The thread on possible future qualifier sites got me feelin' the blues about being a soccer fan in the ATL. Self-centered bastard that I am, I'm sure I live in the worst city there is (particularly relative to its size) to be a soccer fan. We've got the Beat in the WUSA: Good news. Spiffy newish stadium that is a nice size. Bad news. They can't draw enough fans in from the burbs (where the real growth is) because said stadium is in a "remarkable" part of town. We've got the Silverbacks in A-league: Good news. They aren't the train wreck they used to be. They have a radio deal with a local Spanish-language station. Bad news. Their playing surface would be an embarrassment to a high school football team, and access to the stadium is a drag. They have had minimal success appealing to the (as everywhere) growing immigrant community. Media coverage? negigible. Access to MNT and WNT friendlies and qualifiers: Drive to B'ham once every three years. <sigh> Cultural factors: College football. Braves. If anyone out there can turn my frown upside down by painting a bleaker picture somewhere else (again, especially considering the population size of my fair city), I'd appreciate it.
Oh yeah, we're bleaker here in New Orleans. 1) No WUSA 2) NO MLS 3) NO A-League 4) NO D-3... 5) USMNT games? drive to BHam every 3 years. 6) We have the Saints. nuff said there. 7) We just hijacked the Hornets from Charlotte. (still trying to find one person who cares.) 8) No mountains. 9) Lotsa Mosquitoes. 10) Banana republic Government. 11) Hot. With real humidity. argh. Looking for a window to jump out of...
Yeah, there isn't even any D1 college soccer in New Orleans that I'm aware of. That was one of the big reasons I chose to go to Boston College over Tulane actually, Tulane has Mardi Gras and Bourbon Street but BC has the Revs and frequent US games not too far away in Foxboro, not to mention a pretty good team of its own. Tulane has no MLS team, no USL team, no international games nearby, not even its own varsity team or a large immigrant population with ethnic leagues. Quite possibly, for its size, the worst soccer city in the US. Alex
There is a fairly decent sized Mexican league. NOSA is getting a PDL team for next year. Bout it. Yep. Cept maybe Fairbanks...
You want bleak? You want bleak? Come to Buffalo NY. You'll get bleak. 1.No MLS 2.No WUSA 3.No A-League 4.No PDL 5.No indoor club, for the love of God!!! (Folded) 6.No chance of having any USA matches at the Bills 80k seater because its ASTRO F*(&^%$ TURF. (up yours Rich family) 7. A waste of space AAA baseball stadium which could easily house a shiny new SSS (God, I hate baseball) 8. ZERO coverage from the fat, balding, artery clogged, helmet ball loving, sheep shagging media.(Hopefully these wankers will die off soon.) 9. And to top it all off with the perfect irony, I'm a mere 90 minutes from the soccer haven of Rochester NY. Buffalo sucks.
Criminy, you guys sound like the Monty Python Yorkshiremen. (we 'ad to live in box in middle of the road...) K'zoo does have it's finer points in sports (the Western Michigan University football, basketball, hockey and soccer teams, the Kalamazoo Wings hockey team, the Kingdom minor-minor league soccer team, the tennis Supernationals each year) but it is really a dead spot as far as pro soccer is concerned. We are 2 hours from the closest MLS team (the Fire) and 5 hours from the Crew and that's it. Everyone here cares about the Red Wings (ew!) and the Lions (double ew! Packer fan here!), U of Michigan, and Michigan State, and that's about it. To top that, our campus cable doesn't even carry ESPN2, so we get NO MLS games on TV unless ABC carries them, since the pubs won't change the channel for us even if we ask nicely.