Official 2009-2010 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

I have heard that about PHX moving to KC a while back but I thought it fell through. I hope it didn't. I also thought Travis said that the NY Islanders may come to the midwest. They probably should, what they're doing now aint working.

What did the FO expect when they hold a press conference about making an announcement regarding "the future of the organization"? I think we all knew a coach was going to be announced but I felt like they lead us on to believe it was something more. Give us at least a new location or something. (i.e. Raccoon River Soccer Complex...? Build a small stadium out there. It's still in West Des Moines and its not Valley...Just a thought.)

Are they afraid people won't show if we move to a pro league? Yeah, the cost will increase but the revenues will offset that (in my semi-educated opinion). Hell, only half the people on this board attend games regularly, but I bet if we were D1, that'd change. For US games on several occasions we packed bars with over 25-30 loud soccer fans on weekday afternoons. Only about 4 or 5 of the 30 attend Menace game. And there are pockets like that all over the city from what I hear. I don't think people realize what a great soccer community we have. If we had a team to united behind, it be something special. I'd bet most of these soccer fans would show. Plus it'd be nice to have more fans to even out the ratio of fans to families who bring their kids just because their kids play in rec leagues but don't really follow the sport. Of course we need families but it'd be nice to have a more soccer intelligent crowd.

I still have my fingers crossed that something bigger is in the works but I will definitely think twice before getting my hopes up and speeding out to a press conference.

Anyway, so who's going to the Drake game?

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Buz...Im not trying to sound like IM picking a fight with the FO or KK in general. Im not. Menace has done alot for my child, and Im a big fan of the Menace and has always supported the PDL and Youth club. However, being a fan, I, like many others want the best and not just a one year and done deal. Im sure it cost Menace a chunk of change to bring Laurie back to DSM. But wasnt that the problem on why Casey left? IM sure Coach Calloway will give the club his all, but it is only a matter of time till he leaves for bigger things. I was around back when Coach C was here before. And I can still remember the rumors (unconfirmed) on why Coach C left. I do hope things are different. He is a winner, I am excited. I just hope it will last a few years without too many Generals in the army butting heads and not enough privates. Leave it at that.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

I was agreeing that Calloway is a great coach and he brings nothing but good things to the club. And I was saying I wasn't trying to pot shot the FO or sound ungrateful. I was just saying I was disappointed that they left it with just a coach announcement. We could be bringing in Sigi Smidt, but if we are still in the PDL...

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

That's just plain not true. I'm dying for KC to get a team, but the NHL continues to show that they'll do just about anything to prevent teams from coming to KC. They currently own the Coyotes, under the idea that they're only going to sell to someone that'll keep them in a place that still can't understand how the water gets cold enough to turn solid...err, I mean Phoenix.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

I dont see anything happening as for moving up in to USL-1 any time soon. After being involved with the Thunder the last 2 yrs (W-League Lighting that is), we would need a bigger stadium for a USL-1 team. Cownie doesnt seat enough. Valley could work, but, its nothing like what the Thunder played on. Its a highschool. Plus, USL-1 cost $, alot more than what the PDL cost to run. Contracts along would kill it. We would need to bring in at least 10k people for each home match. We arent there yet. Plus, Im sure the FO would want the $ from concessions and at Valley, there is no beer tent etc. That is $ that the club would need to help pay for the players contracts etc. I would love to see a USL-1 in town as well. Heck, the Thunder has gone broke these past 6 months and have released all players from there contracts, the FO hasnt been paid in over 10 weeks, same with the coach who just quit, the GM just left for the Aztec in Tx. The Thunder is in a mess. Its too bad, the PDL Thunder has a buyer, but the owner of the Thunder is dragging his feet on the sale. The WL team is no longer. Its a freaking mess up there. I would rather have a PDL team like Menace than the mess the Thunder is going thru.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Well, from what I heard from the Thunder fans that were in Chicago on Saturday for the ECF... it seems like they may not be an appropriate example. From what the guys were saying, there has been a lot of shady things behind the scenes, regardless of any financial situation they may have been in. Just saying. But I agree with your points on principle, in that their are definitely cost increases that are major factor in this.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Menace Staff guy--why no word on my money for the brick at Liberty Bank Stadium? I should have gone to the press conference just to ask that question! It is convenient only certain questions/topics get talked about/answered on here my the menace organization (i dont tailgate, but from reading this it seems that is a MAJOR issue and no response from anybody with the menace)

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

MN is definitely more the exception than the rule. They’ve been in trouble for quite some time and it is unfortunate because they are a long standing team with the USL.

We wouldn’t need to pull anywhere near 10k a game to be solvent. Hell, KC barely tops that, and Dallas and Colorado only pull 2k above it. And the only USL team that can draw those numbers is Montreal, and its pretty sure that they’ll be the next expansion after 2011. Portland doesn’t either, and their support is solid.
The only teams in the entire USL pyramid that draw better than our little PDL team are Montreal, Portland, Rochester, and Vancouver. Two of which are going MLS, and the other 2 on the short list. We double the size of crowds of some USL clubs and even triple some. And we have 1,000k+ more people showing than every USL2 squad. Plus, I’ve heard that the Menace are a well run club internally. If the other clubs can survive, we sure as hell can.

And honestly I’ve looked at the payroll for USL1 players/staff. I have the info on my home computer, and I’m not at home, but I can tell you it is surprisingly small. Considering Peter Lowry, a player for the Chicago Fire who gets a decent amount of PT and scored 2 goals as a defender this year, only makes $20,100. Most USL players make much less than that.

I guess another way to think about it: Hockey generally has 40 plus home games every season. By the time the Chops caught on in Des Moines, and were positioned well through decent marketing, they were drawing around 7,000-8,000 people per game (with the exceptions of weekday games, which plummeted their game average). On top of that, still about 2,500-3000 people would go to Bucs home games, even though they were absolutely terrible. You ask most 20-somethings why they go and they say because its “cheap beer and a crazy atmosphere.” (an exact quote I have received from many Bucs fans) So any given night, in the City of Des Moines you’d have upwards of 10,000 people attending a hockey game. Most people do not understand hockey, but they still go because it turned into the place to go to see a good sporting event, hang out with friends, and get a hot dog and a beer. Also, most people do not have their kids playing hockey, nor did they grow up playing hockey. Hockey, as much as I love it, is not a quickly growing sport, but it is a very expensive one.
Soccer is a quickly growing sport. Soccer has half has many home games, which can be a positive in terms of attendance. More people understand soccer more than ever in this country. They play it. Every high school has a team. There are tons of rec leagues for all ages. Passion is growing and its awesome.

This would be better for the long term of the club. Like I’ve said, Des Moines, whether now or 20 years from now, will have a professional team of some sort. Its up to the FO to bootstrap a relative small amount of capital now and capitalize in this economy and with the turmoil the minor league is going through. Even risk-adverse businessmen will tell you that when the economy goes south, its time buy everything at clearance prices. Labor, materials, league fees, players, coaches, etc, now will cost just a fraction of what it will even 10 years from now, especially with the growth of the sport. I’m not saying, I’m just saying…

Drake? Go Bulldogs!

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Yeah it is a major issue. Its not about getting wasted or even drinking but rather turning a game into an event and gathering likeminded individuals, and you'd think that would be a priority of a club.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

It was a fun game to watch. Drake played offensively and looked good doing it. Drake/Ohio State will be a competitive one if they look like they did yesterday.

Other news, Tampa Bay and Baltimore (Crystal Palace) just sided with the TOA. So that means the TOA have:
Tampa Bay
Baltimore
Atlanta
Carolina
Minnesota
Vancouver
Miami
Montreal
St. Louis

That leaves the USL1 with:
Portland
Rochester
Charleston (maybe)
Puerto Rico
Austin
Cleveland

Now if I’m correct, that leaves the USL1 two teams short of the required amount in ordered to be a USSF sanctioned league. Not to mention Portland is gone in a year. NuRock spent some change on buying the league, seems to me they’d be fairly interested in not allowing the First Division to go under. Should be real interesting to see how this plays out…

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

I am guessing that USL considers merging USL-1 and 2 for next year.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

If they do that, league costs will have to be brought down.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

It’d be cool if they’d regionalize it. Have 3 or 4 regions whos teams never meet until the playoffs. That’d bring travel cost down a ton. No more PR traveling to Portland.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Yeah, that too.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Drake at Ohio State for the 2nd round of the NCAA tourney. Anyway happen to find a channel it could be on?

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Drake won in overtime! Sweet 16!

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Holy crap, Go Drake !

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Where does the seeding for the tournament come from? According to the Drake website article, Ohio St was ranked 13th but were seeded 4th in the tournament.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

OSU was ranked #13 by the NSCAA poll but #4 by the NCAA in its actual seed. It's like hoops where teams occasionally are ranked #4 or whatever and get seeded #3 (#9-#12).

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Yeah but it's a bigger discrepancy with OSU 13th and getting 4th because, looking at the bracket on the NCAA website, there are only 16 seeded teams and those seeds begin with a round of only 32 teams, not 64 like men's basketball.

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

I agree, but I suppose different sources...

By the way, Drake is AT BC on Sunday. Was hoping for a home one, oh well...

 

Re: Official 2009 Des Moines MENACE Post-Season Thread

Anybody else watch the game? Nice broadcast. That was the Columbus Crew's play-by-play man on the call, btw. As a Fire/Iowa football fan, it felt good seeing the Bulldogs get it done in front of a hearty crowd of Buckeye/Crew fans.

As for the goal, it was inevitable with the 'Dogs having wave upon wave of dangerous counters from the 80th minute on. They looked to be the better conditioned team, and it was a great cut into the box by Ostrander, while Gorzyca refused to be denied that ball up in the air on the line.