If we are looking for instant rivalries, why not go with Portland and Seattle? We have been rivals for thirty years.
Seattle and Philly... Seattle cause the owner is already there basically... and kasey keller would come home to play for a team in seattle... and philly because after two western expansions this season we need at least 1 eastern team for next expansion. Philly also gets a rival going with the metros, and possibly dallas if we keep the two conferences and dallas moves to the east (either they or kansas city will, and dallas makes more sense... just look at football.)
I would move KC, since I believe KC is east of Dallas, into the east. That would give the MLS the following look for the 2005 season. East Chicago Columbus DC Kansas City NE NY/NJ West Colorado Dallas LA-Chivas LA-Galaxy Salt Lake City San Jose
How about detroit with a team that plays in a renovated for soccer, OLD TIGER STADIUM! Now that would be something.
A lot of diehard, lifelong Tigers fans wouldn't go to south Detroit to watch the Tigers play. Can't imagine an expansion team moving in there, even if they were to uncondemn (decondemn?) it. I have a seat! Nick
there is no way slc deserves a team. what a joke. how about we adopt a promotion-relegation system and let the best soccer teams join the mls. wow, what a bizarre concept: promotion-relegation. the world might actually think we're a real soccer nation. at least promote teams for a couple of years so we can get 18 teams in the league. you know, spread the wealth a bit. then in a couple of years add relegation. of course this idea contradicts the US and MLS philosophy of money, power, and ownership.
"of course this idea contradicts the US and MLS philosophy of money, power, and ownership." which is exactly why that is not going to happen anytime soon! "you know, spread the wealth a bit. then in a couple of years add relegation." What wealth?
"which is exactly why that is not going to happen anytime soon!" yeah, especially when the fan base just accepts what is offered and doesnt demand better from ownership. we can always do better. the fan base just isnt smart enough to figure it out yet. i mean slc gets a team. too bad for mls. "What wealth?" uh, just a couple of billionaires, thats all. oh, lots of players. uh, maybe some coaches. uh, dozens and dozens of cities. um, lots of major multinational kit/equipment suppliers. hmm, tons of multinational kit sponsors. oops we dont have real kit sponsorship yet. sorry mate, just venting.
Hey, I would love to have a promotion/relegation system in this country, I just don't see it happening in my lifetime that's all. Things will change over time I am sure, once so more owners see MLS as a viable investment things will change.
Putting a team in Salt Lake is a joke? You are horribly uneducated about the popularity of soccer with the youth in SLC. We have a HUGE population of youth and teens that play soccer and view it religously. I myself played soccer for 6 years in the SLC soccer leagues and am not a big fan. It is something that just comes naturally while growing up in the SL valley. Womens soccer is huge here, as well as mens soccer. We also have a gigantic hispanic population here that eats, sleeps and craps soccer. You are misinformed my friend. The SLC FC will not only thrive here, but create an enormous BOOM! of soccer interest. Please respond if you know better than someone who lives here pal. SLCBOZ
Atlanta definitely lots of money here, lots of hispanics, atlanta is growing very quickly and the hispanic population is pretty much humongous. lots of youth soccer as well. there could be a good rivalry with the A-league team the Silverbacks. Really the Silverbacks could just join the MLS to make things simple
whoever said something about promotion ang relegation is dreaming. sorry, its just not the good ol american way. maybe in 30 years when im commisioner but for now no way. plus theres not enough money in it right now.
But that is true of at least 90% of metro areas in the country. The point that's been noted in the media and these boards is that that in and of itself does not translate into a successful franchise. Again, this fact has been shown to be largely irrelevant in other markets, e.g. LA. As has been said before, no city is more deserving or not based on how popular the sport is with the kids or the size of the non-native residents. These factors are important, sure; they provide existing marketing channels. But the economics and social factors necessary to get a new franchise to succeed are sufficiently complex to make it difficult to predict whether SLC is a better bet than, say, Portland. I for one would prefer to see an expansion franchise prosper in SLC or wherever, rather than push for a franchise somewhere else because it is perceived as a "good soccer town."
Rochester reprazent! I went to the Rhinos-Impact game last week and Frontier Field was just short of a sell-out. With the Salt Lake City deal, did Garber throw a dart at a map?
It simply means Dave Checketts knows how to get a deal done. It's got nothing to do with being "a good soccer town"--whatever the hell that is in the U.S.
Soccertown: n, a place where there is a significant amount of soccer fans. Ideally, it'd be a town/city that has had a team there. Rochester has a successful franchise, but it was passed up for someplace like Salt Lake City.
I don't know why Rochester doesn't get a shot at the big time. Seems like a no-brainer. Do they need a bigger stadium??? You know, eventually, they will be invited to the party. The other one, Chivas-USA is certainly an interesting situation. It provides exposure to the US that reaches beyond its boarders. If this experient works, you know you'll see teams from all over the world install a team in a US city with a big immigrant population of that country. My only concern is that in sharing the same stadium as the Galaxy, will the galaxy attendance dwindle to the league low because all its fans might just support only Chivas? Something to think about. Salt Lake City....Not a bad option, as far as location goes. I just have a concern with the narrow soccer field. I have to say, watching professional soccer matches on high school size fields is just plain ugly.
Does a PSL team that averages nearly 4,000 a game with little if any advertising count as a succesful franchise? If so Salt Lake has a succesful franchise. As for Rochester, it is in the middle of the lacrosse hotbed of the world, but has a hard time supporting pro lacrosse. If I were an MLS hat that would make me a little leary of how well soccer would do there. Add to that the fact that Rochester is a significantly smaller market than Salt Lake (SLC 35, Rochester 71) and it really doesn't suprise me that Rochester got passed up in this round of expansion. If you really take a good long look at things from the business aspect Salt Lake makes sense.
Rochester may be a small market, but I wonder how a team would do where it might be considered the first choice for the consumers leisure dollar. All the other current franchises have to compete with football, baseball, basketball, minor league soccer, other outside sporting events. I mean, what else is there to do in Rochester? Maybe this formula might work. Plus from what I hear they already have a good customer support base. Just thoughts....
How can you have a customer support base without minor league soccer? what are customers supporting? just curious. back on the subject, it is a brilliant move. I live in Utah (springville, by orem and provo). there are tons of people that will go, trust me. there are 18 people on my soccer team that are going to buy season tickets. And THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU to slcboz. This is a great post for a newb were u here under another name??? you hit Utah right on the money, i guess you should though, because you live here. to back slcboz up, utah isn't just mormons. yes, I am mormon, but gawl, your childish stereotypes about polygamy, mormons, racism etc. are absolutely unbeleivable, and nowhere close. less than 3% of the population are polygamists, there is no racism, the whole country isn't a little mormonville. Austen
Lame, lame, lame!!! Who knows or cares about that? Only family and friends would come out for that reason, and that's what? A dozen?
obviously you haven't seen the high school soccer in georgia... probably the best in the nation.... don't speak until you know what you're talking about.