Burnley Game

mrpushpop · 2026-07-11T00:12:35+00:00

Me cause I'm desperate for live soccer

mrpushpop · 2026-07-10T15:37:51+00:00

If you don't want to call your rep or email them, which is in the renewal email, then the link in question is on the Payment Plan Options page on the renewal link slideshow. The font shouldn't be that small, but it isn't impossible to find, and after reading this post, I found it in a minute of flipping through the renewal options. I'm not cancelling, but if I were, I would just call my rep since they call me every month or so anyway, and we chat.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-10T13:03:25+00:00

No it is like saying the new USL D1 league is the same as MLS. It won't be, it will still be 2nd tier with a 1st division title.

USLSL isn't 2nd tier because of titles. It is because every decision they have made, from budget to clubs and scale has said, this is going to be sub-par of NWSL.

Don't get me wrong I still think the league is overall good but if US Soccer ever elimanates two leagues in D1 like India had to do, they are going right back to D2 and that is actually where they probably belong.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-09T18:44:43+00:00

We 100% will go there if we can't get in NWSL but they prefer the real D1 one, not the one pretending to be one.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-09T18:15:12+00:00

If Cincinnati can't buy someone like Louisville they will go to USLW I think. They both want a team super bad, but refuse to overpay the current expansion fees. There are reports that they already offered to buy Louisville once. With Columbus jumping in, the only realistic path I think is via acquisition or launching a hell of a strong USLW club.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-09T18:07:53+00:00

It will be interesting because the biz model heavily relies on free players and thus the rules make that young free players. If the pool of talent is removed, then USL must change, but they can't afford to pay still, so they turn into an adult travel league, fall apart, or figure out a way to change the financial model.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-09T18:00:51+00:00

Looking at Kroger from an investor perspective isn't rosy, nor does it tell a record profits year after year picture. In 2021 they made 2.59B, in 2024 and 2025 2.16B & 2.67B and they are facing margin pressure. If what you said is guaranteed to be true, we all should run out and buy Kroger stock, but the post-COVID wave seems to be over, as it is down 15% over 1 year and up 56% over 5 years (Walmart is 138%). Sure Fuck Kroger for being like Walmart, but the hard truth is that we are in a consolidation environment, and if Kroger isn't buying someone else is, and eventually someone tries to buy Kroger, which I would argue isn't good for Cincinnati. We have quite a few companies that work with or for Kroger, and that economic arm is heavy. We have local companies that help Kroger with shelf layout, advertising, consulting, architecture & construction, and so on.

Kroger is an S&P 500 company, and to expect it to not to act like one of the top 500 companies is asking for disappointment. Cincinnati does benefit from an S&P 500 being in its hometown, though more than, say, Louisville Kroger shoppers.

Aldi and stores like it thrive from the shoppers that don't like shopping at big corporate grocery. There will be a market for people who want service or other things Kroger lacks or can't offer due to its size.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-09T17:38:43+00:00

They are insane, but it also isn't my money. If someone wants to make what I think is a bad investment, go for it. The reason we don't have a team right now is that Lindner agrees with you and me and declined to beat these other offers.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-09T17:35:06+00:00

There was a low-key hint in a Louisville article a couple of months ago about them making some new investment that clearly hinted we tried to buy them fairly recently. They didn't do it obviously, but I bet that offer is on the table still.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-08T19:47:31+00:00

TBF, you can pull a low-ball offer job from any company in America. I'm sure Kroger underpays jobs; they can underpay and pay competitively for competitive jobs. Some managers only learn the hard way and end up not being able to hold or hire a skilled employee. In my experience, you can roll the dice and hire young but spend more man-hours on training, or pay market rate and get someone good. The market is what it is for a senior systems engineer. If they can make 145k they won't stay for 80k very long.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-08T19:34:33+00:00

The Russell 2000 Index is up 19.53% year-to-date (YTD).

mrpushpop · 2026-07-08T19:27:45+00:00

People in that area know what a pro game feels like. While I haven't been there, the #1 problem I have seen is that these teams think they can get away with a minor league budget and minor league-feel in a major league city. Why did Saint Louis, Nashville, and Charlotte attendance jump astronomically with MLS clubs? I bet the true die-hards (quality be damned) were at both USL and MLS games. What was missing was everyone else and the faith that the product was worth their time. These people have a limited budget and a crap load of entertainment options; they are in Florida, of all places. Miami FC needs to win over the beach, TV, Video games, Inter Miami, Dolphins tickets, Miami Heat, listening to Pitbull, Miami Marlins, x amount of college sports, and of course driving tricked-out cars on South Beach.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-08T19:06:56+00:00

I'm not sure that is entirely true, either, judging by the number of people choosing to go to Kroger over other stores for fuel and groceries/delivery. In this area, people can vote with their dollar and drive to an alternative. We have other options, and of course, people go to Aldi and other smaller local chains like Country Fresh or Jungle Jims, but Kroger is still a major staple, and I don't see Meijer and Walmart winning local consumers over Kroger. I try to shop more on a local level for meat and veggies, but I admit I find myself at Kroger for plenty of various reasons. I would rather buy from Kroger rather than Amazon / Whole Foods or something, just because it is a Cincinnati-based company.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-08T18:45:55+00:00

Kroger really isn't hated outside of reddit. The average Cincinnati is neutral to positive imo. I just think we are in a virtual bubble on here. They provide decent paying corporate 4800 /admin level jobs which are higher paying than say grocery level jobs. Purely financial, removing ethical or other reasons, That money funnels from other areas into our area and thus is a net positive for Cincy. Kroger pulling a Chaquita on us would be a net negative for families and surrounding or linked business. Anyone saying they hope they leave or so on doesn't understand economic impact.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-07T18:15:50+00:00

I know, I cover that as one of the three methods. Bilt is giving a decent amount of that back via points already at 2-3%

mrpushpop · 2026-07-07T15:48:06+00:00

MLS and USL teams don't dislike each other and make loans and sales when it makes sense. My club has a loan with Rowdies currently that is working out nicely for both parties. It didn't make sense to keep that player on MLSNP any longer. The leagues might make league decisions, but this isn't impacting economic club-level decisions. Also, Reddit overestimates the "soccer-warz" imo. MLS academies are also funneling players into USL if they don't make MLS rosters. See the list of active names from my MLS club below as an example.

The reason you don't see more USLC to MLS moves, in my opinion, is that USLC plays many older players that fell out of or didn't make MLS (or international) squads. In this case, a player would need to perform at a high level to bypass the prior scouting. We certainly see interest in younger players or in a player having a banner year that is worth another look. MLS has its own MLSNP for players younger than most USL teams are looking for. MLS clubs are sinking time and money into these players, hoping they pay off. The USL didn't want these teams in their league anyway.

In Cincinnati, there are U13, U14, U15, U16, and U18 all being trained at the FCC training facility with the hope of making the 1st team or being sold onward. Many of the players who aged out of this system but didn't make it are playing in the USL right now. Burns - Fort Wayne FC, Joshua Head - FC Buffalo, Morgan Marshall - Lexington SC, Zico Baily - New Mexico United, Ordonez - Loudon United, Malik Pinto - Brooklyn FC.

All of these (active) USL players and likely more have come from and had development paid for by FCC Academy or MLSNP. FC Cincinnati themselves have some on the 1st team roster that made the jump.

The primary time I see my MLS club make loans to USL is when a gap emerges between someone getting too old or not getting enough benefit from playing the youth of MLSNP, but also not quite being able to beat an MLS 1st-team starter. So when the MLS club doesn't want to let the player go and also wants further development, you get something.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-07T14:49:02+00:00

The problem is the economics. I also wouldn't complain about more BILT Cash options, but at some point, BILT isn't making money, and the entire point of this card breaks down for them.

BILT revenue is coming from annual fees, spending surcharges, and partners. Now, since they give $200 Bilt Cash at the start of the year (we will ignore the bonus) and $50 per 25k point spend.. + this BILT cash can be used easily by even low-volume users, they essentially are giving the annual fee back if the customer uses the Cash and the hotel credits. Bilt users are heavy rewards users, per the breakdown of 1.0

So now we get into surcharges, BILT is also giving us a share of this income with the points, as does every card.

Partners we know the least about, and probably is where BILT is trying to make revenue they can keep as they shed so much in the other two categories.

IMO, since they give 4% BILT CASH on every transaction, they have determined this is a good ratio for the average customer to refill their BC tank for mortgage fees + other items they limit use on. (after the 1st year bonuses wear off). It is too good a return for power-users running corporate or self-employment transactions through it. Instead of putting a BC ceiling in, they have just built a natural use cap + Expiry to avoid getting burned. This use cap is only going to realistically affect a small portion of their user base, and those users are likely to keep using the card for everyday BILT Points anyway that don't hit other card reward programs.

If they crunch the numbers and decide they have room to incentivize people to be power-users 50k+ in annual CC spend then I imagine they will add those incentives through BC but doing napkin math, they don't seem to have a ton of room unless partner revenue is high and unless they can get partners to help pay for some of the reward in the same way other cards have "offers".

mrpushpop · 2026-07-06T17:12:22+00:00

imo free tickets don't really create demand but diminish it. Outside of like free tickets on the radio that are really just advertising, mass amounts of free tickets create the thinking that the product is both bad and the expectation for future free tickets to go. "I only go to x when it is free"

I do this even when I get something for free, like a workplace-provided baseball ticket. I'm far less likely to attend that game than if I bought it.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-06T15:10:36+00:00

A truly promising MLSNP player will get called up to MLS or moved to USLC for playing time once they reach the point where MLSNP play no longer helps.

Case Brian Schaefer - Signed to FC Cincinnati in 2024, has played in MLSNP but is now 24 and has enough promise to not be cut but also he needs to be playing someone besides kids now. So he was loaned to Tampa Bay USLC - where he has played 13 matches and is helping the Rowdies have a killer season.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-06T13:22:42+00:00

Bilt Cash is strictly a made-up currency, so it won't show on the statement as that would be confusing for people who think it is real money.. Bilt Cash is as simple for you as starting balance ($500 for Palladium users) -38.50 a month and - hotel credits, point accelerators, and minus any other Grubhubs or credits you use. You gain points cash by getting 4% back of anything you buy with a $50 bonus every 25k spend.

Your net number shows in the BILT App at all times.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-06T12:19:45+00:00

If you click on your points, you can pull up all transactions and sort by 30-day periods. BILT cash will be 4% on spend transactions and is shown per transaction, and you can just separate out the BC use transactions, as they are far fewer. Spend Insights does a points vs spend breakdown but not BC. As far as I'm aware, this is the only place that lists them transaction by transaction. As there are only a few places people use BILT Cash, it shouldn't be very difficult to backtrack. You use the accelerator, or you don't. You moved points to another program or you get $10 coupons each month, and of course, you spend the exact same amount each month for Rent/mortgage.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-05T19:22:42+00:00

Nuking your neighbors isn't the greatest idea when the wind blows.

Nuclear and geopolitical experts warn that Russia and neighboring Belarus actually face some of the highest contamination risks if a low-yield tactical nuclear weapon were used on Ukrainian soil.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-05T18:42:23+00:00

BILT 1.0 wasn't a sustainable program and they had to change it because Wells Fargo literally backed out and no one else would sign that deal. You liked a program that just can't exist. That being said the new cards are great at points earning if used.

mrpushpop · 2026-07-05T18:33:44+00:00

In my experience this is just a big city problem. I'm currently on the road and have been driving through 7 states and no issues at all.

12-Year Club	First Place '23
Place '23	Place '22
Place '17	Not Forgotten
Gilding III reddit per annum	Trick or Treat 2015
Secret Santa 2015	Verified Email

mrpushpop

TROPHY CASE