Columbus Crew to Austin Texas?

There is always better attendance when something is new. Arthur Blank is a seasoned owner and knows his market. I do think their attendance will round off but will still be among the top in the league.

To be clear, I don't care about attendance at all, so your implication that I would hope for anything related to how many people watch a soccer game is as misguided as most of your other thoughts about me.

Oh, and I am not mad at what is happening to my team. We were charged for season tickets today. Guess what won't be happening in Austin next year

 

Tell that to the Los Angeles Chargers.

 

They were new in 1960.

 

"Seasoned" is a nice euphemism for "old." (He'll be 76 next week). The idea that Atlanta United will be a juggernaut after Blank passes away in a decade or two (may he live long and prosper) is rank conjecture, to say the least. But dare to point out the truism that old people tend to die after awhile and you're labeled a "hater."

 

I bet you were one of the "wait until their second season" people. Well guess what, their average has gone up.
It reminds me of when I got married. We were very happy together (still are) and all the unhappy married people would say "wait until your second year"...the second year came and went...we were still happy. Then they started saying "wait until year 5"....year 5 came and went and we were happy. Then they started saying "wait until you have kids"....we had kids and were still happy. Then they started saying "wait until year 10"...year 10 came and went and we were still happy (hit year 15 in a couple months).

There are some people that will constantly move the goal posts out. Just enjoy their off the charts attendance. Some things do last and there is nothing to expect it won't.

 

Nash, you must be one of those shiny happy people holding hands. Me, I'm a pretty optimistic and upbeat guy, once you get over the fact that we are all just unwilling passengers on a runaway train to doom and annihilation. Brief spasms of joy, like 5 MLS Cup Final appearances, are only there to point out the total hopelessness of all human endeavor.

 

You won a SuperLiga

 

Yep. Right up until they don't.

 

Knave?

 

Actually, I am one of those "fans of the league since before it was a league" kind of guys. YMMV

 

Me too.

 

Me three.

 

Sigh. (Hand raised)

 

I had my doubts--but that was for two reasons--I'd already seen the NASL and one incarnation of the ASL die, and lost teams I'd rooted for and attended games of and I also was a big fan and supporter of the Xoggz. I thought USL was the best model at the time for long term, supportable growth of the game here. I recall going to Crew games and trying to give away Xoggz schedules outside the stadium in that first MLS season.

I wasn't completely wrong about the USL either. But I was wrong about MLS.

 

One of my HS team mates played for the Xoggs and another close friend was running Soccer First when the Xoggs were playing there.

Still, playing in Ohio Stadium seemed much more legit than watching a friend play on the same field I played rec games on.

 

Which one played? I wonder if I knew him....

I kinda got a kick out of playing at Soccer First on the same field the pros played on, myself (and I did get to play--and score--at Crew Stadium years later)--though their best venue was Dublin Coffman HS's stadium. It was quite good for USL level ball. Sadly that got all messed up the last season as Dublin did a renovation and closed it off without telling the Xoggz they were going to do so right before the season, so they had to play a couple of games at a temp locale out back of the HS.

 

Nick Igel. I played with him all through grade school and HS, his dad and my dad were our coaches before we moved to club in 7th grade.

 

I was a "fan of the league" to the point that I would always root for home teams to win any neutral games because it would mean lots of people who are at their first pro soccer game ever would be more likely to come back because they had a good time. Yes, the league's survival was that precarious.

 

I still do that. LA Galaxy were the only team I ever rooted for to win an away game.
Not having a team within 6 hour drive also affected that.

 

We went over to the Igel's a couple of times for post season parties. Really nice folks. I was happy to see he got a championship with Milwaukee a couple years after the Xoggz folded.

 

Optimist

 

LA Galaxy are the only MLS team I never root for to win a game.