Is it too early to complain about venues for the Hex?

Foxboro turns out good crowds normally, and you need to go easy on Columbus, I meant, the game was meaningless. Having said that, I think you're suggestions are good but for one glaring problem: The west coast venues are tough for the Euro based players. If the games yuo plan for the West coast are in between Euro seasons, then I think their ok. Otherwise, it's a problem.

 

9K in Columbus, because of crappy rain all day. Also Andrulis has ruined the city for soccer for at least the next 6 months.

 

It'll be interesting to see who gets the game usually scheduled for RFK.

and Kraft has to get one game in Gillette as a reward for propping up MLS to an extent. I think it might be written into a contract signed in blood.

 

I'd really like to see one at the Orange Bowl, but that's because I live down here.

 

And I'd like to see The US play mexico in NEW York because I live here. But that idea, like yours, might be the stupidest thing ever.

 

Your right it would be...kind of like putting the US vs. mexico in Chicago. I hope Chicago will get a qualifier.

 

Too early? LOL, this has been going on, well, since the moment Korea/Japan ended. Anyway... here's my two cents

Mexico - Columbus (that one seems obvious, which means that USSF will certainly do something different)

Costa Rica - (if out of Euro season) Portland/Seattle or (if in Euro season) Charlotte (actually anywhere but the I-95 corridor please)

T&T - LA

Panama - (if out of Euro season) Denver or (if in) Foxboro

Guatemala - Kansas City

 

I too would like to see a game in NY for selfish reasons, along with the fact that we have had 1 friendly (USA- JAM, 2002) and 1 bogus friendly (USA- Pumas aka Mex, 2000) in the last 10 years. For a market that draws 70k for other soccer games, it would be nice to start building it for large US crowds, and being halfway between Boston & DC, two good markets, isn't bad either. But, I'd rather win the game than go to it, so if they have to play it in East Cheese, SD, fine w/me. Panama would not likely be an issue in NY (the way Honduras was in RFK in 2001), but anyway. Panama in DC wasn't an issue, NY shouldn't be that different as it is a small country. 30k with 1k Panamaniacs- we can handle that.

There is a rumor that Birmingham will get a qualie this time around, so we'll see. I think Portland/Seattle would be good for a June/July game (out of europe season, etc), and getting out of the RFK/Foxboro cycle probably is a good idea.

Could Frisco (Dallas) get a game, later in the year? I wonder. Surely not against Mexico, but T&T seems a possibility, and they do reward SSSs in the US, so you know a USMNT game will happen there in 2005/06, though maybe it's a friendly after we've (knock wood) qualified.

You have to figure The Fed is worried about maximizing $$ to an extent, so you think they would stick it in the largest markets, but a hex of Foxboro (Panama), Denver (Guat), Birmingham (Costa Rica), Seattle (T&T) and Columbus (Mexico) wouldn't be terrible, advantage- wise, and it would spread the games out across the country rather evenly. (Though you would expect HDC to get a game, and that isn't likely the best fivesome for revenue generation).

 

I wonder if the recent condemning of the upper deck at Legion Field will be problematic?

Upper Deck Closed at Legion Field

I saw the sold out USA-Argentina match in the 1996 Olympics, but I doubt a qualifier against anybody but Mexico would necessitate more than the 72,000 seats that are still okay.



The upper deck is on the right side of the photo. It holds 9,000 people.

UAB still continues to play football there.

 

Is this a rhetorical question?

 

Too true, too true. As much as I want to see a qualifier come to my front door, I want us to actually have a home field advantage more. So nothing in South Florida.

Maybe one of the ousted teams will have a friendly here. It is the most I can hope for.

 

Given the relative weakness of the hex, in the ebst of all worlds, usa should wrap up a top 3 slot prior to match day 9...and even possibly match day 8...

the last HOME match should be left open and a site selected late in the process, this might NOT be feasible considering CONCACAF wants match10s to be played at the SAME starting time...

still...I agree with those pushing seattle...kc...portland...dallas as venues...

the rfk..foxboro..columbus markets are OVER SATURATED....

let in some new blood...and if you want something in the east... try new york and philly...the dc and bostom brethren can drive a couple hours this time!!

 

Dallas held the last USA:MEX game (friendly) so I'm pretty sure that one won't be coming back for next year (good turnout, though). To celebrate the new stadium, I'd love to see a bigger drawing game than the T&T match-up. The Burn have EJ(GAM) and we need to hype it up...

 

Let see...RFK has had exactly one WCQ since 9/1/01 and managed to pull in about 20k on a wednesday night. We haven't had a meaningful game other than that since that September 2001 WCQ. Hardly oversaturated. The crowd did well in the Panama game, IMHO. However, with the baseball thing it looks like RFK might be out. Has that actually been confirmed though?

Foxboro only got >25k on a saturday and have had the gold cup since the last WCQ. However, they have brought good crowds in the past to WCQ and like the other East coast venues it is easy for our Euro-based guys to get in and out of there so writing them off for the hex seems silly. This is the second WCQ in Columbus in a row that got <10k so you are right about them.

Seattle and Portland won't work unless the Euro seasons are over or you plan on an all MLS squad so they are probably out. KC probably deserve a game and they've had good crowds in past WCQ.
Dallas and Houston are possible but it is hard to predict what type of crowds we'd get there since I'm pretty sure we've only played Mexico there which we obviously would never do in WCQ.

 

Throw the west coast a bone for once and there are places besides the Toolbox. Portland, Seattle or even Sacramento or the Bay Area would work(for me) as well.

 

Seattle's worked for friendlies-- why not for the games that matter?

Great stadium, and perhaps the best of the lot you mention here. Let's take advantage of that.