For my purposes, I think the argument that the same old cities hosting games over and over again is the biggest element. Consulting my 2004 US media guide, the following cities have been the most popular for USMNT games (all games) from 1990-2003: Also, these numbers are subject to minor argument because I'm making assumptions about metro areas that locals in those areas may disagree with): Again, these are through 2003 only LA metro area (LA, Pasadena, Anaheim, Fullerton, Mission Viejo, Costa Mesa)- 41 Miami/Ft. Lauderdale: 18 Washington DC: 15 Boston: 14 Bay Area: 14 OK, now let's look at some other US soccer cities (either by virtue of an MLS team or by reputation)... Chicago: 3 (30,275 average) Columbus: 4 (though a lot lately, obviously) Denver: 3 (36,135 average) KC: 1 (37,319) New Jersey (E. Rutherford and Rutgers): 6 (37,834 average at Meadowlands) Salt Lake City: 0 Seattle: 3 (33,335 average) Best drawing towns not mentioned: Birmingham: 2 games, 22,885 average New Haven: 2 games, 32,948 average Detroit: (OK, so they were World Cup games) I don't agree that we should play Mexico at the L.A. Coliseum because that gives us no home field advantage whatsoever. It won't be half Tri fans...it will be 85% Tri fans and only the hardest of the hardcore will want to deal with that nightmare at a home game. For Mexico, continue to use Columbus (or Birmingham or Missoula or Fargo or whatever). But for the other fed opponents, the other cities listed can be used with no problems, and for those cities, it is STILL an event...I don't thinkthe USMNT at Foxboro for a WCQ holds a magic spell anymore
Revsfan is just a troll without capacity for intelligent thought processes. Be sure to share some neg rep with him
Part of the problem with attendance is that they keep scheduling games on a Wednesday. I don't know who is in control of that, but you will not get the same size crowd for a mid-week game. I would love to be at the game in Birmingham, but since I teach College on Wednesday afternoon, and they make it very hard for us to miss a class, I can't be there. If it was a Sat. game I would ne there and spending my money. Even people who live within a couple of hours drive, probably won't make it for a week night game. To hard to get back in time.
Here is research I did on WCQ at home with avg attendence, hope this helps some people. This is since 1998 Qualifying. Code: [size=3] Venue Total Att Games AVG W T L KC 37391 1 37391 2 0 0 RFK 207681 5 41536 3 1 1 Richmond 19312 1 19312 1 0 0 Stanford 69423 2 34712 2 0 0 Foxboro 225894 6 37649 5 1 0 Portland 27369 1 27369 1 0 0 Columbus 67279 4 16820 2 2 0 Total 654277 20 32714 15 4 1 [/b][/size]
Re: Soccer On The Map In The Us? We played the Mexies in Cali several times in front of huge crowds. The growth of the sport that you project this country will experience absolutely DID NOT occur. The major networks still focused on the major existing sports, and no special coverage or media hype ever happened, except in the Spanish media. All that really happened to US soccer was that the game was made harder for our players due to the fact that 80,000 were cheering for our opponents and US Soccer pocketed some good cash. "Keep politics out of soccer?" Amen to that. No idea where you're going with it,though...
Its simple maybe supports in a decline all though I doubt it. Problem #1 our country is to damn big!!!! Say what you want but where else in the soccer world do we have to cover such a large amount of land and expense of a plane flight to follow our national team??? Problem 2 and this is to all you complaining about the amount of US Supporters going to Azteca for the Hex Mexico is at its best a filthy nation of American haters. Who wants to go to the most polluted city in the world to be kidnapped and have their kidney chopped out by a criminal so they can see thir national team get pissed on by a bunch of filthy low class cleaning ladies? Yes I know I sound disgusting but someones gotta be honest. If we had a smaller land mas or were not the most hated country in the world we would have more supporters at national team matches.. BTW it doesn't help that the USSF thinks we're stupid and is destroying the sport anyway!!!!!
Mexico City is hardly the most polluted city in the world. Not even close. It used to be pretty bad but it has gotten much better. Organ theft is not a Mexican thing; it seems western nations are behind it. Few American tourists to Mexico are harmed in any way. "Filthy low class cleaning ladies" would not be at the game anyway, and most Mexicans with any money at all are very clean with their personal appearance, especially the women. I know it is intimidating to go to a US game in Azteca but I thjink we can overcome that. And win.
Haven't there only been 4, not 6 qualifiers in Foxboro since 1998? I think you are including the 2 in Foxboro in 1997, Mexico and El Salvador, both big crowds. Since then, Foxboro attendance has been in decline. Similarly, you state that RFK has had 5 qualifiers since 1998. Not true. I beleive the number is 3, with declining attendance compared to numbers before 2000. If you include the 2 before 2000 you pump up the numbers. But it does not reflect the trend I am talking about. There are many problems with national team support but it is pretty clear that Foxboro, RFK and Columbus have had too many games and are not drawing good crowds.
History And Reality versus Hyperbole and Wistfulness First off, I love the passion and blood thirst for American futbol in the thoughts of all those that have contributed to this thread. As usual though, I am confounded by all the statistical banter, marketing speak and trend tracking talk. Who cares who attended what where and who will make this trip or that trip? None of this matters if your true concern is support for the National men's team. Before you start whining and sniffling about what you don't have, you might consider what you do have. For forty years, from 1950-1990, we never went to a World Cup. So what if our fans only take an Olympics style, once every for years glance at our sport. That's far more than the past. And speaking of the past, it is more likely that we will not qualify for Germany, the federation will collapse and soccer will go into the recesses of our culture as it has for a hudred and forty odd years. If you want to see dancing in the streets in New York, Omaha and beyond, then you should look to the pitch and forget all the white board strategies you learned in business school. By the way, the five men running soccer in this country are some of the most savy in the world, regardless of their politics in some cases. Back to the point, until there is a spectacle worthy of National pride on the pitch, you are not going to see this sport take off. The culture we live in roots for champions and courageous winners. Imagine if we go to Germany and lose on penalty kicks to France in the final. The political, national and cultural discussions will explode and raise soccer to a new level. The key to the grail is in the players boots and Arena's little bag of tricks. Let's focus on winning. Let's get to Germany. Let's kick some Argentina ass. Let's be thankful for all the games we get to see on television. Let's get over the how many attend and get into who is going to find the back of the net in Berlin. That is where the hopes to your dreams rest, not on some group outing to Mexico City. By the way again, my circle will be in Mexico City seven days for all the mania, and those who are afraid of Mexicans should suck their thumb and sit on their mother's lap during the game.
Re: History And Reality versus Hyperbole and Wistfulness You have given out too much Reputation in the last 24 hours, try again later.
I think is a combination of marketing and location of US Soccer games. The media barely lets people know that there is even a soccer game being played on any given day. Lately the majority of US MNT games seem to be played in either Columbus, Washington or Foxboro. They haven't really spread the home games around. Playing Guatemala in Birmingham is a start but we need to spread things around. Another perception is that soccer is boring. We need to get the casual fans involved in the game, not sit around like its a baseball game in the summer. I love Sam's Army but several of their chants sounds...well...foreign. Your casual fan may not pick up on several of their chants. Fans gotta have at soccer matches or they won't go to any future games (home or away). With all that said. We gotta remember that these games were only the preliminary stages of WCQ. Now that the final round is here, I think you'll see support pick up at US home games. I'd be more concerned if it doesn't.
Re: Soccer On The Map In The Us? You are incorrect in one thing about those games with Mexico---NONE OF THEM COUNTED FOR THE WC! Put a qualifier in HOUSTON, LA, OR The Bay Area and see what happens! That has NOT been done yet.. And yes, USSF needs to ADVERTISE!!!!
The following are those World Cup Qualifying matches played in Foxboro, Massachusetts since the start of qualifying for World Cup 1998. I believe these are all the WCQ's held at Foxboro in recent history, if not ever. The average attendance for WCQ's held at Foxboro as listed below is 37,649. I attended each and every one of these matches, so if there's any additional context that need be supplied and/or explained, I'd be happy to provide it. September 4, 2004: United States vs. El Salvador Attendance: 25,266 Result: 2-0 victory Played: Saturday afternoon. Conditions: Sunny, warm. Semifinal round of qualifying for the 2006 FIFA World Cup October 7, 2001: United States vs. Jamaica Attendance: 40,483 Result: 2-1 victory Played: Sunday afternoon. Conditions: Cool, bright sun. Final round of qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup June 20, 2001: United States vs. Trinidad & Tobago Attendance: 31,211 Result: 2-0 victory Played: Wednesday evening. Conditions: Warm, clear. Final round of qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup August 16, 2000: United States vs. Barbados Attendance: 18,334 Result: 7-0 victory Played: Wednesday evening. Conditions: Warm, dry. Semifinal round of qualifying for the 2002 FIFA World Cup April 20, 1997: United States vs. Mexico Attendance: 57,407 Result: 2-2 draw Played: Sunday afternoon. Conditions: Warm, partly cloudy. Final round of qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup November 16, 1997: United States vs. El Salvador Attendance: 53,193 Result: 4-2 victory Played: Sunday afternoon. Conditions: Cold, cloudy, few snow flurries. Final round of qualifying for the 1998 FIFA World Cup The Magpie
Define 'long term'. A wave of interest does seem to have subsided to an extent, but it probably isn't the last wave, and there's at least room to hope it won't be the biggest. There was a certain novelty effect going on with the whole "you mean we can actually PLAY this game??? This I gotta see." It happens all the time. Crew attendance, for instance, is not as high as the first year of CCS. But at the same time, it's a lot higher than the last eyar at Ohio Stadium. Similarly, the novelty of us being any good peaked, crested, and subsided, but we still draw a ton better than the dark days.
Since it appears increasingly likely we wil be sending college players or the like to the Qualifiers, and will not qualify for Germany, does anyone have any comment on what this will do to attendance, TV ratings, and the traveling fan base? Will someone remember to turn off the lights?
I hope you are right sregis. I think a tremendous amount of damage has already been done. The Playerss Association is issuing statements that sound a lot like the NBA, NHL, and MLB players. (We DESERVE this, we DESERVE, that, we want revenue sharing). Lots of fans, inclduing me, were attracted to soccer because of its nationalistic component, as refugees from the outrageous greed of the Big Three. It seems the USMNT is just as bad. the pres release was an outrage. Do they really think they should be paid the same as NFL football players? If we do fail to qualify because of the strike we will be lucky to draw 1500 Americans to national team games. We will be back where we were in 1985. All the efforts we have put in will be down the drain. They are half way down the drain already.