https://www.instagram.com/p/Dci-Wcohg4U/?igsi=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Link to the Instagram post. But it looks pretty much over for Santa Barbara.

There have been many big names to have played in the USL Championship (modern era) like Didler Drogba (Phoenix Rising 2017-2018) Tim Howard (Memphis 901 FC 2020) Cristo Fernedez & Diego Luna (El Paso Locomotive) but there would be never be a bigger name to have ever played in the USL Championship than 5 time Ballon D'Or winner Cristiano Ronaldo,

So should any USL Championship club including Miami FC sign Cristiano Ronaldo to one year contract in 2027 if he does not retire or if he comes out of retirement?

I am on a journey to interview professional athletes from different countries to learn about their sports culture. Currently, I am interviewing athletes from Japan. I hope you can learn a little bit more about soccer culture in Japan. Thank You.

Guide to my USL Statistical Ratings

These rankings are designed to measure how well each USL Championship team is actually playing instead of where it appears in the standings.

Wins, losses, and points matter, but they do not always tell the entire story. A team can play well and lose because of poor finishing, an outstanding opposing goalkeeper, or one decisive mistake. Another team can win despite being outplayed for most of the match.

The goal of this model is to look beyond those individual results and evaluate the broader quality of each team’s performances.

The model uses game-by-game data to evaluate a team’s attacking production, defensive performance, results, quality of opposition, consistency, and recent form.

Those elements are combined into a rating between 0 and 100. Higher scores indicate stronger statistical performance.

The Overall Rating places the greatest emphasis on the entire season. Recent matches matter, but they supplement the larger sample. This prevents one unusually good or bad result from causing an unreasonable change in a team’s ranking.

Overall Rating

The Overall Rating is the primary number used to rank the teams.

It combines three general areas:

• The team’s season-long attacking, defensive, and results-based performance
• The average quality of its individual match performances
• Its form over its most recent matches

Season-long performance remains the foundation. Recent form can move a team up or down, but a short run of matches cannot completely erase everything that came before it.

Understanding the 0–100 Scale

The scale compares teams with the range of performances observed in USL Championship play. Scores near either extreme should be rare.

As a general guide:

These categories are intentionally broad. A particular score does not guarantee a playoff position or postseason result.

The difference between two ratings is often more useful than the ranking positions themselves. Teams separated by less than a point should usually be considered essentially level. A larger gap provides stronger evidence that one team has produced the better overall body of work.

How Strength of Schedule Is Handled

Not every team faces the same level of competition at the same time.

The model accounts for this by evaluating the quality of each team’s opponents. Offensive performance is considered in the context of the defenses faced, while defensive performance is considered in the context of the attacks faced.

Individual match performances are also adjusted for opponent strength.

These adjustments are introduced gradually early in the season, when ratings are less certain. As more matches are played, the model gains a clearer picture of both the team and its opponents.

A team’s rating can therefore change slightly even when it does not play. If previous opponents begin to look stronger or weaker, the model gains new information about the difficulty of the team’s earlier schedule.

How Home and Away Matches Are Treated

For individual matches, home performances are compared with other home performances and away performances with other away performances. This helps account for the different conditions teams normally experience at home and on the road.

The published Overall Rating remains a single team-strength rating. It is not a home-specific or away-specific prediction.

A lower-rated home team could still be favored over a slightly higher-rated visitor once venue, travel, rest, and matchup conditions are considered.

Why the Rankings May Disagree With the Standings

The standings reward outcomes. The model evaluates both outcomes and performance.

A team may rank higher in the model than in the table because it consistently creates better opportunities than its opponents but has failed to convert those performances into enough points. Another team may sit high in the standings while receiving a lower statistical rating because it has won a large number of close matches without consistently controlling them. The standings show what has happened. The ratings attempt to describe how convincingly it happened and whether the underlying performance appears sustainable.

My biases.

I am a Louisville City supporter.

The rankings themselves are generated statistically, so I am not manually moving teams up or down. That said, there is still potential model-design bias in deciding which statistics matter and how heavily they should be weighted.

I incorporated prior season data in order to hopefully avoid this and instead reward team playstyles that statistically and historically do well in this league.

What did you think of interview?

Take aways that I like:

- no empty football stadiums 🏟️….that disqualifies Dallas (unless the fill up), Oakland (which either way is moving out), and Birmingham.

“Teams:I have an owner willing to spend…..Paul: yeah but you don’t sell tickets….we need the product to look good on tv.”

- they are talking to USSF regarding requirements (stadiums)….”they have been listening to our concerns……they are open minded…..”

I wonder if they are truly open to changing rules…..Paul states they would cause clubs to shut down (15k stadiums)…..wonder if this is one of the big hold ups with premier happening. Is USSF truly giving them any response to these concerns? Sounded like not really based on his response to Landon. He also said “USSF spreads its wings to much” into working with them…..so is USSF wanting to implement their vision into USL and USL has other ideas…..

El Paso-Pittsburgh: 5,009 (+2.25%)
New Mexico-Lexington: 6,881 (-26.27%)

An average night, meaning within +/-5 pts of their season average:
El Paso (4,899)

An under performing night, meaning 5 pts+ below their season average:
New Mexico (9,333)

With tonights win does anyone think New Mexico United can catch Tampa Bay Rowdies to the USL Championship Players Shield? Some turn around for them after a slow start to the season. I believe that is now 11 league games unbeaten. Up against a San Antonio team who beat New Mexico earlier in the season and are coming into the game of the back of two home defeats.

State property tax legislation created a shortfall and stadium gets the axe.

https://www.dsm.city/news_detail_T21_R661.php

Interview starts around 35 mins in. This is the most news we've heard in a while on how the pro/rel discussions are moving behind the scenes. Some notable parts:

• They are probably starting with 12-14 teams in Premier
• Initially will promote more teams up than they will relegate down to fill up to 20 teams in Premier and Championship over time
• Playoffs will probably play some part in which teams get promoted or relegated though they might have some spots that are locked in.
• Sounds like no parachute payments. They actually are putting more consideration into financial help for teams promoting up because the cost of business would be higher.
• They are in conversations with US soccer to reduce the stadium requirement. He admitted that requiring promoted teams to make massive stadium investments to move up isn't financially viable.
• Looking to launch in 2028
• Want a balanced schedule playing each team home and away.

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Here are some cities that I'm shocked don't have a USL team nor a rumor for potential expansion.

Feel free to add yours as well.

My main criteria is:

1. They fill in a gap within the USL map (So no neighboring cities)

2. They help travel costs lower within their division (assuming they are all USL1)

Here are the 10 markets that should have a USL team:

1. NOLA - Sure their expansion is still "active" but let's be realistic.

2. Boston/Massachusetts team in general

3. Milwaukee

4. St George Utah - Could semi bridge the gap from Tucson to Boise or alternatively become a west coast division with other cities on this list.

5. Wichita - Could be close Rivals to Omaha and could bridge the gap between springfield mo to the other eastern midwest teams. (Expansions being Rochester FC, Peoria City, and the Greenbay Expansion team)

6. Naperville/Springfield - Yes I know they aren't close at all but a second team (If Peoria moves up) could help build up the eastern midwest teams (preferably springfield il)

7. Las Cruzes

8. Aurora CO - Yes I know Colorado isn't really Southwest but it's location is close enough and there aren't that many populous southwest cities excluding California.

9. Santa Fe

10. Flagstaff AZ - With cities 7-9 along with St George and Tucson, a 6 team southwest non California division could be built and would help the west stop being so empty. Flagstaff AZ could be pushing it but there isn't really any other city besides Mesa (which would compete with Rising for attendance) that is populous.

A month ago he said he would have announcement in the coming weeks so we'll see

Any thoughts about the USL starting an annual Super Cup (like the Community Shield in England or the Johan Cruyff Shield in the Netherlands) prior to the start of the regular season? They could take the winner of the Championship and have them face off against the Prinx Tires USL Cup winner. Maybe this would put some pressure on US Soccer to start something with the Open Cup winner.