@ Richmond: 2922 @ Rochester: ???? @ Dayton: ??? @ Los Angeles: 470 I'm surprised we don't have a number from Rochester yet.
Wow. I'm disappointed in Richmond. That's a pretty weak number in comparison to previous season closers.
Ah. Well. That could do it. We've seen it before in plenty of cases. And now that kenn has supplied the numbers, it's actually not that far off 2010. Still, disappointing.
Does anyone seriously think LA is going to be back next year? And if they're not, what are the new owners in Phoenix going to think about that? I have a hard time seeing LA or Antigua back in this league next year. And no offense to the few fans there are of those teams, but that's really how it should be for now if USL Pro is truly going to be what they claim to be, a regional D3 league. They need to build out from their core on the east coast. No more lone ranger expansion teams out on the frontiers.
With the small numbers that LA gets, it will be impossible to keep coming back season after season. It's just not a good idea to have a professional team in the same city as an MLS team. Antigua is a team set up to get their national team more competative by playing professional teams instead of other regional national teams that won't help the team compete with the big nations of CONACAF. Once Antigua is knocked out of World Cup qualifing, they don't have a reason to keep funding the team. Their national team hasn't won a game yet in the 2nd round, and the round will be over in October. It is likely that Antigua won't be back for next season.
In an interview earlier this year, they claimed they were committed through 2013. Of course that could change but the numbers certainly are depressing and must have the owners thinking about their commitment. There are constant rumors to various degrees about other west coast teams; Tuscon, San Diego, Fresno, Eugene, OR, but fight now they are nothing more than rumors. As to Antigua, I guess it depends on how successful they think their World Cup qualifier run is. The Antigua FA fronts most the money for the pro team as a way to improve their national team and as of now they are 0-1-1 and in quailfing and the Barracuda nearly qualified for the CONCACAF Champions league.
Dayton: 1024, from the press release. The press release says it was a record crowd. Which makes me wonder about their games with 1044 and 2000 from last season
Once again, I'm going to hold off doing the attendances in the hope that a missing number will come in. Oddly enough, this time it's Rochester. Wonder what the heck happened up there. Not only was the team absent, the staff was as well? As to Richmond's attendance, there's actually nothing for me to complain about. They had a very, very good opening game, and did better than the past two years. They're probably doing fine... as long as they don't have to fly out to LA for any playoff games. Which brings me to LA. The one positive thing you can say is that they've nearly doubled their attendance over last year. And with two games still left, they could pull that off. If they could double it again next season, that would give them nearly respectable numbers. If they were a PDL team. And if they weren't flying all the way across the country. Using kenn's observation about USL team survival, I would expect them to hold on for another year, but unless a bunch of other teams finally decide to join in out west, that would be it. Which would leave Phoenix dangling. The West really is a tough nut to crack.
It certainly doesn't look good for LA, does it? And it would still only be a portion of Phoenix's travel budget. Now LA and Tucson? Okay, you've got my interest if I'm writing checks. But the preseason optimism of the LA Blues...well, I can't imagine that's still around. Not impossible. Unlikely. Not particularly smart. But not "impossible." That doesn't have eff-all to do with it. The LA area is spread out enough that they should be able to survive, but they simply don't appear to have any clue about how to sell and market the product. Surely doesn't look good. And, yes, Barracuda has government assistance because they are convinced they have a shot at the Hex (they don't). Once that goes away in three weeks, I don't like their chances, either. Lots of people say lots of things. Like I said, when you have to keep writing checks in September, the stuff you said in April becomes less and less important.
If they've lost another $800k, well, two things: 1 - they apparently have the money but 2 - you don't get to that level being stupid. They needed to see an average closer to their opener for the entire season and it didn't happen. And, given all the players they signed and the guys who have come in and out of that club over the course of the season, for them to be 9-11-2 and hoping for results just to get the sixth seed....well, things aren't going well there at all.
The only way they'll be back is if they move elsewhere in the area. Like the Inland Empire, which I think would be a promising spot. As for Phoenix, I'm still not discounting the idea of FC Tucson joining them in USL Pro. Then again, I do think a regional D3 league would be a much better idea.
D2 went poorly in Orlando before. So? Though yeah, this particularly group (referring to the Blues) probably wouldn't do much better elsewhere.
As valid as you. You're the one who just throws shit out there. Like LA should move to Tucson because....well, because you said so. You know nothing about the Inland Empire, but you opine on it. You know nothing about Phoenix, but you opine on our stadium options. You know nothing about a great many things, and I know you're bored, but you opine on literally every topic and if no one's talking about it, you start a discussion on it. So you're going to get called on it when you just throw shit out there.
Division 3 Code: 90.2% complete Year Avg Median %<1K %>3k 2005 1659 1443 21.0% 11.1% 2006 1790 1628 14.8% 12.3% 2007 1537 1402 30.0% 5.6% 2008 1584 1609 25.6% 5.6% 2009 1543 1289 33.3% 4.9% 2010 1594 1326 37.0% 14.8% 2011 2159 1424 33.3% 29.5% 2012 2656 1641 31.9% 37.0% Median-33%: 1094 Median+33%: 2188 <MED-33%: 46 / 38.7% >MED+33%: 52 / 43.7% Code: Final Numbers Year Avg Median %<1K %>3k 2005 1680 1457 21.4% 11.9% 2006 1803 1703 14.1% 11.8% 2007 1575 1423 28.1% 6.3% 2008 1614 1629 26.0% 7.3% 2009 1602 1518 31.8% 7.1% 2010 1689 1385 35.1% 17.5% 2011 2269 1449 32.4% 31.0% Rochester (according to the Charleston Battery match report), got 5637. And, also for the record, Charlotte got 945 for their match vs. Antigua, according to a response I got from them in facebook. This year will clearly finish above all others in average and in %>3k. However, it will also finish somewhere in the bottom for %<1k, and if we ever get the numbers from the missing Antigua games, it could finish in last. Lots of games to finish it all off this week: Antigua (2), Orlando City, Los Angeles(2), Rochester, Charleston, Wilmington, and the make-up Charlotte game. Orlando, Charleston, and Rochester are all pretty much guaranteed to outdo last year, and Wilmington could as well.
Oh, the "We're Just Talking Here" defense. Which it always comes back to. Some people want to have an actual discussion that's intelligent. Some people just want to throw shit out there.
Kenn, there's a difference between wondering about what might happen, and "throwing shit out there" as if it were the gospel. I at least try to be intelligent with what I'm saying. Save the sanctimony for Whitestar Warriors. It's not like he doesn't give you enough opportunities for it.
Another day on Big Soccer....another day of Kenn just being Kenn. LOL As I said in another thread not too long ago, I think at the end of the day we all agree with a lot of Kenn's points. It's just hard to embrace that when he comes off as such a know it all curmudgeon. LOL BTW, every time I see SoccerPrime's name and avatar it makes me want to switch mine to like Grimlock FC or something. LOL
Going out on a limb here, but while Kenn might be a bit blunt at times, someone has to stay at least somewhat grounded in reality....
The reason Rochester is getting low numbers is the fans finally see what's going on what's the point of playing when one team has a 20 point differential and wins the title...unless they slip up in playoffs.