Is Atlanta the best option?

[raginbear]

I live in Atlanta and want the MLS to come here so I am a little biased...but here is the arguement:

-Probably the most diverse city without soccer (international population)
-The biggest city by population without soccer (not 100% sure about that, but I know Dallas, New York, LA, and Chicago are all cities that are bigger than Atlanta and all have soccer. I am pretty sure Atlanta is behind those in population
-One of the largest untapped media markets
-No team in the southeast...Atlanta the biggest city in the forgotten region of the MLS
-Popularity and success of high school and club soccer in Atlanta
-Silverback stadium was just completed and currently seats 4,500, but was built to be easily expanded to the MLS requirement attendance levels.

Thoughts?

[krudmonk]

-Probably the most diverse city without soccer (international population)
-The biggest city by population without soccer (not 100% sure about that, but I know Dallas, New York, LA, and Chicago are all cities that are bigger than Atlanta and all have soccer. I am pretty sure Atlanta is behind those in population
-One of the largest untapped media markets
Philadelphia has it beat in all of those. San Jose/Bay Area, too, and it's perhaps even more diverse.
-No team in the southeast...Atlanta the biggest city in the forgotten region of the MLS
The entire west coast has just two teams, and they happen to play in one place.
-Popularity and success of high school and club soccer in Atlanta
That applies to most places.

[jasontoon]

Yeah, sure, sounds good. Now, just come up with a stadium and oh, say, $50 million dollars and you're in.

[HSEUPASSION]

Philadelphia has it beat in all of those. San Jose/Bay Area, too, and it's perhaps even more diverse.

Atlanta is more diverse than you think. It's not just Ted Turner and a bunch of black people.

[krudmonk]

Atlanta is more diverse than you think. It's not just Ted Turner and a bunch of black people.
I looked up demographics on Wikipedia, so I was not setting my case in stone.

[RfrancisR]

I think Atlanta is definitely a place to consider in the future. I don't know enough about the soccer scene there. And let me be honest here, I am most certainly biased towards an eventual New Orleans expansion, but I think the New Orleans market has to be procured more. I don't know whether Atlanta has ever hosted any USMNT games or anything outside of the Olympic setting. I think, for the most part, other than Florida, no one involved with US Soccer has done much in the Southeast to procure soccer here. I can't think of a single USMNT game held north of Florida (with the exception of 96 Olympics), west of Texas in the South East. So, there's nothing to guage possible success by. This is why I think both Atlanta and New Orleans are longshots. Obviously New Orleans is a longer shot than Atlanta. Although it would be interesting to have the same kind of rivalry in MLS that we have between the Saints and Falcons in the NFL. All in all I would be in favor of Atlanta expansion. But I think we need more data.

[The Mighty Frog]

I live in Atlanta and want the MLS to come here so I am a little biased...but here is the arguement:

-Probably the most diverse city without soccer (international population)
-The biggest city by population without soccer (not 100% sure about that, but I know Dallas, New York, LA, and Chicago are all cities that are bigger than Atlanta and all have soccer. I am pretty sure Atlanta is behind those in population
-One of the largest untapped media markets
-No team in the southeast...Atlanta the biggest city in the forgotten region of the MLS
-Popularity and success of high school and club soccer in Atlanta
-Silverback stadium was just completed and currently seats 4,500, but was built to be easily expanded to the MLS requirement attendance levels.

Thoughts?
Do people really like soccer in the south ( except texas ) ?

[falvo]

I like the current ATLANTA SILVERBACKS PARK...
Check out these pictures! (http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/pro/viewgallery2.php?viewYear=2007&viewAlbum=3)
http://i19.tinypic.com/2gwdyk2.jpg
I'm not too sure about the final design, however. I mean it looks too one sided and even though its new and unique looking, it doesn't look right for a new soccer stadium. I think they should re-think their plans and design a more even sided park with two grandstands on each side.

http://www.atlantasilverbacks.com/siteadmin/news_images/stadiuminfo.jpg

[Eleven Bravo]

Do people really like soccer in the south ( except texas ) ?

are you serious?

[Magpie Maniac]

I think, for the most part, other than Florida, no one involved with US Soccer has done much in the Southeast to procure soccer here. I can't think of a single USMNT game held north of Florida (with the exception of 96 Olympics), west of Texas in the South East. So, there's nothing to guage possible success by.

You meant north of Flordia and east of Texas, right? Recent USMNT matches in the southeast:

March 12, 2000 in Birmingham, AL
March 10, 2002 in Birmingham, AL
March 30, 2005 in Birmingham, AL
May 23, 2006 in Nashville, TN
April 11, 2006 in Cary, NC

[taboga]

There needs to be a international match played in Atlanta before it can happen.

[gosh1976]

There needs to be a international match played in Atlanta before it can happen.

I do believe there has been an international match played in Atlanta.

Don Garber was in Atlanta last Monday talking to investors though he would not say who he was talking to or if he talked to more than one investor group there are at least two. One of the groups is the Silverbacks owners and another is a Real Estate group.

Garber said the biggest hurdle for Atlanta is the stadium.

The snippet was in the AJC this morning.

[DavidP]

I do believe there has been an international match played in Atlanta.

Don Garber was in Atlanta last Monday talking to investors though he would not say who he was talking to or if he talked to more than one investor group there are at least two. One of the groups is the Silverbacks owners and another is a Real Estate group.

Garber said the biggest hurdle for Atlanta is the stadium.

The snippet was in the AJC this morning.

I saw that little blurb as well. If the soccer movers and shakers in this town will get away from the "20,000 seater plus mega soccer complex" idea, things might happen sooner than we think (just my opinion). That is what killed the Atlanta Soccer Village a few years ago. With the availablity of land at a premium all over the area, if it were me, I'd be talking to architects and engineers to see the viability of a soccer stadium built on top of a parking deck, similar to what they have at St. Johns University, only way bigger. There is a way to do this without incurring the wrath of the NIMBYs (and rightfully so, sometimes), and still have a great facility.

[SoccerPrime]

I do believe there has been an international match played in Atlanta.

Don Garber was in Atlanta last Monday talking to investors though he would not say who he was talking to or if he talked to more than one investor group there are at least two. One of the groups is the Silverbacks owners and another is a Real Estate group.

Garber said the biggest hurdle for Atlanta is the stadium.

The snippet was in the AJC this morning.

Besides the Silvebacks I imagine the other investment group was Hardball Capital.

http://atlanta.bizjournals.com/atlanta/stories/2006/07/31/story1.html?f=et183&b=1154318400^1321995&hbx=e_vert

[Magpie Maniac]

I do believe there has been an international match played in Atlanta.

It has been nearly thirty years since the USMNT played in Atlanta

The two USMNT matches held in Atlanta were on October 27, 1968 against Canada and October 10, 1977 against China. Both were 1-0 victories.

[gosh1976]

It has been nearly thirty years since the USMNT played in Atlanta

The two USMNT matches held in Atlanta were on October 27, 1968 against Canada and October 10, 1977 against China. Both were 1-0 victories.

the women played Japan in 1999 in an international friendly and there was an international friendly played in the last year not involving the US in Atlanta If I remember correctly

[Golazo]

Random thoughts:
The stadium thing seems particularly tough to me in Atlanta because the city is so spread out and transit sucks. Any central location will be a cost and NIMBY nightmare, while anything further out is way far away from some portion -- on the opposite side of town -- of the suburban or just-outside-the-perimeter audience that you need. (For those of you not familiar with the geography of our demographics, the largest hispanic neighborhoods are clustered around the northeastern, eastern and southern portions of our ring road, the fabled I-285)

I'm ambivalent about the "there's no other team in the Southeast" argument. While that is true, and it seems like an opportunity, it also removes the possibility of a natural rivalry.

I found the tidbit about MLS being particularly interested in the growth of the hispanic market here to be interesting. ¿Buenos días "América USA"?

In trying to be objective, if I'm MLS the ownership and stadium situation would have to be darn near perfect to convince me.

[Iplayedforchelsea]

Haven't there been some none USMNT national games in Atlanta fairly recently? Honduras v. El Salvador or something like that? Very well attended as I recall..........

[gosh1976]

Haven't there been some none USMNT national games in Atlanta fairly recently? Honduras v. El Salvador or something like that? Very well attended as I recall..........

that's the one I was thinking of it was played at Herndon Stadium I believe

[DougG_ATL]

Random thoughts:
The stadium thing seems particularly tough to me in Atlanta because the city is so spread out and transit sucks. Any central location will be a cost and NIMBY nightmare, while anything further out is way far away from some portion -- on the opposite side of town -- of the suburban or just-outside-the-perimeter audience that you need. (For those of you not familiar with the geography of our demographics, the largest hispanic neighborhoods are clustered around the northeastern, eastern and southern portions of our ring road, the fabled I-285)

I disagree - the infrastructure (or lack thereof) and traffic in Los Angeles is just as bad as Atlanta and they support two teams down in Carson. If Cobb County or Gwinnett County could clear space north of the perimeter (or just inside), it would be the most accessible game in town.

Many metro Atlantans already travel to the VERY NICE Gwinnett Center in the suburbs for concerts and Gladiators hockey - why not have an MLS club a little closer to the 'burbs (where the kids ARE playing soccer).