Article on Chivas attendance woes

More interesting because this will be a totally different angle for him.

 

His first order of business should be to change the name to Chivas L.A. The USA thing is tacky. LA solidifies that the team is for Angelinos.

 

Chivas is trying to serve 2 masters. You can't appease both the American fan (especially with Becks playing int he same town) and the Mexican. If Chivas is anything it is about being Mexican.

If you are going to go for the Mexican angle, you can't have a team littered with non Mexicans. Chivas De Guad fans identify the team as a celebration of Mexican talent, not a mish mosh of a few Mexicans and the rest Americans. That's a sham. That will fail.

You can't advertise an authentic burrito, then serve me Taco Bell. That's clearly not going to fly.

How to make it work? Abolish the silly rules that restrict them hiring all Mexicans and let them have at it. Let them build a real Mexican team. As fans, why the heck should we care who they have on their team anyway.

Make this change, otherwise Chivas USA is doomed. Some dude from the NHL isn't going to make this work.

 

You can't advertise an authentic burrito, then serve me Taco Bell. That's clearly not going to fly.


Hey i like taco bell

But yeah i agree with everything you said, chivas is in a very interesting situation. and although many people say they draw mexican fans wherever they go, i have not found that to be the case in NY. at least not anything too substantial.

 

Your solution would probably kill off some of the interest in the SuperLiga competition.

 

Hummm explain.

 

The thing is, the team DID have a very Mexican flavor in their first year, and it was more or less within MLS rules, and they sucked an enormous suck.

The MFL pays so much better than MLS for the same caliber of player that even if the league allowed Chivas USA complete freedom from MLS' rules on foreign content, they couldn't compete in MLS with a bunch of Mexican players, because in order to fit those players under the cap they'd have to find inferior Mexican players. The good ones make too much money. And they traded their DP for Amada Guevara, so they can't even avail themselves of that option.

IOW, Chivas' problem is NOT domestic content rules. It's the salary cap. And if you're gonna let them ignore the cap, you'll have to let everyone ignore the cap, and then the whole league will die.

 

Definately NOT letting them ignore the cap. Capping spending is important, caring where players are from, much less so.

The DP issue is a problem, trading for Amado was a ridiculously bad choice that they will have to pay for. But for how much longer; 1 more year? When can they get another DP? Can they trade for one?

Isn't the rumor the cap is being raised? To 4 million maybe? Perhaps they can build a competitive team with a few more bucks to work with. Maybe not 100% Mexican, but more decidedly Mexican than they are now.

I would give them the freedom to hire who they want under the same salary cap restrictions as everyone else.

Then let them sink or swim. Maybe you are right. Maybe they won't be able to compete paying for already overpirced Mexican players, who knows. But atleast we can give them a fighting chance to build a club that could potentially connect with the Mexican market, without the unnessary handcuffs.

Chivas is ALL ABOUT being Mexican. Drawing Americans to Chivas isn't happening in LA with the goldenboy playing the in the same stadium. Nada chance.

If there is no way to be competitive and Mexican at the same time then they might aswell roll up the fajita now. They are done.

 

Whoever wrote this article has one of the loosest definitions of "near sellout" I've ever seen.

 

is there such thing as "authentic burrito"?
I was told by my Mexican co-workers that burrito is an American invention, it's not a Mexican traditional food.

 

I believe that is true.

I was hoping you guys wouldnt pick up on that as I liked the ring of burrito in my example.

Strike it. Instead, please insert soft shell Taco with salsa verde.

 

Yup, they've just confirmed - taco is an authentic food, burrito is not.

 

Mucho gracias for clearing that up.

 

If they do get a top-notch Mexican player, the fans will ask why he's not playing in Guadalajara.

 

c/s they have to change the name period. they've got a winning team now but still no fans in the stands.

 

The Avalanche has played in front of sell out crowds since the moved to Colorado-except for last year.

Chivas need there own stadium and need someone who is willing to make it their own club.

 

This was always the issue wasnt it, from day 1. I never cared about the "Mexicans in MLS" angle but I always thought naming the club Chivas USA and giving it the same colors as Guadalajara was a bad move. Somewhat of the same issue I have with "Real Salt Lake" and why im super glad the Rapids didn't become "Arsenal Colorado". Intentionally modeling your club after another, more famous club is intentionally giving your club second-rate status, no matter how much success you have on the field. It's what happens when pencil pushers decide club identities based on market reports. It is IMO one of MLS' biggest weaknesses. Footie should be about the supporters.

 

Why is our attendance a constant issue. If I am correct we are not the only team with poor attendance, plus we are the only franchise that came into a city that already had a team. No other team has the issue of having to market a team to a city that has already had a team for ten years. I don't find our attendance a surprise I just feel it is going to take some time for the LA to embrace Chivas USA.

 

I've met upper-class Mexicans who say that they love to come to the US so they can have burritos.

No joke.

Total American invention, although in some northern parts of Mexico they eat flour tortillas and not corn, like in most of the country. I've never been to these places, but it wouldn't surprise me if they eat burritos there, perhaps as an adaptation of an American twist of Mexican cuisine.

 

In any case i love burritos, and even though i'm LAG supporter i like to watch Chivas USA playing. When they play any team other than Galaxy i'm rooting for them.
It seems to me Chivas owners recognized their error (marketing to Chivas Guadalajara fans/Mexicans only), and will be trying to market our Chivas as a "Latino" team.
Can't speak for our entire Hispanic community, but as far as i know Salvadorians for example won't root for "Mexican" team, Monterrey or Club America fans won't give a damn about Chivas as well.

 

I think it's because your attendance has gone done as your play on the field has gotten better. That's not a good trend. It's supposed to be the opposite of that.

Why can't we change the name of the team so that it appeals to all Latinos? Really it's a dumb idea to make a Chivas team in America. You don't appeal to all Latinos, you don't even appeal to all Mexicans. You appeal to Mexicans that like Chivas. So why not call them Club Deportivo Los Angeles? Spanish sounding name that still represents LA.

 

"Atletico LA" was other suggestion i've heard at this forum.

 

I agree. I said earlier I would re-brand them Atlético Los Angeles and adopt a kit similar to Atlético Madrid -- not too different from the Chivas red, white and blue, but distinctive enough so that it doesn't repel fans who have some loyalty to other MFL clubs.

The parallel to the Madrid teams works too, IMO. Let the Galaxy appeal to the rich and famous, while re branded Atlético looks to have closer ties to the working class Mexican - American market.

Whatever the name, I do think a distinctive, Los Angeles identity would help.