Will Victoria St. be useless for the USA?

If home field advantage meant nothing to the USSF we wouldn't have played Mexico in Columbus.

The new stadium could be useful IF the USSF can devlop a creative, and legal, system for advance ticket sales: like first to Galaxy season ticket holders, Sams' Army members, etc.

But you're right that SoCal isn't friendly territory for the USMNT.

On the other hand, the small capacity might really help. US fans don't stand a chance at outnumbering Mexican fans in the Rose Bowl or LA Colisium. But in a 27K facility, we might.

 

Not to mention the added travel for European-based players, as opposed to a qualifier on the East coast

 

Maybe vs. Canada or Barbados. But the Central American countries and El Tri should not be hosted here for qualifiers). And I doubt they will be. Of course, if they want the big moneymaker in S. California, they can have a "friendly" (term used loosely) b/n El Tri and USA in the Rose Bowl and have an 82% pro-Mexico crowd bringing in some hard cash to watch their boys vs. our non-injury prone, non-star players (which seem to overlap quite a bit, by the way).

Anyway, I hope they showcase it now and again. I'd sure like to see a match there.

Maybe some high profile games vs. Euro teams could be played there.

 

actually, the smaller size of the venue will give the ussf greater control

-first dibs to season ticker holders
-able to move higher percentage in pre-release sales



i don't think we could ever play mexico there, but i'm sure there are teams that we could play there (hello canucks)


and home field advantage is something the ussf cares about... for matches that matter... but why should they care about homefield for a friendly?

friendlies are about money

 

It looks clear that one of our first round games in WCQ next spring will be at the NTC. The place will be the HQ of the USSF after all. That game will be against a small island nation. The game will not be as high profile as later games in WCQ. This way the USSF can sell out the place and it wont look as bad as playing at an empty stadium.

The only teams we should play at the NTC are Canada and island low profile island nations. NO Mexico, any central Americans, or Jamaica/TnT.

 

In addition to that, a reputation needs to grow that security will do something and there will be prosecution for some of the activities that a great number of Mexican fans are famous for here.
Even many hardcore US fans will no longer attend matches here between the US and Mexico and wouldn't dream of making it a family affair.
It is, of course, a minority of Mexican fans involved in the urine and feces showers but it seems that there is a "policy" of accepting it amongst their fans and it takes security actually seeing the act for anything to happen.
My niece's husband had visitors here from his native Germany, including his mother and father. He decided to take the bunch to see Mexico vs the US and sure enough, his mother got a urine shower.
Needless to say, even he will not attend the matches anymore.
That's the effect the Mexican fans want to insure a huge crowd advantage and quiet cowering American fans and they are winning it that regard.
We need to turn that around and perhaps, someday, everyone, including the Mexican fans, can enjoy the matches in LA and at Victoria Street.
I can't imagine the mentality behind those kind of acts but perhaps the Mexican fans will wake up to the fact that it only hurts their own image in the eyes of others and "police" themselves and end the sickness.

 

ain't gonna happen. Half of that "hard cash" would be used for rent on the facility. Why pay rent when you have a SSS just a few miles down the road that is rent-free?

And someone would need to find out approx. how many LA season ticket holders are supporters of El Dirt.

Ain't gonna happen. Sam's Army and friends of US Soccer would have to be first. That wouldn't happen since LA fans are first. And there's probably a reasonable sized portion of LA fans that support El Dirt.

Games to play in LA:
US vs. any european countries.
US vs. small island nations in the carribean
US vs. Canada

There will be US games in NTC, but probably no big us-mexico qualfiers. Even if it's 85% US fans wearing red, white, and blue, it's still above 60 degrees there in February.

 

Who is under the impression that US Soccer controlled ticket distribution at the USA-Mex qualifier in Columbus? I was under the impression that the Crew management did all that. In fact, I dealt with the Crew front office in that regard (also for the Costa Rica draw a few months before the Mex match).

It may be a blessing if the local personnel control ticket sales. We may be able to (somehow) actually have a home field advantage against a Latin American opponent in LA.

Just for curiousity, where did the information that USSF won't control USA match ticket distribution arise or is it just speculation?

 

That number would be very small. I would guess less than 200.

 

Any smaller venues we get will be useful to us if for no other reason that it will look better on TV.

 

This is a moot point. If there's one thing I've learned by watching the USMNT over the last 6 years or so, it's that they should NEVER play Mexico in LA. And it's not the result I'm thinking about. It's the booing of the national anthem and our players having to dodge projectiles, like at that Gold Cup final in LA a few years back.

You have this matchup in LA, and Mexican fans will figure out a way to get through the door.

 

I've said this tons of times, but it was DCU who created the debacle that was Honduras, not the USSF. Their policy of selling groups of 20 or more only until the lower bowl was sold out is what created the Honduras situation. The USSF turned ticketing over to DCU, that was the system they used and it completely backfired.

Instead of tickets being available to American fans in via the distribution system they know (TicketMaster), they had to know to call DCU. If they figured that out, they had to buy 20 or more tickets. Well, there aren't that many US fans willing to do that. Would you? But, tour operators, Latin markets? They have no problem doing that and selling tickets through their outlets.

When the tickets did go on sale through to TicketMaster, they sold out in a couple of hours. That's because most were already sold using this very questionable ticketing policy.

For the Guatemala game, the tickets went on sale through TicketMaster quite early. When it appeared tickets were selling briskly, large blocks were held back while USSF or DCU tried to move tickets through youth clubs. But, there were still seats to be purchased through TicketMaster. While that game still had a lot of people cheering for the other side, it was still largely US fans in the lower sections.

 

If more US fans came to games, there'd be no need to worry about where ANY USMNT game is played.

 

Good post Nancy. I always read what you have to say.
If The Revolution front office, DC United and the USSF cared more about having home field advantage in qualifers maybe more Americans would come to games. Many don't want to put $450 on their credit card for 20 tickets when all they want is two tickets. Can't blame American fans for that.
Perhaps in 15 years we can pack stadiums all over the country with American fans. Until then we have to do something else or give up and watch other teams play in the World Cup.
Every nation in the world tries to maximize home field advantage in important games. The US should do the same. We sure can't do that at the Home Depot Center!