Atlanta United vs Red Bulls

BWP put on some lbs. Either that or his shirt is too small...on the side and front.

 

Red Bulls still on winter break; Marsch getting out coached. I am not usually this negative. Frankly, I don't like it. Field is also a factor, very narrow.

 

OG but we'll take it. Break is over.

 

As noted earlier, their creativity, their decision making needs to improve. And I don't want to hear "The season just started. Give them time." 85% of this team (if not more) has been together since last season. If you don't know each other now, when will you? With all the players the RB throw forward there should be options galore for the first attacker. Possession should be easier. RB should be an attacking threat/ an opponent's nightmare. They should have many chances on goal (if not actual goals) with all the numbers they have up. But they are so non threatening, opponents are more than happy to give them space in their third of the field, intercept a pass, and start a quick counter. Opponents look more dangerous on the counter than RB do on the attack.

 

Burn those uniforms. Losing a game late on an own goal followed by a red card is soooooo Metro.

 

I was at the game and that's exactly what I was thinking haha. Maybe Atlanta wearing those uniforms will lift some of the bad spirits from Metro.
Game atmosphere was great. Nice to see so many people in the Southeast stoked to have MLS.

 

We need to get some of that interest rubbed off on the local fan base. If NYRB were getting a legit 22K (near sell-out) every game, the ripple on effects would be huge. Honestly, this team should be close to that already, winning consistently for several seasons, plus having two SSS and the league's leading scorer twice ought to bring in the crowds. Yes, the club can be blamed for some poor marketing decisions as well as scheduling problems. That said, it seems like a nice goal for the club would be to make sure that there are very few empty seats on game days.

Over all the league attendance average is good, buoyed by the more successful franchises. There are a few laggards and I would throw NYRB into that category simply because they are one of the founders and a consistent winner. There's no excuse anymore for being middle of the pack.

 

I'm always amazed at how rarely this comes up in the millions of conversations MLS fans have about attendance every year, I honestly think its the single most important factor to MLS becoming more ingrained in the American sporting landscape. 99% of people pick their sports teams based on who they grew up watching with their family and friends, MLS just isn't old enough for the generation growing up watching their teams to have actual time and money to spend on it. And even more than attendance, I think that's when we'll see TV ratings shoot through the roof, when we have a generation of casual fans instead of the extremes we see today with die-hard supporters on one end and people just looking for a nice day out on the other.

 

One really minor point in the grand scheme, and I'm really only speaking for the fans coming over from Newark, but they need to fix the lighting on the Jackson St. Bridge. Apparently this is neither a Newark or a Harrison problem, there is a bridge authority responsible for maintenance. Still, it would be a concern of both aesthetics and safety to have the area more brightly lit. Which is not to mention that when the Newark Riverfront Park is completed, they will want to encourage more pedestrian traffic in the area. Do it right and fix the lights.

 

30-35K average attendance is about as good as any of the world's biggest leagues. In that respect, MLS is not to far off the pace and that is without having clubs like Manchester United, Barcelona or Borussia Dortmund that regularly have attendances over 70K, padding the overall numbers.

I still remember season 1, on my birthday, the Metrostars had 54K show up for the game versus Tampa Bay. And fast forward a dozen or more years for the first Beckham match and I was sitting practically in the last row, seeing Jozy Altidore break LA's hearts. There have been some glorious big game attendances. The league's own marketing has always fallen short of organic fan interest, which is probably a good thing.