Lol at Steven Gerrard flying first class on Southwest.

This is some boolsheet. I'm with the players/coaches on this one. This is a fucking joke, and the commish is like choose between charter flights or investing in the academy?? WTF?

If I see Drogba on a Delta flight I'm snapping a selfie for my kids tho.



http://www.espnfc.us/major-league-soccer/story/2965563/la-galaxys-bruce-arena-embarrassed-by-mls-commercial-travel-arrangements


LA Galaxy manager Bruce Arena says he is so "embarrassed" that Major League Soccer teams must use commercial flights that he has told players not to wear team gear to the airport.

Unlike the other major sports leagues in the United States, MLS does not charter flights for their teams to travel between games, and Arena told the Los Angeles Times that he feels flying commercial damages perception of the league.

"I'm embarrassed that we travel that way. I don't think it helps the reputation of our league," Arena said. "I try to keep it as quiet as possible."

According to the Times, the Galaxy will fly 38,000 miles for 17 regular-season away games this season -- more than most Major League Baseball teams, despite playing a quarter as many games.

MLS teams must wait for the airlines' schedule, often making it impossible to return home on the same day of a game.

Arena switched the United States to chartered flights when he was manager of the national team, and said it's time for the league to follow suit.

"It's time for our league to get into the modern days of professional sports," Arena said. "Travel impacts the competition. ... We lose a training day. It impacts recovery and, again, it impacts the competition."
Midfielder Landon Donovan, who tries do his best to stay incognito on the public flights, agreed with his manager, saying the travel arrangements left a gulf between MLS and the country's other sports leagues.

"There's a perception and an image," he told the Times. "We're on a Southwest flight to Kansas City and a lady in front of us said, 'Why are you guys flying Southwest?' So if we want to be Major League Soccer, not minor league soccer, and we want to be like the others sports, eventually we have to get there."

The commercial flights can lead to injuries -- forward Alan Gordon must be cautious with his back -- and could also create a divide within teams as some star players like Steven Gerrard have first-class accommodations written into their contract.

However, MLS commissioner Don Garber told the Orlando Sentinel last month that charter travel was not a financial priority for the league.

"Our teams have got to decide whether or not charter travel is a bigger priority than perhaps investing in the academy programs to make players better," he said. "All of that has got to get squeezed into an affordable budget so we can continue to succeed as a league.

"Charter travel is less of a priority than investing in academy programs."

NFL ~13B
MLB ~9.5B
NBA ~5B
MLS ~600M (With an M)

They better be glad they're not on Jet Blue.

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you got Pirlo on Spirit Airlines? Frank Lampard in the jumpseat because he didn't want to get bumped off the standby list??

i see the revenue numbers, but the league has a perception around the world of being a retirement, old man's, unskilled players league. If they can't even get their own charters MLS will continue to be looked down upon.

for all the talk of wanting to be taken seriously, if they aren't going to get grass in all the soccer stadiums, at least get them their own flights.

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I had completely forgotten all about that until now.

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all standing around in their warmups looking like Team America World Police and shit

The fact this is legit almost justifies me not watching this league. SMH at a pro sports team flying commercial.

we are getting a new MLS team here in ATL next year.

Unveiling their kits in November.

Bad enough you got them playing on turf, but you want me to support when their league aint even on a professional level? I look like some minor league sports fan to you?

real talk tho, i've read some articles on the women's side of the game so I guess the men should count their blessings. eeeeesh

in fact the article says at least one star player had a clause in their contract for first class.

"The commercial flights can lead to injuries -- forward Alan Gordon must be cautious with his back -- and could also create a divide within teams as some star players like Steven Gerrard have first-class accommodations written into their contract."

I'm sure the big time Euro players who come here have similar clauses for first class at the very least.