Agreed. If any team can pull off playing Open Cup at their real home field, you would think it would be a team that sells out every MLS home game. So points for Gary Smith.
Did you read what Hanauer said? League match. Season tickets. Groups. Short notice. If they'd sold 14k, that would have been one of the biggest matches of this type ever (it would have been the biggest MLS play-in crowd by 2.5 times or so). But it would have been "Huh. Seattle only got 14k? What's the problem?"
I do understand all that. I completely understand why Seattle played where they did. I would have understood that 14K would have been an awesome USOC crowd. Slightly off topic, weren't the rounds more spread out a few years ago then they are now, or am I remembering wrong?
Yes they were, but I suppose they are so squeezed this year to give the more important and more prestegious SuperLiga room to breathe.
2009 - 1st Round - June 9, 2nd Round - June 16, 3rd Round - June 30 2008 - 1st Round - June 10, 2nd Round - June 24, 3rd Round - July 1 2007 - 1st Round - June 12, 2nd Round - June 26, 3rd Round - July 10 2006 - 1st Round - June 14, 2nd Round - June 28, 3rd Round - July 12 2005 - 1st Round - June 15, 2nd Round - June 29, 3rd Round - July 13 2004 - 1st Round - June 2, 2nd Round - June 15, 3rd Round - June 30 2003 - 1st Round - June 4, 2nd Round - June 25, 3rd Round - July 16 2002 - 1st Round - June 9, 2nd Round - June 26, 3rd Round - July 17
That's exactly what the front office is afraid of and what has been so frustrating. Teams around the world draw less for cup games (not as much less as some think, but it is usually at least a little bit less, especially at this stage), but Seattle needs to keep their image of "selling out" every single game (while keeping 35,000 seats covered). It also was something that MLS promoted a lot more. It is sickening how little marketing, promotion and care MLS teams have for this cup. And the CONCACAF Champions League should get the promotion and TV deals that SuperLiga did. That has the potential to also be a great U.S. vs. Mexico tournament if that's what people want (well, if the MLS teams show they actually care).
Yikes. How is anyone supposed to sell tickets for this with one or two weeks' warning? The Champions League had a bunch of games, including virtually (if not all) games played by MLS teams on FSC. SuperLiga was only on TV in Spanish.
I think that's something that falls squarely at the feet of the US Soccer Federation. MLS doesn't own the Cup or the tournament. MLS has to allow participation as part of the USSF (and ultimately FIFA) rules. It's the USSF's tourney, and it's THEIR responsibility to promote it. Which is why they need a big money sponsor to get the ball rolling....
Ding ding ding ding ding! Now you see the problem inherent in the system. It's only partially USSF's fault. Some of it is the realities of the calendar. Some of it is the popularity of the sport. The dates on which the games fall. It's not primarily USSF's lack of marketing, it's not a lack of TV and it's not a lack of a major sponsor that people here seem to think can be found on craigslist or something.
I could be mistaken, but I thought I read somewhere that the SuperLiga TV contract earned the competition a lot more money than the Champions League TV contract. That was my point, not that the Champions League was unaccessible, because it was very accessible. Good point, but the teams themselves need to promote their own games more than they are. I just feel it has an untapped potential that is not coming close to being realized because if the biggest teams in your country doesn't care about the tournament, why should you as Joe Soccer Fan care? One of the best things about soccer is the variety of competitions, it's not just a regular season leading to a playoffs leading to a playoff champion like nearly every other American sport.
Well, if you read further back in the thread, you'll note that I mentioned that a big sponsor is the key to TV coverage. I.e.: The ridiculously tiny Caribbean Champions Cup being shown of FSC, due to DigiCel's sponsorship. Unless I severly underestimate the crossover television appeal of a Joe Public FC vs. Boystown matchup, the reason that the matches are shown on FSC is that someone else has paid the bills, and FSC has some programming time they need filled (by something other than male enhancement pill infomercials). I also mentioned that the REAL challenge is to convince a sponsor that putting their name on the Lamar Hunt Trophy will benefit them in some way. I have no idea how that would be done. Because it doesn't seem like it would be much of a benefit at any price...