I was by the site for the new DCU stadium last Thursday and I cannot believe how small that footprint is for the new stadium. I wish they could have gotten right-of-way for stands over 2nd Street like they have for Atletico Madrid's stadium. Either way, If you jam 20K people into that footprint with the kind of noise DCU has created over the years, I think it will make a great atmosphere. It looks to be about the same size as Loftus Road in London - which somehow seats 18K.
Hardly. Seattle, Atlanta, NYCFC and Vancouver are the same thing as NE. Those other teams don't get the same heat that NE does just because they draw big crowds all the time. It doesn't make their stadiums any less suited for soccer then Gillette.
I live in SW DC like 6 blocks from where the stadium will be. The area where the stadium will be has a tiny footprint but I think that will make it a really cool experience. It will blend right into the surrounding city blocks much like you see with the smaller stadiums in European cities. The small size too should make it really loud and provide great atmosphere.
I think you meant "more suited"....and I think situations/attendance do matter......Yankee stadium is obviously not suitable for soccer, some of those sightlines look terrible....Seattle, though, shows that just because a stadium is a huge NFL stadium does not itself make it unsuitable, the crowds they draw create a great environment for the sport and it would be hard to say it does not "work" there....Vancouver has "shrunk" their stadium to suitability and it kinda works......jury is, obviously, out on Atlanta on how it will work there (will it be Seattle where the big crowds make it work or will it be Vancouver where they can shrink the stadium somehow to make it work or will it be NE where decent crowds are overshadowed by the vast areas of tarpped off seats that just look bad)...... ...so (to me) a big part of why NE seems "off" is that they don't get big enough crowds to look like Seattle and they have not found a better way of shrinking the stadium.
I agree. Although the immediate area surrounding the DC stadium is a little desolate now (except for the National Defense University and Fort McNair, which aren't exactly party spots), there's no reason to believe that it won't fill in with mixed use development, including a good watering hole or two. Nats Stadium is just three long blocks away and that area is developing rapidly. Anyone from LA and Minnesota who can talk about what those stadium settings are like?
mls' business model doesnt depend, or even prioritze, ticket sale revenues to fund its teams' payrolls/league profits the way that it used to. looking forward, its all about tv contracts. a jam packed smaller venue plays better on tv....and a 20k vs 26k venue doesnt really differ in tv terms. i reckon they'd rather have more gauranteed in-demand events/sellouts than a few extra k spectators in the arena. which makes it extra weird (beyond just, you know, the whole "salary cap" idea thingy) how comparative spending on mls rosters is so uneven now...20+mil vs 3-4 mil for some teams. im guessing once tv revenue goes up....those disparities will disappear....and they shouldnt exist now, imo.
I'm not so sure that 26K is too small for Orlando. It's great that they are drawing 30K+, but with the notable exception of Seattle, no one else has been able to keep that up. I've got to believe that when the novelty wears off, especially if the team doesn't win, attendance will slide some. That said, it appears that the new Orlando stadium will be one of the premier venues in MLS, and I don't doubt Orlando supporters' ability make full use of it.
I used to live about one mile South of the MN stadium. The stadium is basically at an intersection of two major streets. Just walking distance to the South on Snelling Ave. you start to enter Selby/Summit area which is the trendiest residential area in St. Paul. About a 3 mile bus ride West on University Ave. you get to the massive University of Minnesota campus and neighborhood which is just over the city line in Minneapolis. About 1-2 miles to the East on University Ave. you get to State Capitol which is the northern edge of downtown St. Paul. Light rail connects the two downtowns right along University Ave., which runs parallel to I94 which again connects the 2 downtowns. That stretch of University Ave is not exactly trendy. The immediate neighborhood is diverse and lower income. But I also wouldn't call it blighted. Lots of businesses along University Ave. although the sort you expect in a modest neighborhood like fast food, check cashing, liquor stores etc ... But also some really good ethnic restaurants/grocery stores ... Hmong, Somali, Mexican ... The intersection itself is very busy with lots of foot traffic and 2 private universities in within a few blocks (Concordia U and Hamline U). It's also just a couple of blocks from the state fairgrounds which hosts one of the biggest state fairs in the country for two weeks in late summer. If a game falls on a state fair day you can really make a day of it ...
To be fair, you'd have to throw Seattle and Atlanta into that same category. Secondary tenets in an NFL stadium. NYCFC is a secondary tenet in an MLB stadium.
In the case of NYCFC I agree, since they've stated that they're looking for a new stadium and Yankee Stadium is clearly not a dual use stadium. But Seattle and Atlanta are in stadiums that we're designed from the ground up to accommodate soccer as a second tenant, not to mention their superior location. Maybe I shouldn't have said "only" New England, but they are clearly in the worst situation in MLS stadium-wise.
As of now, it's also designed to be expandable to 25k. By the way, even at 22k it would be the largest stadium of any kind with an 80-mile radius of Sacramento.
why stop there... if you project a straight line toward the moon it's the largest stadium within thousands and thousands of miles.
Maybe you should send that idea to the Krafts. Or NYCFC. Heck, if Governor Dayton decides to veto the bill, I'll forward the idea to Dr. McGuire...
Thanks for the description. Sounds like an ideal location for a Twin Cities stadium. New Minnesota stadium drawings released. I'm having trouble copying the link - it's in the Minnesota Stadium thread. Serious stadium p*orn! I love it all expect for the big UNITED letters out front. As a DC United fan I'll just have to swallow hard and get used it.