City's First MLS Game a Success - Houston Chronicle Rapids pick up Billy Sleeth - Boulder Daily Camera Revolution buck the Trend - Boston Globe Warner Bros. Deal is Done - L.A. Times Revs bring Nicols Back - Boston Herald Stability could keep Team Rolling - Boston Herald Metros, NJSEA Concur on pormoting Games - New Jersey Star-Ledger A Tough Loss to Take - N.Y. Daily News Fire puts 5 Players on Waivers - Chicago Daily Herald Movin' Up in the World - Edmonton Sun (very interesting)** FIFA Funs to help Kick-Start Stadium - Edmonton Sun (wire) Please check yesterday's news thread and write letters to the New Jersey State Senators on behalf of the Harrison stadium bill. Addresses and a sample letter are there for you to use. There is additional information in the MetroStars Forum, and I have provided a link to a thread in that forum. Thank you, -jim
damn cool, 3.5 or 4 slots for CONCACAF in '06 also interesting on FIFA funding studies and designs for a Canadian SSS (would/could an mls team be part of that???) - And FIFA, the world governing body, he said, has agreed to put up $400,000 for architectural plans toward the building of an outdoor, grass-surface 30,000-seat stadium in Toronto to help facilitate the bid. The extra qualifying chance for the men is a result of the exceptional performance by the three CONCACAF teams at the Korea-Japan World Cup this year.
Interesting article in Spanish only tangentially related to MLS: http://www.laopinion.com/deportes/?rkey=00021106163600673489 It details how much players in Honduras and Central America get paid. The best paid Honduran player is Amado Guevara, who makes $12,000 a month. I bring this up because, ultimately, this is what determines how MLS stacks up against other leagues. Another interesing article was Phil Ball's weekly column on SPanish football, where he mentioned that Recre (a first division team this year) has a salary budget of about €3m-- so MLS teams are about $1.5m away from being the worst division 1 team in Spain. Which might sound harsh, but it should be encouraging because a 3 million dollar salary budget is not so far away.
i quoted, and selectively bolded, that for a reason... it's probably the longest deal we've seen yet... and while it's not exactly the most meaningful sign, it's still a sign that we're going to be here for awhile
sadly, the lease at Raymond James was for five years that they never used... but it does say they're assuming the MEtros will be around.
A few questions about the Metro/NJSEA article: -The article states in the last paragraph that the authority makes 350K to 500K per international game. Given a joint agreement, how much would the Metros receive? -I'm sick right now, so bear with me if I'm totally missing the point...the second paragraph is confusing me right now though. Sakiewicz said that if the Metros get a new stadium, then they'll keep the deal. However, if they remain at the Meadowlands, they'll back out. The only logic I'm seeing here is that if they are at the Meadowlands, they'd want the international games as a doubleheader with a Metros game. Now, my understanding is that with the exclusivity, they are able to ensure the doubleheaders. Would this not be the case with the joint agreement? If they do get a new stadium, why would they want to keep promoting the games at Giants Stadium? Unless of course their take on the joint agreement is quite profitable, it seems like a waste of human resources that could be better used drawing fans to the new stadium. -The vague last statement doesn't help much either: "...it helps the Metrostars out with some things they've wanted." What are said things? Thanks for any clarification
"UEFA, European soccer's ruling body, named Warner Bros. as the exclusive worldwide licensing agent for the 2004 European Championship in Portugal....The American entertainment conglomerate, part of the AOL Time Warner media group, will be in charge of all merchandising for the quadrennial 16-nation event, which is second only to the World Cup in significance." Another American company jumping on the soccer machine...only outside this country. Hopefully, one of these days, they will see fit to help sponsor the game inside this country.
1. yes, you got it 2. Not neccisarily. With exclusivitey means a larger share of the money coming back at them. Though you also have to take into account for them to promote the game, and pay the other team, and rent. It is cheaper to make them double headers because you pay the same rent, but the metros also in their current deal have to fullfill a certain amount of dates that soccer will be available. If this new deal lets the the NJSA help markets the game, with less dates required, but the metros get a smaller share of the revenue, then they would agree to it if they have their own stadium. If they don't have their own stadium the the original deal should be kept with them being the exclusive company to bring soccer matches at the swamp, and thus keeping a larger share of the profits. 3. It makes sense to have some international games still at the swamp then at a new stadium. The reason for this is you can't fit 50,000 people in a 25,000 seat stadium.