We parted ways with Marvin because we're a small club, and we couldn't afford Justin's salary so we traded down and made space. How does it feel to have your team run by Goodwill Store shoppers and coupon clippers? All right, I realize it's not my money, but mummy always told me that it's just as easy to love a rich team as a poor one, and when I was driving home tonight and heard about the TFC $10mm Defoe transfer plus a contract with annual salary in that same range, plus Michael Bradley, and let's not forget Justin and DeRo, I started feeling sorry for myself, being a fan of a smaller team that seems doomed to inherit the hand-me-downs of the BIG CLUBS. Bottom line: we're competing against teams whose owners are willing to spend $$$ on players, and yes, I am grateful for the stadium (or will be eventually) but it feels as though we're going to fall farther and farther behind as we scramble for the bargain basement castoffs while other clubs are ponying up for impact players.
Unfortunately, there does seem 2B 2 separate leagues developing - Sheattle, da Gals, RedBs...and everyone else... It could be worse... we could be Chivas Norte...
Where did I say it was "ok" to be a small team? I just pointed out where our owners had invested tens of millions of dollars in the team when you said they hadn't invested. And I pointed out that spending a shitload of money does not necessarily gain you championships or fans in MLS. No one was complaining a year ago when the Quakes had the best season this league has seen in over a decade. And tell me, do you know the bottom line of every team in the league? Why isn't SKC spending tons of money, yet are still able to win MLS Cup?
Look at there stadium and their academy. Also a partnership with Orlando. They are better run then us.
True that, and when we pick up an EPL-caliber CAM, I'll stop feeling so envious of those other teams. But if we've got a game-changing acquisition on the horizon, why is our coach making small time excuses?
We traded Marvin because he didn't care and often didn't try. We traded Morrow because every team in the league has to deal with the salary cap no matter how big or how small. Marvin had to go, so that doesnt bother me at all. Morrow you can question the wisdom of, but the factors that forced it wasn't somehow unique to our club. TFC sells out a 20k publicly funded stadium. Seattle sells out a whatever they decide to set a 50k publicly funded stadium. The Galaxy are near sellout a 24k publicly funded stadium. SKC is selling out a publicly funded SSS. Are you catching the trend here? Meanwhile we are leasing a 12k college stadium, while under the liability of building a 70 million dollar privately funded stadium on the side. The teams that spend lots and lots of dollars on players also take in lots and lots of revenue. Until we join that club in terms of revenue, do not expect to compete with those teams in salary. Now, would I like to see a bit more ambition? Sure, but at this point there are so many stupid and childish complaints going on on this board I really cant be bothered to join in.
luckily the parity in MLS is still like 10 levels deep. I think this team could possibly make the playoffs maybe.
I'm gonna sit the fence here a bit. First, I don't mind too much that we don't go after the flashy, big money names. It would be fun and generate some excitement but to this point there's really not much evidence that big-name DPs lead to greater success on the field. On the other hand, I kinda like being the plucky underdog that others underestimate, especially when we have a 2012-like year. I like the reputation of taking unheralded players and forging them into a mean blue-collar machine. HOWEVER, I too was rankled upon reading about Doyle's calling us "small". I would like to hear Doyle clarify what he means by "small" team. Bad, bad, bad, bad choice of words. In Europe there is some honor in being a "small" team that manages to punch above its weight and stay in the top flight league season after season without getting relegated. But in MLS, a salary-capped league that is supposed to be built to emphasize parity, where every team is on the same theoretically level playing field. . . there should be no such thing as a "small" team. It's one thing to have a different philosophy regarding player acquisition and roster development. It's quite another to announce your intention to be inferior.
A stadium that would not have been built without public money. A partnership with a USL club? Whoop-de-do.
Actually, while they reportedly got a sweetheart deal with the university there for the land, their stadium and surrounding facilities were all privately funded. GO SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES!!! -G
Lew Wolff is all about the bottom line, make as much as you can while spending as little as possible. And make no mistake, he's not building that stadium (finally) out of the kindness of his heart, its sole purpose is as a revenue generating machine. That in itself isn't evil but don't pass it off as largess.
With Defoe and Bradley as acquisitions Toronto is making some serious moves in the offseason while we spin our small wheels with pedestrian players.
He's so good at making money in real estate, is makes no sense that he's purely interested in profit from a sports stadium... Just does not seem like there is a big ROI...
Lew failed to capitalize on the success of 2012, now we're in re-build mode and I'm just not seeing any hunger to win. If we're not in it to win it, what are we doing? How do we expect to market this team to new fans? Lew needs to step up his game.
you're both wrong. pro sports teams are works of art. http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6874079/psychic-benefits-nba-lockout besides, speaking from a strictly capitalist point of view, most pro sports teams operate on a small annual loss. the owner makes their money when they sell the team for a fat profit after owning it for 10-20 years. the underlying asset is appreciating in value every year.
"Small" may work in some markets. I don't know. But this is Silicon Valley, home of Go Big or Go Home (however you interpret that). A "small" soccer team is one that you take your kids to watch...if there aren't any good movies to see. When I was in school, professors would talk derisively about the $10 million company. A company that had a decent product but lacked the vision and resource commitment to become a real contender in the marketplace. I don't mind that we don't have celebrity players, but when the owners seem to be unwilling to make a go-ahead investment, when the team is broadcasting its small mindset, well, most of us will stick around but who else is going to join the party?
I'm not sure this type of thinking applies to pro sports teams the way it applies to an individual business in a different type of market. Pro sports leagues rarely have real competition since the locations of each individual team are set up in a way to be anti-competitive (look at all the BS with the A's and Giants to see how extremely competitive non-competition can be). The other thing is a team doesn't have to worry about operating at a loss all the time. League wide revenue sharing (which MLS has) protects individual teams. If the league is making money, then each team benefits, even if one or two markets don't perform optimally. Now, that isn't an excuse to run a poor team since if that happens with enough teams, then league revenue goes down and there are no more profits to share. What it does mean is that trying to grow your brand to the point of eliminating your competitors would mean no more market to operate in (although this is basically impossible with the implementation of salary caps and the sheer number of teams in the league). Now, the Quakes certainly have room to grow, but I would say they've done a pretty good job increasing their attendance, winning some games and setting themselves up for more success as a team overall. Personally, I'm not really bothered by the idea of being small. That doesn't signify not being competitive to me. I'd take a comment like that from Doyle over Lalas' characterizations of a superclub each and every day.
My all-small Quakes team: ------Amarikwa ----- Fucito Alas--- Baca --- Robles --- Chavez Guerrero ---Garcia --- Morrow --- WalMart -----------------Buschy --------------- If you want small, we can go small!!