FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

[RaychelSnr]

Playing career mode with an MLS team in FIFA is like that nagging feeling you get when you're watching Man City play–everything looks good on the surface, but there's an undercurrent of inauthenticity running through it.

In real life, the biggest soccer league in the continent is an interesting hybrid of Europe and North America: While the action on the pitch mirrors a match you’d find on the other side of the Atlantic, off the field things are more North American—there’s a players draft, trading instead of buying and selling, and a salary cap (along with which comes a slew of special player quotas). But in the FIFA series, the MLS is just another league in the Career Mode, still stuck with the European management system. The MLS experience in FIFA needs improving, this much is obvious.

Read More - FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

[Big_Mig_11]

Great read. I agree with most of the article, that there needs to be an MLS specific software for the platforms in order to capture MLS stadiums, atmospheres, rules, playoff seeding, etc. The appetite for MLS fans can be had with a "MLS Mode" moving forward with FIFA, but down the line, there should be a revamped version of FIFA, like the World Cup games and Champions League.

[DukesofHazzard]

I agree with everything in this article. You know they used to have a fifa euro edition game why can't they come out with an MLS version of fifa. Everything MLS with the game.

[Blublub]

Hmmm...wouldn't the easier solution be for the MLS to drop the silly rules that try to shoehorn soccer into "the American sporting experience"? I mean you'd think twenty years into the league they would stop trying to cater to "casual fans" and make the league conform with the international game. Hell, get rid of the centralized player allocation, add promotion/relegation with the other US leagues and you'd see a huge interest in the league from hardcore fans.

[Blublub]

Hmmm...wouldn't the easier solution be for the MLS to drop the silly rules that try to shoehorn soccer into "the American sporting experience"? I mean you'd think twenty years into the league they would stop trying to cater to "casual fans" and make the league conform with the international game. Hell, get rid of the centralized player allocation, add promotion/relegation with the other US leagues and you'd see a huge interest in the league from hardcore fans.

Not to mention there actually was a dedicated Konami MLS game many years back that was actually pretty good yet sold miserably. I doubt EA wants to go there.

[illaim]

Sans the shot at City, I salute this very good post

[js3512]

Hmmm...wouldn't the easier solution be for the MLS to drop the silly rules that try to shoehorn soccer into "the American sporting experience"? I mean you'd think twenty years into the league they would stop trying to cater to "casual fans" and make the league conform with the international game. Hell, get rid of the centralized player allocation, add promotion/relegation with the other US leagues and you'd see a huge interest in the league from hardcore fans.

If MLS only caters to hardcore fans then it will fail miserably because there's just not enough of those on this side of the pond. As for the casual fans, they're engrained into the way American sports do things and the European way doesn't make sense to us. It'd be like us switching to the metric system for everything. I hate the way European fans think they know what's best for us.

Back to the OP, I agree with pretty much everything you said, if I could have a more MLS type of game I'd be more inclined to buy because I have 0 interest in following a European league or team. I don't care if their players are more talented, I simply can't connect with a team or league that's so far away.

All this may be moot though with the PS4 arriving later in the year as there should be no reason they can't include all of the MLS stuff without it messing with the rest of the game.

[JJT]

Re: FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

Ya on the next gen systems there will be no excuse to not make this league great.

[believeinnow]

The idea of an MLS-centric FIFA game is an interesting case that has been murmured about for years. It won't happen since it would require a completely different interface. Yes, Americans want everything to be americanized, but considering the MLS is ran differently than most other leagues, it would be unfair to change things for just one league. If they do that, then, they'll have to make changes to every other league. When Holland and Turkish leagues did playoff systems for a brief period of time, I don't think either saw those systems implemented in the game. Then to top it off, both countries stopped the playoff system.

[JJT]

Re: FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

Fifa 13 units sold:

Holland - 10,000

Turkey - 17

Usa - 1,000,000


Thats why.


( #s might not be true lol)

[rckabillyRaider]

Re: FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

I don't think a MLS game would work for some of the reasons mentioned in the article (though I definitely would buy it), but I do think EA should overhaul it in FIFA. At least obtain a USL or NASL license (how expensive can that be??) to have an expanded US Open Cup. Also implement some kind of CONCACAF Champions league, at least with the Mexican and MLS clubs. That would at least add a bit more variety during Career Mode

[HKPound]

Re: FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

I would absolutely love if MLS was implemented correctly now that I've gotten into the league. I wish there was a proper CONCACAF Champions League though so we could at least be afforded the opportunity to play in that and than possibly the Club World Cup.

[LosCriminales]

I've been beating this drum for some time myself. There have been a couple of MLS games - MLS Extra Time 2002 for Xbox 1 has CMGi field instead of Gillette and has Jack Edwards doing commentary but uses the PES engine. So there's still that system in the game - no shootouts (which happened at the time).

Anyway, I'm sure it's complete laziness on EA's part - take a look at their rosters -- someone like Clint Dempsey has a crap rating when playing for the Revs but then goes to Fulham and is magically improved.

Whatever.

[Azamien]

Re: FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

Hmmm...wouldn't the easier solution be for the MLS to drop the silly rules that try to shoehorn soccer into "the American sporting experience"? I mean you'd think twenty years into the league they would stop trying to cater to "casual fans" and make the league conform with the international game. Hell, get rid of the centralized player allocation, add promotion/relegation with the other US leagues and you'd see a huge interest in the league from hardcore fans.

Aside from having a playoff system (and since there's no Champions League for the top finishers to go to, having a playoff isn't a bad thing), the "silly" rules in MLS aren't meant to cater to anyone. They're to keep the league and its teams financially healthy so that it doesn't become yet another failed US league.

Player allocation is becoming somewhat de-centralized now that academies are up and running and starting to produce players. The SuperDraft is becoming less and less important, and I wouldn't be surprised if it goes away at some point.

As for promotion/relegation, MLS has already said they want that. I don't remember what the target year Garber gave was, but he said there isn't a promotion/relegation system in place now because there isn't a strong enough second-tier league. The only way they can have that sort of system is if it wouldn't kill off relegated teams, which right now it would. Could you imagine if NYRB or LA Galaxy were to get relegated right now? They'd have to dump their entire rosters to make up for the fact that no one would go watch them against NASL teams.

[HKPound]

Re: FIFA: Time to Improve the MLS Experience

I've honestly never seen the issue with the MLS Superdraft, how does that hurt the league at all? Oh no, we are actually giving people the opportunity to get an education and pursue athletics, we must be idiots! The academies are growing which will help the league as well as the USMNT.