There you go Philly and the second NYC team, to keep an even number. Seriously, if you put a team on the other side of NYC, like in Queens, they wouldn't be fighting for the same fan base, especially if the Metros move to Harrison.
I think MLS having a first NYC (or Philly) team would be a good thing, assuming the right investor and stadium situation exists to put one there. Metros are a northern New Jersey team, even if they're not sure of it yet. I think one of the Nick quotes on this stadium fiasco even said they were a "Jersey team".
One thing I've noticed from MLS is that how it is in a very fast way, turning into a 'Suburbs' league. I very much doubt the league will in the near future place a team inside a Urban setting, or build a stadium for a club inside a big cities limits. So I doubt very much seeing the Metros building anywhere but New Jersey.
http://**************.com/5hupp "The success in securing public backing everywhere but in New Jersey may force the Metros to leave the state in search of a place prepared to build them a stadium."
Born and Raised in Wayne... Think my point is that MLS is not big enough to fight its way into area's where Established sports hold sway. You see how vicious the MSG vs Jets Stadium is getting, a minnow such as MLS would get destroyed befored even getting to breath anywhere near NYC. I think you need to get just outside the sphere of influence. Harrison is sort of a Niche in things, small town and the powers that be are now umm.. coughing a little to get their wheels greased for it to even happen. If they wanted the stadium to be easy, they would of had to put it in like Port Jervis.
Once AEG/MLS balance what they spend to keep a team at the Meadowlands against what they gain from a "presence" in the NY area, the game is up. Press coverage is just okay; articles do appear in the Times and the other dailies. But attendance is low compared to what it ought to be for the size and diversity of the region's population. The TV deal with MSG is remarkable for the attention lavished on Metro -- at least on game night -- but Time Warner Cable is always on the verge of losing Cablevision's permission to show the channel. The threat to pull it has been delayed again -- this time till January '05. The team itself has been mediocre since the league began, and the parade of coaches became a joke years ago. Moving the team out of the area would save the league a pile of money, and the team could be placed in a location that wants it, and is proud to have an MLS team. Just leave the area to an annual ChampionsWorld match, a smattering of international friendlies (that don't involve the USMNT), and the region's amateur and scholastic teams. No one location is crucial to MLS survival, not even New York -- for real or by proxy. --- Devil's Advocate (and I don't mean hockey)
The "US must have a national stadium" post and the "too many green cards in MLS" thread quickly spring to mind.
the second one sounds stupid, never seen that one about green cards ,think your barking on the wrong tree my friend if it springs to mind and if anyone posted about a national stadium i don't see why that would be stupid when we don't seem to have home field advantage when playing at home
Found this bit of information interesting: the TV ratings in the metropolitan area for the 2004 MLS Cup final featuring DC United were a 1.0 as compared to the .1 and .2, with 2 or 3 games that had viewerships small enough to not register a rating, that the Metros drew consistantly over the course of the season. I do recall a road game or two falling into the no rating category which might be a little alarming. The Metros even struggled to beat the ESPN match numbers on most weekends too. With 1 ratings point equally 74,000 households locally it seems that viewership pretty much mirrors the actual physical attendance at any given game. Pretty sad numbers no matter how you look at it.
Maybe we should build stadiums in Indian reservations...they are always up for making a deal. Cut out all this red tape crap.
If they were national numbers I would say ok but I find it somewhat hard to believe there are roughly 10 MLS fans for every 1 Metros fan in the NY-NJ-CT area. Cup final or not I still find the difference in the numbers rather surprising.
They dont have to be MLS Fans, they couldve been people who just wanted to check out a CHAMPIONSHIP game. Even while flipping seeing something that is a Final is a bit more interesting than seeing a game where theres 10 people in the stands that doesnt matter wether a team wins or loses.
There are also many fans who don't have cable. That is another reason why. I know this is a stretch, but what are the Jets and Giants rating compared to the Super Bowl? Probably about 5 times.
I say that four years ago, when Guiliani want to build the west side stadium, and that will happing at last
1. I don't believe the west side colisseum for the Jets will happen 2. If it does happen, I doubt the Jets would want Metro there. 3. If they did want Metro there, I doubt we could afford the rent, which is bound to be higher than the killer rent we already pay at the Swamp. 4. I just get off raining on this parade, because, 5. I don't believe a Metro match would ever be within walking distance of where I live.
I repeat again......... If a MLS team were to ever grace the pitch at the new West Side stadium, it would be a Jets owned Cosmos reincarnation....... now stop this useless banter already !
Is anyone using the old Sunnyside Rail Yards anymore? That. Was. In. No. Way. Shape. Or. Form. Less. Than. Thirty. Seconds. Nor. Was. That. HUSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
But.......we've had so much luck playing in football stadiums! How about we just use Flushing Meadow Park? There are plenty of garbage cans to use as corner flags. The little baby trees scattered around the new "pitch" can be neat little obstacles for players to find their way around. Plus they probably do a better job marking their opponents than anyone on the Metros defense. As for a goal, there's a Home Depot not too far away so a few bucks worth of PVC piping and a net we can make out of six-pack holders from the Shea Stadium parking lot should suffice. And luckily there won't be any major scheduling conflicts as most MLS matches are played on Saturday's while the park is friggin packed by the locals on Sunday. Do you think what I'm thinking? In-house recruiting!
If MLS takes Metros out of NYC area, say to Rochester, they would probably make out better financially at home, but wouldn't the other teams lose money when the Metros visit? A visiting team with a "New York" label would draw more fans, I suppose.
Well, if MLS did move them to Rochester, they could actually call themselves "New York" and be accurate, unlike now. Then again, they don't call themselves "New York" now, though they don't really like anyone knowing that. Not that that will be happening. A franchise in Rochester called anything but the "Raging Rhinos" would be stupid I think.
At least the Rhinos would come into the league with a new stadium --they just broke ground in Rochester. If AEG pulled the plug on Metro and backed the Rhinos -- well, the name was changed in Dallas. AEG backing could see the emergence of an FC Rochester, aka the Raging Rhinos. Let MLS keep their office in NYC, while the league and stadiums continue to grow outside the region. I'm beginning to think we'll get exactly what we deserve here -- one ChampionsWorld match a year, and no USMNT appearances. I think it's safe to say the majority of football fans in the NY metropolitan area -- and I do mean football, because most of these fans are Eurocentric or CONMOBOListas or Mexican -- have no interest in MLS. Had MLS demonstrated better quality here, the story could have been very different.