News: MLS Suspends season due to Coronavirus

Can I use this as an opportunity to bitch about the Charlotte expansion? Because I absolutely hate the Charlotte expansion.

 

In Ohio, construction was considered essential, not just for bigger projects like the new Crew stadium but also apartment complexes, and even home remodeling. The home improvement stores stayed open, though with social distancing required inside. I need to replace my roof this year and the contractors are very busy and booked ahead. As I'm working from home today, I hear the work being done next door where my neighbor is replacing his siding and insulation.

 

Yeah, that's pretty much what I wanted to bitch about. Over on HFBoards I pointed out to everyone that the Charlotte Independence had the lowest attendance for a non-reserve team in USL Championship (granted, they play in Matthews, which doesn't help), meaning soccer isn't exactly a hot thing in the city, with there having been soccer in that city and that league going all the way back to the A-League and the Charlotte Eagles. And it's not like the city is exclusively a Panthers town; the Charlotte Knights rank as one of the top minor league baseball teams in revenue and attendance, and people do pay attention to the AHL Checkers (I didn't mention the Charlotte Hornets because the Hornets were dead last in the NBA attendance figures before the pandemic happened... hey, people don't like expensive, shitty basketball), so in a city with a very high cost of living compared to the rest of area, your spending on sporting events meant you had to pick and choose your loyalties unless you were well-to-do, and for the Independence, virtually nobody chose them.

David Tepper is hedging bets on there being a massive influx of casual fans with loads of money showing up for the first couple of years, and spending $400 million to leapfrog two other expansion markets just floored me and I've been angry ever since. I know you can create something out of nothing with enough support and investment, but... $400 million. MLS doesn't even make that kind of revenue from TV, I think.

 

How was the attendance for the Toronto Lynx or Atlanta Silverbacks?

 

Back then, I don't think the Lynx managed that much, but around the end of the NASL run for the Silverbacks, they had a 4K average, which was better than the Independence have managed, and the Silverbacks also played in the suburbs.

I also pointed out, at the end that you can create something with enough investment and support. In the case of Toronto FC, it was the first Canadian market for MLS, and in the case of Atlanta United, the United were going to act like a large European club in terms of investment and spending, which certainly helps with casual people. I know the Charlotte team will do well at first; they will get 20-30K on average for their games. It's just the sustainability that concerns me, because you look at markets like Orlando where support is there, but casual interest is waning because the team has no intention on winning.

The other issue I had was, again, the price tag for the Charlotte expansion versus the St. Louis/Sacramento expansion. And we know MLS isn't done with expansion, and this sets up future markets likely having to spend $450-500 million to get in.

 

The Lynx bounced around a bit but were generally about 2500 before TFC arrived.

 

In all this, I had completely forgotten about the Charlotte expansion.

 

How was the attendance in Philadelphia before expansion? How was attendance in Austin? How was attendance in Seattle pre-MLS?

Lower league attendance has ZERO to do with MLS attendance.

 

How's the attendance in Philly post expansion?

<ducks>

 

Bulgar Wheat FC and Arian United are joined by a proud love of all things True Bulgarian. You show me a True Bulgarian who is racist, then you've shown me a Fake Bulgarian! For shame, Crooked Eddy, For shame!....

 

Not horrible considering their on the field performance and stadium size. Their biggest issue is going to be their stadium size. Even when they sell out games, its still only 18.5k, which places them below league median regardless of what they do.

 

We're BACK!@uslchampionship announced provisional start date of July 11.#USL | https://t.co/iFGsO3t9s1 pic.twitter.com/awkuKSRZhN

— United Soccer League (@USL_HQ) June 4, 2020

 

How'd usl get this figured out before MLS...

 

Does announcing a date necessarily mean that they have it figured out?

 

Their owner sucked. Too much to list here, but the fans wanted a higher-level team.

I remember when their fans wanted to save their club from folding by overtaking as supporter-owned club. No one cared that much about the Silverbacks, which is a shame, because I liked their name and logo.

 

Higher than the least attended team in every soccer league in Europe except for Germany.

 

Move Europe?

 

Yeah, considering states have different policies on what will be acceptable for fans in the next few weeks, and even that may change. At least there aren't any Canadian teams this season to make things more complicated, but it still doesn't change the fact you have to contend with franchises in harder-hit areas like Washington and California.

 

Continental Drift FC?

 

California and Washington aren't the harder hit areas... though California is a current trouble spot it still has among the lowest infection rates per capita.

 

The winner of the Orlando tournament will receive a spot in CCL 2021.

 

Which might or might not be held?

 

Considering soccer/football are resuming in some places all over the world, by next year, it would happen.