No, Hives are law, YOU are crime. And I really don't think this looks anything like the HDC. I mean, it's a soccer stadium, but there's no grass hill, or the stadium club at one end. Plus the HDC isn't surrounded by a dark grey netherworld that seems to have no end (at least according to this picture)
the metros. it's a proposed 25,000 seater in new jersey set for a 2006 opening. however, the finished product will probably look a bit different. dallas and chicago are also currently building 20-25k capacity stadia, while la already has the gorgeous home depot center (27k) and columbus has crew stadium (22k). with the building of these new stadiums, the league is gaining a foothold in the american market that is going to make it very hard to go away. these communities now have tens of millions of dollars locked up in these projects and are relying on them to bring in money for them. and the teams now have stability, identities, and homes of their own... a very important part of any sports team.
Is this not dangerous with "teams" being able to "city hop"? Good to see though. I just hope there allowing room for expansion should it ever kick off big style
Dallas' stadium is currently under construction, but is that true in Chicago? I thought construction of the Fire's stadium wasn't supposed to start until later this year (or early next year).
That's an interesting question. You do see teams jumping from city to city in American sports every now and then. But I think the point is that in MLS, once you have a stadium you'll be there for a loooooong time. Especially since the owner/investor of the team just put up 30mil for it. On the other hand, it's the teams that CANNOT get their own stadium that might jump to a different city, like your E'quakes.
The Passaic River is to the left; the new shops and residences of Metro Center will be along a mall that connects the top of the pic to the PATH train station a block north. Unlike HDC we willl have light rail transportation to the stadium. Fans in the Ironbound section of Newark can even walk across the bridge over the river to get to the stadium. Before the game, fans can prep themselves in restaurants and pubs along the mall; after the match they can unwind with a late dinner or a final pint. No rush to beat the traffic out of a parking lot or to catch a bus before the last one leaves. The trains run every 10 or 15 minutes between Newark and Manhattan, with connections to Brooklyn, Queens, The Bronx. Light rail is also available north to Hobokken, Union City, Jersey City. And there is parking for those who prefer to drive, but I suspect the percentage using public transportation will be very high. This will be what a soccer stadium is meant to be: within a community, accessable. You're right, nothing at all like HDC.
Looks very nice, a bit like Heinz Field in Pittsburgh but smaller. Is there going to be a huge big screen? I didn't see one in the drawing and every stadium needs one.
teams only change cities in the most extreme conditions (no fan support, city neglect), and it rarely happens in american sports. the montreal expos (baseball) are a perfect example of a team that is a major candidate for relocation. they have been around for several decades, but have never really had much success, slowly their attendance has dwindled to only a few thousand a game, and they play in possibly the worst stadium in the league, with no chance of moving to a better facility. they were losing so much money that the league actually took control of them a few seasons ago. the situation is this. they will have to find a new owner that is willing to brave this apathetic market (not likely), move to a more attractive city that actually wants them (dc, san juan), or fold and call it a day (very unlikely). for established leagues these are last resort options, but sometimes (as in the case of the expos) they are necessary. however, in young upstart leagues like mls that are trying to find appropriate markets, relocation and folding altogether are viable options in the early years. it happened quite often in the infancy of the nfl and baseball. but with time comes a certain amount of stability and these events become rarer.
new orleans jazz... where jazz is actually played. minneapolis lakers... minnesota is the land of a thousand lakes. la has none.
Yep, both teams moved from their origins. They should have changed their names by now however. Utah Pioneers and LA Amigos respectively.
minneapolis lakers... minnesota is the land of a thousand lakes. la has none.[/QUOTE] Actually L.A. has a few lakes....not that you'd want to swim in any of them though.