http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=1661233 Now let's start talking about a REAL stadium in the middle of a REAL city. Bring on the MLS New York expansion club. We ain't talkin' Carson or Frisco anymore, children.
Forget it RP. That place will only hold 85,000. Not big enough for a REAL soccer team. What happens when soccer takes off in America and they have to turn away thousands of fans?
judging my attendance trends RP, it seems that Columbus, KC, and Carson are more "real" soccer cities than NY or NE. Us "children" are the ones who support MLS and the "men" are the soccersnobs who rather sit home on a nice day to watch Mexican or EPL games, the same people who did nothing for the void of pro soccer from 84-96. Dont get me wrong, I am constantly taping FSW games when I'm at Revs games
Where exactly in that linked story do they mention a single thing about soccer? Are they going to actually design a wide field to accomodate soccer play? Is it going to be another Gillette, where soccer is a severe afterthought? I agree that this is a great opportunity to use this facility for high profile soccer events. But at this point, it is just that....an opportunity. Whether or not those that build the thing (sounds like it will be completely controlled by the Jets org.) are interested in that remain to be seen.
I'll reply as I did in the Metrostars page regarding the same statement: I had a discussion with the Jets' VP for development last year. I asked if they were considering soccer for the new Jets' stadium on the Westside. He said that if the World Cup came to town, they might be, but that the organization had NO interest in an MLS club playing there. Just to make it clear, the field was going to have football dimensions, not soccer dimensions. Could the Jets be suaded? Perhaps, but this guy was pretty definitive.
Thanks SCBozeman, you answered my questions just as I expected. Sounds like the Jets org. will be missing out on a huge opportunity in typical American sports zenophobic fashion. Can you imagine what kind of attendance you would get for one of those Champions Tour games at this place? They could charge whatever they wanted for those tickets and still sell the place out.
They'd be crazy not to take soccer into consideration. Why only use the place 8 or 10 times a year for football?
Because they are shortsighted, zenophobic, soccer ignorant dumba$$es. Why else? If they don't design the field with the proper width, and it doesn't sound like they will, the only soccer matches that will be played there will be the Champions Tour stuff. The USSF won't want the USMNT playing on a narrow field, and no real competitions (WC qualifying, concacaf tourneys) will be played there because the field won't meet FIFA standards. If you can organize the NYC soccer fanbase to get in front of this issue and try to get them to design the field better then you might have a shot as some pretty big matches in the future. Otherwise, it'll be a nice place to see Jet games.
If they plan on building this stadium with the 2012 olympics in mind they would almost have to build it with a track, which would be taken out after the olympics. Would they do what they did in Atlanta (reconfigure after the event)? That doesn't sound plausible if your building a retractable roof stadium. So it may be built wide enough for soccer.
Same response as on Metro boards -- It didn't come up in my conversation with the guy (I was only concerned with soccer myself), but I would imagine that for a 2 week summer event you could remove lower tier seating, put in a track and then in time for the NFL season, put the seating back in and move the track. Not that implausible. Other point no one is bringing up, isn't it possible the Jets are using the Olympics as a political aid to help with the stadium? Less opposition to the Olympics than to the NFL. The Jets may not give a hoot about the Olympics, but it'll aid in creating political momentum.
I have no animosity towards smaller markets and it's wonderful they are developing SSS for themselves. It's simply that I get the impression from many that this is the only way to go. I say the U.S. should have one or two brand-spanking new large stadiums which can house soccer. Obviously, in this country, nobody will build a large soccer-only facility. The NFL will be the prime tenant. But at only 8 or so games a year, there's plenty of dates for soccer. And if it's going to be anywhere, New York is the place to have it. It's one of the world's great cities, and should have a world-class facility with which to encourage the world's greatest sport and greatest clubs to visit. Not to mention being a crown jewel of MLS as it grows and prospers.
Good Point about the removable seating, maybe they could do the same with soccer, have removable/retractable seating for football and push it back/remove it for soccer, not really a great idea though...
The NYC soccer fanbase is the most splintered faction I have ever seen. The Eurosnobs don't care. The South American snobs don't care. And the Metrostars fans can't even get a decent turn out for a Cup final.....
Yes, I know, which is why I posted it. It would be a close to impossible task. Hence, no real chance of it happening.
Small chance of the stadium to get built. Even longer odds on it housing an MLS team, if it is built indeed. But one can dream... No doubt (at least in my mind) U.S. will get to host a Wold Cup somewhere between 2018 and 2026. Without the stadium, the final would probably take place in Los Angeles. But with it... Oh, I can feel it now...
The point "texgator" made mentioned "pretty big matches." The "Eurosnobs" turned out for Real-Roma in 2002, Man U-Juventus in 2003, and a good 50,000+ showed up to bake its brains out at Giants for the Italian Super Cup. They care about those matches. Both Peru-Ecuador and Peru-Mexico this year came just short of 30,000, which is more than the Home Depot Center's capacity. The South American snobs and "Mexisnobs" care about those matches. And they probably would have drawn better if they took place in New York City itself. I know some Mexicans who are reluctant to travel out to Giants Stadium. They wouldn't think twice if the stadium were a MetroCard ride away. So there's definately a market for this stuff in the our city. I agree with you on the Open Cup match, and the one playoff match as well. The attendance for both was a disgrace. But then, we're talking about MLS' reputation when we talk about those events. That's a discussion for another thread.
Funny, you say in your profile that you are a fan of teams with SSS, yet does KC have an SSS? *crickets chirping* And what the hell do you mean by us "children" and "men"? Either clarify this or stop generalizing people. I HATE when people do that..
Sure. That's one game a year. The Jets will sell out however many home games they have. I'm sure the dimensions will somehow allow a high-profile soccer game to be shoe-horned into the joint to make somebody some money. Getting this monster built in Manhattan will take some doing, and if tax-payer money is involved then it behooves us to question why we are forced to foot the bill for the NFL and only the NFL. Broader use would better serve the public, and toss offs like "the average New Yorker is not a soccer fan" shouldn't be accepted, even if true.
Are the people in New York even interested in grid iron football anyomore? Last time I noticed the New York City people were more excited during the Champions World between Man U and Juve at Giants stadium than they ever have been. Seriously that sport is for bluecollar rednecks in middle America. Sophisticated, fast paced, big city people prefer a sport that is related to the rest of the world and that has class. The only reason that MLS is not that popular in New York is because they demand the best in the world. So does LA. If you put a product that was of the level of Man U or Juve, the sport would overshadow grid-iron football.
One other note...The article stated that the new stadium would have a retractable roof, which would most likely mean a Field Turf type surface.