Orlando City SC attendance prediction

Damn you and your RESEARCH ! How dare you bring facts to this debate! I revoke you...

2011's first three games were 7933, 7259 and 5876. That's an average of 7022.66.

2012's first three games are 8421, 7899 and 6722. That's an average of 7680.66.

We'll see how things go through the season. I myself am hoping for a bit of a bounce from disaffected Magic fans.

The magic season will be over Shortly so hopefully that can bounce us back into the 7ks for the next stand-alone Saturday game...

Good game tonight - we just kept coming back on them. That being said, wouldve been nice if valentino was in there...

Maybe arguing its the ONLY reason is silly, but it certainly is a big factor. They aren't the first club who has used MLS buzz to build support.

Of course the only time this will matter is if their MLS plans fall through. Otherwise, no one will care. At least not in Orlando.

I'm done trolling Orlando City until my own team gets its head out of its ass and starts doing things right. For starters, move back to the correct side of the bay.

Still don't think I'll be too far off on my average attendance guess, you guys might be a little higher than I thought but all in all it looks close to being on par with last season.

To make me look even worse, this in the email from ticket sales:

"...as we continue our quest to become an MLS franchise."

They've boxed themselves in a corner
Where not becoming MLS is failure. I would have preferred it be more low-key...

Wow, you're reading a lot into that. A quest is a quest, not all or nothing.

How did we end up arguing the exact opposite side of things?

It's not just that email but all the MLS talk... So, what if there IS no MLS for Orlando? With all the chatter over the last year, USL or NASL becomes... a dissapointment don't you think? I enjoy what we have now.. sure MLS would be great but it's not the Nirvana of the soccer world. If you overinflate the balloon, it could pop.

Then you have a choice...you can support your team, or not, as you choose, I suppose. Are people only supporting them now because they might go to MLS, or is it because they love having a club? (Parenthetically, Garber did say "not a question of if, but when," though he may have been pandering to the crowd and he said the exact same thing about San Antonio years ago.)

I guess you can - if you like - walk on eggshells every time they mention their stated goal (not a secret) of becoming an MLS club because it might not happen or you can just be happy to have a successful club (which not everybody can say). Those who continually chant about going to MLS during games and those who were saying they were a favorite before they'd played a league match might be setting themselves up more for disappointment than those who take a measured approach.

But few people here take measured approaches.

If the worst that ever happens is Orlando remains in D2 or D3, is that the worst thing that's ever happened in y'alls' lives? Seriously? Lots and lots of fans would be thrilled to have a club that wins a championship and draws 7k a night.

Or look at it this way...two years and three months ago, you had nothing but a PDL team nobody knew about. March 4, 2010 they announced USL was putting a team in Orlando. 18 months ago, they announced the Aztex were moving to Orlando. Sixty seconds later, everyone started touting Orlando as a favorite for MLS expansion*.





*Might be an exaggeration. Also, you can have a team when you stop referring to it as "the MLS."

New comparison between 2011 and 2012 through 5 games, and this is where it starts to become clear that Orlando City is here for the duration.

2011: 7933, 7259, 5876, 4517 and 4241 (5,965.2 average)

2012: 8421, 7899, 6722, 7231 and 6821 (7,418.8 average)

Through three games, the increase was 658, or 9.3%. At this point, it's up 1,453 and change, or 24.3%.

What suprised me was the Thursday night match against the LA Blues. 7231 on a school night! I was shocked.

I am really begining to believe that the s0-called "MLS Carrot" is not the major factor in Orlando's success as some claim it is. There just is not that much talk about it at the tailgates or in the stands. You're more likely to hear things like: "Did Charleston win last night?", "How many points ahead of Rochester are we now?"

Critics have misread the Orlando situation since day one.

Totally agree - and even though Orlando Health got a lot of tickets for Thursday's game, the buzz was high as those tickets went out to practices on Wednesday and Thursday and people showed up for the games!!!

I'd like to see OC get the 20th MLS franchise, but even if it doesn't, it has a sustainable business and is a fun game to watch - that will keep the fans coming back.

Maybe they formed that impression when the club started talking about MLS expansion before it had ever played a USL Pro match.

True. The serious talk started October 25th, 2010. I was there at the press conference. And that story isn't finished.

All I am saying is many critics on BigSoccer have accused this organization of wildly inflating attendance numbers, conducting crazy ticket give-aways and using dishonest sales tatics (making unrealistic promisses to fans). Nonsense! These critics just can't except the fact that, as SoccerPrime said above, people in Central Florida really like soccer.

And, if in the future this club is by-passed by Major League Soccer, we'll be sad. I just don't think, in that event, this whole thing will come crashing down. Pro soccer (even lower division pro soccer) has found a home in Orlando.

People in Minnesota, Tampa Bay, South Florida, and even Edmonton 'really like' soccer, too. That isn't the difference, it is having an owner/staff with the drive, resources, and competence to market the product correctly. Hat is off to the City management.

To varying degrees.

People in some areas "really like" soccer and do everything soccer fans do except actually go to games. We have a bunch of them here.

The supporter groups are doing their part too. The "atmosphere" at these matches is one of managment's top selling points.

And COMPLETELY different high energy atmospheres in each section.

With school out, and no other big events, I expect very big numbers for the Charleston match

Well, expect a big attendance hit with a real rainy season brewing...

We'll see how bad it gets

True. Like it or not, many City fans are just enjoying "the scene" and not so much attending because they're die-hard soccer fanatics. But, I think the majority are and we will still get good numbers tonight (expected thunder showers) and throughout the summer.

Well, I probably qualify as a fanatic, but I can't have my baby with me out there in the rain and lightning for 2 hours... Well, maybe I could ... Maybe I'm not a fanatic after all.

Some fans, like myself, may also have opted to simply watch the match on Bright house and avoid the rain as well. I know my decision to not go was made by the live TV coverage.