MLS NEXT Pro: The Town FC - Austin FC II (Saturday, 4/20) pre/in/postgame thread [R]

It's a $1 deal to pack the house, probably mostly through youth soccer. A youth soccer org gets 250 tickets for $250 and distributes them to kids and families. Season tickets are a separate sales proposition.

 

I finally read the Quakes email about free tickets for this Saturday’s “home” opener.

SO I am all confused. I read the Town FC’s webpage. Apparently some VCs bought or are sponsoring the team, and they changed the team name from Quakes 2 to “The Team FC”. Because they are going to leverage the Moraga area’s history of art deco architecture and soccer history (?) to further develop soccer in that area. I mean, WTF? There’s soccer in Orinda-Moraga-Contra Costa county that’s going to compete with the Mustangs? And why would any VC want to get involved like this? They have a son on the team?

Does anyone know the background and inside story? Is there any other MLS team that has farmed out its Next Pro team to a 3rd party?

 

Yeah it’s become somewhat common in Next Pro.

 

Hmmmmm. What are the financial incentives for the MLS club and the Next Pro club owner?
And these 3rd party guys are actual owners, or what?
Is there a good written explanation that focuses on the biz side somewhere?

 

The Town organization handles all of the marketing, sponsorships, and gameday logistics and tries to make money by selling tickets. The Quakes operate the soccer team as normal and show up to play the games while leaving the risks of the business side to The Town.

 

Does that really make enough money for a VC investment?
Or is there a possibility of appreciation or sales of players?

 

There are VC guys on The Town's board, but I don't think it's a big investment from them. This guy Benno Nagel got ousted from the Roots' ownership group because of some dispute and he started "The Town FC" as a new thing.

Sales of players have nothing to do with it, as the players are still employed by MLS/Quakes.

 

With so many tickets sold for tomorrow's game, I have a hunch that they will charge for parking.

 

I thought I read - or maybe my ticket rep told me, parking would be free. Would probably not be great 1st game PR to tell people one thing and then do another, where "another" is going to cost you.

 

I think my hunch is wrong. I just remembered that Ticketmaster sells parking for games at PayPal Park, nothing for today's game.

The Town FC tweeted the Quakes Know Before You Go page about the stadium, which includes parking prices. That is what fed my hopefully wrong hunch. That page also includes shuttle info. I doubt there will be shuttles today.

 

First in line for second team!

 

Good crowd here. Audi lot was full. I’d say may 3/4 of the north / west side full?

“Town” playing OK - a fairly even game. High press the whole 1st half. There was another GK smash Quakes / Town player (Richmond) but no call. Open season on Quakes players for GKs? Austin is not bad (didn’t they win the league last year?) and overloading our right defensive side but Verhoeven is holding down the fort, making a lot of good plays.

 

This game needs my man Alex Chow.