MLS

[AntiMadridista]

But you have to wonder if it's because our domestic league is "boring" that it causes the majority of Americans to be disinterested. Perhaps if there were more star players to improve the quality of the league it would appeal to more people here.

That's definitely possible, but there's so many people that just don't like the sport at all. Other than cities like LA, SF, Portland, Seattle, and NY there doesn't seem to be a whole lot of interest. If the whole country was as interested as those cities then I think the sport would be extremely popular.

 

[XaviMessiGirl]

Yeah it's definitely true that some places have bigger fanbases, probably in part because of the large amounts of immigrants in them from countries who traditionally care a lot about football. SF & LA have a large Hispanic/Latino population, NY has the Italians, etc. Seattle though is an interesting phenomenon that doesn't really rely on that factor.

Miami apparently has a lot of football fans too despite not having a club. If MLS is going to expand anywhere else I think putting a team there would be a good idea.

 

[Kerrybai]

Yeah it's definitely true that some places have bigger fanbases, probably in part because of the large amounts of immigrants in them from countries who traditionally care a lot about football. SF & LA have a large Hispanic/Latino population, NY has the Italians, etc. Seattle though is an interesting phenomenon that doesn't really rely on that factor.

Miami apparently has a lot of football fans too despite not having a club. If MLS is going to expand anywhere else I think putting a team there would be a good idea.

The Red Bulls have Henry and still struggle to get good attendances despite been located in the NY area. I don't think big stars are the final answer as getting rid of the salary cap would ruin the parity and some teams would never have success and struggle to really grow. The ultimate goal is an NFL type situation with everyone competing on a level playing field ( to a certain extent ).

La galaxy have been a success but looks at Chivas USA. They marketed themselves only to Hispanics in LA and completely failed. They have the worst attendances at 8k, mind you branding themselves after another club was always a bad idea. I don't think people like the idea of supporting what is essentially a feeder club.

Portland and Seattle have tapped into the Ultra culture which has helped them grow, on top of that I guess they are 'hipster' areas so supporting soccer is almost trendy in a sense. I guess it also helps that the areas are not saturated with other sports as much as some US cities.

 

[PaulFCB]

Red Bull Arena is located in Harrison, NJ...so it's the Metro Area of New York, which is extremely huge.
Just imagine living in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx or even Manhattan and you have to get there, should be a big pain in the ass.
Madison Square Garden is located in the heart of the city just next to Penn Station, easiest place to get to, Flushing Meadows and The Mets are just at the terminus of a Subway line, so pretty easy to get there, Yankee Stadum is just across the Harlem River from Manhattan.
They should've built the arena somewhere in the city, like near the Meadows where there's a place called Willets Points, they wanted to make a Olympic place there in case NY would've hosted the games in 2012, it's a bunch of dirty streets at the level of a 3rd world country, don't even think they laid asphalt on those streets.

 

[Kerrybai]

Red Bull Arena is located in Harrison, NJ...so it's the Metro Area of New York, which is extremely huge.
Just imagine living in Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx or even Manhattan and you have to get there, should be a big pain in the ass.
Madison Square Garden is located in the heart of the city just next to Penn Station, easiest place to get to, Flushing Meadows and The Mets are just at the terminus of a Subway line, so pretty easy to get there, Yankee Stadum is just across the Harlem River from Manhattan.
They should've built the arena somewhere in the city, like near the Meadows where there's a place called Willets Points, they wanted to make a Olympic place there in case NY would've hosted the games in 2012, it's a bunch of dirty streets at the level of a 3rd world country, don't even think they laid asphalt on those streets.

The Cosmos and NYCFC are both looking at flushing Meadows as a possibility. They should hopefully attract a good fan base.

 

[PaulFCB]

Hmm. Isn't Cosmos just going to play with license in a secondary division with no importance and slot to promote?

 

[Kerrybai]

Hmm. Isn't Cosmos just going to play with license in a secondary division with no importance and slot to promote?

Yeah they are going playing in the NASL so I imagine the chances of them getting the flushing meadows location are unlikely now. Mind you NYCFC might not get it either. They start playing in 2015 and won't have a stadium by then surely, maybe they will end up using the Yankees stadium for a season. ha.

 

[AntiMadridista]

Galaxy Traded Mike Magee for Robbie Rogers, so ridiculous. Magee was the best player on the team second to possibly Keane and they trade him for a player that was "retired". The only reason they want him is to be a poster boy for gay rights, and it really angers me that it came at the expense of Magee.

 

[89Norcal]

The Red Bulls have Henry and still struggle to get good attendances despite been located in the NY area. I don't think big stars are the final answer as getting rid of the salary cap would ruin the parity and some teams would never have success and struggle to really grow. The ultimate goal is an NFL type situation with everyone competing on a level playing field ( to a certain extent ).

La galaxy have been a success but looks at Chivas USA. They marketed themselves only to Hispanics in LA and completely failed. They have the worst attendances at 8k, mind you branding themselves after another club was always a bad idea. I don't think people like the idea of supporting what is essentially a feeder club.

Portland and Seattle have tapped into the Ultra culture which has helped them grow, on top of that I guess they are 'hipster' areas so supporting soccer is almost trendy in a sense. I guess it also helps that the areas are not saturated with other sports as much as some US cities.

I hope to go to an SJ Earthquakes game soon, from what I see on TV their atmosphere is actually quite good and they have their own Ultras group as well. Plus they are building a new stadium. I think SJ could be a great cradle for a top MLS team as it's a popular city for younger people, at least those from Northern California.

 

[Jadentheman]

Bump! But anyone else try to watch games and follow MLS on a regular basis? It would be good to know US Barca fans aren't Eurosnobs and support their homegrown league to become better.

I also wouldn't mind some of your European fans getting interested either

 

[BarcaPool]

The Red Bulls have Henry and still struggle to get good attendances despite been located in the NY area. I don't think big stars are the final answer as getting rid of the salary cap would ruin the parity and some teams would never have success and struggle to really grow. The ultimate goal is an NFL type situation with everyone competing on a level playing field ( to a certain extent ).

La galaxy have been a success but looks at Chivas USA. They marketed themselves only to Hispanics in LA and completely failed. They have the worst attendances at 8k, mind you branding themselves after another club was always a bad idea. I don't think people like the idea of supporting what is essentially a feeder club.

Portland and Seattle have tapped into the Ultra culture which has helped them grow, on top of that I guess they are 'hipster' areas so supporting soccer is almost trendy in a sense. I guess it also helps that the areas are not saturated with other sports as much as some US cities.

As someone who's lived his whole life in Seattle, I think I can provide some insight here. It's not just a "fad" or "hipster" thing, Football has always been a massive sport here and in the North West in general. You'd be hard pressed to not find someone who didn't play it growing up in Seattle, no matter their age. Another thing is the facilities that are at the disposal of the Football players in Seattle (can't speak for Portland) are simply amazing. I think the Ultras scene (which has actually been around since the mid 70s for the Sounders even though they weren't in the first division) has helped, but I think that has just made the rest of the United States and the world more aware of how much love for the game there is in Seattle.

 

[Barcaman]

Vintage Henry performance in NY Red Bulls turnaround.

 

[Semi-Neutral]

 

[te amo barca]

Wow, their goalkeepers are really bad

 

[ammarfcb]

incredible assist by robbie keane. u can't say he didn't mean it.