I'm curious as to how many people out there watch MLS and don't have a local team. This is the first year that I've actively watched MLS on a week to week basis. I've followed the National Team for many years and watch all sorts of international soccer, but never really gotten into the MLS. For the last few years, I've caught the MLS Cup game along with a handful of others. I'm from the Milwaukee, WI area and really don't have a team to root for. Since I'm from WI I can't support The Fire. This year I've been watching DC, obviously, for 2 reasons, well if you include Bobby Convey, then 3 reasons. 1) I'm really interested in seeing soccer become huge in the States, so I want to see Adu have an impact. His first start yesterday is a big step in his career. Hopefully he can spark some interest. 2) DC games are pretty much the only games shown on TV. Since ESPN2 doesn't respect MLS, they'll only broadcast games which Adu plays in. I watch games on FSW as well 3) Bobby Convey is the man Are there other people out there like me? I'm sure there is. Do people think that the quality of MLS is better this year than it has ever been? I think that the quality of soccer right now in the MLS is as good as alot of international soccer that I've watched this year. What do hardcore MLS fans think?
Sounds like my situation. I've been a soccer fan for as long as I can remember and have followed the US National team whenever possible. I was excited when MLS began and watched games whenever possible. Never made it over to Tampa or Miami before the teams where folded. I've got 2 caps so far in Birmingham (Tunisia) and Ft. Lauderdale (Canada). I have no favorite MLS team but like to watch to see how the MNT guys are performing. It looks as if I'll be held over in New York this weekend with nothing to do on Saturday and I noticed that there is a Metrostars/Fire game on the schedule so I may head to Jersey and look for a tailgate party or 2 and maybe catch my first MLS game live.
I was like you, but I decided even though I'm from Detroit, for the sake of my soccer fandom I could drop the Detroit-Chicago rivalry and cheer for the Fire. I have to say that it really has peaked my interest in the league since I started supporting the Fire in 2001. More than anything I'm a die hard national team fan though, which is usually what US Soccer fans without an MLS team are. That really is the only team that people like us can truly identify with.
There isn't a local team here (yet) but I watch MLS religiously. My team's the Chicago Fire because my aunt lives there and I love Chicago. Hopefully I'll have my own team to cheer on soon though.
Just getting into MLS and torn between the Fir and the Revolution. The Fire because I live near Chicago now and the Revolution because I grew up in Boston. Regardless, it is great to watch MLS. ESPN2 is starting to show matches other than DC United just stay tuned.
I've tried to follow MLS since its inception while living in Boise (then) and in Utah (now). Typically, I felt like I got an incomplete picture just watching the ESPN2 game on Sat. Now, with the Yahoo video on MLSnet, I've been able to get a much more complete view of the quality of the league and each team. As for preferences, I love good midfield play, so this year I enjoy watching DC (horrific finishing aside), the Metros (horrific defending aside), and SJ (too many long ball aside). Under the same theory, I find Columbus unwatchable (do they have any midfield organization at all)?
I as well don't have a local team, so I pretty much just watch whatever ESPN2 gives me... If I had to pick a few teams to watch it would be LA, NY/NJ, or DC... Even though St.Louis doesn't have a team, I will always root against Chicago...
I was very excited when MLS debuted in 1996. I live in North Carolina and I knew there would be no teams near here, so I basically picked the closest team to my location. That happened to be DC United. Before they even had a team name or colors, I dedicated myself to being a DC fan. Worked out pretty good for the first few years. I've been to a few games there, including the MLS Cup in which they beat Colorado. I'll watch any MLS game on TV, though. I've even started taping them when I'm not at home.
I'm one. I've been to games in Dallas, Columbus (franchise home opener), and New Jersey. I was planning on making the trip to LA for MLS Cup last year, but my wife had other plans. 8( I really don't have a team affinity although I like DC's colors and uniforms 8) I tend to watch 1 or 2 games a week I guess although sometimes I'm not interested enough to watch both halves (depending on the teams). I've seen Chicago, San Jose, Colorado, Dallas, NJ, and DC live. I'm really not interested in watching KC games I'll tell you that (no offense KC fans).
I live in western KY where the closes team to me is the Columbus Crew. and that's still a 5 and a half hour drive. does that stop me from being a major fan of the MLS. Driving to Columbus or even Chicago (6 hrs) from watching a game from time to time. Hell no. I love the Beautiful game so much I like almost any MLS team. I have my favorites, Columbus, Chicago, D.C. and San Jose. But any game I'll watch. I have to tape the espn game every saturday because i'm at work but i watch it when i get home and then i watch the rest of the games on yahoo regardless who it is.
MLS Fan I have been with the league since the first game. If we had a team here in Phoenix I would go to the games. I do have favorite teams but my loathly is sallow and changes minute to minute. It is the same with Europen soccer I watch. I what to see well played soccer. The only team I gets me upset and overjoyed about game is the US National team. The quality of soccer right now in the MLS is the best I have seen. The problem the MLS has is the games do not have the same consequences as the games do in Europe. USA2 Mexico0 Aaron
All what I see in the US, the heart beat local in a lot of towns. But I think, when the MLS let's play all clubs (with relegation and up) The fans where growing faster. It`s a mind from Europe. Not more not less.
I hope Idaho gets a team, so I can work there. In the storm case. Ha, ha, but I get an good question there. Cause, how, chasing the storm
yeah, i'm a big mls fan! i'm from down south & we have no team! i used 2 go 2 all the tampa bay mutiny games before they folded..don't know why they did that, i thought they had alot of support. so now we don't have any mls teams in the south! but sometimes they'll play in birmingham & we always go there. my fav teams r d.c. united, chicago fire, & dallas burn (this year!). do ya'll think the south will ever get back a mls team? i think they should put back 1 in tampa. or maybe atlanta or birmingham. where'd u put 1?
I basically root for DC (been to 2 games), but I have no official team I am a supporter of. I just want to see the league grow and be a success in this country. Phoenix needs a team badly.
Someone should say Mls has no fans. I think they have only a location problem -. My question was only, have Idaho a soccer Club. So I came from a soccer madness town. The Schalke 04 e.V. is my club.
I'm another one. I'd been the slightest of soccer enthusiasts before the last world cup--didn't follow it at all, had simply played a couple seasons of it in junior high and thus simply had my mind a little more open to it than the average Joe. Then I saw the US beat Portugal and that all changed. That world cup was without a doubt the most hair-raising thing I have ever seen on television--all the way up until the US was eliminated. From then on I guess I embodied Don Garber's fantasy: I started following MLS religiously. Why, I'm still not sure...probably mostly for the sake of seeing my heroes again. Thus, my loyalties have been spread out over the entire league. I've thought about willfully forming some sort of loyalty to one team--Colorado, DC, Chicago, New York--it doesn't really work for me. The only one team I can really form a bond with is the US of A. Whenever I turn on an MLS game--and that's almost always when I have the chance--I find myself not rooting for a specific team, but for a really good game of attractive soccer, as that's an indication the quality of play is increasing and that's part of what draws the fans and the $$$$$. And now, my interest has evolved somewhat into something a little more specific: I follow the younger American players to monitor their development and root for them, probably cuz somewhere along the line I started wondering where great players come from. So then, today was a pretty good day: Donovan, Gaven, Beasley, Buddle, EJ, and others generally played very well and got results.
I'm over 10 hours away from the nearest MLS city (Chicago). but me, I'm a KC Wizards fan in North Dakota. I think there is one other guy that has those 2 things in common with me, maybe........
I'm still a big MLS fan. Even though the league folded the Mutiny. I still spend my weekends watching MLS Direct Kick.
ditto, except for the fact that I've kind of been a columbus fan just because of the fact that columbus was closest when the league first started. I guess it's just the detroit thing in me that makes me support really bad teams.