http://www.stltoday.com/sports/colu...cle_6a3309bc-5ff9-52cd-a379-a518869905d7.html 54,000 on the same day (only a few hours before) the beloved Cardinals vs. rival Cubs. Thats a pretty big deal.
I'm really shocked that nobody suitable has turned up in St. Louis. Of the remaining potential MLS markets in this country, it's the closest there is to a no-brainer, IMO.
Seattle, Portland, Toronto, etc. weren't coming out to see their minor league soccer teams play. And that team had one season. Hard to judge it on one season.
AC St. Louis averaged 2,750 per game. The Seattle Sounders averaged 3,386 in their last season in USL (2008). The Toronto Lynx averaged 1,551 in theirs (2006). Philadelphia's last pro team before MLS left in 1980. Fair play to Orlando, San Antonio, and other cities doing it the Portland way. But support for D2 soccer in major-league cities has never been strong - and has no bearing on future MLS attendance.
I'm really wondering why nothing at all is happening with the huge potential and history/tradition that is brought up all the time. I understand, that the major reason is that there is simply no ownership group (including stadium plan) coming forward (or even existing) to make an MLS team happen, but how come there is not even anyone capable of bringing an NASL team to the city seeming to be interested!? I am sure the NASL would be more than happy to "snatch" them from MLS with all its history and tradition and if the interest in the sport in St. Louis is really as big as always claimed, the city should be able to support even an NASL team fairly well if done properly. At the same time the costs and requirements are significantly lower compared to MLS. If St. Louis is currently lacking the resources to make it to MLS why not settle for NASL first, giving people in St. Louis something to cheer for, take advantage of the potential and history of the city and having the option of slowly "growing" into MLS shape? Not even anyone with the resources to make NASL happen interested in St. Louis at this point or what are the reasons?
I remember back in the day the USMNT used to play at the St. Louis Soccer Park but that was 24 years ago. Can anyone explain what shape that place is in today?
If I was a billionaire, St. Louis would be #1 on my list of where to start an expansion team. I love that town. So much potential and opportunity for MLS. Sadly, no other billionaires feel the same, so no team yet. No daddy = no club.
So, that's a valid point for St. Louis, but when I bring it up about Atlanta, you find a reason to dismiss it? Odd... For the record, I think that St. Louis would make a good MLS market, but so do I for Atlanta.
Cool. Do you know if anyone ever talked about rebuilding or reconstructing it to bring it up to today's standards ?
It's the makeup of the crowd man! The GA Dome crowds are almost all Mexican/Mexican-American - groups that are proven to not watch MLS or attend MLS matches. I've been in STL for roughly a year and I'm pretty sure than an STL team would draw better than an ATL team. STL is full of soccer fans. Thats just a fact. --------------------------------------- It's not just that STL is full of soccer fans and they draw big numbers at Soccer matches. The fans at those matches and at the bars and stuff are ACTUAL St. Louisians. Not English, Irish, Mexican, etc. transplants. That is the big difference between STL and ATL.
I'm surprised that no MLS ownership group ever even had an interest in going into St. Louis other than maybe Jeff Cooper. Not sure what happened with that but for as long as I remember , the town was always considered as the home and/or birth of American born soccer players and had a rich history with the sport. I'm sure if they are ever awarded a team, they would draw just as well as the 18k that Philadelphia has gotten since their inception.
@Sport Billy Can I ask why this was moved into STL forum and not kept in regular expansion forum when there are threads mentioning Louisville, Jacksonville, Tennessee, Birmingham, Richmond, and Oklahoma City on the front page of the Expansion forum? Why is STL not allowed to be discussed there? There is more chance of STL becoming a MLS team than almost all those cities/areas combined.
Because none of those others have a city specific forum. If there is a Jacksonville I missed, I apologize. It should be in Florida.
http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2013/11/soccer_major_league_messi_ronaldo_ibisevic.php so i saw this article and it made me wonder... is anyone in st. louis making a real push to bring mls there as expansion 23 or 24? i know here in san diego, we like to think we're on that list, but i haven't heard any big investors mentioned, and especially not since beckham ended the speculation of where he was going to throw his money.