I think we all know that there won't be another stadium built here in Philly, so that isn't going to happen. If Philly gets MLS, I can't imagine it'll be anywhere but the Linc.
Well, I'm not opposed to the Linc...I would just to have some assurance that the setup at the Linc won't be another Giants Stadium/Metrostars deal. That should be common sense, and I'm sure MLS has learned their lesson. As long as it is a TRUE home stadium, and they won't have to play Open Cup games at Villanova...then I'll be happy.
I don't think the suburbs will work. It's hard to pick a suburb that will attract both the PA and South Jersey crowd and I think it would be near impossible for a local council to get the NIMBY folks to agree to a stadium. Most of the suburbs on both sides of the river are congested with traffic as it is. Adding a 25,000 seat stadium to the mix wouldn't be pretty. I also agree about the Linc. If the Eagles are involved, it will work. If not, the lease will be a problem. Hopefully something gets worked out though.
I would think that MLS has learned their lesson in that regard, and that there is no way that Philadelphia could get the sort of one-sided sodomy....er, I mean agreement that Giants Stadium did. The Meadowlands had MLS over a barrel, knowing full well that no league would not have a team in New York, and GS is really the only option in the New York market. Philadelphia, on the other hand, has seen MLS grow without it, and so has not nearly the leverage that GS had. Philly knows MLS can just say "no, thank you." GS knew that that simply wasn't a possibility.
I would say MLS is growing in spite of New York. The Metros get terrible attendences for the size of the area they are located in. Especially for a metro area of over 21 million (and much of it very diverse), it is sad that the Metros can't get more than 15k people to come out to games.
That's all true, but even given that, and the fact that Metros haven't won a single, damn thing, there still couldn't be a "Major League Soccer" without it.
IMHO, a huge reason for that is that Giants Stadium is completely inaccessible by public transportation save for a random bus out of the Port Authority Bus Terminal in Midtown Manhattan. As a result, a lot of people without cars in the five boroughs (or those with cars from anywhere else in the area who don't want to sit in traffic and pay exorbitant bridge tolls) can't go to games. By contrast, RFK Stadium in DC is two blocks from a subway station in DC, which probably has a lot to do with why United have always had some of the highest average yearly attendances in the league. Lincoln Financial Field is also accessible by public transit and this should help a Philly MLS team attract people from within the city, especially college students who don't have cars.
Oh, whatever. You hear that crap all the time from people who think that simply by virtue of a large population, they should be able to just open the doors and have people show up because they do for the Jets and the Giants and they did for the Cosmos. The Metros' all-time average is 18,000 per game, second all-time, so it's not like there's this huge underachievement that you can point to (it's 16,050 when you take out doubleheaders and openers and finales). The best team all-time gets 21,000 a game. That's where this product is. It's not at 30,000 a game. If you're comparing it to what you think a team in New York should draw, not so much in a sport but in a league that has yet to really connect with the "very diverse" population you're talking about, then you need to revise your expectations.
Seriosuly..... it costs me more $$ traveling to Giants Stadium for a game than the actual ticket. driving there, I need to pay for gas, Throgs Neck Bridge, George Washington Bridge, and then the a$$holes at the parking lot who sometimes make me pay twice!
I think public transporation has a LOT to do with it...I can nod off on the train back home and accidentally end up at the Linc. If the Metros are going to build a stadium, public transportation is a KEY factor, in my opinion. As far as Philly goes...after reading discussions like this for a while, I've actually had a bit of a change of heart. Before, I was completely against Philly MLS playing in the Linc...but the more I read and discover about my new home is that the suburbs is a bad idea, and I've realized how important it is to have the subway drop you off in the Spectrum parking lot. I have yet to hear a SOLID recommendation for a place to put a stadium in the 'burbs....until then, I'm 100 percent in favor of putting the team in the Linc. Even though (as I've said before) fitting Philly MLS into the Eagles and Temple's football schedule will be the toughest part. If we can figure out how to make that work so that we're not playing playoff games in the Spectrum parking lot with some orange cones...then sign me up. Or unless we can fit a FIFTH stadium in that little area... Wouldn't THAT be something?
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