The SKC announcers, without a hint of irony or self-awareness, threw some shade when they were in Frisco earlier this season.
The color commentator, Matt Lawrence, is a Brit new to KC so he gets a bit of a pass. Nate Bukaty, the PxP man is a lifelong KC resident and should damn well know better. He reminds me of so many of the newbies who think KC's MLS team began play in 2011.
Are you saying that many SKC fans never experienced the thrill, the color, the pageantry of Kansas City Wizards soccer at Arrowhead Stadium?
Shocking, I know, but yes. They missed out on the thrill of supporting an HSG owned team and wonders such as the Zardmeister.
and if the announcers don't acknowledge that certain stadiums are practically empty it would just make it more awkward for the viewers
It's official ➡️ we are SOLD OUT for #CHIvORL!Pregame coverage from Toyota Park begins at 7pm CT on @CSNChicago 📺 #cf97 pic.twitter.com/1RQDwz0fR2— Chicago Fire FC (@ChicagoFire) June 24, 2017
25,219 in NYRB 44.938 in Atlanta 17,656 in Philadelphia 16,592 in Columbus 19,017 in Minnesota 20,000 in Chicago
Solid 22,793 average this week, including the 4 midweek games, assuming that Portland vs. Seattle sells out.
Portland will sell out...it always does. The average will take a slight dip though, since the capacity for Timbers games is something like 21,144. It will also drop due to attendances in Los Angeles and San Jose Saturday night. Los Angeles Galaxy 20,140 San Jose Earthquakes 18,000
Great attendance week. It is awesome to see Chicago fans coming back. 4 of the 6 Saturday games were sellouts or close to it. I am guessing the Philly game wasn't technically a sellout.
If there is some latent support to activate, even if it's grown disillusioned. Signing someone like Schweinsteiger is a genuine statement of commitment to the team by an FO that's attracted a lot of fan contempt over the years. That brings people back, for a while. Let's see if they keep coming and thaat's down to the FO showing that they give a damn, over and over.
The support will be there if the team doesn't blow everything up. This will be the question next year. The Fire accumulated a lot of TAM/GAM/MLS Funny money that was expiring. Plus, they are going to get money from the MLS All Star match. It allowed them to spend a lot on players we have not gone after for a good 7-8 years. I don't know if the commitment is actually there because they could easily be using MLS money plus All Star Revenue. There is a theory that the team might be for sale and MLS might be helping showcase the Fire. The Fire don't own Toyota Park and their outdoor practice "facility" is a field in the gravel lot with the locker rooms inside the stadium. Their indoor "practice facility" is really a for profit rec soccer dome which uses the Fire trademarks as it is owned by the owner and the employees of his investment fund. So, the FO really doesn't have tangible assets that would be sold with the team. However, if this is kept up, I and many others will be happy. As of now, it is a wait and see. Plus, we might as well enjoy the first good season in almost a decade.
And if you're wondering why, i.e all the hallmarks of an MLS 1.0 franchise/a Bob Kraft. Chicago is America's 3rd-biggest city, and it can't be in MLS' interest to have a bad and uncommitted owner in that market. They give them the All-Star game while the team signs Schweinsteiger and buyers are shown "this is how Chicago soccer responds to a little interest and care. If you're really committed to the team, imagine what you can achieve." The theory that MLS is trying to showcase the team might have a good deal of truth to it.
Just to echo the sentiments here, it's nice that the Fire are doing well. My cousins live in Chicago (New Trier), and they've gone to two games total. Apparently a pretty mediocre experience both times. Does't help when the stadium's half-full at best, but they were saying it's not necessarily a bad place, just lackluster when there's nobody else in your row! Chicago hopefully keeps this momentum going, and turns it into a long-term commitment to the team. Then, we'll only have New England as an MLS 1.0 fossil. Columbus gets a pass because the stadium is old and the home of Dos a Cero, but I'm wondering how their re-brand is going a couple of years on. It's gotta be tough to sell soccer in a college town I imagine, and they're one of the few markets not in a giant metro area, NE being the other one.
So apart from 2 of the midweek games everyone drew at least 16.5. 8 of 15 games over 20k. Very strong.
In a few months, it will have been 10 years since Hauptman bought the Fire. MLS has rapidly changed in the 10 years. Heck, MLS has changed rapidly in the last 5 years. 10 years ago, he was the perfect owner for the league. He was someone who would be reliable, pay his bills, and was not going to cause drama. IMO, the biggest problem is that he has hired a lot of people who will not challenge him and simply aren't fluid enough to change. Even the current GM is pretty rigid. The other thing is that he seems to be risk averse to a fault. On a side note: Hauptman's background is running a private investment firm that he and his wife (whose father is a billionaire) own. In terms of investment, he got on at the bottom floor just as Beckham had signed. In that way, he is incredibly smart considering the Fire are likely nearly worth 500% what they were allegedly worth when he bought the team 10 years ago.