Fair play, but we keep going to the games which is proof that we still enjoy them at some level. If nothing else, it makes our lives more interesting I think. I've never felt like the team had to be a consistently winning team in order for me to enjoy the games. It would be like if I played chess or something, and I was lousy and lost a lot, but still enjoyed it. Something like that... I don't seek validation in my life by being a fan of a winning soccer team. If I did, I'd drop the Quakes in a heartbeat and follow Barcelona or something.
I dunno i think I keep going to games or keep watching because I derive a tiny bit of “quality of life” by being a creature of habit. But it might be analogous to the joy of banging your head against the wall because it feels so good when you stop.
Appreciate both Jazzy and mjlee's takes right here. Funny how the Quakes have forced us to take this angle of introspection. Funny in a Waiting For Godot kind of way.
Update on the USL's Austin Bold and their committed owners and soccer culture, courtesy of an a**hole... Club sources say the @AustinBoldFC owner informed players and staff this morning that the team is not playing after this season. The move to Fort Worth is happening but depends on stadium construction, so it may not happen next year. More soon at @TheStrikerTexas— Roberto Silva (@rsilvasoccer) October 26, 2021 Current Austin ownership still exploring other leagues to play @COTA. NISA, USL1 and USL2 are all in the table....— Roberto Silva (@rsilvasoccer) October 26, 2021 Oh missed the first tweet. Team is moving to Fort Worth, ownership still want a team to fill dates at COTA. My bad— AmericanPyramidBlog (@APyramid_Blog) October 26, 2021 Obviously "we still need to fill dates at our racetrack (COTA) that is miles outside the city so we'll put out some cheap third of fourth division team" is all about fan community and NOT financial desires though, right? Oh and I'm still laughing at "built up the soccer culture" what soccer culture did the Austin Bold build at their mostly empty racetrack in the middle of nowhere exactly?? Clearly not enough of one to keep them from skipping town...
Austin Bold were dead the moment Austin Broccoli moved into town. Fort Worth is a pretty good alternative for them IMO. That place is growing at a pretty fast rate too.
Austin Bold would have carried on had not Broccoli FC shown up. Part of the problem with MLS and USL being separate organizations is that MLS will sometimes step on USL clubs.* Were I creating a USL club, I’d pick a city that was never going to have an MLS club. That would be limiting financially in many ways, but avoiding the Bambi vs Godzilla scenario is also important. In any case, I hope the Republik hang in there. That way, I can take in a game while visiting my brother in Sacramento. (Which I can combine with a trip to the Bay Area and see the Quakes too!!) Should be on the agenda for next year. * I don’t imagine that USSF can do anything about this. I’m not sure that they should. Still, MLS should work with USL to grow the sport, and not wreck their markets. We want soccer to grow everywhere. Go Quakesfans!! - Mark
When you think about it, it’s pretty amazing that England can have what is it, 4 EPL teams in London, plus myriad other lower division teams.
Agreed! London Population=Approx 9million Austin Population=Approx 0.95million Plus London is a world class city with an amazing soccer history and Austin is a little blue spot in Texas. . .
Six, actually. Chelsea Tottenham Arsenal West Ham Brentford Crystal Palace And in the Championship: Queen's Park Rangers Millwall Fulham
Others are not far from London (Watford) or in London but one rung further down (Charlton Athletic)... And yet I feel like some multi-billionaire could put a new club in South London one day and be quite successful...
Crystal Palace is smack dab in south London. (Millwall and Charlton Athletic are roughly on the south bank of the Thames). And starting a "new" club in England means starting at the bottom of the football pyramid and working your way up. Could take many, many years.
It always seemed reasonable that the Bay Area could support multiple teams, but it was a bad sign when the Deltas folded after one championship season. I know the SF Glens just celebrated their 60th anniversary. I don't know if they are a sustainable business or they just have the backing of wealthy owners who don't mind losing some money. I wouldn't be surprised either way. The Oakland Roots did so many things right but they also had a couple big problems with their home pitch. It'll be interesting to see if they can thrive for years to come.
Visiting the Glens website I was just reminded they will be opening their new stadium/facilities on Treasure Island next year. I have no idea if TI is a good location or not but sounds like they are going strong.
There were any number of problems with the Deltas unrelated to game performance. Kezar is a disaster for access, parking, weather and general ambience (the track separating the fans from the field, etc.). And marketing takes more than a year for the new thing to catch on, especially when it is minor-league by definition. Anecdote: At the championship match, I sat at midfield next to an older guy who lived in SF. He said he was attending his second soccer game in his life (the previous one a Deltas match a week or so beforehand). He had just learned of the Deltas (because, of course, marketing takes a awhile to sink in). I told him the Deltas would fold shortly (he was surprised, given his novice-ness) and that he should come to San Jose for Quakes games and gave him my contact info with offer of free tickets. Never heard from him again.
When you think about it, grabbing real estate in the Bay Area is probably always a good idea. I doubt it's a good location for spectators, but to have a genuinely competitive club you need to own facilities - and the space crunch in SF is preposterous. The Treasure Island plan seems really ambitious but very smart of them.
Are we sure that SJ will participate in this new league? Only 20 MLS teams have signed on, which leaves lots of room for us to not do this. Our owner is notoriously cheap, so I can see him not establishing a youth team. Also, because it makes sense to use a lower division side to rehab a player coming back from injury, the “youthness” of this new league doesn’t necessarily make sense to me. Go Quakesfans!! - Mark
I wonder if the Quakes took a look at this kid from the Sac Republic academy... not that we don't have enough inexperienced players on our roster as it is. A three year deal with two option years means DC must like what they see... D.C. United acquire defender Hayden Sargis from Sacramento Republic Player: Hayden Sargis Position: Defender Birthplace: Turlock, Calif. Country: United States Birthdate: 05/02/2002 Age: 19 Height: 6’0’’ Weight: 170 lbs Status: Domestic Transaction: D.C. United acquire defender Hayden Sargis from Sacramento Republic FC in the USL Championship on a three-year deal through 2024 with options in 2025 and 2026.