Nothing that a bit of ethnic pandering won't cure in the short term. Long term, the team should find its niche.
IMO, the better example for MLS to heed (of not incredibly successful pandering) is CUSA, more so than RB. as for MLS team 20: location, location, location. yes, some fans of the sport will always (or only) hold primary and closer ties to some foreign soccer clubs/brands. (but MLS is establishing its own tradition -- slowly, the only way a tradition can be established -- and the goal within future generations is to have more people here, and politicians included, who have ties/connections to their local MLS side than to some foreign/established clubs. MLS, via generally wise expansion/growth, is building that league foundation for that availability and potential marketing success in the future.) MLS has to operate where it can and attempt to reach who it can, now (and in the short and long term future). there's some sound business reasoning for MLS to pursue MLSteam20 in NYC. and I believe MLS knows the challenges (in all markets and for all teams) in front of them, and I do not think MLS is amongst that group of "anyone who thinks this new team will be an easy sell in those communities." MLS (and the new owners they will find) will understand those challenges of running and marketing professional soccer clubs and the top flight league here (in US/Canada). but getting a new stadium built and MLSteam20 launched at that Flushing Meadows location would very likely be an incredibly positive step in the growth of the league as a whole. tend to agree with that. but as for the short term, if they're going to pander, they may as well go big and pander along the lines of the "local-soccer-history/NASL/retro/cool/hip" marketing side and just pander to those huge number of fans who are craving a return of the Cosmos brand to the top-flight US league. getting the approvals and then building the stadium for the team is a massive assignment. but marketing and utilizing that franchise will likely be the real heavy and important work for MLS (and the new ownership group that is brought in) in the years ahead, once (and if) they execute that stadium/infrastructure bit of course.
I don't think stadium gets built unless Cosmos are the tenant. Good news for the league. Sure is going to make things interesting.
Genious piece of negotiating/marketing by MLS...puts some pressure on the Pier 40 folks and lets them know they are not the only game in town.
Overwhelmingly, fans take public transportation, mostly the #7 train. The same goes for baseball with the Mets. This idea that parking is going to make or brake a deal for a proposed stadium that's right next to public transportation is preposterous.
It's also a great indicator/sign for MLS that a NYC Assemblyman is saying -- "This is exactly what this community needs. There's a true natural fan base for Major League Soccer…in the most diverse borough in the entire country," (Regardless of if that specific individual will or won't cheer for the potentially new home-team. MLS needs the political support now to push a stadium project through. I'm sure they don't actually care if the "soccer-fan" inside those politicians have some die-hard soccer allegiances elsewhere -- the league here just needs help growing their business and they want strongly to have team20 in NYC.)
They play in Flushing and shall be forever known as the "Turds" regardless of what the name their shirt says they are.
Location, Location, Location. Whatever the case (in how the MLSteam20 is or is not viewed by fans anywhere of the team/league), I'm guessing MLS will be more than thrilled should those first 4 words (from mcontento's post) become the reality.
Will this stadium site require a new stop on the 7-line and if not, how far from the current stop is it?
Looking at the map, and having been around the area, it is not very far from the 111th street/Willets Point stations...in a straight line. The issue is that people going to that location would have to walk around some closed park areas unless a shortcut was made available.
This is no exaggeration. A cousin of my wife's married a Chinese-American from Queens and the wedding was in Flushing's China Town. I've never been to China but this seemed like as close as one could get without crossing the Pacific. The hotel which hosted the reception was a major chain - Sheraton or Hyatt or something, I forget, mostly because I was hammered - and it catered to the local community and everything in the hotel was in Mandarin and, for the most part, just Mandarin. Wanting a break from Chinese food, we took a short cab ride to Jackson Heights, where we had our pick of all sorts of South American - Argentine, Colombian, Uruguayan - restaurants in a neighborhood where Spanish replaced Mandarin and the next day, we ate at a great Caribbean joint in - appropriately - Jamaica Queens. I have no idea if these communities will actually support an MLS team, but you can easily understand why so many think the market is there to be tapped. It really is quite the tapestry.
I'm incredibly excited. Crosspost from MetroFanatic: I would not be surprised if that "Red Bull purchasing the Cosmos brand" rumor had some truth to it. New York sports is defined by teams falling into one of two categories, alpha personalities (A-team) and 'go against the grain' personalities (B-team). The Yankees, Rangers, Giants, and sometimes Knicks fall into the A-team category, the Mets, Devils/Islanders, Jets, and now Nets fall into the B-team category. RBNY was an outlier. You put the megabrand with an illustrious history on a team with an already championship-caliber roster in the supposed "weak" location, and you not only boost a franchise risking irrelevancy but have your A-team for the New York sports fan drawn in by gravitas as well. You put the new, underdog team in the "strong" location, and you conjure the excitement of an expansion team and you have your B-team for the New York sports fan drawn in by the little guy. I think we may end up seeing the New York Cosmos in Harrison, NJ, with Red Bull as a shirt sponsor, and "New York City FC" or whatever in Queens. That would probably be the healthiest solution for all involved.
The proposed site is less than half a mile from the Mets/US Open stop on the 7, even closer to the Port Washington LIRR. Transit won't be an issue. As for parking...there are already some public lots (about 250 spaces) used for the U.S. Open that are as close or closer to the proposed soccer stadium than it is to the tennis center (under the Van Wyck/LIE interchange). For overflow parking, the US Open just parks cars in the grass/dirt fields in the park. I'd assume the soccer team could do the same, or maybe pave over one or two of the sections for permanent parking. When the Mets weren't in town, that's another 12,000 spaces available within walking distance. The Mets have 1 parking spot for every 4 or so seats at Citi. Assuming the soccer stadium is 20,000, that's only about 5,000 spaces they would need to find to get the same ratio, not counting the 250 existing spaces.
Can you elaborate for those of us on the other side of the country and not familiar with the local scene? Is there a competing plan for the location?
There were whispers of a competing plan for a stadium in lower Manhattan, but they were never realistic.
Thanks. With those three stadiums, you'd think some bars/restaurants/shops would pop-up to support the crowds the draw. Granted, the winter months might be bleak, but the summer, especially late summer, should be a great draw. EDIT: Are the talks of the Islanders going to Queens still on-going?
The potential MLS stadium at NY's Pier 40 inches closer - May 31, 2012, ProSoccerTalk MLS Fans Get Chance to Argue for Stadium on Hudson River - May 30, 2012
From google earth you can fit the whole stadium inside the pool.with parking right behind the stadium and the Van Wyck. Nice.