I realize that the MLS is using the USL and the NASL to test the markets. Portland, Vancouver and Montreal all had USL and NASL Teams and supported them well. All of the Candidate Cities (Atlanta, NY, St.Louis) all have USL or NASL Teams Come in 2010, Both Miami an Tampa Bay will have a NASL Soccer Team called Miami F.C and the Tampa Bay Rowdes, if you support those teams to the fullest and make it clear that soccer can be supported in Miami and Tampa, the MLS Will Come http://www.miamifc.com/ http://www.tbrowdies.com/
Miami had a team in USL called Miami fc they almost got abolished twice, and they had terrible fan support.
Toronto had a USL-1 team called the Lynx and they were last in league attendance. Seattle, while better, wasn't exactly selling out home games either. Now they both sell out every game and have waiting lists for season tickets. The fact of the matter is that whichever bids come in with the best ownership and stadium plans will get teams. Good USL-1/NASL support is just gravy for MLS. And Miami FC has existed since 2006 and fans haven't shown up. That didn't deter FC Barcelona and Marcelo Claure from putting in a bid for MLS teams 17 and 18. And if they hadn't submitted a half-ass bid with no SSS plan, or FCB didn't get Beckham induced cold feet, we'd have a MLS team in 2011, regardless of our USL-1 support.
Well in 2010 their will be no more anomaly teams like Toronto Lynx to Toronto FC. MLS will base the market on NASL, if you have 10,000 fans show up to games, Garber will be talking to that owner of that market and team.
Have to say that times have canged. Fan bases are a big part of MLS. I think without a Barcelona or Beckham, Miami is not getting in. Too bad too, hope I'm wrong.
Mexicans aren't Latinos? In pro soccer, the relationship of Miami to Ft. Lauderdale is a lot like the relationship of San Francisco and Oakland to San Jose: in these two instances, pro soccer has been tried many times in the "big league towns" but has really only succeeded in the smaller non-big league towns nearby. Success in San Jose, repeated failures in San Francisco and Oakland. Success in Ft. Lauderdale, repeated failures in Miami. This isn't just true for "ancient history" NASL; even last year Miami FC drew better in Ft. Lauderdale than in Miami - still pathetic turnouts (thanks to no real marketing of the team) - but even without marketing you can draw low four figure crowds to Lockhart in Ft. Lauderdale but only three figure crowds in Miami. I don't see Miami being much of a success in USL/NASL in the short term; a revived Ft. Lauderdale Strikers playing in Lockhart in the NASL could be a modest success with a modest marketing effort. A revived Ft. Lauderdale Strikers playing in Lockhart in MLS, with a rich enough ownership group, could be a huge success. A Miami team in MLS with a SSS in Miami and a rich enough ownership group - with a celebrity like Beckham - might be a huge success, but you'd be fighting uphill all the way to attract and hold fans and media attention, not to mention the difficulties of getting a SSS built. If it were my money, I'd take the safer bet in Ft. Lauderdale. Unfortunately it's not my money, and I don't think Traffic have a clue about the realities of pro soccer in the USA or in South Florida. I'm not sure if they want to learn. I'm not sure if any other owners will want to take a chance. If I were Traffic and I insisted on staying in Miami long term, I'd build a modest SSS now that could be expanded for MLS later. Traffic really needs to demonstrate that they are in this for the long haul, and are not just another fly by night operation. Still it's going to happen. Florida will be well represented in USL/NASL for now, and will be back in MLS eventually. Miami doesn't have a lock on being the next MLS team in Florida, though.
I do think a good USL/NASL fanbase helps. It made Portland's case much stronger, in that Portland isn't really a huge market that MLS simply had to be in. So having the strong Timbers Army support may have tipped the scales in their favor. A lack of a strong fan base might also scare away potential new investors. Would Paulson have bought the Timbers if they hadn't already shown they had strong fan support? Would the new Tampa Bay Rowdies owners have considered Tampa if there had been no Rowdies legacy to build on? Would the Timbers, Sounders, Whitecaps, Earthquakes exist today without their old NASL fan legacy? Past support isn't everything, but it does count to some extent.
Let me tell you something, I'm not sure if Flordia has a good stadium or ownership groups down there, but if you guys prove that Flordia can support soccer, those things will come and the MLS will work with you You guys aren't Toronto. You guys aren't Philadelphia. You guys aren't Seattle. Those cities have proved, that they have passionate fans in all of their sports and Florida simply hasn't and the MLS Knows that. However, if you guys form some kind of supporter group and get your name out there and support your team, as if it was an MLS Team, the MLS won't ignore it. I promise you that.
We have a supporters group, the Miami Ultras. We support Miami FC and a MLS return 110%, but we're just not that big. In fact, part of the reason the Ultras were formed was to try and go Sons of Ben and lure an MLS team here. It's actually the main reason I joined, not Miami FC. I became a fan of our USL-1(now NASL) side as a result of my desire to see MLS return. We try, believe me. Our problem here in South Florida is that there are so many people from all over the world who come here and still have allegiances to their teams back home, in whatever sport that may be. Only the Dolphins have been around long enough to break through that barrier and develop and huge local following. The Heat are pretty close to that kind of support, and the Marlins and Panthers are still a few years away. Very young teams in such a transient market take time to develop true fan bases. I was born and raised here and grew up along side 3 of our 4 pro teams. I'm in the first generation of true South Florida sports fans. When it comes to soccer, the only team that ever really developed a strong following was the Strikers, but due to the lack of an indoor facility to use, they moved the year before the old NASL folded. Every other team has only lasted a few seasons thanks to shaky ownership and never had a chance to develop that strong following. I think for MLS we'll need to get a team first, and have it last this time, before the majority of people get on board. Even with FC Barcelona involved, there wasn't a lot of buzz around the bid last winter. It turned out they weren't as serious as we thought and they bailed. Someone is going to have to come in and stick it out for the first few years, maybe even a decade, before the potential for soccer support in this area blossoms again.
jaja yea, funny how you are from portland and snooping around a florida expansion forum..jaja your so funny... What the guy posted above this retard is right, if we support our team now, im damn sure we can get MLS... Its people like this that, that tell me that if Miami was to get an MLS franchise, they fear of the difference Miami will bring to the league and supporters groups, being heavily populated by hispanics, I mean if you guys want to see what our people back home do at soccer games ( go to youtube) and you'll see taht if MIami gets a teams here we would most likely replicate that experience.. This portland guy is scared if we get a team and he come down here to see a porland game he would be, scared striagh to be wearing a portland jersey... If only he knew what we do to jets fans and patriots fan when they get out of hand in landshark stadium lol they always boost up securtiy when they come down to play.. poor timbers fan
Miami can replicate this.... [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mxskNcq0_h0&feature=related"]YouTube- Hinchada San Martin de Tucuman[/ame]
Not with 348 people in the entire stadium like the last time we visited you won't. I don't fear diversity in MLS, I welcome it. MLS absolutely needs a heavily hispanic supported side in the league, it just clearly can't be Miami. MLS doesn't need empty stadia which, if history is any indication, is exactly what Miami brings to the table. Where are the fans? Not at the games, that's for sure. If you guys can prove you have any support, more power to you. There are just too many markets that have already shown the support you claim to be able to muster out of thin air and thus deserve a franchise before Miami.
Ok, but wasn't Seattle and Toronto real bad at the USL level with their attendance, and the reason they took the Fusion away was because of the ownership not fan support, I think the stats state that Maimi Fusion was growing, and then they pulled the plug in 2001.. If it was not pulled from MLS back in the day Im sure our support would be humongous, it would be huge because it has history behind it. Now taht they pulled us out and want us back in, it is going to be harder, but it can be done.. As much as I hated the bid with Barcelona, i think it was the right track to bring a team to Miami, it was perfect.. Everybody wasexcited about it and even the people that had no idea about soccer in Miami was excited about it.. Now, i recall that when the bid officially died, i was down but I remember telling other fans to not be discourage and to appreciate what we have, and I remember alot of fans saying no I don't want minor league soccer, I want Major League Soccer and ofcourse why wouldnt you? If Maimi was to have an MLS team there would be a lot of fans, imagine if Maimi make it to the Concacaf Champions League, a lot of games would be sold out, and I can promise you that the you tube video (previous post) coming to life in US soil... I will admit though, I was way to young when they had a Miami team... and was way young to even follow the team my dad roots for... When I realized how much I loved soccer, i loved the team my dad went for in colombia, and I wanted a team to follow in my town Miami.. Not only that, alot of it had to do with how the American sports model was win the championship in the US and you automatically become champion of the world.. it aint like that in soccer, there are way too many levels to climb to actually be the best in the world.. Meaning that MLS only played its league and thats it, not other tournaments like SUdamericana and concacaf Champ Cup. now that they are becoming more noticeable, more representable, i think it is time for Miami to have a team, because now the MLS is similair to the other leagues in the world... and not like the NFL and MLB where you only play teams in teh country... so the support will grow and fast, it is just a matter of marketing.. somehting Maimi FC and USL never did.. Conclusion: When and if Miami gets a team, the support would be low for a few years, but if they were to win the MLS CUP and have chance in the Champions League, it would bring alot of people who bring their kids to the games, kids taht were born in Maimi, and they would obviously grow older and start rooting for the Miami team... and support will grow, the probelm is that the american state of mind is give me now now now, and it is not like that. Patience is a virtue, I hope garber doesn't expect -a seattle- of every market.. Miami has all the right formulas to become big, as a fan base, it is just going to take time...
Well, I wish you luck. My initial asshole-ish comment aside, I genuinely hope that the support a team in Miami deserves can materialize and be rewarded.
I agree with you Lucho. We will see MLS in Miami in the next few years. We the fans need to show that we want it. Interested investors like (Marcelo Claure, David Beckham ) will look at Miami. Claure has said he will try again and Beckham wants to own an MLS franchise in Miami or NJ. Right now we need to support NASL/Miami FC.
I doubt miami will get a team. Mabye down the road, but not the 19th and 20th teams. Montreal is a sure lock for the 19th, well not a sure lock, but its their's to lose lets just say. The 20th team, well its up to Beckham I guess, but all I know was that Miami was a failure as a franchise. St. Louis and New york or Atlanta have to be considered frontrunners for the 20th team. After that, it could be years for another franchise, they don't want to dilute the league to much.
Yes, the Fusion was a failure as a franchise. That's no indication of the market. It was a poor effort from any angle you look at it. The team didn't play in Miami but called themselves Miami. They played at Lockhart but didn't call themselves the Ft. Lauderdale Strikers. The owner didn't have deep enough pockets to sustain the losses associated with MLS ownership at the time. Support, both from the fans and local media, was up when the Hudson-led team won the supporters shield in '01. Unfortunately Horowitz bailed and we weren't lucky enough to have a Hunt, Kraft or AEG bail our club out. South Florida can and would support a properly run team. St. Louis is out IMO. They have no investors past Cooper, and MLS has made it clear they don't want him, and he's heavily involved in the new NASL. I don't think he has another MLS run in him. Atlanta is a good candidate but they need a SSS plan from Blank if they want in. NY is only in the discussion because of Beckham. Wilpon lost tons of money and MLS is on the back burner, if he's even still considering it at all. Obviously things could change but as of now I'd have to put Miami/South Florida in the lead for team #20. If MLS is indeed going to stop at 20 for awhile, having the 5th biggest metro area in the country and one of the largest TV markets(in general, and specifically for soccer) in the fold would be to their advantage. Miami is attractive and Beckham has first dibs on that next franchise it would seem. Claure is still very interested in bringing MLS here, he's just waiting for the right partner(which FCB obviously wasn't), and Beckham seems like the perfect fit.
MLS in Miami is not even a given. I'm not really sure where where the MLS is on this, but they are NOT the frontrunners. They have not been spoken of, in fact Garber has mentioned St. Louis more often then he has Miami. Yes, I can see that you live in Miami and would love to have a team there, but the fact is, all the Miam based teams are averaging below capacity crowds. Yes, the economy is probably a big factor, but the dolphins are 20th in the NFL for attendance, the heat are 17th in the nba, and then the soccer team, yes it is usl, but they were dead last in the USL-1, with an average attendance of 1,132, barely above 1000 spectators. Yes, Miami is a decent sized market, but they have not shown they can support soccer. The attendance figures did rise that last year the fusion were in play, but that was one year. Who knows, mabye one day they will get a franchise, but I wouldn't consider them frontrunners. Where would you put a stadium? Miami is not a frontrunner of any for the 20th team. They have shown that they cannot support soccer. I would love to see Miami get a team at some point, but the facts are there. The local team here even outdraws Miam FC, the usl team you guys have, and its in the pdl development league. Here's the sites where I got the figures from: http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/attendance http://espn.go.com/nfl/attendance http://www.kenn.com/the_blog/?tag=attendance
The Dolphins and Heat are still averaging 67,000 and 17,000 fans per game respectively. They aren't struggling by any means pal. You don't have to sell out every game to be doing well. If you're going to point out South Florida attendance woes don't go after the two successful teams. The Panthers and Marlins do worse, but they have their reasons. The Cats haven't made the playoffs in 10 years and the Marlins play in the worst stadium in baseball. Miami FC has struggled mightily, but that's no indication of MLS support. in 2006 Toronto was worst in USL, worse than Miami, and now they sell out every TFC game in MLS. MFC is however tentatively primed for a relaunch, namely better marketing and exposure for the club with the new NASL. They may change their name to the Strikers, which was a very successful team in the NASL and drew good crowds even into the APSL days in the early 90s. Support could very well improve for MFC, I'm not overly optimistic about it, but it could happen. I only have Miami/South Florida as the frontrunner now because it's between us, NYC and Atlanta, and Beckham is a big factor and we do have a big time investor in Claure who wants to give it another go. If he goes after a team So. Fla. has got to be the top contender. I agree the stadium issue is a big sticking point, I don't know if MLS will be satisfied with FIU, and if/when Claure would plan on building a SSS. NYC and Atlanta have no stadium plans either, and NYC's main investor was hit hard by the Madoff scheme. Obviously things could change between now and when talks for team 20 really heat up but that's how I see it as of today.