It's up to MLS/SUM to make CCL and US Open Cup relevant

SUM did not buy the World Cup rights because no one wanted them. SUM bought the rights because no one was willing to pay the price FIFA put on them. That's an important distiction.

 

No one cares about the CCL. No one cares about the Open Cup. There's no money in it.

 

There's a cheaper way to solve that, ditch the open cup and CCL. I don't feel that's the right course, but if MLS's job is making MLS as valuable as possible, then resources spent on anything distract from that...

 

Yeah, that's not correct at all. The discussion after the latest CCL rounds here, on mlssoccer and social media proves otherwise.

Not as many care as they do about MLS, but more and more do care about CCL. It's also a well stated goal from MLS HQ to win CCL, so the league obviously cares too.

 

It's up to the asses in the seats to make them "relevant" ..... they already are to those that participate.

 

Many Americans couldn't name MLS clubs let alone other CCL clubs it's a problem.

 

And my MO here is to explain to people who have an idea of the form "It would be great if X organization spent $Y on this thing that would lose them money" why that money hasn't already been spend. And it's never "Because the OP is so brilliant that he has thought up an idea no one else in US Soccer has".

Yeah, no one cares. I know this, because they broadcast the games on television, and they assign a number based on how many people watched, and there's an objective way of telling which numbers are higher than others.

Sure, there is a community of like-minded individuals who meet on the internet to talk about the CCL, but that's also true of guys who get off on drawings of female world leaders mudwrestling. I bet they have their own sub-forum of the drawings-of-female-world-leaders forum. That doesn't indicate that enough people care to make it worthwhile.

Y'know how nobody cared about SuperLiga? I was honestly stricken when New England lost the final of the second one. But that doesn't effect that "nobody cares" statement.

 

Yeah, you repeating that doesn't make it true. You also show a lack of context. Failed to mention the games are on FS2 or even FS+, which the LAG/Xolos opening leg was. In the build up to the LAG/Xolos series, I saw more people talking about it than a random MLS match.

If you said not as many care, that'd be true. But when CCL is broadcast on a station a number of people don't have or don't even know exists, that plays into it. MLS ratings on Fox Soccer were terrible. Averaged 44K for the 08/09 season. So are you also going to argue barely anyone cared about MLS? The women's pro soccer league averaged 42K on Fox Soccer that same year.

Following the trend of both the EPL and MLS seeing ratings go up on NBCSN, I'd expect CCL ratings would also go up if they were on NBCSN and had professional level production. But Fox pretty much sucks. Of course CCL isn't on NBCSN and won't be, but it also tells me if the production level was different and the games were on a channel more had access to, ratings would be higher.

I'm a bit surprised you're throwing around the ratings argument as the black and white evidence of whether or not people care. MLS has been beaten out by the WNBA when it comes to ratings, so we could also sit here and say no one cares about MLS, as in daily sports life I'd say pretty much no one cares about the WNBA and any product people care about would easily beat out the WNBA. And if/when MLS games ends up on FS2 and pull in poor ratings, would you also argue suddenly much fewer care about MLS? If/when MLS gets ratings anywhere near what they got previously on FSC when on FS1 or FS2, somewhere between 40-60K, and at periods as low as 27K, then I'd say that counts as no one caring about the league as long as we're loosely defining "no one cares" and ignoring any context as those ratings barely register against what we see elsewhere.

 

The reason the CCL is on Fox Sport 9 and looks like it was shot with a Nokia camera phone is because nobody cares, not the other way around.

And no, 25 guys talking on the internet will never fix that.

 

The internet always tends to skew, putting it mildly, the relevance of certain things.

The CCL probably has shot once MLS teams can slug it out with Liga MX teams. Still several years away.
Still see little interest, or real money making ability, outside of those match ups. Even then it may depend on teams involved.

The Open Cup seems to have created a bit more interest once you get to the semis fan wise...even then it's eh.

It always easy to say throw money at it, and not worry about the back end. It's not my money and I am smart, and eventually it will work out!

 

Who's into the what where now?

Annnnnnnywhoooo...........................chicken and egg sit with CCL. I don't think it can ever get much bigger than it is now.

 

I honestly think there is very little that can happen to make the CCL really important. The fact is that there is not enough top quality teams in CONCACAF to really make it an exciting tournament. It is pretty clear that Liga MX teams are the best in the field, followed by MLS teams, and then there are a couple countries that could fight it out, and then you have a bunch of teams with no hope. You are not going to have a tournament that really captures people's attention when it is being played in front of a couple hundred fans in Trinidad or Panama. It also doesn't help that the quality of refereeing in a good number of games is absolutely deplorable. For all the crap that people heap on MLS refs they can't hold a candle to some of the CONCACAF refs when it comes to making shocking decisions (the Crew disallowed goal years ago, Keane being called offside when there were 4 or 5 players keeping him onside, and some TFC game where the opposition was pretty much assaulting them and the ref would only whistle fouls against TFC). Oh, and Arabe Unido. That team in and of itself is enough to set back any positive progress the touney ever makes.

 

Probably right which is why I hedged what I said.

Only particular match ups with the right MLS/Liga teams, that have the right stars "may" have a shot.

Even then it will take a long time. Can only work with what you have, and there simply isn't much to work with club level regionally. Money wise there is little that can be made in the overwhelming majority of match ups and teams in the region.

The CL was formed because of the money it could generate. The Asian Cup has sheiks tossing millions at it.
The African Cup.....huh? Money is the generator and there is almost none to make here overall.

 

Some teams do care about the USOC...

 

I would have watched the CCL but I don't get FS2 on Comcast in Boston.

 

The Fire used to, like a decade ago

 

I should have said fans. You are spot on with that.

 

You may not care, but there are people who do. Perhaps a critical mass may be reached some day, but these tourney's will continue to plug away.

 

I'd like to see some more grassroots/supporters' pushes to increase interest in these competitions. At least in KC, most of the people I've talked to at games are incredibly excited about and interested in the USOC and CCL. But this year, I think things are gonna be bleaker at Sporting Park when one of those two rolls around--STMs get three addition games, I understand, with their regular season package. Between two CCL, one guaranteed USOC, and that friendly against Man City, I would assume the one most likely to be against some lower-level US team to be dropped in favor of the more special CCL engagements and of course the shiny little friendly. But then, this is theories I've cobbled from STMs I've talked to. Anyways, if the USOC matches aren't included in the STM packages, then the attendance will probably drop at least to 10k. Probably further.

That's why I'm hoping for a bit more word of mouth push and all that. Or I don't know. I don't really see how having the matches on tv is gonna really get people invested if no one can even sell out their stadiums for the events.

 

The 25 Rev fans in NE don't speak for MLS fans at large. Maybe those in your market don't care, but fans in other markets do care.

How about you go tell all the people in the stands in KC here that they in fact made a mistake and are at a match no one cares about because some dude in MA said so.

 

No, they really don't. They care when their team is playing, and even then only some of them. By far, on average, there is less attendance and lower TV ratings for USOC and CCL matches versus MLS league matches. This is because people don't care as much about those competitions, and barely care at all if their team isn't playing in them.

 

Hell, I have gone out of my way to try and watch soccer in this country for over 45 years.

I was very interested in the CCL when the new format started. I know the region and teams. Actually have some personnel connections to the tourney....

....and even I don't try that much anymore.

The region is simply to limited for this thing to grow all that much.

My team, NY, will now be in rebuilding mode come fall when they play in it. I am actually hoping our young guys get a ton of playing time in it. If we advance great...if not? Let's just say I won't be broken up. This comp just doesn't bring it.