The MLS Stadium Thread

Not surprisingly, @AndyMead and @ElJefe made my point better than I did.

 

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All I can say about the XFL in a MLS stadium, is don't take a check and get all the rent in advance

 

One other note about Gillette Stadium and the Krafts that would be funny if it wasn't really, really sad. Everyone knows the Patriots are the main priority and the Revs are 5th or 6th fiddle. We don't like it, but that's reality. There have been plenty of games with the field painted all up for the Patriots, and while they've done a better job in recent years with scheduling, it still happens.

There was a game maybe 10 years ago when there were painted end zones, and FB yard markers, but they weren't the usual Patriots configuration. It had "BOSTON" in red, and at first I thought Boston College, but their color scheme is more maroon (with gold) and because of Boston University, they always make the distinction, and no one just uses the city name. BU is red/white, but they don't have football any more. No, this was for a fictional football team called the Boston Rebels, for a movie starring The Rock as their coach. Not surprised you never heard of it, it wasn't exactly an Oscar nominee.

Bad enough to get pushed aside for actual events like the Pats, concerts, high school football, UMass FB (which is 100 miles from their campus and drew crowds 2/3 of the Revs) or someone's birthday party, but they couldn't have filmed the %$#@*& move around the Revolution's schedule? Not like they play every day like baseball.

It's all about bowel-movement donations, and the Krafts are severely lacking in that department.

 

Maybe it's the exception that proves the rule, but the Krafts (or someone in their organization at the time) did actually make the stadium to operationally treat the Patriots and Revolution as equals. The team facilities within the stadium are dedicated and top level, and this is at a time where only Crew Stadium had been built for an MLS team. While all the seat decals and other public facing trappings of the stadium are 100% Patriots, the stadium was functionally designed for the Revs' needs.

Of course it's shit like that that makes the Krafts so frustrating. For every one thing they do right, there's twenty where it's obvious that saving money outweighs all other considerations.

 

Actually, it was built with soccer in mind, not necessarily the Revs. In fact, there were lots of complaints from Pats fans that the stands were too far away from the field (because of the wider soccer field) and it decreased the "atmosphere." Maybe the design of having 4 open sections in the second deck and half of one end zone had more to do with that, but what do I know.

The Krafts knew that big-ticket soccer games draw crowds, and even when they almost folded the Revs (if it wasn't for that 2002 cup run), they still could have brought in a couple of high-profile games a year.

 

The bowl was built to hold soccer, but there were state of the art Revolution specific facilities built into the stadium from the weight and training rooms to the team locker room. Unlike the MetroStars at Giants, Fire at Soldier, Wizards at Arrowhead, and I even suspect Sounders at then-Qwest, the operational part of the stadium that the fans never see was designed not just with soccer in mind, but Rev-specific facilities were included.

 

Sure, if you count that the Revs didn't get their own weight room until 4 years after the stadium was built, yeah. It was built to accommodate a lot of things, like having a pro soccer team there. But that doesn't mean they actually, you know, built all those things for the soccer team that was already there.

 

And I bet they didn't think it would take 32 years to bring the World Cup back.

 

If this is the final product, Minnesota's reign as best MLS stadium will end in 2021. I love that they increased the capacity from 21,000 to 25,500-26,000

 

We should probably walk around inside a stadium before either anointing it or dethroning it. Remember everyone was gaga over Toyota Stadium from the renderings, but it's one of the worst (though still pretty awesome) of this first wave of MLS stadiums.

Allianz looks great, but only time will tell if it is intimate, functional and awesome inside, or just a sterile, bland, concrete bowl inside.

 

The Statesman has the Austin lease as finalized.

https://www.statesman.com/sports/20...ourt-finalize-contract-for-austin-mls-stadium

In the race to get stadiums completed for 2021, Cincy is out of the gate first. Looks like details coming soon on Austin & Columbus.

 

I still really like the Fire's stadium. Add enough fans and it's great.

 

Northern Lights!

Or, when the home team gets a goal: Aurora Scorealis!

Yeah you're welcome.

 

Have you guys seen other Cinci renderings, or just these three?

I'd like a better look at some of these features they're boasting:
"Meis said the most important features, though, will be “The Bailey” supporters section with seats coming right up to the pitch, and the fan plaza outside that allows the stadium to provide more than just a gameday experience."

Also, I know there are height restrictions, current material costs and other very good reasons for architectural trends, but if I'm waving my spoiled princess magic sparkly wand, I'd love it if all these new stadiums looked a little more different from each other. In fact, I love the Austin renderings and hope they come true too. (He said, ducking bags of piss.)

 

Don't buy a front row seat.

 

...Or Paunovic might play me?

 

Maybe.

But I'm not sure people want to pay for front row seats only to get a good look at the back of my head, or the back of the security guard or the ball kid and so on.

Back when Peter Wilt was saying the front row seats would be "18 inches above the field", I immediately asked if the field was going to be on a raised berm (like at Old Trafford) or have photo pits (like Highbury used to). As it turned out, it was neither. The front two rows opposite the benches are absolutely terrible seats.

 

Ah, I see. Yeah it is a really cool effect/experience at Old Trafford.

 

The MLS Soccer website is confirming this.

https://www.mlssoccer.com/post/2018...orts-ventures-announce-stadium-deal-agreement

Sounds like a pretty good deal for Austin....except for having Precourt Sports Ventures as your partner.

 

If it was not PSV I would say done deal. Or close to it. Article says plan is fir construction to start next year & and 2021 open.

But MLS and PSV can still cancel under certain circumstances (stadium plan due by March, citizen referendum, site ruled taxable).

Columbus should be announced within a week. Ownership. Coach. GM. Stadium & training facility details/plans will start to move quickly. 2021 is the target.

Then I would expect #28, and the Nashville & Miami stadium stuff to take center stage at least until the season starts.

 

I, for one, am happy for the fans in Austin. Sure there are some tools and astro-turfers, but there are doubtless plenty of real fans in waiting.

I will attest that, as a long suffering Royals and Chiefs fan, not to mention the last decade with the NHL Hurricanes, a team with bad ownership is better than no team at all. I'm really happy having the new North Carolina Courage, but the 2004-2016 gap really sucked, and if having a PSV type as the owner is what it took to get an MLS team in Raleigh-Durham, I'd sign that deal with the devil.