Though sneered at by the sport’s purists, gimmicks have a hallowed place in the story of American soccer. The latest example debuted at the start of this season, when MLS newcomers Nashville SC unveiled their sideline record lathe, which presses custom vinyl for each home game’s man-of-the-match.



But where does it stand in the hierarchy of MLS’s pitchside quirks? We have convened The Athletic’s foremost gimmickry experts to rank some of the league’s most prominent current examples from least to most original and offer their individual verdicts on which should stay and which should go.



5. Nashville’s record lathe



Adam: This idea — of cutting a record to play the radio commentary highlighting the achievements of a player, who will then collect that record as his prize for being named man-of-the-match — is kind of cool. It’s very Nashville, but almost a little too Nashville, you know? Like, was it between...