Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Should Colorado fans care that much? It's like being invited to the first half of a playoff game only. If the Rapids win, then do they advance? No. I wish more people cared more, but I'm not that disappointed in Colorado. If they pass the Commerce City SSS, they'll be the most popular town in MLS for a while. Minor blip. What star on the Rapids is the draw? Mastroeni? The GK? A Haitian who's name noone can spell right? Undrafted Jordan Cila? Undrafted Borchers? Overage players like Chung and Henderson? Beckerman? If you look back at how the player distribution system (and to some degree the FO failings) have affected COL & DAL then maybe it's not fair to fault them too much (though I'll admit COL has a poor draft history).
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Playoff attendance averages, 1996-2003 Los Angeles -- 18,528 (18 home games) DC United -- 17,782 (12) San Jose -- 13,678 (6) Columbus -- 13,370 (10) MetroStars -- 13,245 (6) Chicago -- 12,613 (14) New England -- 10,806 (7) Colorado -- 10,240 (8) Dallas -- 10,029 (12) Tampa Bay -- 9,578 (6) Miami -- 9,409 (6) Kansas City -- 8,465 (10) Overall -- 13,002 (115)
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions It should not be overlooked that the playoff average is pretty close to what the median attendance is over the years. IMO, ~13k is the real base of the league at this point. Andy
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Many of us will be watching at least one of tonight's games delayed. Discuss attendance all you wish, but PLEASE DO NOT DISCUSS RESULTS IN THIS THREAD Thanks
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Shouldn't matter since the Revs announcers were also giving play-by-play for the DC@MET game. Aaaaaaaargh
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions What a crap night for attendance. Columbus at New England: 5,679 DC at New Jersey: 11,161 throw in the 8,028 from the other night and its a 8,289 average. I expect next weekend will double the average.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions And SJ will be the clear attendance champs this weekend?! But to be fair, I'm not holding against NE going head-to-head with Red Sox Game 1. Now that's an excuse.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Very true, but what is the excuse for Colorado and New Jersey? I doubt there are many Red Sox or Cardinals fans in those two areas.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions You think they should care. They don't think they should care. What they think trumps what you think. The fact that we're not the norm escapes too many people on Bigsoccer. The vast majority of Americans are lukewarm about soccer at best, antagonistic about it at worst, with a large amount of people who could take it or leave it or just don't care. And a really big portion of the people who will go to an MLS game once or twice or three times don't care about the playoffs. These numbers alone should make people think that perhaps the competition and the "big game" idea isn't exactly what really moves the needle for most folks most of the time.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions They get no excuse. Attendance sucked. We'll just have to live with it. Fortunately (dare I say) both should have SSS within 2-3 years and then we'll see if the teams can develop a larger following. I going to try and be patient and not panic. It's not like the viability of the league is at threat anymore.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions FWIW, the reported attendance in New England does seem accurate, although it didn't seem like that would be the case by game-time: fair number of late arrivals. The weather was also God-awful cold, and no way the 54 degrees was accurate. The wind-chill had to be in the upper-30's as hard as it was blowing: I actually have windburn on my face.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions The Revs attendance does seem accurate. I would venture to say there were at least 1/3 more fans at Gillette than at Invesco. The 8,000 figure is so far off of reality it's laughable. If there were more than 3500 at that match it was 3501. Let's not fall for cooked book attendance figures. At least the Revs didn't flat out lie like Colorado.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Exactly.. 100% agree with this. My point isnt that they should because I do. Or I think that they should. Bonding fans to their teams is a tough process. We all should realize this by now. Are there not enough soccer fans? Are some people 'eurosnobs'? Are people this? Are people that? YES YES YES YES. Does this mean MLS fosters an enviorment that creates loyal followers?? NO. I am not saying they do or dont, I am saying that thats a very legit question, a hugely important question to ask yourselves if you love this league. Is this league growing into your vision of what a soccer league should be all about? Unfortunetly, this isn't a great forum to discuss what bonds fans to their teams. Its probably too complex for here and besides, people are already dug in on defending rather that questioning.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions I was at the Metro game last night and the 11 k figure was correct. 11-13k is all NY has ever gotten for playoff games, so i guess its no better or worse than normal. One side of the stadium was pretty full and the other was pretty empty so I would say that was a legit number. also, It was very cold all game. I think that probably kept some people away. It may have been like 55 degrees but I'll bet the wind chill was like 35-40 degrees. I know by the second half I was freezing and couldnt wait for the game to end.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Metro All-Time playoff attendance figures: DAY....DATE........OPPONENT.....CROWD TUE...09/24/1996...DC United....14,416 SAT...10/03/1998...Columbus.....11,686 FRI...09/15/2000...Dallas.......14,868 SAT...09/30/2000...Chicago......15,476 WED...09/26/2001...Los Angeles..12,817 SAT...11/01/2003...New England..10,211 SAT...10/23.2003...DC United....11,161 All-time, Pre-MLS Cup average attendance coming into this season was 13% lower than the season average. The only time playoff average attendance actually exceeded the regular-season average was 1998. Part of it is time to sell tickets. Part of it is that you can't schedule a doubleheader to boost the crowd for a playoff game. More numbers here.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Today's crowd in San Jose looked more like 10,000+. I wonder if there were some folks in the stands with freebie tickets who weren't counted.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions and Amanpour bought 4,000? maybe they didn't count those since it's like an owner buying them?
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions I hope they didnt because that means they would have had like 4k there if it wasnt for him.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions So let's see. 3 out of the four games had cold, windy weather that probably discouraged attendance. Just think how good overall attendance would be if MLS scheduled games from Sept to April like a "proper" league.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Sorry - thought I was so broadly sarcastic that I didn't need an emoticon. I always say MLS has made it when FIFA schedules events around our schedule!
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions Didn't we all have some conversations a couple of years ago wondering if San Jose was actually undercounting? Today's game revived my paranoia. I mean, it didn't look like 20,000 or anything, but if there were less than 10K, the fans did a nice job of running into the camera shot.
Re: 1st Round Playoff Attendance Predictions I have come to enjoy the wether excuses.. Sometimes its too hot, other times its too cold and the occasional case of wind burn tops it off rather nicely. Wondering though, has anyone ever lost an appendage to a severe case of frostbite at an MLS game?