The Microsoft deal including the tarp sponsorship may be a multi-year contract, which could cost the team a penalty to break. It will scuttle the NES hopes for gathering another supporters' section, but oh well. The loge seats seemed to work pretty well for the first Houston game, and it may be the best answer for an away section too - they can hang their banners and feel safe far away from most of the sea of green (even though we're only passive-aggressive around here). Plus the folks up there won't have to wait in line for the entire interval to use the men's room. (Hey, I think I've hit on a new half-time strategy).
I was an away fan at Atlante, and what a wonderful experience it was, from the march to the stadium and free tickets provided us by Concacaf, to the concierge service we received from the food and beverage vendors. A few of our fans also went to Pachuca where they received equal treatment and were given a tour of the stadium and team locker rooms the next day. Not all Mexican teams and stadiums are alike.
Honestly, from what Roth had to say, they didn't care about the money. It's all about how it looks. He's a great guy, and if you can have a beer or 30 with him I highly recommend it.
Wouldn't know. Couldn't make it happen at that time. But I've been to Houston, and it's still the best away match I've been to.
FYI: You can send him a letter directly next time, and while you're at it send one to the Dallas FO and ask them wtf happened to their marketing and sales department.
I don't think the statement was "idiotic" - I just think the words "don't travel well" get heard as "suck" or something. He was correct that by and large MLS away fans don't travel in large numbers. And in a stadium that sells out every game, you can't just sit on a couple hundred tickets on the off chance that KC or SJ will drum up a huge road trip. Away support at Qwest has been minimal. Seattle is a long way away from everywhere in MLS right now. I think LA had the only group that came close to selling out the allotment of tickets set aside. Plus, we obviously share info on how much room other teams have needed to accommodate SGs with MLS and/or other owners. Don't make the mistake of looking at a traveling group of legendary proportions (TFC at Crew) and use it as an example. It was an anomaly. If it was an example you could think of 2 or 3 other similar examples. Even some of the Seattle away groups were probably larger than they will be going forward as the newness wears off and people are less willing to take one more trip to Houston. Here's a pic I took of the RPB at Qwest. They were one of the more impressive away groups this year. You can see clearly where their group ends, only about 5 rows back in the section where the guy in the purple University of Washington sweatshirt is standing up behind the flag. (BTW, what you can't see to their left is a wall.) That's what we're dealing with, and that's what the FO dude is talking about. It's not ego at all, it's fact. If you want to prove him wrong, I would LOVE that and so would the rest of MLS. But it's hard to hold big blocks of tickets back from local fans who want them when most away SGs are smaller than the one above.
Why should I give a shit about that? There's nothing I can do to change it. The whole my FO is better than your FO argument is about the lamest one possible on BigSoccer. Now if you want to compare which one of us has traveled more to see our team...you know the things I can actually control...bring it on. Houston 6x(half of those coming from Norman, Oklahoma almost 500 miles), Kansas City 5x, Charleston(19 hour drive), Chicago, Salt Lake, Los Angeles. I'm also one of the few in this picture SeaM, my point is that just because a group doesn't travel well to a city that is thousands of miles away doesn't mean they don't travel well. Dallas in the past couple of years has had hundreds in Houston, nearly 50 in Kansas City etc...Hell the only groups that bring more than 5 to Dallas are Houston and Kansas City. I've never seen more than 5 travelling fans from any other city to Frisco. Does that mean that only Houston and Kansas City travel? Of course not. It means that there's no MLS city within hundreds of miles of here, much like Seattle.
None is challangeing you to a contest... no one really cares how many people showed up to Dallas... Or how many games you have gone to. Thats really cool you've gone to so many games to support your team. Congrats. Hats off to you my friend, but you're one person. You can't fill a section on your own. The comment was made in response to a fan asking about plans the Seattle front office has to accommodate traveling supporters. Their response was that MLS fans don't travel well and their evidence is the fact that the tickets they set aside for away groups to Seattle games don't sell out. Don't be so sensitive.
I was in the San Jose supporters section in the second Quest match in June and we had over 75 fans. (A significant contingent attended the April match as well, I'm told, but I was not among them.) I expect as news circulates about what a fun trip it is to Seattle, Quakes fans will exceed the 100-seat allotment on a regular basis.
I think that every club should have a segregated away supporters section that is not sold to home fans. Period. I don't think it should matter if they are bringing 10 or 1000, there needs to be a section that is solely for away supporters. I know that our FO does not agree with this, but I think it is the right thing to do.
My point is that the Sounders FO isn't working in a vacuum. They're too smart for that. Away group procedures are likely something the MLS head office works with teams on. Numbers are no doubt shared. Every team has a vested interest in the other teams knowing how many of their fans to expect. As has been mentioned, the FO member who made the statement worked elsewhere in MLS before Seattle, so he has more perspective than he's getting credit for in this thread. This isn't a pissing contest. It was a statement of fact that perhaps didn't use the best choice of words and got some supporters' panties in a bunch over basically nothing. Every team's supporters are proud supporters. Every team should treat away supporters like their best customers, whether the the group is 5 or 100. (In a sold-out stadium you might have trouble with 1000 - the RPB are lucky the Crew doesn't draw.) And by all accounts from away groups who have worked with our FO, the Sounders do exactly that. The point - the only point - was that SSFC's current away seating is more than sufficient for the groups we and MLS are currently seeing. No more, no less. Argue with that if you will, but stop taking it as an insult.
I was there it wasn't 75 more like 35 but whatever contact our FO early if you want a large group of tickets. Until you do exceed the away ticket allocation it's purely speculation and wishful thinking.
I double-checked the 1906 Ultras supporters board and the group purchased 50 seats, as a group, in Section 203 from an allotment of 88, for the June 13 match which I attended. Every seat was paid for by a group member. I know the Ultras were far from the only Quakes fans who attended and many others purchased their seats on an individualized basis in Section 203 or elsewhere. My point is that I expect more people to make the trip next year and in succeeding years because the reviews from 2009 have been good. We like the City of Seattle -- try to let that sink in -- and enjoyed ourselves even though our team lost. Thus, a 100-seat away section suffices for now but may not in the near future. That's all. Doesn't matter to me either way whether we bring 100+ or not. (It's been me in blue against 20k in red at BMO the past two years, for example, and I survived.) The "wishful thinking" about away support should be on the part of your chamber of commerce, not the away supporters.