Alert: Miami Soccer Festival, Miami Ultras and the Food Truck Invasion!

RE: #3 - 70,080 attendance at the Stadium of Many Names, and a national telecast on ESPN2, to watch Chivas win 4-1......For me the score was the surprise; for the rest of the country it was the attendance..

According to the Herald TPTB from MLS were in the stadium. They noticed. They were properly impressed. I don't blame them. Whenever the cameras left the field of play to pan over the crowd I was impressed.

Now if we can only get 10% of them to consistently go to Lockhart to watch the Strikers we'll have MLS here in less than 5 years.

 

I'm with Antique here, definitely impressed by the crowd, and surprised by the score. Chivas just seemed to be more interested in winning this game based on what I saw watching on tv. In a game that actually meant something, I could never see Barca losing against a Mexican side.

Anyway, that aside, the game was still fun to watch, and that second goal by the Chivas player was highlight reel for years to come. I'm interested to hear from those of you out there who actually attended the game. What was the Strikers presence like? Did it seem like they were successful in selling some tickets and getting the club's name in front of more people? I didn't see every second of the broadcast, was flipping to some of the games that were on tv here and there, but I didn't see the camera catch much of anyone in Strikers gear. I know the Ultras and Flight 19 were planning to proudly show their Strikers colors, was there enough to be noticable to the other fans?

I guess I just saw this game not only as a chance for local soccer fans to come out and show the world how much this area does indeed love the game, but also an opportunity for the Strikers to broaden the audience that is exposed to the return of a beloved brand.

70,000+ is definitely an attention grabbing number. You can't make too big of a correlation between the fan that turns out for a Barca friendly and a fan that regularly attends Strikers games. But even if we could get just a small percentage of them to come to Lockhart on a semi-regular basis, we could find ourselves moving forward more quickly with the building of this fanbase, and then the opportunities for things like MLS become more realistic. Anyway, would love to hear from those at the game about the Strikers presence. Thanks guys for representing on a very big stage!

 

I saw a few people other than us wearing Strikers gear, so that was cool. We definitely stood out in the red and yellow hoops. Also we ran into a bunch of people that were asking when the next Strikers game was, or that said they already go to the games.

The Strikers presence was good, they had the big inflatable jersey/goal thing, and the entire sales team was there selling tickets to games for the rest of the year. They had flyers with a 2 for 1 deal for Saturday's game and also they were giving away t-shirts with the purchase of a $10 ticket.

The record crowd was great for South Florida's image as a soccer market, and it's great that MLS was impressed. But more impressive should be the Strikers attendance numbers. Still averaging over 4,000 fans per game despite the recent dip, and that's better than Seattle's all time average in USL.

 

Link?

 

Glad to hear the Strikers organization as well as the fans did their parts to get the brand in front of more local soccer fans. Props to you guys! I agree that 4,000+ is great, especially when you reflect on the woes of Miami FC. I just get a little frustrated by the recent drop off. Part of it is just casual fans who come and go with wins and losses. Can't be helped. But also it seems like there's been a dip in the efforts of the club to have a presence marketing wise of late. Maybe the opportunities haven't been as prevalent as earlier in the year when they were all over with youth tournaments. I was very heartened to hear about their efforts at last night's match, and I hope it propels us forward.

If we can climb back over 4,000 this Saturday, and beat the runaway first place team in the league, I'll be ecstatic about the chances for keeping us over that 4,000 mark for the year. Big O echoed a sentiment on his show this afternoon that a lot of us have been putting forth for awhile now - the way to MLS is to support the Strikers. Simple. And if we're ever blessed with an MLS birth for the Strikers, high profile friendlies in our backyard will be a regular thing! Go Strikers! Everyone get out to Lockhart this Saturday!

 

S&M, the storm that was named Emily may reform and be here Saturday night. There's a 60%-70% chance of a deluge then. That could hold down the numbers attending.

I'll not be there either. Birth of grandson on the 31st means a major family thing at my son's house Saturday afternoon & evening to clean & prep the place for Sunday afternoon's Bris. There is no way I can wiggle out of this to see the Strikers, believe me....

Next up is a return of FCTB on August 27th. I'll be there, wearin' my hoops and all.......See ya then.

 

One of the biggest obstacles this team ran into attendance wise this year was the cancellation of the Rowdies game. That game, that night, was going to bring this franchise to a new height. The atmosphere was building, and there were a lot of people there that evening, even with the impending and subsequent storms. I would just hate to see tomorrow night finding us running into that same momentum killing wall.

It would be tough to see a new wave of momentum fizzle out because of rain again. We can't control it of course, but it doesn't make it any less frustrating. Soccer fans in our area have to be energized by the match from Wednesday, and the Strikers hopefully did a good job of capitalizing on it be having a presence there. Let's all just pray the rain stays to the east over the ocean for the most part, especially in the afternoon and evening!

By the way, where is DR with his usual pre-match starter thread for this week?!? LOL

 

Weather report has now dropped the rain chance for Saturday evening to 30% - 40%. I'm really hoping that mess stays offshore for the most part!

 

Good read, just proves what everybody has been saying about Miami market:

http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/08/06/2348580/s-florida-soccer-and-new-us-coach.html

 

Key word MIAMI. Even the so called soccer reporter from the Miami Herald, who's soccer section still includes a "Miami FC" tab, is dismissive of the Fort Lauderdale Strikers, implying there should be more than 4,000 fans at Strikers games, yet failing to recall the consistent crowds under 1,000 at Tropical Park and FIU.

 

We know it better than you do. We've had a decent contingent of Argentinian's attending until recently. For a couple of games we had a large group from TnT adding a delightful Caribbean flavor to Lockhart. Neither were there for the barnburner we had Saturday. Maybe it was the weather? Who knows.

Which is the point that WSW misses. That group from TnT was probably from Broward. The Argentinians probably were not. The Strikers are undoubtedly a Broward & Palm Beach thing. Miami adds very little to any crowd at any game. That's probably true about a Dolphin, Heat, Marlin or Panther game, too. None of it is part of the culture they have. It isn't "home" yet. Maybe in 50 more years it might be, but not yet.

 

Disagree about the Heat. Many of the fans this past year were Miami fans, b/c it was the flavor of the month. Heat attendance is so fickle, it has to be stronly 305-supported.

 

I don't read it that way at all. I think the fact that Miami FC only put 1,000 people in the seats supports the position he is taking - that Miami won't support an MLS team.

 

Then they are the only one. The fan base in the County has changed. And it, and in the tricounty area generally, has a rep of being very fickle...

BTW, I emailed Michelle kaufmann about her column. I did point out that the sport plays better in Broward and Palm Beach than in Miami-Dade. I also CC'd the sports editor, Jorge Rojas, asking why the Strikers and magicJack don't get better coverage.

I don't expect an answer from either, but I at least got my $.02 in...

 

THIS! This is what many of us keep saying over and over. Miami will not support an MLS team. That's the only portion of Ms. Kaufmann's article I will agree with. Even her reasoning on it makes sense. But again, she's just echoing things many of us have been saying for a long time.

Where she goes wrong is her remarks about the Strikers. She is very dismissive, and borderline detrimental in her comments about the team and the tremendous turnaround we've experienced this year. Ok, so maybe it's just her opinion. But here's the fact - the Don on his visit to South Florida said the following - If you want to get noticed, support what you've got, ie. the Strikers. That is the only way MLS is going to pay attention to South Florida again as a possible expansion site.

I'm going to do the same thing Antique did, and let her know how unfair, and in some cases non-factual she was in her column. By the way, one of the very few times the Herald has even bothered to print anything about the Strikers this year.

No matter how often a very small minority of people in this area want to try and paint a different picture, here is the bottom line - MLS will not be coming to South Florida excpet through the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. It has been, and always will be the only viable professional soccer brand in South Florida. Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. So now it's time, once and for all for everyone to make a decision. Either you join Striker Liker nation and we ride this thing as far as it will go, or you stay home unless Barca comes back to town again sometime.

 

I agree. that's what I meant by the article Miami supports international soccer but Ft. Lauderdale supports local D2 soccer and what's more important to get MLS back, it's a no-brainer.

 

I'm with you, I'll support whatever team we have, wherever it is. But I'd prefer to end the carousel of teams that come and go in South Florida once and for all. The path of least resistance, and the path with the best chance of success, is the one that involves the Strikers. I would hope that any investors that may be interested in bringing us MLS do some research on the history down here and at least give some thought to working with the Strikers instead of trying to reinvent the wheel. Because the gravestones of the Freedom, Fusion and Miami FC(and even the Mutiny) can attest to the fact that reinventing the wheel in Florida simply does not work.

 

My question is where in Miami-Dade would a team be located that some other team hasn't tried and failed at?

Here's hoping that some very rich, dedicated soul will take the Strikers to MLS & give them a superb SSS to play in & that all of SoFL will go there in loud, large numbers to support them. Here's hoping that that MLS team wears yellow & red hoops and adds to the legend that is already here. For all of that, like my 2 amigos above I'll support an MLS team here where ever they play & under whatever name, but, I'd be partial for a Striker move to MLS by whatever means possible.

 

Has Traffic changed their tune on bringing the Strikers to the MLS since we last spoke? I thought they were dead-set against MLS, given that they wanted to cultivate NASL.

It would be cool if we could have MLS in both cities, haha. Oakland and San Fran support two NFL teams, why not here?

 

A reputation that is fully deserved. Even this past season, when the Heat lost a big game, the home crowd numbers suffered until they started winning again. There are just too many other things to do around here, and that, combined with (at least in Miami) an intensely image-conscious and trendy populace leads to supporting a team as a flavor-of-the month rather than with consistency. Sure there are die-hards, down here, but they frequently aren't the ones with money. The other issue is that most of the money that comes into Miami isn't from residents, but tourists or part-timers. But the Miami economic picture is a bleak disucssion for another day. . .

 

I'm going to disagree with you Chi Chi about the whole Miami mystique thing, and why it has something to do with some of the points Wog Vader was making about the fickleness (is that even a word? ) of the Miami sports crowd.

We're talking here about the difference between Miami and Ft. Lauderdale for the location and the name of the team. These are separate issues in my mind, but you seemed to be talking about location, so I'll go there. There isn't any reason why Forlan, Kaka, or anyone couldn't live in Miami if they chose to do so, and then played for the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. With the money those types of players could command, they could very easily take a limo up 95 or the Turnpike. Hell, they could take a helicopter to executive airport! LOL And after the game ends at 9:30 on Saturday night, there is still plenty of time for them to head down to South Beach and do whatever the hell they want (as long as they're not driving or toting guns a la Plexico!) until the wee hours of Sunday morning with the rest of the young, hip crowd. Personally though, I think if they saw the homes and peace and quiet in West Palm, Parkland, or Weston, they probably wouldn't want to actually live in Miami itself anyway. Just my opinion there though.

Wog Vader makes a great point about part of the issue in 305 with fan support is that they see these games as more of a social engagement then the sporting events they are to us passionate fans. I never went to a Strikers or Dolphins game because it was a cool thing to do, or jsut to relieve boredom. I love these teams, have all my life. But if the Heat are winning and Lebron is on the team, it's suddenly a more interesting way to spend Friday night then the 5,001 other ways to down there, and this is the way it is for a lot of 305ers. We've seen it time and again over the years. And if they're not winning, then, eh, the crowd will go to the clubs, or a concert, or whatever else is going on they deem more interesting. And all of that is perfectly fine! I have no problem with it. But if you're a millionaire looking to make the soundest business decision for a pro soccer team in South Florida, you'd have to be a bonehead to think Miami offers a better end result then the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers when you've stopped to consider every relevant fact.

Now I'm not saying Broward and Palm Beach fans are significantly better, but I think there is definitely a difference. Throw in the importance and meaning of the brand to this community even after all of these years, because it's uniquely ours, and you have a solid foundation to build a real fanbase on. Crowds went down when the team was playing poorly and the weather was bad, true. But even at the low points we're seeing x2 to x3 times what Miami FC saw. This will work here if between the team and the fans we keep working hard to get the team exposure, to let people know the Strikers are back, they're affordable family entertainment, and it's one hell of a lot of fun to see the smallest guy on the field take a brilliant shot in stoppage time with his team down a man due to an incompetent referee, to defeat the runaway league leaders. If that doesn't get you to come back, nothing will, no matter the name, the location, or if Dan Marino was playing.

 

They were never dead set against MLS, have never said they don't want to go MLS, or anything like that, despite what certain MLS Miami proponents(not our good friend chichi, the other guys you used to see at Miami FC games and posting on BS) would have you believe.

The only thing they've ever said on the subject is basically "show up in big numbers to our games now, prove South Florida will support it's local team, and we'll have no choice but to make the move up".

Yes, Traffic is heavily involved in NASL, but there is nothing that says they can't move the Strikers up to MLS while still holding a stake in NASL. If they can partner with one of the supposed interested investors, even better.

The bottom line is this: the only concrete thing us fans can do to show they want MLS back is to support the Strikers in great numbers. That's what Portland, Vancouver and Montréal did. If not for the great fan support and demand from the fans, they would not have moved up to MLS. Our problem is that we've got a group of guys that would rather rest their hopes for MLS on wishes and rainbows and David Beckham than putting the work in to support their local team.

And a segment of that delusional group of so called soccer "fans" is surely made up of some stubborn 305ers that simply refuse to support the Fort Lauderdale Strikers because they do not want the Strikers to end up being the MLS team for South Florida.

 

DR is right, there really is nothing stopping Traffic from finding an interested partner to move the Strikers to MLS, while at the same time making either the Railhawks or the Silverbacks their "main" NASL team. As a matter of fact it would probably be beneficial from a player development or rehabilitation standpoint if the rules of MLS would allow it.

At the end of the day, no matter what direction you're coming at it from, you always arrive in the same place - supporting the Strikers. This is the only way pro soccer thrives in this area, be it NASL or MLS. He have a nice foundation in place now. Interest in the team is WAY up from last year. We can work with the club to build this thing. I look at Portland, a team I was watching Miami FC play just last year, and the experience it is to attend one of their home matches. That experience can happen anywhere, you just have to have the commitment of the club and the fans. Let's build toward that. I can't wait for the day that I get to my seat in Lockhart now and look around the stadium and see the huge crowds, and exciting, electric atmosphere that I did as a kid watching Nene, Ray, Gerd, Van Bevren and Co.