Personal opinion, yes. This is the first time MLS is really under the world's microscope and so many team's homes have the dreaded NFL lines. Hell, even some SSS have them (Columbus) and I wonder what it is going to take to get MLS to get better field presentation. We look hideous to the rest of the world, football lines are a sign of minor league and 2nd rate, I have no doubt some possible Designated Player possibilities are looking at those lines and CRINGE!!!
We're losing 2 of them next year with RSL and NY. I know KC is moving to a smaller stadium, but is that going to be gridiron free? What's the status on torontos pitch? Are they planning on making it grass with the expanded stadium or sooner? Will the quakes have football lines on any of their fields? Hopefully St. louis and Philly will be entering soon, so that will drive the percentage of non-football fields down. RSL - gone next year NY - gone next year or 09 NE - Staying for a while Houston - gone next few years KC - ? As of now that's close to half of the teams, I imagine adding new teams, and new stadiums will make it seem like more of a team specific problem than a league wide one.
NY is still in the Swamp till 09' at the earliest. Houston has yet to announce a SSS. KC will be playing at either a HS Football Stadium, or Minor League Baseball Stadium. At least DC will be the only tenant at RFK come October. They'll also be rolling out brand new grass after the Nats final game. Anyway, I doubt most players give 2 shits about the lines. They're professional athletes. Not people sitting on the coach at home complaining about the condition of the field.
I totally agree here. The beautiful game looks like shit when played on the gridiron. Some of the new stadiums also have a lot of blank space behind the goals which I just don't understand at all. Watch an EPL game in one of the smaller stadiums like Craven Cottage for a template of what MLS should look like on TV. If the league can achieve this look in each stadium, its TV presentation will begin to look consistently professional. This might help win over futbol fans who only show up for euro-friendly in large numbers but ignore MLS.
I don't see why the perception from abroad should be of any consequence. What matters is the perception MLS clubs perpetuate in their own communities. So a newbie that takes in their first MLS game in Foxboro or the Swamp may be turned off. On the other hand a newbie that takes in their first MLS game at BMO, HDC or Toyota Park might not be turned off. But this is nothing new ... Foxboro and Giants Stadium have been driving soccer fans away for years. If anything MLS is making slow progress by getting out of these stadiums.
I understand there's nothing we can do about some stadiums but did you see the game at Columbus? A SSS and the gridiron lines were there.
Did anyone see the lines at qwest field last night? I felt like barfing. They were the most pronounced NFL lines I've seen. Just awful.
If your not sarcastic then all you have to do is go to MLSnet.com and watch any of the Columbus highlights of their game against Colorado, disgusting. I edited the fact I thought it looked like nobody was there at the stadium but there were supposedly 12-15k in attendance. Sure didn't look like that in the highlights, but, whatever. I think about all the New York fans that got excited after watching the Beckham game and coming back just to see the crappy Giant's NFL lines. To me the lines destroy any excitement I have for soccer in the US. Its a major turn off when watching the game, they can do all the most incredible skill and goals in the world, its still going to look like chit on that crappy pitch! I understand the reality of the situation we as fans are in with MLS, but when a SSS has the lines then WHAT IS THE POINT?!?!?!
You can see them in the Rapids/Crew highlights on the MLS website: http://web.mlsnet.com/mls/schedule/
OK, I didn't watch the game before, but I went and watched the highlights on MLSnet.com. You people are a bunch of drama queens. Some faded lines from a game on Friday night or last weekend or whatever and you act like it's the worst thing ever. It was something that HSG made a few bucks off of and they were pretty faded (as evidenced by the fact that the soccer lines were in white). I mean, we're not exactly dealing with Gillette or Arrowhead here. It's pretty clear who the top dog is at Crew Stadium. There can't possibly be a possible designated player that would look at that and decide not to play in Columbus because of it. He'd say the same thing that most non-retarded people would say, "A few faded lines from another even at that stadium, but the grass looks really nice and the field is nice and wide. How much money are you offering?"
Welcome to big soccer. This your first time here ? I think the people on these forums are driving me away from MLS more so than the actually product on the field.
Yah we had this problem in high school which I am sure. Most Players did too. Well the states winningest football coach became our head coach. Just transfered from another school becuase his son ended up Quarterbacking (retired after wards and his assistnt became coach. lives two doors down). He diffentley agreed there was more publicity at high school. Possibliey true! Well he ended up making an butt out of himself. We played on Thursdays and like most adults. He would keep his team on the field for Practice all the way up till game time. He wouldn't budge and our high scholla coach waded through chain of command. I cused him out one day told him to get off the field and challenged him. I said. If your so high up and have such a great program with unlimited resorces. Prehaps you should petition to get the soccer team its own field. Within a five years it happened. Although it was a great donation which moved that mountain. But attendance did drop off (bleachers of coule hundred as opposed of big concrete structure seats 5000 easily probalby close to 20000 with persons standing up). Team still plays on the football field becuase of it. Sometimes plays JV there and sometimes plays regular games there in order to not mess up the field for big games. But the moral of the story is I asked. I got but it might not have been worth it. !@
Damn, if anyone is complaining about the lines in Columbus, well I don't get it. It's just some faded lines. I'm over it by the 3rd minute of the match. What bothers me is the all out painted endzones, the painted center circle and the real thick white stripe on the sidelines. I don't think those faded lines in Columbus make us look bad at all.
OK. I think I posted this conversation before. My step-son (not a soccer fan) came over one Saturday. I was watching an MLS game, so he sits down to watch. I don't remember exactly how the conversation went (empty seats, turf, or football lines), but I told him that Salt Lake was moving to their own stadium next year. He was a bit surprised that someone would build a soccer stadium. So I went on to tell him that New York was building one and then listed the ones that have already been built. He had no idea. Now, I don't know that he's going to become a soccer fan; but I feel confident that the next time someone starts bashing soccer, he's likely to say something like, "Did you know they are building stadiums?.....SOCCER stadiums!" Moral of the story: These are opportunities to tell people how far the league has come, and that it is still growing. And it ain't going away. And as far as the rest of the world: There's nothing we can do about how they feel about our league......so let's move on.
Football lines suck. Some places fade them away making it a little more acceptable. The places that don't (Giant Stadium) lessen the game experience. It definately does cheapen the game to an extent. It makes it look like soccer is an after thought. End of the world, nah. But it is something MLS might want to try and improve upon. NY erased the football lines for the Beckham match for a reason, the game looks much much better on a proper soccer lined field.
Makes the beautiful game ugly and the "M" in MLS minor. Some day our fields will be hallowed grounds and this won't be allowed to happen.
The real sad part is that they're doing this to accommodate high school football. HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL!?!?! Sharing with the NY Giants is bad enough, but sharing with the Fighting Racoons of Frisco High .... what's Major League about that?
It's not major league of course, but at the same time the deal they made with the HighSchool team helped them get the stadium built in the first place. I don't think it is a matter of 'accomodation' as far as I have heard.
That's hardly worth complaining about. The only thing visible were the numbers for the yard marks. The grass being mowed a certain way gave the illusion of there being more markings than there actually were.