I liked Pelada and Finding the Game, so I got this one as well. She's got a gift for finding compelling stories. I liked your book, Long Range Goals, as well ... I'll have to find your book on the Spirit.
I mean some of those are very wonky. I’m particularly amazed by the ones where newer more intimate stands were installed older round stadium ones. Reminds me of ex-Turner Field in Atlanta and the weird upgrade they’ve done there (probably what the new Arlington USL team will deal with too).
it's not surprising that Serie B attendances are so low. People shouldn't have to sit on concrete benches in 2019.
Attendance figures in Italy's Serie A , B and C are misleading. At least when I lived there (and I doubt much has changed) , many stadiums were empty with the occasional derby or big match days. Teams don't live off ticket sales but they rely on SKY TV Season package subscriptions. Those revenues along with sponsorship money, go directly to the clubs. Travel costs and other expenses as opposed to the way they are in the USA are also very cheap by comparison. Not too many teams take a plane and fly to a town but instead take a bus or train. Also, with the exception of Juventus, no stadium has built their own new stadium. They will talk about building one forever as is the case with AS Roma but it never happens. I recall speaking to citizens who still complained about how a city spent money on rebuilding Rome's Olympic Stadium or Florence's Artemio Franchi for example and they were only used for 3-7 matches fore the 1990 WC and how the country is still in debt because they hosted the tournament. That was only 7 -10 years ago but from the people I talked to , they all still feel the same way... Most clubs rely on rebuilding or refurbishing existing stadiums and most fans seem ok or deal with them. List of Serie A stadiums
The only other one I can think of that owns their stadium is US Sassuolo, and they are an interesting one. They played at a 4k seat stadium in Sassuolo up until they got into Serie B in 2009/10 (they were founded in 1920 and it was their first trip above the 3rd division) when they played about 15 miles away in Modena. They won promotion to Serie A at the end of the 12/13 season so they moved again, this time to Reggio Emila to share the ground with the local team there. However, their owner (the ceramic company MAPEI) bought the stadium in an auction so they technically own the stadium. So they play in a stadium they own, in a town that is about 17 or so miles away, and share it with a team that is based in that town. Also, the stadium has a moat:
I didn't realized they owned their own park. Its probably the reason on why they've remained in the Serie A... It looks nice. I mean as far as Italy's stadiums are concerned... Sadly the owner of Sassuolo and Mapei boss , Giorgio Squinzi died this week. All teams are having a moment of silence for him.
I'm not sure if its owned by the club or not. I recall reading the city of Udine gave the club a 99 year lease for the Stadio Friuli or something like that. Just remembered Frosinone Calcio owns Stadio Benito Stirpe and they climbed up to the Serie A in the last 6 years from he 3rd division. I think they are back down again in the second division.
Slightly related but... Did Danny Szetela got his check cleared from Rocco or is he mentally insane? Bizzare thing to talk about on a Sunday night...
Sounds like someone is petty that he couldn’t hack it in MLS anymore and is stuck playing in the minors. Won’t matter he’ll most likely be looking for a job when the Rocco kicks him to the curb this offseason when he closes up shop.
The Cosmos care about Sztella? He's fortunate to have played for Gio, who builds a good culture at a club. Gio taught Mendez well who carried that onward when he took over. I find it difficult to believe that the Two prior ownership groups of the neo Cosmos cared much at all about their employees. Rocco may be a different story, he seems like a guy who genuinely cares about his employees, even if he sounds a little crazy in his interviews.
Bringing it back to Italy, Sztella actually played some good games for Brescia in Serie B. I heard he had some trouble on a personal level coming back to the USA....Not sure exactly what happened though....
I don't get the scandalous nature of his "story." He should probably add some coherent details before this blockbuster reaches the press.
Nothing is for sure "scandalous", just making weird, unfounded accusations when the lawsuit is currently taking place. Then again, Cosmos folks share the same group-think conspiracy theories that US Soccer and MLS "killed" NASL and the Cosmos.
Does Rocco really care in the end or is he just leveraging the Cosmos name and logo as Pepe Pinton did?
Good question. Honestly I think he was just naive to the US soccer landscape as it is currently. He brought a name that was damaged goods and kept it going with a similar bravado that the past owners had. I think he's already laying the "groundwork" for folding the club. The fact he's started harping on how much money's he has lost and how no one is going to accept the Cosmos into their league (which is a ********ing lie if you ask me). He'll just fold the team and blame the USSF and say maybe they'll come back if they win the NASL lawsuit (which I doubt they will).
He apparently had/had some drinking issues that made teams avoid him. I believe a year ago he was arrested for bar fighting in a jersey shore bar. I always thought he was a decent player but his demons got the best of him, player wise. I think he'd make a good coach though if he can stay out of trouble.
People wonder why I tell the USMNT boards to stop getting overly excited about u-20 world cup prospects.
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As someone who was in Columbus at the same time as Danny, I can vouch for the fact that, as much as he resented having to play there (Don pulled the Crew out of a bowl on live TV. Still one of my TopTen most ridiculous MLS moments), it was his best chance to actually fulfill his promise because fate landed him in the lap of Sigi Schmid. No soccer coach in history did a better job with young American players, both for all those years at UCLA and then of course in MLS. The list is almost endless. If anyone could have turned the kid into a valuable contributor, it was him. It was an incredible piece of luck. Instead, he moped and pouted and got dragged out of campus bars in the company of cute co-eds and showed up late and dogged it at practice and refused to listen to that fat old guy who was trying to turn him into a soccer player. When MLS finally got an offer which amounted to a bag of cookies and half a can of paint SIgi couldn't unload him fast enough. He did apparently have his moments from time to time overseas but we all know the deal over there: nobody is going to put in extra work teaching you, working with you, helping you. Nobody is going to kiss the ass of some 20 year old American kid with an attitude. It's pretty cut throat, they expect you to show up early, stay late, work your ass off and take responsibility for your own game. The same stuff he could have learned from Sigi if he'd been interested. He wasn't. So now he's back home playing for a joke team and it's all everybody else's fault.