You think that's a Marxist rant? I'm just hoping the guy is a little more understanding of others' circumstances.
I was going to start a thread asking whether US Supporters should wear US Soccer flip flops to the mid-October qualifier at RFK, but this thread stole my thread title.
This isn't about you being a martyr for your unpopular ideas. Go back to what you wrote. This is about you judging your fellow fans and making unnecessarily snide comments about their careers without any sort of understanding about their personal financial situation. Particularly given the current economic environment and the number of people who have either lost their jobs or are saving aggressively because they fear they will, what were you thinking? The best accountants I know tend to ask a lot of questions first to understand the big picture behind a client's business situation before they advise. If you truly are a practicing accountant, I pity your clients.
That's easy....for games that US plays big drawing countries, scalpers (much of them US citizens) buy up a ton and re-sell them mostly to non-US fans that are willing to pay the money to go to the games. US fans just don't want to pay the face value tickets, much less the higher priced 3rd party tickets. Most US soccer fans just don't want to pony up money to go watch games as compared to fans of other countries or even other US sports. And if US fans do want to go to the game, they want the best seats in the house at 1/2 face value. This isn't all US soccer fans, but I would say more then 50% which is why US fans alone can't fill a stadium alone adn are usually always out numbered when playing other big soccer nations. Some of you might argue, but its the truth. Look at Columbus in February, it was hard as hell if not close to impossible for Mexican fans to buy tickets for that game because of the distribution but well over half of Crew Stadium was pro Mexico.
Here's what I don't get: 40,000 US supporters sold out Rice-Eccles in 2005 against Costa Rica, but then in 2009, the much smaller Rio Tinto had empty seats and tons of El Salvador blue. Same town, different crowd. What's the variable here?
US v Guatemala - 2000, Labor Day Weekend. Sellout at RFK. I'd vote economy and lack of attention in the hometown.
That was the 1-0 McBride goal game, right? I drove up from NC for that one and got showered with beer after he scored. There were a lot of Guatemalans in RFK that day...but there were still probably 30K US fans in attendance. I, too, was disappointed with the attendance in SLC.
Yeah. For some strange reason the Guatemalan players didn't seem to get a restful sleep the night before the game.
Because him and Bob would be fired if we didn't make the world cup. For them making world cup>money/attendance>USA Fans.
Yeah, I still think you go with what the supporters requested. I think the negotiated amount is 50 bucks or so. I wish we would have the entire supporters side full of red white and blue. I still think in this case, if you are USSF, you succumb or fully work with the supporters to get a deal done -- to sell as many tickets as possible to SUPPORTERS of the USA. Obviously, USSF is full of MORONs - plain and simple. They may be "nice people", but they are MYOPIC MORONS. I have a really sh*tty feeling about this whole thing. I don't like the Honduras game one bit -- So it might down to the game in DC against Costa Rica -- winner take all. If you are in that situation and the lifeblood of the USSF is to do well in World Cups, you pull out ALL the stops to have a proUSA stadium and categorically anti Costa Rica on every level you can muster. Hell, I am cutting a vacation down a day and flying back for this MF'r. I wouldn't forgive myself if I twasn't there. Not to mention I am still panic button'd to buy airline tics (I don't think the Ethiopian airlines will refund you if you team does not make it).
I too have a bad feeling, but good news is it won't be "winner take all." Even if the US loses in Honduras, which I'm sad to say I'm expecting, the US just needs a point out of the Costa Rica game, not a win. (Speaking of which, the "just a point" deal may be the biggest trap of all). I'd like to believe that T&T could defeat Costa Rica in CR, which then all of this worry is moot, but I also don't see that happening either. Whatever the case...USA, USA, USA!
i'd hate to have usa playing for a draw with costa rica... one bad bounce in the 94th minute could put usa in a play-off.... play to beat costa rica, NOT draw them
The play for the draw curse, as mentioned before, will be in full force. Play to pound them into submission. I have seen my fare share of concacrap referring this year to have our hopes depending on the final game going. Especially against a costa side that will have a fanbase thanks to lack of promotion from USSF (or whoever is responsible for promoting) and selling a bevy of premium tickets to the enemy.
this is rfk and it needs ussf to push the match... rfk has historically recieved far more than it's fair share of matches... i'd think TOO many matches might limit attendance, as demand elasticity lowers demand when you have many options over time... and as to costa rica fans, i think of the mexicans, hondurans, guatemalans, el salvadorans, the ticos have far fewer fans in the usa, as the costa rican economy might actually be a better functioning economy than the rest of central america... but that's a tangent
If I were an economics professor that moonlights as the head of a fed, I'd be laughing at this statement... ...matter of fact, anyone that's taken a freshman-level microeconomics course should at least be confused by this statement. That said, it's a shame that, as even the last WCQ for this cycle, the fed didn't do more to cultivate a stronger pro-US atmosphere... then again, that would almost require all matches to be played in C-bus.
Even the disastrous game in Torrance in 1985, which the USSF explicitly marketed to Tico expats - a far worse act than simply reduced supporter allocations, couldn't even sell out a 12,000 seat stadium. Perhaps the availability of "Costa Rica fan" tickets is a clue that they are not exactly going to be there in force.