MLS Attendance Analysis: Week 2

While it wasn't snowing in Philly it was sleeting (pretty heavily too) on my way into PPL Park. Add in the fact that it was rainy and just above freezing and you can see why there would be no walk-up crowd for that game. It wasn't much of a day to be outside at all.

 

Will your aggregate attendance statistic be factored in that the new York/New Jersey MLS franchise has a split time frame wherein at first they were the Metrostars and then later they were the Red Bulls?

 

I have a few questions, why are away allocations so small? In Europe an away team can demand up to 10% of the capacity for an away allocation. and why did Seattle not open the rest of the stadium? I know there were 65k last year in Seattle and that should be regular. Imagine 6,500 Portland Fans in Seattle (I would think that would be possible due to the short journey and the large timbers support)

 

Travel distances in the US are significantly higher than they are "in Europe". In the US, travel distances of hundreds of miles is considered a short trip, while in Europe players call it unbearable.

 

4 reelz?

 

Indeed, Toronto had 3200 people in Montreal over the weekend in large part because it's the shortest away trip for TFC fans (roughly 6 hr drive).

 

And Colorado sent 2 full bus loads (plus many who drove/flew on their own) to Utah, an 8 hour, 537 mile drive that represents the shortest road trip Rapids fans can make. (Though KC is just 50 miles and about 30 minutes of driving further)

 

I'm sorry Andy, but I think it's reaching. It's been re-branded -- many Metros fans would argue it's not even the same team -- and even if you want to include both organizations for the count, the Cosmos brand value likely still blows the current MLS New York team away.

I think a good argument can be made that MLS has eclipsed the NASL in every market -- except New York.

 

I would also include Vancouver.

 

No way is 6,500 Portland fans in Seattle possible. And not because of the Seattle FO not wanting to sell seats to Timbers fans. 6,500 is larger than the entire Timbers Army section by a factor of two, I think.

To answer your questions specifically:
a) Away allocations are small in MLS, typically one section, because while fans do travel not all fans travel for every game, and when they do it's typically fairly local due to the cost of travel. There are special arrangements for Cascadia games and I believe some East Coast games so more away fans can show up.
b) Seattle doesn't open up the full stadium for every match, there's not quite the demand as you would expect. I believe the Portland game later in the year will be 65k.

 

I think 6,500 Timbers fans in Seattle could very well happen.

According to this video, the Timbers Army sections number nearly 5,000.

 

When?

There were some empty seats in the TA section against Seattle, don't know if they were no shows or what but there's a long way to go before that's a possibility

 

Timbers only had a allocation of 1,000 and sold that out. Give them a allocation and see how many they can sell, If they dont sell more than 3,000 close a section or sell to home fans. I mean in the short trips there should be higher allocations. Timbers Army 107ist group has 3,000 paid members but the timbers army is a general term for the entire singing section in the north end of the stadium and thats up to 6,500. Im guessing New England to New York and vis virse is shortish, Philly, DC and New York is a close enough area. Im not saying Timbers would diffidently sell 6,500 but if they can sell out 1,500 quickly give them more. I know La Galaxy to New England is a huge distance and wouldnt expect away fans to travel but for the close encounters they should encourage higher away crowds. Ill be moving to Portland and will hope to go to Seattle, Vancouver, San Jose and Salt Lake. I know they are long trips but that's fine stay a night or two and leave it at that. Im a Cork City fan in Ireland, we like the long European trips and went to Cypress, Sweden, Finland Belfast, Derry and all over the country. a few years ago i was going to 20 away games aswell as not missing home games. nowdays im only making 5 away games due to work but away trips are much more fun than home games.

 

I know many people were saying that they weren't going to the first game, but deciding to either go to Vancouver, or the second Seattle game. I myself am also in that boat of deciding to either go to the second Seattle game, or one of the Vancouver ones. They started the sale to only 107ist members. A couple days before the game itself, with only a small portion of the 1,000 allocation left, they opened it up to the public. I'm pretty sure that the 107ist will always have first crack at away tickets to Seattle, no matter the allocation. Perhaps if there was a large enough allocation, they would open it to the public more than a couple days in advance, and advertise it more widely. If they don't, though, I would imagine that they aren't going to sell more than about 1,500.

Now, moving on to the allocation itself. I highly doubt it will change much as long as the Timbers continue playing in Jeld Wen. There is a fairly hard limit to what the Timbers can (and will) allow for travelling support from Seattle. I believe it was 1000 last year (someone with more knowledge can correct me if I'm wrong). That is ~5% of the total attendance of the stadium. Seattle has limited Portland's away support to be approximately equal in numbers, but nowhere near equal in percentage. I don't expect that to change. The most I think Seattle would consider expanding the Timbers allocation is to 2,000 at a full-stadium game.

 

I get the tit-for-tat thing a bit in matching numbers; but if I'm Seattle's owners, won't I prefer just to get more seats sold?

 

66,000 people at a game last year when the away allocation was set to 1,500 would seem to suggest they don't have too many issues selling as many tickets as they want for a big game.

 

Not if you can sell them to your own fans.

 

If Portland have bigger stadium and Vancouver open upper bowl of BC Place than we can see larger away support. It is not SoundersFC problem! I will like to see rivalry game at Autzen Stadium in summer

 

Because it is always a good idea to make the home crowd drive for 2 hours to get to a game?

 

Is there any better stadium in whole state of Oregon?!

With Cascadia Train it will be a nice trip

 

As an Oregon fan, this disgusts me to say it, but Autzen would never work. The field is too narrow, and I doubt you could fit a regulation soccer pitch onto the field footprint.

Now for the disgusting part.

Reser Stadium at Oregon State might be a better option. It is closer to Portland, it seats 50,000, and the field is wider, and I believe would be enough to accomidate a soccer field on it.

The simple solution is for Merritt Paulson to find a nice little slice of land near downtown and build a 30,000 to 35,000 seat stadium and not worry about it.

 

None of these things are happening anytime soon. The agreement with the city of Portland for remodeling what is now called Jeld-Wen prevents it. Like it or not, the Timbers will remain in Jeld-Wen for quite a while to come. If, at some point quite a while into the future, the Timbers go about a major remodel of Jeld-Wen which requires closing the stadium, then and only then will alternatives in the rest of the state be considered. I expect to see the Timbers in Jeld-Wen, largely unremodeled, for the next 10-15 years.

 

I know very well geography of Cascadia but I really like Autzen for some reason!
We were discussing bigger away support @ Cascadia and looks like Portland do not have solution to increase # for away supporters on the basis of reciprocity and having small stadium. I hope they build bigger stadium in next 15 years because city of Portland really need one nice 40k sss arena.