Pretty cool. I get that the older mls fans have a general dislike for this tourney but we are really enjoying this. It's a cool experience for those of us that have had really limited exposure to the mls
I love this tournament. I just realize that it is very far from catching on in most markets. Very happy to see what Cincinnati is doing!!
You seem to have a real comprehension issue with what I have written. Looking forward to ESPN2's coverage on 6/28.
Quite a few of us love it. There's something special about the runs that lower division and amateur teams have made every so often that is just unique. The wins by Cal FC and Dallas Roma were special. Even this year's performance by Christos was impressive, and the amateur wins get all the more meaningful as MLS and lower pros improve.
I am an MLS 96er and love the usoc. I have said for years it has a lot potential. Very happy to see some of the second division markets getting into it.
D.C.’S LLOYD SAM: ENEMY OF SOCCER? http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/2017/06/26/21/57/20170626-feat-usoc-lloyd-sam-dc-united-feature
2017 US Open Cup Round of 16 Previews: Tuesday and Wednesday, June 27-28 https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2017...-16-previews-tuesday-and-wednesday-june-27-28
Would much rather have Miami here in Atlanta, but out of all the possibilities, this isn't the worst. I think Atlanta rests Almirion and only play Asad for a half, but I think Atlanta takes this 2-1.
Idk, all the mls teams move games to like 1000 seat stadiums and ppl generally don't show up for the games and they aren't on tv much. Kind of implied
It would only be implied if younger MLS fans were now compelling teams to keep those games in larger stadiums. In my experience, older US soccer fans, like those of us who have been around since before MLS even existed, care a hell of a lot more about the USOC than the younger fans who have come to soccer largely since the 2010 World Cup. The USOC is a niche event for the hardcore fans. That's OK. And, indeed, I kind of like it that way.
I like that you can clearly see the sidelines ref's reaction to what his mother was called by a fan in the stands.
I think this has more to do with the USOC not promoting itself properly. There are 3 or 4 changes that I think are obvious, but until they are changed, this cup is going to be very second tier behind the actual season.
Why does SOCCERFAN believe that every perceived soccer-related attendance problem can be solved by more advertising or promotion?
In an ideal world, the USOC would have: 1. More prize money, so that teams took it more seriously. 2. The exact same personal, niche feel that it has now. Not everything great has to be big.
True, for the top division and the MLS season. For the lower division sides, the USOC is in many ways "their season" or "their World Cup." It is a marvelous stage. But from a business perspective, MLS and MLS clubs have other and bigger priorities as well. With time, the thought or hope is that the USOC will gain in more universal prestige and will perhaps be among the top priorities for MLS clubs. But the USOC is US Soccer's baby, and they need to nurture it, in the same way the the Canadian Fed is trying to nurture and improve their domestic cup competition.
Meh, just don't be presumptuous or a dick and folks around here will be fine. You have to remember, the USOC hasn't had much to work with until the past 10 years or so. There were some lean years within the past generation where there were, what, maybe 25 total professional teams across D1-3? And obviously those teams weren't playing the highest standard of ball, featuring big names or drawing TV appeal. It's only now that soccer has the depth of fan interest we see today that the USOC has garnered the comparable scale of interest. NOW we have stories like FC Cincy and Sacramento Republic to add some spice. Now we have the gap between DCU and Christos to create real Cinderella stories. So it's not that folks don't like the USOC, merely that its appeal mirrors that of pro soccer in the States in general. Which is to say it's just now growing beyond the core fan base and finally touching the casual US sports fan. The other, main reason you see teams playing these matches in smaller venues is because this type of Open Cup format (playing it alongside a regular league season) is new to the casual US sports fan, so teams have to break them in when it comes to grooming their interest and understanding why MLS club X is playing a D4 side on a Wednesday night.
no offence, but if you don't have a bit of thick skin in BigSoccer, you're not going to last long. but on the other hand, a lot of people here know a ********ton about soccer in NA and pretty helpful, if you're aren't being an idiot
It left the back half off my post, I was asking if there was a more all encompassing thread. Soccer culture questions
What are you on about? Who said anything about attendance problems? And Who is Soccer Fan? Anyways, I would allocate more prize money to the winners, which would make the MLS teams take this more serious, and then I would probably change the name of it. When you hear, "U.S Open Cup", most people think golf. If you say, 'Lamar Hunt', most people think NFL. I wouldn't mind seeing it changed to US Cup, NA Cup (North American), or anything like that. I mind also see about getting teams more local than what they are. I think in the current format Cincinnati FC is in the South? Surely we can change that.