That is a disgrace that some of you would rather have a Clint Mathis than Figo. That is why soccer in the US will never go any where. Keep thinking that way.
Re: Re: Real & Roma I have been to MetroStar games and would rather see this so called non eventful game 10 times before seeing a MetroStars game. And yes Landon and the boys played very well at the WC and I am super happy for it, but they would be better off and would get much more experience playing over seas. Clint Mathis didn't do much at the WC. Don't kid yourself.
Figo is a wonderful player, yes, but you're missing the point. No greatness can replace the warmth and depth of feeling that comes with seeing a player attain stardom (of a sort) playing for *your* team, right before your eyes 20 times a year.
I rather see Figo, ZZ, Totti, etc... on TV than wasting my time at a MetroStars game. Maybe MLS socer is better in other states, but here it leaves alot to be desired. Peter Villegas was one of the best players on this team and should have been the MetroStars center midfileder, but they got rid of him becaus ethey rather pay other idiots more money. MetroStars front office and there coaching staff have alot to learn. And believe me I have dealt with them plenty.
Re: Re: Re: Real & Roma Despite having been to Metro matches, you have proven his point nonetheless. You obviously have an affinity for Figo, and that is great. He is a great player, although in some peoples eyes, he is no more than a Judas ;-). But you seem to miss the point re: the Metrostars. Following the Club the way some of us do is no different than following another Club from anywhere else around the world. Don't pretend that being a Metro supporter is something inferior or different to being a supporter for Real Madrid.... which you are not, you just came to see Figo... its the same. You want to believe that there is greater nobility in coming out to see Luis Figo than Clint Mathis? Thats great. But you will have to excuse me... I'm in the middle of watching the US v Portugal game from this summer. Paul
So...which is it then? Is George Zoffinger the anti-Christ, killer of US soccer that many on the Metros board proclaim him to be, or did the circus just come through town?
The point is made about how is MLS that bad if the U.S. did so well at the World Cup. The U.S. did do very well, but with a team that is made up of the BEST MLS players and some European based players. The majority of MLS players are not even close to being compared to the players on the field on Thursday night. I have been to many Metro games, and the quality is just not there. I question whether it is even improving. Some of the performances are laughable, and many of the players are completely incompetent. Some of the players in MLS are highly skilled and very impressive, but most players are not worth the money. I would much rather pay 30 bucks+15 parking to see Real-Roma in a packed stadium than paying 15 bucks+10 parking to see the Metros put on another dire show. The thing is, I bet some of the "Eurosnobs" have been to a Metro game, and they probably walked away shaking their heads, because the quality doesn't compare. Making the argument that paying to see Thursday's match was a waste of money, but paying to see an MLS match isn't is a ridiculous and pointless attempt at gaining support for a league that has certain attractive points (Mathis, Donovan, Beasley, Howard, etc) but definately not enough to make people want to attend matches and shell out $ on a regular basis.
In the nineteenth century it was customary for Americans to feel inferior, as far as literature and the other arts were concerned, to the Continental artists. Emerson and Thoreau came along. Count me among the "ignorant" who would rather see Mathis, Armas and Donovan play than the effete stylists of the Italian and Spanish leagues, which could do with an infusion of the passion that MLS players like Franchino and Petke bring to the pitch. And yes, I am Italian and have lived on the Continent. FORZA MLS!!!
BTrusdell, very good post. You made many very interesting points about the reality of the game. However, even though most people don't realize the facts as you put them, the Metrostars and MLS are going to have to deal with this. The fact of the matter is that you have douchebags like nas2nj who just can't bear seeing American soccer. Same with Americans becoming very queasy at the idea of Europeans challenging America in basketball. (There was a huge article on ESPN on this topic a couple of weeks ago) I also thought your point on the whole fad crew that go to anything that is fashionable is also true. These facts always lead me to question if New York is really the cultural capital of the world. In my view it is really just a big fad city. For the Metrostars to become profitable, we will have to be able to entice a wide range of fans. From fcuks like nas2nj to Kissinger, we need to make the league ensnarled in the local culture. Again, that is up to the people who market the league. How do you do that? I don't know. Also, there were so many more Brazilians fans then Portugese fans it wasn't even a joke. nas2nj is just in love with Figo that he can't even get beyond the fact that he was useless in the WC. Not only that, but he sucked big for Real last year. How does a player of his stature get subbed out of the Champion's League Finals!?!?!??!?!?!?! Zidane showed, and will always show why he is the best player of his generation. Also, any person who tells me that Villegas should have played center mid is ridiculous. Villegas was a supremely talented player. Too bad he just does not have the mental game. I thought he would do well in DC United, but I've been proven wrong again.
If anybody has seen FIGO play on the last 6 months, you know there's something wrong with him. He admitted that he should have had ankle surgery, but he wanted to play in the World Cup. I can't fault him for that because this was probably the only chance he was going to get. He doesn't have his quick first step anymore, but that will come back as he becomes more fit and gains more confidence about the lingering ankle injury. I'd say he's at about 75% right now, the FIGO of about 1-2 years ago was blowing by defenders left and right, making defenders fall over and stuff. He and Zidane are different players, Zidane creates and distributes in the middle, while Figo plays out wide to send in pinpoint crosses. I am a FIGO fan, but Zidane is a better player..barely. That's why 70,000+ came out to see them, they are the best in the world. That wasn't KC/NYNJ out there.
Assuming many on hand have not been to a Metros match...... What if fans purchasing a ticket for this event had been given a voucher, good to exchange for a ticket to any remaining MetroStars home game this year? Would people have used them? I realize that where those who DO attend Metros matches are concerned, this amounts to lost revenue, but for those who don't, it's not as if it costs the club anything with 50,000 empty seats on average per match. What do you think of this as a marketing effort? Perhaps by the time of the Man United match next year.
I think most of the players on Roma's team are "stars". Totti, Batistuta (Argentina's all time leading scorer), Samuel, etc. are all great players. And wasn't that Cafu lifting the Cup trophy on June 30th in front of the entire world. The fact Real is the most successful team on earth is not lost on any of us. Zidane, Figo, Raul and Roberto Carlos are no doubt great players. I was merely trying to clarify that Real is not the only team with huge star power (a point you seemed to be making) - a point I think you'd have to concede. Inter (Ronaldo, Vieri, Zanetti, etc.), Milan (Sheva, Rui Costa, Maldini, etc.), Manchester United (Beckham, Veron, Bartez, Scholes, etc.), Liverpool (Owen, Dudek, Gerrard, etc.), Bayern Munich (Kahn, Ballack, etc.) among others all have plenty of star power and I think all of them would be capable of drawing a big crowd. That is probably where we differ a bit in our view. And let's be clear - I'm generally on board with most of what you are trying to say here.
Exactly, maybe not free tix, but try something. There were 70,000 soccer people at the game on Thursday, with no tie-in to MLS. Obviously, there is a lot of history and bad blood between Metros/MLS and the NJSEA and Champions World. There are issues, and right now, litigation seems to be more attractive than cooperation. But this was an opportunity to reach a lot of people. Next year, Man U. will be in town, and there will be other opportunities. How can MLS take advantage of this? Should they try to squash the competition or maybe find a way to use it to their advantage? I don't know the answer, but there has to be a way to use this kind of game to help the league.
To BTrudsell et al: The main point your missing, and the one that made you take a swipe at NYC Metro Area soccer fans is that, a good portion if not most of those people have been to Metro matches. Of course that is not a scientific statement. These were the people that were coming out to matches for the most part for the first and beginning of the second part of the second season. These are also the people who stopped coming when Charlie Shitatano the new president of Champions World totally screwed up the team, the management, and the atmosphere by making one huge blunder after another. These people havent had a reason to come back. Sackiewicz and his marketing stooges are as bad if not worse than the Shitatano regime. The only difference being we are not the worst team in the league year in and year out anymore. The people that attend the matches are the hardcore who have survived all of this. It's the other 70,000 "casual fans" who would come up if there was a reason too. PS I am not advocating NASL style player acquisitions. Those are moronic and only appeal to the LCD people that claim Petter Villegas was the best player on the Metros. PPS I am a Metro season ticket holder since 1996 PPPS I attended the Real v Roma game
Re: Re: Re: Re: Real & Roma And by the way while you are watching the game, look for Mathis on the bench!!! I have nothing against the MLS or the MetroStars at all. I hope they have a long and high success. In regards to Figo, I have followed him since his early yers in Sporting Lisbon(which is my team of affiliation). I saw he grow up from a liitle boy into a great soccer player. Yes he has lost a step or two, but that is due to his recent injuries. Hopefully he can recover shortly. And if not, he has accomplished what alot of players will never be able to accomplish. I see you are a Barcelons fan, do you forget what he did while at Barcelona or are you like the rest that just forgets. You are correct, I am not a fan of Real Madrid, but I appreciate their history. You don't like them because you support Barcelons which is always chaseing Real Madrid's success. Have a great day.
Re: Re: Re: Real & Roma Dude, not to start a fight, but Landon already tried that. Got him real far (sarcasm). Bottom Line, if they go overseas, they need to PLAY, even if at lesser clubs than Bayer, or in lower divisions for that matter. The playing thing is what makes MLS a valuable development tool for the National Team. I'm not under the delusion that it's the EPL, but it's our league, and top US players will play more and have more responsibility than they usually will overseas.
One of the best ideas I've read here in a long time. Now if 1/7 of the 70K actually use this, and half of those 10K buy tickets in the future, that's 5K ticket buyers you didn't have before. Even if they buy tickets for only one match, it's more revenue for MLS (even if it goes to rent payments), and more exposure to MLS to the soccer fan market. Little by little, folks. Also, I second eric d on the no NASL signings, for a different reason. Not only does it look like a quick fix, but explain the payroll differences in a Single Entity League. That's a NASLesque disaster waiting to happen. Even if single entity was buh bye, I'd still be against it. Let the league obtain slow, steady growth. Quick fixes may, and likely would do more harm in the long run.
I don't think your ABUSIVE LANGUAGE is necessary. I am just posting my opinion which is not always the same as others. That is the beauty of this website, we all have different opininons and ideas. In regards to Figo, I am not in love with him. I appreciate him as a player as I do any other great player, i.e. ZZ, Totti, Donovan, etc....
Both sides should try to work together for the better of the league. But that is easier said than done. We're are talking about 2 big egos.
You don't think that Petter Villegas was ONE of the better players on the team? Do you know why he was let go?