The only time I've been to St. Louis was during the early 90's, before MLS started. I remember being suprised at how popular soccer was and the ammount of people I saw wearing soccer jerseys. I was very suprised when St. Louis was not one of the orginal MLS cities. Were St. Louis to get a team what kind of support/attendence could the team generate? What are the general feelings in St. Louis about getting an MLS team? Are there any major youth academies in St. Louis?
Soccer is very popular here actually. Just type in soccer history in st. louis in google and there is actually a whole page dedicated to it. I believe that St. Louis would have a top notch fan base as compared to many of the current MLS teams. We had an indoor team called the ambush/steemers that had many of loyal fans and lasted for many a years. I think the general feeling about getting a team is optomistic and would only gain popularity as the team gained roots here with many of the youth players that play here. I myself was on a team that used to be called Busch SC but I believe it is now called St. Louis Soccer Club. However, the league was very large and had sponsers such as Busch, Scott Galagher, Lou Fusz, Adidas, etc.. Recently, John Diraimondo (former Busch and Saint Louis University player) was drafted by the Colorado Rapids. In conclusion, we have: history, home-based talent, and wide interest in the game. SO GIVE US A TEAM ALREADY!!!!!!!!
Damn, you played for Busch? You must be a pretty good player. I played against Busch (early 90's) in a losing effort. They beat us 5-1. We were told they had 2 US U17 national team members.
I can't find the stats, but didn't the Steamers hold the record for best average attendance for 1 season in the old Arena? That's better than any Blues season, and that's when we were good every year. I know tons of people (like, most the guys I know) that played soccer through high school, but don't really follow anything now. I think the MLS would tap into this huge soccer market that has knowledge of the game, but just doesn't have a team to follow yet.