Deja Vu all over again

Commiserations. What's your team now?

 

I understand. But what about Miami FC? Do you have any interest in USL or leagues like that? How long did it take you to figure out what soccer you'd support?

 

I don't recall any Quakes fans ever saying that Fusion and Mutiny fans were crazy for being critical of MLS for destroying their teams. Every time MLS pulls the plug on one of their locations it makes them look bad, and it makes the local fans who supported them understandably mad at the league. They desperately need soccer fans to love 'em in this country, yet they have a propensity to kick their potential market base in the balls, and when the honeymoon's over, it's hard to come back at a later time and ask for forgiveness. Maybe we found another date, or in my case, two other dates!

I will always support the notion of the San Jose Earthquakes and will support them if they ever return. If it's under the MLS umbrella, so be it. Other than that, I'm not interested in watching MLS games - it's like a punishment. I do follow the fortunes, or otherwise, of the league, because like a horrible train wreck unfolding before your eyes, you just cannot stop watching to see the outcome.

But we are waiting with baited breath for your response to Fulham Fan. Will you watch Miami FC?

It sounds like you don't want to support anyone under the auspices of the "US Soccer Federation"? Does that eliminate any US based team from your consideration? And maybe someone else could contribute: can the "US Soccer Federation" if that's the right body, be held responsible for the fact that MLS is clueless about running a league? I would think they had relatively limited say-so. Just wondering. Interesting point you brought up, loco, I mean, lono!


Here I am, signed, Seal'd, delivered,
I'm your fan!

San Jose Earthquakes, SF Seals, San Jose Frogs forever!

 

Lono, I bet you might be right that MLS is not coming back. I agree with you that there are a lot of sad ********s on this website whose character is truly revealed when somebody else is getting the shaft. I just want you to know for the record that I loathed the idea of contracting the Fusion and the Mutiny. Never got over it.

I stopped in Ft Laud just a few months ago just to sneak into Lockhart and soak up the ghost.

 

I can't remember any schadenfreude on this site because of the demise of the Mutiny or the Fusion. I do remember Goodsport frequently correcting a lot of the misapprension and misunderstanding of fans who were saying that the "contraction" was due to poor attendence, or a whole raft of other reasons. He had a good handle on the facts of the case, the problem being one of the i/o who was in charge of the team (I don't remember the details). Yeah, I hated Ian Bishop, and we all had such great affection for one other Miami player, a person named Diego Serna, and I remember a Miami fan who came to the CQ tailgate before one of the games at Spartan, who was just ragging all over the Quakes, and everyone here was very polite to him and let him continue drinking our beer without shoving a bottle down his throat. Other than that, I don't remember too much anyone who said "ha, ha, the Mutiny and Fusion have fallen apart, great for us." It was a bad thing then, it's a bad thing now.

 

The Fusion and the Quakes had the beginnings of a great rivalry, it was definitely a sad day when they were contracted. And Lockhardt was the nicest stadium in the league.

 

I for one especially missed the Miami Fusion after that great battle in the play-offs during the 2001 season. I doubt there were many Quakes fans that enjoyed seeing that team go. It really was the beginning of a great rivalry. (On the field, and not a made up one on the MLSnet website.)

If the Earthquakes come back without any AEG involvment (AEG would only be interested in using our stadium as a concert venue anyway) I'll be 100% behind the Quakes. I will do everything posible to get the Quakes back, but I'm not going to have any expectations about them returning.

MLS can do several things like state they won't increase the expansion fee if a new Quakes owner were to buy a franshise, but with AEG in control of MLS I've got no doubt they would put the screw to anyone that tried to being a team back here.

 

You guys have to get over it! The Earthquakes won't be back to soon! Or never, unfortunatelly! I am not happy to say it, i may sound cynical, but i am being realistic! MLS is lead by a bunch of liers. I would like to invite all the Quakes fans to support the new San Jose's most representative team, THE FROGS! We are working hard to make this team, the best in the American soccer. Come check us out, and let's make the stadium rock at every home game!

 

I must give great credit to our good friend, Mr. Goodsport, who has always kept anyone on the straight and narrow who stated on this board anything other than the fact that Ken Horowitz was the one who screwed up the operation and led to the demise of the Fusion. I think Goodsie has always corrected them when they said that the reason the Fusion fell was because of poor attendance, lack of fan support, etc.

 

Obviously, when the MLS folds or relocates franchises there is a negative buzz throughout the whole league. I remember San Jose would have been pulled in 2001 if it wasn't for the fact thay they just won their first MLS CUP. I'm sure the MLS didn't want to pull the plug on a champion. If SJ won it all this year, the league would have looked really low class. No one acknowledged the fact that Quakes were the best team in the league until they moved. Lewieke & AEG must have felt real lucky to have the Galaxy eliminate the Quakes however, that is what they planned to do all along and that is why Donovan was basically placed w/LA.
I doubt Houston will draw all that many more fans than San Jose did. The Houston Hurricane averaged only 5,900 fans for 3 seasons. Granted that was 25 years ago, but 1978-1980 was the height of the NASL boom. I seriously doubt they will draw more than San Jose got which was an avg att of 13,000. Maybe at first but not year to year.

 

Well maybe you were right. I do remember reading however, that the MLS was thinking about pulling the plug on SJ also. Now maybe they were bluffing and maybe they were not that close to folding the team but I remember reading about it. Either way, they are gone now and that is really sad.
I hope for all the soccer fans sake, the Quakes will be back soon!

 

Actually, I also remember reading a couple of articles in the press (I believe one such item may have been in Soccer America but don't recall for sure) sometime around the turn of the Millennium which suggested that the Quakes were a possibility for the contraction that instead saw both Florida teams disappear. There was definitely discussion about it, in the press if not in the MLS league office itself.

 

I don't know of anyone who knows the ins-and-outs of that period better than Goodsport. It may, however, be colored by his optimism, but that was quite an intricate bunch of events that were going on at the time.

 

Well I wouldn't have wrote it if I never saw an article on the subject. I mean i don't think i invented it. Either way we are talking apples and oranges! At this point it doesn't matter if we argue that the Quakes may have been pulled in 01 or not! I mean WHO CARES? Our beloved Quakes are gone and I seriously don't see any light at the end of the tunnel. If and when they do return maybe we can all laugh about it.
For now, it really is Deja Vu all over again. It feels like 1985. As a South Bay soccer fan I feel really really sad!

 

Actually, it's been one year+a couple weeks.

 

Late 2005. And the word is good so far. We're getting there on a stadium and the Earthquakes are hosting a friendly match between Mexico and Argentina in March.