Wayne Rooney has struggled to break into the first team under Mourinho and has been linked with a move back to his boyhood club Everton after an illustrious 13 year career for United. Goalkeeper David de Gea was close to moving to Real Madrid two summers ago and Los Blancos could come knocking again this season.

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April 26, 2017 by The Game Haus Staff

Is Champions League Still Reachable For United Without Zlatan?

Manchester United’s quest for Champions League football next season took a massive hit when star striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic suffered serious damage to his ACL and PCL ligaments in Thursday’s Europa League tie with Anderlecht .

United are fighting the battle for Champions League on two fronts, in England and in Europe. Jose Mourinho’s side controls their own destiny for a top four finish in the Premier League. Thursday’s showdown with Manchester City will have serious table implications in addition to the heated derby atmosphere.

A difficult schedule still awaits, with visits to City, Arsenal and Tottenham still to come. Zlatan’s injury thrusts the spotlight on young Marcus Rashford and club legend Wayne Rooney at striker. Anthony Martial will also likely be given a chance to redeem himself for past chances not taken.

Manchester United will need Wayne Rooney to re-find his form of old.

Rashford has been significantly better in the last month and can give shaky backlines fits with his pace and work rate. Rooney and Anthony Martial both stepped up by scoring United’s goals in a 2-0 win over Burnley on Sunday. If that trio continues to play well, it could even be an improvement over filtering the entire attack through Ibrahimovic. Liverpool’s loss to Crystal Palace on Sunday puts United in their best table position in months, making a top four dream very much alive.

In Europe, the Red Devils are in the Semi-finals of the Europa League. They must win the competition in order to automatically qualify for next season’s Champions League. Celta Vigo from Spain will prove to be a difficult test in the semis.

While they only sit tenth in La Liga, Celta have proved they can be giant killers by defeating both Barcelona and Real Madrid this season. Forward Iago Aspas is tied with Antoine Griezmann for fifth in La Liga with 16 goals on the season. Man U also lost defender Marcos Rojo to injury and will be shorthanded facing Aspas and the dangerous Celta attack.

Iago Aspas has tormented opposing defenses all season.

United will likely play similarly to the way they did against Anderlecht. Expect Mourinho to be conservative in the opening away tie and attack back home in Manchester in the decisive second tie.

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February 28, 2017February 28, 2017 by The Game Haus Staff

Everton are Well on Their Way to the Next Level

Since Tottenham broke into the Champions League in 2010, there have been a consensus top six teams of the Premier League. Liverpool’s Merseyside neighbor, Everton has long been seen as seventh best or “best of the rest” in England.

However, the Toffees have shown a recent commitment to reaching the same level of the top six. The hiring of promising Southampton manager Ronald Koeman in the summer helped Everton sign key players and promising prospects. As is custom, it took time for Koeman to make his mark at Goodison Park. Everton have not lost in the league since Dec. 19 on a last minute goal by Sadio Mane. Currently seventh, if they continue this form they could challenge for top four as there are only six points separating them from fourth place Arsenal.

The Manager

Koeman starred as a player in the 1980’s for Ajax, PSV, and Barcelona as well as for the Dutch National Team. After retiring he had many managerial jobs in the Netherlands, Portugal, and Spain. He was hired by Southampton in 2014, bringing in and mentoring several youth players such as Sadio Mane, Nathaniel Clyne, Morgan Schneiderlin, and Virgil Van Dijk.

Ronald Koeman took Southampton from Premier League newcomers to European football and he is working his magic at Everton as well.

Koeman’s reputation for working well with young players gained Everton’s attention and he has already featured several promising young players. If Koeman continues to produce solid young talent, more and more highly sought after players may take their talents to Goodison Park to play for the 53 year old Dutchman.

The Squad

Everton’s squad under Koeman is young and full of potential. The attack is headlined by 23 year old star striker Romelu Lukaku. Lukaku’s seventeen league goals is tied for tops in the Prem. Often assisting Lukaku on his goals is fellow 23 year old Ross Barkley. Barkley broke onto the scene last season with eight goals and eight assists. He also was selected for England’s Euro 2016 squad this last summer.

Romelu Lukaku is joint top goalscorer in the Premier League this season.

Defensively, two summer signings have been the backbone for Everton. Midfielder Idrissa Gueye was signed from relegated Aston Villa and leads the league in tackles. Ashley Williams was also bought this summer from Swansea. The wily veteran has been a rock at the back and played a key role as captain of Wales in their semifinal Euro run. Goalkeeper Joel Robles has also stepped up this season, posting the third best match rating on the team per WhoScored.com.

The youth talent is also abundant at Everton. 20 year old defender Mason Holgate and 18 year old midfielder are academy products who have shined when played by Koeman this season. 19 year old striker Ademola Lookman, bought in January, scored on his Premier League debut against Manchester City.

With all of this youth potential in the side and a good eye for talent on the transfer market , Koeman’s successes in the past imply that he is the man to lift Everton to the next level and start competing for a Champions League spot.

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February 16, 2017February 16, 2017 by The Game Haus Staff

First to Worst? Who is Leicester’s Competition in Relegation Battle?

As Chelsea has maintained its stronghold atop the Premier League table, the excitement has been at the bottom. A fascinating and close relegation battle features six teams within four points of the bottom three. Among those teams are the defending champions Leicester City who have endured a miserable campaign thus far. The Foxes sit in seventeenth place just one spot above the relegation zone. The Foxes face a variety of different sides in their battle to stay up.

15. Swansea City (24 pts)

After two managers and a miserable start to the season that saw them sitting in last for the majority of the first half of the season, Frenchman Paul Clement has turned the side around. With three wins in six league games, the Swans’ current form could see them to safety sooner than later.

Midseason hire Paul Clement has ignited Swansea and taken them out of the relegation zone.

Icelandic international Gylfi Sigurdsson is a class above everyone else on the team. Eight goals and eight assists show how much of a spark he gives to the attack. The aerial prowess of summer signing Fernando Llorente has also given Swansea a threat in the box. If Clement continues to coach inspired football, then Swansea could very well make their great escape.

16. Middlesborough (22 pts)

‘Borough’s four wins in the league this season is bottom in the Premier League. That pretty much sums of the season for the side as Middlesborough have consistently played defensive ‘park the bus” football in hopes of salvaging draws.

Their biggest problem is an inconsistent and uninspiring attack. 31 year old striker Alvaro Negredo is a poacher and has bagged six goals this season but the side lack creativity apart from inconsistent winger Adama Traore. Defensively, Middlesborough got a bargain when they signed goalkeeper Victor Valdes on the cheap. Valdes and a stout backline have kept Middlesborough in a lot of games this year and will need to continue to do so if they want to avoid relegation.

17. Leicester City (21 pts)

18. Hull City (20 pts)

The newly promoted Tigers started off the season well by stunning the reigning champs on opening day. Unfortunately for Hull, its been a bumpy ride then. As is the case with other newly promoted sides, Hull have endured major attacking struggles. Perhaps their best goalscorer Robert Snodgrass departed for West Ham in January. The second lowest scoring in the side needs to change that if they want to stay up.

The one positive for Hull is that two January signings have looked solid in defender Andrea Ranocchia and winger Lazar Markovic, formerly of Liverpool. It remains to be seen if the new signings can save the Tigers from relegation.

19. Crystal Palace (19 pts)

Apart from Leicester, Palace are probably the most surprising name on this list. With talented attacking players such as striker Christian Benteke and winger Wilfried Zaha and new goalkeeper Steve Mandanada, many fancied them to challenge for a Europa League spot.

Like Leicester, Wilfried Zaha (above) and Crystal Palace have underwhelmed this season.

However after several dull performances under former manager Alan Pardew, Palace are still struggling to put it all together under new manager Sam Allardyce. Big Sam has performed miracles to avoid relegation before but he will need to better utilize his players strengths. Still only a few months into his tenure at Selhurst Park, Allardyce is learning. But if Palace fans hope to stay up, adjustments must be made and they better hope Allardyce is a fast learner.

20. Sunderland (19 pts)

The only team below Crystal Palace is Big Sam’s former club, Sunderland. The Black Cats have been a one man show starring striker Jermain Defoe this season. The 34 year old Englishman is having a phenomenal season single-handedly carrying Sunderland’s attack. Having scored 14 of his sides’ 24 league goals, it isn’t hard to see why Sunderland did everything they could to keep him in January.

David Moyes has quite the job on his hand if he hopes to save Sunderland due to lack of funds. The inability to make purchases in January hindered Moyes’ plans for the club. He will need to improvise and get help from key players such as Defoe and center back Lamine Kone if Sunderland have any chance of saving themselves.

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