I know we're this close to having a stadium [sarcasm], the following quote from Goff about last night's game got to me: The Galaxy arsenal featured world-class forwards Landon Donovan and Robbie Keane, a tandem that earns 3 1 / 2 times more than the United’s entire starting lineup. When do they stop making excuses and put the pieces on the field to win?
This is an endless feedback loop argument that continues across these boards in various guises. After all the punditating (?), there are two separate very general issues here: 1. DCU's use of the salary allocated through the single entity, i.e., cap management. 2. DCU's acquisition of DP's who are on the owners' dime. Issue No. 1 has nothing directly to do with revenues, although they play an indirect role in the sense that you get what you pay for in scouting and personnel making player evaluations (Morsink, Kasper, Olsen, Ashton & Wolff). Issue No. 2 directly relates to team revenues or the owners' willingness to take larger losses on the operation. While increased revenues affect both issues, the owners have much more ability to affect No. 1 within the current structure because even if they must buy out Kasper, Olsen, etc., that price would be less than a major DP signing for 2014.
Indeed, I'm sure that ratio is actually wider. The Galaxy would probably spend more than they do, except that MLS rules mean that they have basically run out of ways to do it.
I hear you about revenue being tied to the stadium, but it is also tied to the quality of the product on the field. I've seen hard core supporters stop going to matches. How many more of the casual fans that began to attend because of buzz generated around winning are now gone? If we continue to say we can't do anything until the stadium is settled we will be in the habit of being a shit club.
We will get some sense of that this off-season. If the current "brain trust" remain in position, you have to assume the owners are treading water until the stadium is at least "shovels in the ground." What concerns me is that results like yesterday's or an unlikely Open Cup win will convince the ownership group that with a little more luck here and there, DCU would have been competitive in MLS this season. Yesterday was DCU's third multi-goal game of the regular season, you can't say that lack of production was due to bad luck.
The easy answer is that last years winning had zero impact at the turnstile. This years progress in the Open Cup, another form of winning, resulted in the same. The problems are endemic and most likely won't be resolved with just a new stadium. The fan base has been lied to and essentially crapped on to the point that WYSIWYG, with many of them even questioning their continued commitment regardless of the stadium situation. If they build it people might just not come. Thx, Jay!
Jay -- I think that's just not correct. Most fans are relatively casual fans, my next door neighbor has a half season plan and when I see him at the games, I have to fill him on the details on the club since the last game. I'm pretty sure he doesn't feel "lied to" or "crapped on" because he doesn't pay close enough attention to the club to develop any attitude other that "I like soccer, this is the home team, I can afford a half season plan so I'll go." I think a new stadium would make a tremendous difference in attendance. First, just for the novelty of it. Second, RFK is a dump, lousy sight lines, crappy concessions, etc. A new stadium, some focused marketing and the place will be packed. If the Union can get fans to their stadium in Chester, DCU should sell out in a downtown field.
Zero impact? Really? This is completely wrong. I think if we missed the playoffs this year, and had this season continue as it did, we'd see far less people in the stands. There is a lagged effect to winning and losing, and because the end of our season last year was somewhat bleh (along with our playstyle) and this season was poor as well, we're not seeing the real trajectory of being 'not shit.' If we replicated last season, we'd likely be up in attendance 20% or so.
You know another team that LA outspends like 5 to 1? RSL. Just saying ... And as a fan of DCU since 1996 I don't feel like I'm being "lied to" whatever that means. This is just a franchise that has been stuck in quick sand for a long time for a lot of reasons. We've had like 5 different owners since the beginning, and nobody's been able to crack the stadium dilemma which is basically the 500 ton weight that has held this franchise down for so long. Two years ago I wasn't even sure if there would be a DC United so I'm generally pretty content with where things are in the big picture. Other than that I don't really have a final verdict of where this team is at on the field. 1 year in charge is not really indicative of a long term trend. This next offseason will give me a lot more fuel one way or another.