St Louis has three (Cardinals, Rams, Blues), KC has two (Royals, Chiefs) excluding soccer. If you include soccer, Chicago has SIX (Cubs, Sox, Bears, Bulls, Hawks, Fire) and KC bumps up to three. Chicago also has five minor league baseball teams, the Wolves, plus Big Ten and Big East collegiate athletics.
The Wolves also have a lot of players who have played or will play in the NHL. It's good quality hockey. Wolves' ticket prices are around the same as Milwaukee Wave ticket prices but the Wave doesn't have a bunch of guys who have played in MLS or will play there soon. I agree with you that tickets for some MASL teams, including the Wave, are overpriced for the quality of soccer they offer.
A few games around 2004 the Wolves and Blackhawks went head to head, home games same nights. Wolves had a couple of games that were better attended Wendell Young has been an excellent exec with the Wolves. He has had offers for the NHL, but has stayed put for his family and career situation. They are a gold standard minor league team
This is actually true. By a little. From 2002-2006 (three seasons, because there was no 2004-2005 NHL season), the Wolves and Hawks played on the same day 29 times. (I have no delineation of day/night, so I don't know how many times they were both playing at the exact same time, but safe to assume most of the time they were.) The Wolves announced a higher attendance than the Hawks on two occasions, both within two weeks of each other: Sunday, February 29, 2004: Wolves announced 12,938 against San Antonio, Hawks announced 12,177 against Florida. Sunday, March 14, 2004: Wolves announced 13,308 against Utah, Hawks announced 13,252 against Dallas. In the other 27 head-to-head games in that time period, it wasn't close. The Hawks announced an average of 7,882 more fans in those 27 games. The Wolves' advantage in the two games was 761 and 56. Of course, we have no way of knowing how many people actually attended any of those games, so these numbers are what we have. But the Sidekicks once outdrew the Burn in the early days of MLS*, and a handful of MISL I teams outdrew (on average) the NBA teams with which they shared arenas back in the day**. It's been known to happen. The Wolves have been an excellent AHL franchise over their history. And, for a long time, the Hawks were run like it was still 1963. Since Wirtz died, though, the Hawks have been run like an actual NHL franchise and have all the results to show for it. This season, the two clubs have played on the same day three times (including their home openers). The Hawks have announced an average of almost 15k more on each of those nights than the Wolves have. *June 15, 1996 when the 'Kicks drew 12,818 to their CISL home opener and the Burn drew 9,704 to the Cotton Bowl. **Sting vs. Bulls 1982-83, Force vs. Cavs 1982-1987, Comets vs. Kings 1981-1985 and Sockers vs. Clippers 1982-83 and 1984-85.
I was at a Hawks game in 2003, the day that Carlos Zambrano lost Game 5 of the NLCS for the Cubs v Marlins, and there couldnt have been more than 3-4,000 in the United Center, irrespective of what was announced. I believe the Hawks were playing the Kings, but I may be mistaken. In any event, I was able to sit ON THE ICE...and lets just say that I did NOT pay for such a ticket. In any event, those days are LONG GONE. Under Rocky Wirtz, and John McDonough, the Hawks have become a model franchise.
I doubt if Gregory Vlamakis is a lawyer though. AEK claims to be a lawyer, of course he lost every argument he had on here and would make numerous contradictory statements from post to post so who knows if he really is a lawyer. I'd be hesitant to accuse anyone with being AEK too. I really doubt that the president of the NSL would post such garbage as an anti-MASL diatribe on this board Indoor Soccer is a small world. People on here know who AEK really is, from just being around the game. Vlamakis doesn't seem the type I'm thinking more a small man who is chasing ambulances right now and who only found out about Homan Sq. police station from the article in The Guardian yestersay. My point is, AEK doesn't exactly have his finger on the pulse of anything.
If you want to see some of this Odeum indoor soccer then look on the You Tube page of the NSL Treasurer Ninos Alexander.
LOL....hey junior, did you get a glimpse of the USA Arena Soccer World Cup team? Would make Vlamakis MIGHTY proud.... Or maybe last weeks MASL team of the week? Three NSL players on it. I'd say Vlamakis is BEAMING right about now, just a hunch...
Eh junior, just in case you didnt realize, the NSL is the second oldest affiliated league in the US. It is still a direct affiliate of USASA which in turn is affiliated with US Soccer. MASL is NOT affiliated with any of the above. DUH!
Eh junior, just in case you didnt realize, the NSL is the second oldest affiliated league in the US. It is still a direct affiliate of USASA which in turn is affiliated with US Soccer. MASL is NOT affiliated with any of the above. DUH!
Yes, make sure you take a look at that ADRIA side....virtually everyone on the team with pro indoor experience in the MISL/MASL, etc....
So they have given up on their quest to play pro soccer, found a real job and are now playing kick-around at 11.30 pm to keep in shape. That's great, everyone should stay healthy. I wish them well.
RWB Adria is a quality side. It was the National Amateur Soccer champion last year and also made it to the third round of the US Open Cup, defeating Detroit City of the NPSL and the Michigan Bucks of the PDL before losing to the USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds in a penalty kick shootout. RWB Adria could almost certainly defeat some MASL teams, and I don't say that to demean the MASL in any way. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RWB_Adria
They sound like a great team of amateur players. I would doubt they could beat most MASL teams (including the Mustangs) but they would certainly give them a good game. The reason I say this is 1. The fields where these teams play are smaller than the say the Sears Center, for instance, a lot of games are played at the Odum in Villa park. 2. These Chicago teams do not practice they just show up for games. 3. They play a 44 minute running clock. That they do no practice and only show up at midnight for games vs. other amateur teams, is a big difference in my opinion. Maybe in the first half they could keep up. But the no practice would catch up and the second half the amateurs would be gassed. Case in point last year when some team from one of the FOUR ETHNIC INDOOR leagues in Chicago called the AAC Eagles (which Gordy Gurson was a part of) got a waxing last year from the Mustangs in the open cup tournament. But no disrespect to ADRIA at all. They seem like a fine team.
There's nothing amateur about Adrias players. Virtually all have played at the professional level. Quite a few at a leel higher than the MASL. 1. The field is the same size. The Odeum was used by the Chicago Riot. Three of the four major ethnic leagues play at the Odeum. 2. SOME teams dont practice. Quite a few others do...on a regular basis. Adria doesnt practice because their core group of players has been together for so long that they dont need to...and they play so many games per week that practice is unnecessary. 3. They do not play 44 minutes, nor do they entirely play a running clock. Fitness may be an issue, but its not bc of the game clock. 4. Check the score of the Mustangs-Eagles game last year, hardly a waxing...and the Eagles finished third or fourth (cant remember which) in the Metro League, probably the weakest of the four major amateur leagues indoors. **** Taylor Bond is one of those "amateurs" from Adria...and it sure doesnt look to me like he's getting gassed in the MASL. He made the MASL team of the week, as did Gurson and Piotr Sliwa (all three "amateurs"). Oh, and BTW, Gurson just made the US Indoor World Cup team....as I predicted/hinted a few weeks ago. Not bad for an amateur who is slow, gets dispossessed constantly, and cant do anything more than jump up and down and wave his arms.
"have played" as in, past tense. Yes, some appear to have played somewhere professional, previously. Oh and the "leel" higher than "the MASL", that really is impressive. That "leel" is a pretty good one. I have to admit, that is a pretty good team. If they are so good they don't need to practice anymore. I mean the German National Team, Manchester United, Real Madrid............well they still practice but not Adria. The team so good "that practice is unnecessary"!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! but, but, but, but, but, but............you said that any of the FOUR ETHNIC INDOOR LEAGUES in Chicago would be able to beat most MASL, oh sorry, pardon me.....um....I meant "the MASL" teams. Good for Gurson. I think you have (again) mistaken me for another poster. I have never dismissed or belittled his soccer acumen here or anywhere else. In fact, I have never insulted or belittled any players on this forum. They all play a game they enjoy and are talented at it. I enjoy watching as a fan.
Well, not exactly, but the Mustangs are in the top handful of MASL teams, probably in the top 5 or 6. That leaves at least 2/3 of the league at a lower level...and its THOSE teams that the Eagles of the world can beat, even if the Eagles aren't exactly world beaters right now in the Chicago ethnic leagues. I mean, you DO realize that a significant portion of the Seattle Impact was in fact the Eagles, don't you?
No. Past tense. You said " Virtually all have played at the professional level" They used to play pro. They now play amateur Adria is an amateur team. In an amateur league. I am sure they are a great little team who would do well in an amateur tournament. Taylor Bond is a fine player. It's great he is doing well. I go back to my old argument though, just because Wayne Gretzky came out of the Brantford Ontario amateur leagues doesn't mean the Brantford amateur leagues are professional.
Taylor Bond couldnt make Adrias A team last year...and hes not their first or second choice striker THIS year, in a year where he plays BOTH for the Mustangs and Adria. Do your homework before you pop off. The difference between Adria and Brantford is that the players on Adria CHOOSE not to play minor league pro soccer...not so the case with Brantford. Furthermore, Brantford is at a developmental level on the way to full pro, Adria is NOT. All the guys from Adria have played and CAN PRESENTLY play in the MASL....1 through 11. Unless you understand the tiered structure of soccer in the US you cant comprehend. As for the argument that Adria cant play "pro", ridiculous. They've already beaten SEVERAL "pro" teams in the US Open Cup. They're flat out better than just about any PDL team out there, at a minimum. They also can play with quite a few USL Pro sides. Ask the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, for example. And there are quite a few other teams in Chic ago at Adrias level in mens amateur, affiliated and mostly unaffiliated. The difference though is that the MASL is NOT at the USL Pro level in terms of OVERALL quality. Trying to play fast and loose with the term "pro" is idisingenious, at best. There's a HUGE difference between, for example, the Detroit Tigers and the Daytona Cubs.
I once spent about 11 years living in Europe. I was there so long I took out citizenship. Even though I CAN PRESENTLY live in Europe, doesn't mean I am a European. Just because these guys CAN PRESENTLY play in "the MASL", it doesn't mean they ARE PRESENTLY playing in "the MASL". Please go back and read my posts, you may (again) be confusing me with someone else. I have never said that the players from Adria cannot play pro. I have said that they ARE NOT pro's as they play on an amateur team. If the owner(s) of Adria want to field a pro team, they will need to take their team out of the current league and enter a pro league, then sign pro contracts with players and play against other pro teams. Its really not that complicated I am sure there are many other teams in "Chic ago" which are also at Adria's level in amateur soccer. I mean maybe they can't all be "so good that practice is unnecessary" but good amateur teams none the less. AEK, I really think you are so eager to tout these "Chic ago" teams more for your own axiom of proving you are a good referee. We get that you've met Taylor Bond and Gordy Gurson, we get that you are a referee, which is a thankless job and a credit to the sport. I am sure the four ethnic indoor leagues in Chicago (or "Chic ago") will function just fine without your online rah-rah support. Others on here have said you have some good little leagues, but lets not pretend the city of "Chic ago" is running four ethnic indoor leagues that pay better and offer better soccer skills than MASL.