Sorry for another Champion's World thread, but I'm just sort of wondering what the general feeling about Stillitano is from BigSoccer posters. Someone asked me why he was included in my sig, and my answer was that his incompetence set back the Metrostars and MLS a number of years, and he clearly seems to care very little about MLS and US Soccer as evidenced by Champions World's efforts to gouge people out of their soccer entertainment dollars. This has been discussed to death, but really getting people excited about soccer and bringing in potential new fans by exposing people to the best in the world doesn't seem like such a bad thing. Many of us started out as fans of the best, Brazil, ManU, etc., before realizing it's much more interesting to have a local rooting interest/real connection with a team. Like I said, the Champion's World part has been discussed to death, but being asked about Charlie made me question whether he really is an enemy of MLS and US Soccer -- and what people's general feelings about him are. I wasn't living in New York for much of Charlie's tenure with MLS, so I feel like I may not be in the best position to answer the question definitively.
As long as Charlie gives me real futbol clubs to salivate over during the year, he's aces in my book.
The funny thing is that you're spending $36 to see a game this weekend in a league that you constantly b*tch about.
Any port in a storm. I want to see futbol and, living here, that's what there is. I'm just happy I can see some classy stuff once in a while, too.
Okay, good. I was worried I was going to have to downgrade him to Axis of Not So Much Evil Really as Just Generally Disagreeable, or Axis of [People]That Are Actually Quite Nice But Secretly Have Some Nasty Thoughts About [MLS].
There is no doubt that he sucked as a club general manager, but you got to admire his ability to put on these exhibitions without a lot of advertising. MLS has had a lot of exhibitions against some pretty big clubs, and haven't drawn very well. Instead of fighting him, maybe he should be brought in to the league office or USSF. That way, he could use his skills without ruining a club. Of course, he is probably pocketing way too much off of these tours to consider working for a pay check.
Charlie & Champions World stands to make several MILLIONS of dollars on the MAnchester United games and ancillary games on this tour. MLS (SUM) should be doing this and integrating it into the American professional soccer scene. That money should be staying within the league. Riverplate is right: Anschutz, Hunt, the Krafts and the league as a whole can easily afford to bring these clubs in. In the end it's millions upon millions in profits from the attendance, major tv $ and leverage, great association (notice how much the MLS uses their WC association), and more reason to become a season ticket holder. MLS could use all this. Either MLS should do a better job of doing what ChampionsWorld is doing and compete (promotion of themselves and foreign clubs in the USA) or see if ChampionsWorld wants to partner with them. As it stands they stand not only to not gain, but lose.
To me, Charlie is a guy who truly loves the sport of soccer and would give his right arm for it to be huge in America. He had an oportunity to run a club and failed so badly that he never again will get a chance build a team. He seems to be one of those guys who would make a good president of a team while the coach picks the players. He can sell the sport and team but can't run one.
Charlies is a nice man and loves the game for sure. But now he is a businessman who's interests are vested in ChampionsWorld and making it tons of money. The only problem is, this should be done by MLS. It's not Charlie's fault they suck balls and don't have any vision but it really might stifle MLS a bit.
In my days living in New York, the only good thing I can say about Charlie is that he used to bring good international games to Giant Stadium. Nick is not into it as much.
Saciewiczas@#@#$@Szzzzz has no clue how to run a club much less promote matches that might bring the club and league millions of $. Saciewiczas@#@#$@Szzzzz is just an insurance salesman.
I have no intention of defending the MetroStars during the years you mention. I only want to say MLS was not then and is not now operating in the manner that the European leagues do. Working in a system which handcuffs you can adversely change the way you run a club. ChampionsWorld is a success story. Digging up ancient history about the MetroStars doesn't change that.
Is it really a success story? One sold-out exhibition isn't a success. I wonder how many people will come out to see ManU play. Despite all the talk of sell outs, tickets are still available, especially in LA. And with Beckham, the sole focus of CW's marketing campaign, off to Real Madrid, a large number of casual fans may not be interested. In all honesty, if CW limits themselves to one ManU/Real Madrid/Juventus tour per year, they have a great shot at being a success. There is enough demand to support those events which can be seen as "big events" unlike a week-in, week-out league. My only worry is that people have a limited entertainment budget. If soccer fans decide en masse to splash out $500 per year to attend a single match (travel costs, tickets, merch, etc.) rather than $500 per year to support their local team, MLS and US Soccer will be in a world of hurt. Sachin
This is why MLS should be doing this and tying it into their league as doubleheaders, as well as the WUSA obviously enough. Than you draw all the elements of futbol to the games instead of competing head to head: 1. Youth & Families 2. Former Players 3. Ethnic Fans 4. Partial Fans for the spectacle 5. etc. MLS instead of embracing these forces too often decides to tangle with them. WUSA & ChampionsWorld should absolutely be tied into MLS. Maybe this is also US Soccer's fault for not helping bring together the sport and just worrying about the National Team. Let me not even get on them for their not doing ANYTHING to boost the US Open Cup.
Re: Re: Charlie Stillitano - Force of good or evil? I live in Chicago. For my one-week summer vacation this year, I'm driving to two of the ChampionsWorld games - Barcelona-Juventus in Foxboro and Manchester United-Barcelona in Philly. This is not impacting my spending on MLS or U.S. Soccer in any way. Actually, by going to Foxboro for the Barcelona-Juventus game, I will see an additional MLS game (I think it's MetroStars at Revolution) that I otherwise would not have seen. The Philly game is sold out. I believe the ManU-Celtic game in Seattle and the ManU-Juventus game at Giants Stadium are also either sold out or nearly sold out. The ManU-Club America match in LA is selling slower. I expect all three of these will also sell out. Then you have the games in DC, Foxboro, Cleveland, etc. They don't include ManU, but they do have top-notch clubs (Celtic, AC Milan, Barcelona, Juventus, etc.) and will likely make lots of money. So what game are you talking about with "One sold-out exhibition isn't a success"? That statement is absurd on so many levels. Are you talking about ManU-Barcelona in Philly as the one sold-out game or last year's Real-Roma game at Giants Stadium? And if you have one game to sell and you sell every ticket for it, how is that not a success? I define success as "achieving one's objectives", how do you define it? You have me thoroughly baffled as to what you're talking about here. ChampionsWorld has a business model and they appear to be successfully executing it and turning a profit. If people splash out $500 per year to do anything related to soccer, that sends a strong message to investors that soccer has a market in this country and that people are willing to devote their entertainment budget to the sport. That in itself is the foundation of building the sport as a viable entity in this country. It validates to Nike that investing in U.S. Soccer, MLS, Freddy Adu, etc. is a worthwhile expenditure. Whether the success of the ChampionsWorld tour translates into an increased interest in bringing European club soccer to U.S. consumers on TV or increased investment in domestic soccer products (MLS, WUSA, U.S. Soccer, etc.), having successful soccer ventures in this country shows that soccer can be successful here, which goes a long way towards reinforcing the confidence that men like Phil Anschutz, Tim Leiweke, Lamar Hunt, Clark Hunt, Bob Kraft, Jonathan Kraft and others have that they're putting their dollars and/or efforts in the right place. Knowing that people support soccer in the U.S. might make it easier for SUM to move ads and sponsorships for World Cup and Women's World Cup broadcasts, which could encourage them to go out and pursue these rights the next time they're up for purchase. If even Manchester United couldn't draw 30,000 fans for a match in the U.S., what kind of message would that send about the outlook for the sport as a business venture here? I think the ChampionsWorld tour is nothing but a positive for soccer in America. Does it maybe mean that a handful of fans are going to skip an MLS match or two because of the dollars involved? Sure. Is there potential that some people bring their buddies out to these games and show them that soccer is far superior in person compared to on TV and those people get hooked and latch onto going out regularly to support their local team? Of course. Is it possible that some kid that plays several sports goes to these games and decides that a career in soccer is just as glamourous as a career in the NBA or baseball and decides it's worth specializing in? Certainly. But most importantly, this tour demonstrates that there is a market for soccer as a spectator sport in the U.S. and that it's not a participation-only recreational sport. That's something that MLS and U.S. Soccer can tap into over time as they refine their business models and learn how to best exploint the opportunities it presents them.
I've got to support the Champions World tour because I'm a europoseur. Very exciting to have the super clubs in the US.