This tale is told by the numbers: attendance Saturday night, 7/16. Los Angeles: 27,000 Metropolitan New York: 8,000 and change. To make matters worse, Metro had the lowest attendance across the league. I watched the Galaxy-Chivas match after getting home from the Swamp; I can't say the match was better played than the Metro-Rapids game. In both cases the fireworks ignited in the second half (I had to call Time-Warner Cable to give my receiver a jolt, since DK didn't want to kick in till that and a reboot brought me in at the end of the first half). The LA derby had a lot to do with the big turnout in LA, plus, whatever their ups and downs, the Gals have a winning record across the years compared with Metro, and the CDUSA fans are doing their best to hang in despite record-setting losses -- easily outdoing Metro in our maiden season. Chivas could even break our '99 record for futility. It's not ALL about the Depot, though it does help to have a place a team can really call home. Actually, the Giants Stadium pitch looked good, even if the players were slipping and sliding on it, with chunks coming up like a bad day on the golf course. The stadium isn't that bad for the game; it has shown plenty of atmosphere when the fans turn out for the likes of ManU and AC Milan. It may be a case where the fans in LA accept and enjoy MLS for what it is, a young and improving professional league, the best we have at hand for those who like soccer and want to see a match. For whatever reason, that is not the case in New York and New Jersey. Does that make us more sophisticated or simply immature? I suspect a combination of the two, combined with a distaste for the chronic mediocrity of the team. I wonder what Alexi will announce at the Town Meeting at Nevada Smith's -- chosen, I suppose, because it has more room for TV cameras than Nathan Hale's, where we have a history of meetings with the manager and coach of the team. And it may be part missionary zeal that brings Alexi to NS. It isn't necessary to preach to the choir at Nathan Hale's (or is it?), but perhaps some converts to a live match can be made among the EPL-faithful that haunt Nevada Smith's. It's worth a shot; anything is at this stage. LA is looking at it's first Monday Night Football game in years, and it's got nothing to do with the NFL, which has no 'footprint' in LA, where MLS has two teams. New Jersey has two NFL teams (NY in name only), and an MLS team they would prefer to forget, if the numbers tell the tale. If there is a bright future for Metro, I suspect it may be in Milwaukee. Frankly, if the team moved, and if MLS relocated its office to Chicago, would either be missed? It might make a brief story in the NY Times and the Daily News. The NY Post would bury the AP line somewhere in the back pages of the sports section.
Were you at the game? I was. Dragged two other people with me too! edit note: This is not a direct response to Brownswan, I'm asking you, the reader of this message.
brownswan : nail, meet head. It's over. Not even a stadium can help this team anymore. Junk it all. and give me a gun and five minutes with AEG. I am so angry right now, I can't even begin to explain. Metro has had ZERO good sustainable moments.
I take exception to Alexi calling the Galaxy posseurs -- and do pardon my French, and my spelling. All they pose is a challenge to other teams to come up to their attendance mark. Attendance is the subject here, since it is the most obvious symptom of a sick organization. The symptom is not the cause, but the cause (or causes) may well be life-threatening, and it does seem the patient has been abandoned to die.
I'll be the first to admit Metro is a mess with so many problems I've lost count but I think when comparing LA vs. Metro its not a valid comparison. When MLS first started the 2 markets were very similar in attendance with Metro even having a higher median average the first year. Thats the true number for attendance because it limits the effect 4th of july and double headers have on an overall average. The 2 markets went in opposite direction because of 2 factors: on field performance and stadium. LA has the best overall record in MLS history while Metro is ninth out of 10 and will soon be passed by NE and will hold the last spot. LA has the best stadium in MLS while we have the worst. If you check LA's attendance prior to moving into the HDC they had all the same problems as everyone else. It wasnt unusual for them to get 8k on a thursday night like everyone else. I've talked to guys that are galaxy fans on bigsoccer and they tell me LA suffers all the same problems with Euro and MFL snobs that we do. I don't buy that the market is any different than anywhere else in this regard. Another factor at play which most don't think about is that AEG has basically put all their time and money into propping up LA since HDC was built. Tim Liewecke basically admitted that AEG has ignored Metro the last 3 years. I would argue that LA gets the numbers they get because they have a marketing budget that is probably 3 or 4 times what other teams get. AEG has no incentive to market Metro while they play in Giants stadium because they get no money other than the ticket sale when people come to the games. At HDC, they get every penny someone spends at the game from parking, ticket sale, concessions, merchandise, etc. The only hope for Metro to ever rebound in this area is with the Harrison stadium otherwise there is no hope.
You can write a book longer than War and Peace on why attendance is low, but I think the #1 reason is the simple.......the games the past few years have been "unwatchable". It has not been an unusual sight to see people leave Metros games early, similar to someone walking out of a bad movie in a theatre. They're not walking out mumbling that the Metros don't have their own stadium. They're leaving early or not coming out because the games are boring. The first half yesterday was atrocious and unbearable. The 2nd half was the exact opposite where the Metros were actually bringing more players into the attack and at least trying to play a more attractive brand of soccer. This is Bradley's style of soccer and a new stadium wouldn't change that. One last thing.....yesterday was "Colombian Heritage" night. There were more singers on the field at halftime then there were Colombians in the stands. Let's stop with the ethnic pandering and concentrate on putting a good product on the field.
There were a lot of Colombians behind me in my section (115). I still think they should have celebrated Colombian heritage night with two for one deals at the concession stand on Coke (Coca-cola, that is... )
You can ask 100 fans the what the problem is with attendence and get 100 different answers..which is telling in itself. Thats the real problem, we have too many problems. There are two massive problems in my eyes. 1. We are annexed from the epicenter of the area's population. Our fanbase is heavily consistant of New Jersey people. You can see it in the way they market, the academies, schools, etc...this IS New Jersey's team with a handful of CT and NY fans. The hell trip that is the PA bus, city subway is just too long and frustrating for fans from the city and its bouroughs. If we want to see crowds in the 20-30K range consitantly we need to be able to give these potential fans access to the games via public transposrtation that is direct and timely. 2. Absolutly ZERO market presence in the area. There is so little coverage and marketing, promotion of the team here that its a wonder anyone even knows they are here. The only time this team gets any face time is once in a while on MSG. Otherwise its backpages if at all in the papers here. Although they di get press in the Jersey papers like the Herald. IMO if MLS wants a New York team then they should put one here and focus the MetroStars as a Jersey team cause thats what they are right now anyway. The can look for deal in jersey and reduce their stadium capasity to 20K and be a nice little well suported club free of the perils of New York and all their fans that don't show up or can't show up.
The list of Metro problems is a long and sad one, and it all points to one thing: Crappy Ownership. Argue that it was the effect of a new team and the return of Soccer to the Tri-State, but that first year on the turf playing fake football was 10 times better than the Metros of today. People were interested 20-30k were attending Metro games, we made the playoffs, all looked bright in Metroland. Then came AEG. Anshutz and his cronies should be hanged for treason if they ever step foot in the swamp. They have continually lied to the faces of fans, put a knowingly mediocre product on the field and have led us on for 5 years about an impending new stadium. The fact remains they have ignored one of the larges soccer markets in the USA. There is no money being spent on advertising, no money being spent to bring a true star to the NY area, nothing is being done by that trash that currently runs our team. It kills me to see how low this franchise has spiraled under our current owners. When will it get through their heads, Giants Stadium is a killer for any soccer franchise! We need our own arena, and we need it now. We need an advertising budget, and money to invest in world class players. If MLS want's Beckham, put him in New York, I guarantee you 30,00 show up to Metro games on a regular basis. But the fact still remains, AEG has treated us all like second class pieces of $hit. They've done unrepairable damage to some of our fan base, and the less than stellar product on the field does not help at all. This town hall meeting is our chance to show Lalas what 10 years of bull$hit has done to the fanbase. Make him do something, and tell him 60-90 days doesn't work anymore. If Liewiecke drags his sorry ass carcass to a Metro game, I will be sure to kick his ass. Wow, I feel much better.
Here's the problem, its not the NY fans not showing up, its the Jersey fans. They are the ones who have let the team down. Try making the trip to Giants stadium from Long Island, you wouldn't show up either,
Thats the point I was trying to make. Ever since AEG bought Metro things have gone way downhill. They care about LA and not NY. AEG is an LA based company. If you saw the list of team salaries released this week LA was #1 and we were in the middle of the pack. They are willing to spend 900k on Donovan well where is our 900k exemption player then? Its very obvious where their priorities are. Unless Harrison actually happens I don't see them putting any money into our market sadly.
I think i made it pretty clear that New York fans are unable to get ot games convienently and stated that it needed to cahnge if we expect them to support this team.
Liweicke should be the one conducting the Town Hall meeting, not Lalas. How many games has this guy (or anyone else from AEG for that matter) attended in person since the press conference 30 days ago? AEG decides the budget on how much is spent on newspaper ads promoting the matches and AEG decided to hike the ticket prices.
Have to agree. Since they bought the team, treatment of the fans, especially season ticketholders has gone down. The prices have gone up and the quality of play has gone down.
I think I had more fun listening to the Yankees lose to the Red Sox Friday night then I did watching them tie the Rapids 1-1 at home. No one cares about this team any more. Here's why: 1.) Their play is very, very bad. 2.) Fans only relate to three players: Amado, Gaven, and Meola. Everybody else are what I call fillers. They fill holes on this team. One day they are here, the next day they are gone. 3.) Tickets are expensive. What happened to the $15 tickets? I wish the people whom I aruged with here before the season started could explain to me why the attendence is down. 4.) Did I say the team is very bad?
As a Quakes fan you guys' complaints about AEG ring especially true. They only care about one of the teams they own, and that is LA. They're screwing 2 franchises that should be among the strongest in the league. At least we won't have to deal with them after this year (and there's at least a 50-50 chance that the team will get sold to a local investor) but there doesn't seem to be any end in sight for you guys. The Metros should be one of the league's marquee franchises but you need a stadium and you need to be rebranded as a New Jersey team (up to the point of putting a seperate team in NY at some point in the next 10 years or so). Hopefully you guys will get done what needs to get done.
Lucky for you that you'll be rid of them. Unfortunately for us, they plan to keep us. I really want to see if Alexi is given "the full resources" he claims to have been given. I'll give them a pass for the rest of this year but come the offseason I think we will know if this is true or not.
I wouldn't go that far. The team for the most part plays good football and attacking football. The problems have been our softness in the defensive 3rd, esspecially the backline and our lack of quality wide play going forward. No this team is quite talented however they have failed thus far in getting the results they should get...we have dropped 6-8 points so far due to lapses in focus. 4 points in the last 3 weeks alone. This team SHOULD be in the race for the confrence title not the final playoff spot. CHivas USA is an example of a very, very bad team...we look like AC Milan compared to them.
http://www.mapquest.com/maps/map.ad...o7jChCRSKFl6xUh12orrsQC7Mgj+6+duCZWMHcgZ3Js8= http://ci.carson.ca.us/ http://ci.carson.ca.us/citydepartments/econdev/CensusResults2000.htm http://www.homedepotcenter.com/parking/default.sps?iType=4024&icustompageid=6714 http://www.homedepotcenter.com/parking/freeway.sps?itype=4024&icustompageid=6489 http://www.teamsters572.org/ The Stadium is not exactly in downtown LA. LA is a Metro area, as is NYC. GS is about 5 miles from Times Square. Carson is a lot further from downtown LA. Parking costs the same.
Onionsack, I meant that they don't play well enough to win some silverware or excite the crowd every weekend. This is the first time in forever that there is a forward scoring goals week in and week out (Razov..thanks to a recent trade). Where's the goalie making unbelievable saves (Howard)? Where's the defender wearing a shirt defending his teammate (Petke)? Right now, they just have an unexperienced goalie, a different defensive line every week, an inconsistant midfield, and no forwards up front (Razov is the only real forward the team has). There's no men on the field..just a group of boys. No one on this team besides Guevara can dribble past a defender and NOT fall. Where are the tough guys? There simply aren't any. Geez..even Meola said that his former teams had more talent then our current one...and this one is expected to win something.
Just to show you the effect crappy ownership has on a fan base: 1996 23,898 1997 16,899 1998 16,520 1999 14,706 2000 17,621 2001 20,806 * This year we were actually good 2002 18,148 2003 15,822 2004 17,195 2005 16,613 50,000 for England v Colombia
being a dc fan, i actually feel sorry for you guys, shoot, i wanna keep the rivalry going metros-aeg new england-kraft dc-aeg/payne kc-hsg columbus-hsg chicago-aeg chivas-vergara galaxy-aeg sj-aeg/televia colorado-kroenke dallas-hsg rsl-checketts i took a look at some of the aeg/ex-aeg run teams dc isn't exactly a diamond but kevin payne has polished it into one, now he's bought the team chicago wasn't exactly an aeg success, it was a peter wilt success, now look at 'em, they can barely get 11K at a stadium, without a doubleheader to boost their success at the ticket office colorado wasn't being run perfectly either by aeg, but kroenke is making an effort by building the stadium in commerce city sj-Anti Earthquake Group, i have no more to say on that matter la galaxy-don't u just wish?? metros-i think it began with sackiewiz, but once the team publicly showed off field problems, there was no sting to the bite, next thing the rest of mls sees, is the mls FO trying to save a dying camel, and aeg gave up, yes they gave up, hell i'd of stopped going to games if this happened in dc, is alexi lalas gonna save this? no, he didn't do much to prop up sj, why would he make a difference at metros? you all need a lifeline, move to icahn stadium, or something smaller than giants stadium, more intimate, more atmospheric, and more marketable, play at sju for crissake, figure something out the biggest problem: NY/NJ, i know its changed to Metrostars, but people still believe this exists is this a NYC team or a NJ team? MLS looks like they want a NYC team specifically NYC, philly is on the radar b/c of the NJ fans, if this gets fixed, think they will be better days ahead just be glad there isn't a team in philly stealing nj fans from you
That hasn't been a problem in my case. I live in Manhattan; I have held a season ticket since '96. I really have no problem taking the subway to PA and the bus to The Swamp -- I can make it in an hour for a Sat. night game. I would prefer taking PATH to Harrison -- about a 15 minute ride from 23rd St. and 6th Ave -- or even the A train to Aqueduct, which seems to be out of the picture. Frankly, I wish an I/O group would step up and bid for a NY team, and build a Crew-type stadium at Aqueduct or Coney Island -- there must be someplace to put a team in NY. If a baseball stadium can go up at Coney, the situation can't be impossible. But it seems AEG prefers to hang our future on the promise of Harrison. I really believe Peter Wilt will have a team up in Milwaukee in its own house before we ever put a spade to earth anywhere along the Passaic River.