How US soccer wars are basically the 2016 election

The 2016 Presidential election is shaping up to be a mess. Know what else is a mess? #soccertwitter

It's a constant battle about what's best for the sport from the internet's least knowledgable, most vocal advocates. Much like politics. And the two main parties in each category have many similarities.

Let's break it down.

PRO/REL, NASL as the Republican Party 

A proud group of people that claim everything can be made great (again) if we just replace the current people in power. Wait, were things ever great?

Not getting into a broader argument, but how can we do this? How can we make American soccer great? As a Pro/Rel'er and it's simple, just create a real pyramid with tiered divisions and promotion and relegation.

Cool. How? And then this is the part where you get a lot of, not even misinformation, but non-information.

"Nobody knows the system better than me," said Donald Trump, and probably a lot of Detroit City FC diehards.

"It's a rigged system," said Donald Trump, and probably a lot of Minnesota United fans, before being accepted into the league/as a party nominee.

Really, both Donald Trump and Pro/Rel crowds have made people question everything. The system is broken! Look how bad things are! We can make this better with generic response 1, generic response 2 and another couple generic responses that you can't help but agree with because we're already on the same side.

Add in some kinda shady characters who only care about their own interests (that's really any political donor/sports owner to be fair) throwing money around and it makes the situation even murkier.

Mix a bit of infighting in so that no one can't get their collective shit together and it leads to the rise of...

MLS as the Democratic Party

MLS and the Dems have been in power for the majority of the time since the mid-90s (excluding some down years in the early '00s) and have been generally pretty good but no one is quite happy.

Despite being the most qualified league/candidate in history they are each also the most distrusted. How do you have both? Well some decisions get made for the greater good that rub some people on the fringe the wrong way, even if the general population understands why things are done.

LET'S BRING UP MINNESOTA AGAIN! People in the party cry foul - see Minnesota United fans (Bernie supporters) mad that Atlanta United (Hillary) get what they believe they deserve in the United name (party nomination) and the brass of the wronged group goes along with it because they know it is best to keep unity for the sake of the party as a whole (Democrats/US Soccer).

Eventually though this party is basically able to meet compromises because they realize that this group needs to come together to overcome the opposition.

And why not, the easiest argument to make is, "Why make America/US soccer great again when it's already maybe the best is ever been?"

Are there fixes to be made? Sure. We in a pretty good place? Yes. Will the other side do anything to help make things better? At this juncture, definitely not.

MLS PRO Referees to Hate

Too much gets made of referee assignments. There shouldn't be an issue of who the officials are going into the game. That being said, US soccer referees could probably be better. But that could be said of most things.

In MLS, PRO - Professional Referee Organization - oversees the crews. PRO also is in charge of NASL, USL, NWSL, USSF, Canadian soccer federations and the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. So it is kinda a big deal. 

Above is the 2016 PRO roster for head referees. Are some worse than others? Do Atlanta United fans need to take notice of and get familiar with some of these names?

Fotis Bazakos

The Bent Musket says all you need to know about Bazakos. When you got a # you made it. #WTFotis

Allen Chapman

Apparently Chapmen's got a history of controversy with Real Salt Lake. Back when Jason Kreis was still coach, "Kreis has actually changed where he sits on a bench and refused to shake hands with Chapman before the game."

Ismail Elfath

He even did enough to once be called out directly by Omar Gonzalez.  Elfath was rewarded with refereeing the MLS All-Star Game in 2015 though.

Drew Fischer

Apparently Fischer's online presence is mostly positive reinforcement from the refereeing community. Has been said he doesn't have any control.

Geoff Gamble

Gamble is basically the opposite of Fischer, being called out by the refereeing community. The Colorado Rapids and New England Revolution also had a tough go with him a while back.  Has maybe gotten better?

Dave Gantar

Toronto FC and Michael Bradley have the most beef with Gantar, possibly ruining their chances at a playoff appearance in 2014. He even followed it up with a poor performance at the beginning of 2015. Gantar is even Canadian. For shame. Only TFC seems to care.

Mark Geiger

"Generally regarded as one of the top referees in MLS," yet Geiger finds himself in hot water a lot. Such as the Jermaine Jones incident. And even outside MLS as when he officiated Mexico-Panama in the 2015 Gold Cup.

Jorge Gonzalez

While Gonzalez has been critiqued for some missed calls, he also gets commended by the referees out there. Whose side do you take?

Hilario Grajeda

How the mighty have fallen? Grajeda was pegged to call the MLS Cup Final in 2013 and was voted ref of the year. But he didn't do so hot. Same happened during an NCAA Final that year. Since then? So-so.

Juan Guzman

Guzman seems to consistently miss calls. Or just make bad calls. Or even lose control of games completely. So, hate, hate, hate.

Edvin Jurisevic

Jurisevic flys more under the radar. Some older posts suggest he can be a bit inconsistent. Doesn't seem like anyone minds him as an assignment though. 

Alan Kelly

A relative newcomer in MLS and PRO. Kelly is from Ireland and in his second season in America/Canada (2015) won referee of the year. Seems like a coup to have gotten him stateside. A+.

Jair Marrufo

People like Marrufo. Was lead official for the 2015 MLS Cup Final, which some Columbus Crew fans may not like him for (that one goal was more of a linesman issue though). Referee of Year back in '08. 

Chris Penso

Going to use this Massive Report power ranks again that points to Penso wanting to be  the center of attention. Gross. Refs like some of his decisions though. Meh.

Silviu Petrescu

Basically only negative reviews of Petrescu's games. People didn't like him at MLS Cup. He was suspended in 2015 for missed calls. But he was MLS Referee of the Year in 2012? Maybe that's not a good barometer. 

Juan Carlos Rivero

Getting arrested for fraud won't endear Rivero to many people. But when he isn't ripping off the government then he doesn't do half bad.

Ricardo Salazar

Salazar may be the true Heel of MLS PRO referees. This poll voted him the worst ref in MLS in 2013. There was a Change.org petition. Fans call him "Red Card Ricardo."

Robert Sibiga

A newer referee. Small sample size going for Sibiga. This Ottawa Fury fan probably very much dislikes him though.

Sorin Stoica

Stoica is not well-regarded. Either by fans who call him "Village Idiot," or refs that say he needs a backbone.

Kevin Stott

Stott has been around since 1996. He's had some moments of controversy, humor and praise. Going with my gut, I'd be happy to see him as an assignment. 

Baldomero Toledo

Holy shit that's a great name. Nobody likes Toledo though. Not one person says anything good about him. Guess there must really be a lack of quality refs for him to still be out here.

Ted Unkel

Unkel was tabbed for the USOC Final last season and has not been reffing MLS games long. People seem to spout off about him a lot though. 

Armando Villarreal

Refs like Villarreal's calls in tight positions. Besides the LA Galaxy there doesn't seem to be much complaint about him. Let's end on a high note.

Note: if you were looking for the referee in charge of that US Open fiasco where Clint Dempsey tore up his book, that was Daniel Radford, a 4th Official. I guess they can call US Open games but not head referee MLS.

What does the Charleston Battery affiliation mean for Atlanta United?

So, Atlanta United has signed an affiliation deal with the USL's Charleston Battery for the 2016 season.

This will be the first time an MLS team has affiliated a USL team before entering the league. Or something like that.

So this one year deal is for 2016. What does that mean for 2017?

We don't know yet. Charleston has been in deals with other MLS teams before, including one year deals before geography and/or the MLS team fielding their own squad caused those affiliations to lapse.

Both #ATLUTD and the Battery have been quiet on plans for 2017 but don't be surprised if down the road Atlanta has a local USL squad.

Does Atlanta United have access to and make decisions on the Charleston Battery roster?

“The affiliation gives us the opportunity to sign players in 2016 and develop them in a high-level, professional environment while adding value to the Battery’s existing roster," said Atlanta United president Darren Eales.

So, yeah. We may see some faces that make the inaugural Atlanta United roster in Charleston in 2016.

Can they compete in Open Cup?

I dunno.

Inspiration for uniforms?

Charleston Battery's away uniform is what most fans hope the Atlanta United home jersey will resemble. Their home kit is yellow and black vertical stripes. Maybe Atlanta United does two vertical striped kits the same way just swap the home and away.

Who's going to be on the 2016 Charleston Battery roster?

Only two players are currently listed on their site: Justin Portillo and Shawn Ferguson.

The 5'6" playmaker Portillo could be a future fan favorite.

Maybe the Atlanta United staff at the MLS Combine spotted some undrafted talent. 

What else should I know?

This long Q&A.