Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
@acquistapace.bsky.social
god, it’s brutal out here | two years away from being two years away | MLS sicko from another continent | anthropology student | knows definitely too much about sports | he/him
Read my stuff here: https://medium.com/@alessandroacquistapace
Read my stuff here: https://medium.com/@alessandroacquistapace
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
There’s a couple bold claims that have been implied by soccer analytics research that seem to have the hardest time being accepted at scale. With a little extra time during the American soccer offseason, I tried to dive into why these claims meet so much resistance but why they still matter.
Analytics Philosophy: Low Ceilings and Bottomless Floors
What to make of counterintuitive findings in the world of soccer analytics
open.substack.com
January 10, 2026 at 1:47 PM
There’s a couple bold claims that have been implied by soccer analytics research that seem to have the hardest time being accepted at scale. With a little extra time during the American soccer offseason, I tried to dive into why these claims meet so much resistance but why they still matter.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Option 2: They can buyout Ustari and start on the 2+4 tract. This gives them slightly more than $2M in remaining space. They can then switch, sell Cremaschi, generate GAM that way and have even more room to operate. It would be a bit more of a patient approach but again, that's the power of 2+4.
January 10, 2026 at 3:48 AM
Option 2: They can buyout Ustari and start on the 2+4 tract. This gives them slightly more than $2M in remaining space. They can then switch, sell Cremaschi, generate GAM that way and have even more room to operate. It would be a bit more of a patient approach but again, that's the power of 2+4.
Lots of fan bases around MLS who would be very energised by his signing and many teams for whom it would be a slam dunk to sign a player who is so marketable, proven in this league and easily available. I see a lot of ways in which that could go comically wrong, still worth a try for smaller markets
🇲🇽 BREAKING: San Diego FC sporting director Tyler Heaps says club-record signing Chucky Lozano is not in the clubs plans for 2026.
Heaps told media today that decision is sporting + playing time.
Lozano one of highest paid players in MLS.
Heaps told media today that decision is sporting + playing time.
Lozano one of highest paid players in MLS.
January 10, 2026 at 12:20 AM
Lots of fan bases around MLS who would be very energised by his signing and many teams for whom it would be a slam dunk to sign a player who is so marketable, proven in this league and easily available. I see a lot of ways in which that could go comically wrong, still worth a try for smaller markets
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
I think it’s funny that a group of below average European players are passing immediate judgment on a coaching hire. Sounds like an incredibly toxic and poorly adjusted group.
January 9, 2026 at 11:51 PM
I think it’s funny that a group of below average European players are passing immediate judgment on a coaching hire. Sounds like an incredibly toxic and poorly adjusted group.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Do people from other countries get tired of writing dumb shit on this website or no
Americans, Trump is winning .Nobody is talking about the cost of Doge or Homan 50K or Epstein files or Trump’s Health Care Reform promised since 2016 or his income taxes or the cost of ICE.Keep on with football, the upcoming baseball and what's on TV.Good luck with the up coming martial law.
January 9, 2026 at 7:28 PM
Do people from other countries get tired of writing dumb shit on this website or no
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
It's crazy how much of a bargain elite MLS players are
January 9, 2026 at 2:48 PM
It's crazy how much of a bargain elite MLS players are
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
happy anniversary of christopher columbus mistaking manatees for mermaids and complaining about how mid they were
January 9, 2026 at 12:34 PM
happy anniversary of christopher columbus mistaking manatees for mermaids and complaining about how mid they were
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Spot on. It’s really underdiscussed how the Cashfer is a license to print money. It’s basically taking a static American sports cap system and adding the ability to create new cap space. Not taking this into account is like talking about the economy without including banking and finance.
January 8, 2026 at 4:18 PM
Spot on. It’s really underdiscussed how the Cashfer is a license to print money. It’s basically taking a static American sports cap system and adding the ability to create new cap space. Not taking this into account is like talking about the economy without including banking and finance.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
A blog about this is in the works
Coming 🔜
Coming 🔜
Spot on. It’s really underdiscussed how the Cashfer is a license to print money. It’s basically taking a static American sports cap system and adding the ability to create new cap space. Not taking this into account is like talking about the economy without including banking and finance.
January 8, 2026 at 4:59 PM
A blog about this is in the works
Coming 🔜
Coming 🔜
This genuinely should be mandatory reading for all MLS fans. I also find very interesting the little nugget at the end on how Miami could juggle the two roster construction models. Idk what Miami’s plans are but their option should def be in the cards
How the hell can Inter Miami afford to add Tadeo Allende, Micael, David Ayala, and potentially another max TAM player? We dive into the updated cap structure for Miami and answer some questions that have been floating around:
A 2026 Off-Season Update on Inter Miami
Yes, I will guide you through how Inter Miami is doing all of these deals
footyanalyticmusings.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 4:09 PM
This genuinely should be mandatory reading for all MLS fans. I also find very interesting the little nugget at the end on how Miami could juggle the two roster construction models. Idk what Miami’s plans are but their option should def be in the cards
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
How the hell can Inter Miami afford to add Tadeo Allende, Micael, David Ayala, and potentially another max TAM player? We dive into the updated cap structure for Miami and answer some questions that have been floating around:
A 2026 Off-Season Update on Inter Miami
Yes, I will guide you through how Inter Miami is doing all of these deals
footyanalyticmusings.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 3:38 PM
How the hell can Inter Miami afford to add Tadeo Allende, Micael, David Ayala, and potentially another max TAM player? We dive into the updated cap structure for Miami and answer some questions that have been floating around:
I will be genuinely disappointed if this is *not* some kind of favour/kickback/wink wink deal/shady behaviour. Thinking that you’ve made a good business out of these two deals would be a fireable offence in itself imho. DC literally just financed 2 seasons at least for Cluj
Days after signing Louis Munteanu to a club record transfer, DC United appear to be close to signing Munteanu’s teammate at Cluj (Meriton Korenica) for an additional $4 million www.fanatik.ro/korenica-mer...
Korenica merge la DC United, lângă Louis Munteanu! 90% se face: toate cifrele afacerii și ce salariu va avea mijlocașul-vedetă al clujenilor. Exclusiv
Meriton Korenica, tot mai aproape de transferul în SUA. Patronul Neluțu Varga va încasa o avere pentru 75% din drepturile federative ale jucătorului kosovar
www.fanatik.ro
January 8, 2026 at 3:32 PM
I will be genuinely disappointed if this is *not* some kind of favour/kickback/wink wink deal/shady behaviour. Thinking that you’ve made a good business out of these two deals would be a fireable offence in itself imho. DC literally just financed 2 seasons at least for Cluj
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Spending $4m on a 29-year-old winger who’s scored double-digit goals in a league season *once*… eight years ago.
Days after signing Louis Munteanu to a club record transfer, DC United appear to be close to signing Munteanu’s teammate at Cluj (Meriton Korenica) for an additional $4 million www.fanatik.ro/korenica-mer...
Korenica merge la DC United, lângă Louis Munteanu! 90% se face: toate cifrele afacerii și ce salariu va avea mijlocașul-vedetă al clujenilor. Exclusiv
Meriton Korenica, tot mai aproape de transferul în SUA. Patronul Neluțu Varga va încasa o avere pentru 75% din drepturile federative ale jucătorului kosovar
www.fanatik.ro
January 8, 2026 at 2:42 PM
Spending $4m on a 29-year-old winger who’s scored double-digit goals in a league season *once*… eight years ago.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
It's also important for ICE to erase that this kind of public execution was entirely avoidable in any reasonable society. There was no need for a deployment like this, no need for the street interaction here, no need for the drawing of weapons, no need for firing, etc...
January 7, 2026 at 8:35 PM
It's also important for ICE to erase that this kind of public execution was entirely avoidable in any reasonable society. There was no need for a deployment like this, no need for the street interaction here, no need for the drawing of weapons, no need for firing, etc...
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Anyone who has read Copaganda knows that we are in the crucial early moments of virality after an extra-judicial police murder. It's extremely important for ICE that the media plays along with the idea that what happened is contested and there are multiple perspectives.
January 7, 2026 at 8:35 PM
Anyone who has read Copaganda knows that we are in the crucial early moments of virality after an extra-judicial police murder. It's extremely important for ICE that the media plays along with the idea that what happened is contested and there are multiple perspectives.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Section 5(1)(f) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 (as amended) makes it a criminal offence to knowingly facilitate the production or distribution of sexualised images of children. The problem here isn't the law - it's the political willingnesss to enforce it against X.
My word. (Again.)
Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan: "At the end of the day, it's the choice of a person to make these images... technology is moving so fast... even if the law is changed there's no doubt about... the advances are far faster than law is able to respond..."
Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan: "At the end of the day, it's the choice of a person to make these images... technology is moving so fast... even if the law is changed there's no doubt about... the advances are far faster than law is able to respond..."
January 8, 2026 at 1:38 PM
Section 5(1)(f) of the Child Trafficking and Pornography Act 1998 (as amended) makes it a criminal offence to knowingly facilitate the production or distribution of sexualised images of children. The problem here isn't the law - it's the political willingnesss to enforce it against X.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
It’s genuinely wild that the United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global hegemon, sustained by ideology rather than might, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason
January 6, 2026 at 12:35 AM
It’s genuinely wild that the United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global hegemon, sustained by ideology rather than might, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
…some people would rather burn it down than hear a land acknowledgement or see pronouns in an email signature. They’d torch centuries of progress over a mixed race family in a Target commercial. They’d rather put sand in the engine of prosperity than see smaller, less jiggly busts in video games.
January 6, 2026 at 3:33 AM
…some people would rather burn it down than hear a land acknowledgement or see pronouns in an email signature. They’d torch centuries of progress over a mixed race family in a Target commercial. They’d rather put sand in the engine of prosperity than see smaller, less jiggly busts in video games.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
Gender and race, the double ouroboros. Liberalism could have marched on for centuries, becoming ever more inclusive while still exploiting labor, finding last-minute technological solutions to issues like climate change like Gromit laying down tracks in front of the speeding train. But…
they're doing it for gender, imo
It’s genuinely wild that the United States spent decades building an elaborate rules-based international order which de facto cemented its permanent status as the dominant global hegemon, sustained by ideology rather than might, and now is just blowing it all up for literally no reason
January 6, 2026 at 3:30 AM
Gender and race, the double ouroboros. Liberalism could have marched on for centuries, becoming ever more inclusive while still exploiting labor, finding last-minute technological solutions to issues like climate change like Gromit laying down tracks in front of the speeding train. But…
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
kind of darkly funny that "gender studies" is the stereotypical "useless degree" because gender studies will help you understand a large and important chunk of the current psychosis in american life
January 6, 2026 at 2:00 AM
kind of darkly funny that "gender studies" is the stereotypical "useless degree" because gender studies will help you understand a large and important chunk of the current psychosis in american life
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
every fascist intellectual is nothing more than an adolescent pseud with faux gravitas whose output is sophomoric fanfiction the sole purpose of which is to rationalize fascist barbarism
January 6, 2026 at 4:31 PM
every fascist intellectual is nothing more than an adolescent pseud with faux gravitas whose output is sophomoric fanfiction the sole purpose of which is to rationalize fascist barbarism
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
We got good old fashioned transfer drama. I love the cashfer rule so much.
Vancouver Whitecaps CEO & sporting director Axel Schuster in a statement on Tristan Blackmon situation:
"We firmly reject reports suggesting that we are close to completing the transfer of any of our players. The situation is, in fact, the exact opposite."
Full statement
"We firmly reject reports suggesting that we are close to completing the transfer of any of our players. The situation is, in fact, the exact opposite."
Full statement
January 7, 2026 at 9:59 PM
We got good old fashioned transfer drama. I love the cashfer rule so much.
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
there are massive regions of the world where rice is the primary source of calories for the population in which diabetes and cancer are virtually non-existent
January 8, 2026 at 12:55 AM
there are massive regions of the world where rice is the primary source of calories for the population in which diabetes and cancer are virtually non-existent
Reposted by Alessandro Acquistapace-Volpe
so the old food pyramid was really bad but if you think that rice is bad for you I'm sorry but you are very dumb
January 8, 2026 at 12:54 AM
so the old food pyramid was really bad but if you think that rice is bad for you I'm sorry but you are very dumb
I thought a lot about the U22 Initiative and imho, despite it being a kind of cheesy way of doing roster rules, one that people who believe MLS is too complicated roll their eyes at, is actually a resounding success even, better said especially, if the signings are meh
medium.com/@alessandroa...
medium.com/@alessandroa...
The U22 Initiative is very good
In March, Ben Wright for Backheeled asked “has the MLS’ U22 Initiative been a success?” The answer to that question was a resounding… well…
medium.com
January 7, 2026 at 10:53 PM
I thought a lot about the U22 Initiative and imho, despite it being a kind of cheesy way of doing roster rules, one that people who believe MLS is too complicated roll their eyes at, is actually a resounding success even, better said especially, if the signings are meh
medium.com/@alessandroa...
medium.com/@alessandroa...