No one with steve mcqueen as their avatar is allowed to say they're frightened. NYNJMSRBNYC (Pronounced 'Nin-jim-srib-nic') are indeed a frightening prospect. But at least, if it;'s true, it means No LOTHAR MATTHAUS!
Exactamente. You have to think seriously about this eventuality, not just keep chirping "Red Bull is great, and it's allllllllll gonna go great!!" It may not. And then what? You're all (mostly) fans of teams which have been building things up, step-by-step, in a sustainable fashion; this kind of outcome, at the very least, would seriously stunt the league's profile and growth (I mean, when Red Bull decides it wants out because it ain't working, don't count on them hanging around for the sake of their related investments, like AEG might have). You think the Metros poisoned the NYC soccer well? Just wait till something like that comes down.
Unbelievable. I come home from a long ass day, and I literally just said to myself "hopefully there will at least be some good news out of MLS". But here I am reading about some crazy Austrians, who lept into this league on the spur of the moment, talking about going completely against MLS' business plan. When I first read the thread title I thought it might mean they were looking at a site in NYC rather than NJ, but the fact that they are even considering a stay at the MEadowlands is ridiculous. If they do in fact go ahead and stay at the MEadowlands, then this will undermine any work done to get funds in other cities across the country. Way to do your research on the ownership group, MLS, and way to restrain yourselves when quick money is thrown your way! And to Red Bull, you stupid ********s, just because 45k people showed up to see Pele 30 years ago, just because 800 people accepted a free weekend vacation to the Nation's capital, and just because 35k showed up for a Shakira concert, doesn't mean that you will bring in large enough crowds to be close to a profit at the Meadowlands. The ********ing NY market will be the deat of MLS. Why can;t this club get their ********ing head on straight for longer than a year. Rant over, and I'll know better next time when I expect good MLS news to console me after a bad day.
I feel sorry for the few sad souls who continue to waste their money on this side show freak circus!!! This garbage has a new name colors owners and logo BUT IT WILL ALWAYS BE THE SAME PIECE OF GARBAGE IT ALWAYS WAS!!!!!!!!! Red Bull NY Red Bull Cosmos these jokers dont even know what they want to be or be known as.......Whats even more sickening is their desire to stay at the medowlands and stay in bed with the NJSEA the most racist and the most anti soccer organization out there.... Not to mention that this BULL $H!T team will continue to be a meer third rate tennant behind the giants and jets... While many were going ape over the new owners and were happy for this fresh RESTART I was smart enough not to buy into this circus and am not at all surprised at whats going on... Metrostars will forever be third rate soccer why expect any thing more from red bull.... Put the cosmos to rest UNDERSTAND THAT IT WILL NEVER BE LIKE IT WAS DURING ITS HAY DAY that is the past... While other MLS teams are making wonderful stadiums that FIT THEIR NEEDS and will ensure a profit leave it to the energy drink (which is awful and never will be like the wonderful energy drink SPEED) to want to stay at the medowlands want to continue to spend a fortune on their rent continue to be third rate, continue to endure plastic pitch and sadly their devoted supporters who will continue to be victims of rent a cops abusive power..and the sad devoted few who continue to spend their money on this crap should have their head examined....I'll go Aug 12 to the medowlands along with thousands of others to root for barcelona but after that only the hard core few redbull fans will continue to go week in week out...... the smart people will stay away from this freak show and only show up when a real team with history comes to town to run wild on this sad little energy drink promo team.... stay with the medowlands and continue let the NJSEA treat your few fans you have left like garbage...you can change your look and name a thousand times over you always be a garbage out fit you always were since day 1 that never knew what they were doing..
If they got real money. Why not just change the plans and build a damn 50,000 gem in Harrison. And shutup!(Not you, Red Bull) I'm so sick of hearing about Red Bull. Build a bigger damn stadium. Get AEG to pay for some, throw in some other investors, and it wouldn't really cost them that much. If they think they could actually get that many per week. Although I really never see that happening. Just another empty stadium. There is a season going on right now Red Bull. Why not concentrate on that and just shutup. and what's all this Cosmos hoopla. hello! nobody under 30 knows anything about the Cosmos or cares. I could give a crap about the Cosmos name, It doesn't mean anything to me. All it means is a team of over the hill big names. It has nothing to do with winning anything important. F**k cosmos. They act like changing the name to Cosmos means they will win it all. This team has no past. They have erased the past by erasing the Metrostars. And, connecting the Cosmos name isn't going to bring together any nostalgia for any past. By the time this league gets going. Nobody under 40 would of heard of the Cosmos. And, most are more concerned with the other type of football. The younger crowd of soccer youths now is who they should be marketing to. Red Bull New York Cosmos. F'in joke of the year. This is the worst thing to happen to MLS. period. (make some assinine Chinaglia chants and don't buy any Red Bull merchandise until these jerks get it together.) There is a reason why the Cosmos didn't work. Too much, too quick. Shakira isn't going to do it every night. THERE IS NOT ONE THING DIFFERENT ABOUT THIS TEAM FROM LAST YEAR. How was the attendance last year? and they want to rot in Giants Stadium? This team and interest in Red Bull in the future depends on the new stadium.
To those who say getting to the Swamp is easy, read this: Here's my Saturday: 1) 4-4 1/2 hours before matchtime, top off the gas tank, grab food and go (minimum $20) 2) Enter Midtown tunnel pay with EZ Pass (price is $4, paid twice) 45 minutes to 1 1/2 hours to get there. 3) Drive down 34th to Dyer Ave, sit in line at Lincoln Tunnel, pay toll. This part of the trip at minimum is 20 minutes. Home opener was an hour. (5 bucks each way, add 10 more bucks) 4) Take 495 to route 3 expressway to the stadium (15-20 minutes, longer with traffic) 5) Get to the stadium hopefully 2 hours before kickoff to tailgate. 6) 10 dollar parking 7) 18 dollar ticket. JUST TO GET INTO THE MOTHER F*CKING STADIUM COSTS ME AT MINIMUM 1 1/2 hours driving time each way, and 66 dollars. I finally get good news that I will be able to get there by LIRR/PATH to save myself this headache, and now I get news it may be stripped from me. I am beyond angry to say the least. The meadowlands is well recognized as a royal pain in the ass, not as a soccer hotbed. And you wonder why people don't go....
75,000 every single weekend for 4 and a half months do it. On top of that, there are waiting lists 10 years long, TWO times (for JETS and Giants), waiting for the opportunity to "fight" their way to the stadiums. And that's with real traffic, not the few cars that show up for MLS. You personal antidote is interesting and all, but there are MILLIONS and MILLIONS of people, door to door, that are within 1 hour of that place. About 12,000 show up. It's the product, not the stadium.
NFL, 8 games, Sunday Mornings, 40 yrs of history minimum. MLS 14 games, Saturday night peak hours, 10 yrs of history. The stadium does not help the issue. Especially for LI'ers TRUST ME.
Stop making this argument. It's flawed. The question isn't whether 75,000 show up for football-- the question is how many would show up for soccer if it were easier to get to. I think Naperville showed us that ease of getting to a stadium makes a big difference (especially when they weren't selling out even at reduced capacity). A bad stadium situation will have an effect on attendance at each level of popularity ranging from Major League Lacrosse to the NFL. With the NFL, they are popular enough to build stadiums in Foxboro, but I'm sure the Patriots could sell more tickets if they built a 110,000 seater in Boston.
Won't the stadium always be inconvenient to someone? Won't there always be people living outside an hour of any stadium. I am not saying it is not inconvenient for you. I am sure it is. But what I am saying that there are MORE than anough people withing striking distance and the ability to get there. It is not an excuse for low attendance in my book. It's is cop out. There is nothing signaling that there is this swell of people lieing in wait to go to these games. Sure would Harrison be better, hell yeah. But public transportation hasn't been the monkey wrench holding METRO back.
Ofcourse.... That is not my argument. If the stadium was easier to get to more people would go. But how many is the question? Giant Stadium can be access easily by millions and millions of people. Door to door in an 1 hour is a fair range, isnt it? The fact they METRO could only muster 10-12 grand a night is not a testiment to the stadium. It's speaks to the product. People fill the arena for American Idol. People fill the Arena every summer for concert tours. They fill it it for the kick off classic college football game. The first round of the final 4 is there, they draw well. Pro football draws well. The track even used to get thousands there on a Saturday night. People want to see these products so they go to the Meadowlands. People don't want to see regular season NBA, NHL or MLS. So they don't bother. The NBA and NHL are comparitively expensive. An MLS ticket doesn't even have that as a barrier. Their tiks are dirt cheap. Blame it on location if you want. If you stuck that same product in Harrison for 10 years, attendance would have been exactly the same. And you know what, people that drive might perfer the Meadowlands. Familys from Jersey that are currently the teams bigggest fan base might find it easier to get to than getting off the TP and driving into one of these ethnic towns. Again, I want Harrison more than anything for MLS. I would be great for lots of reasons. But fooling ourselves to believing that METRO wasn't popular because its location when there people galore with in an hours trip on the joint, is just not accurate. But perhaps you think differently. That's alright. But you have to scratch your head when people time and time again turn out for all sorts of stuff there, MLS is just not one of them. PS: Back in the day people used to blame poor attendance at Yankee stadium on its location. "People don't want to go to the Bronx" was the whine of the day, They got good and now draw phenominally now. Steinbrener put somethign there that people want to see, so people come out to see it. That's how it works, atleast in New York.
I know for a fact it has held me back NUMEROUS times. The cost of getting there is tough for me to stomach this year, let alone next year on a college budget. This is the first year I can actually get myself there without relying on my parents to take me, or hitching on one of my friends coattails to the game. I managed to get to 10 games last year, which is no easy feat. LIRR to the Path saves me a Minimum of 30 dollars per game, just on gas and tolls alone. 30 dollars per game is a hell of a savings in my book. Lets see now, 66 bucks or 36 on the train? I think I'll take the train every time. For a season ticket holder from Long Island, it's a savings of 480 dollars per season. Yeah, I'd say public transportation is a BIG deal.
I explained why I disagree. I sympathise with you though,. I know there are fans out there that would go but are out of "range". Either finacially or travel distance. NO stadium will be convenient to everyone that wants to go. There will always be peeps like you that are just out the teams reach. Even Harrison. Anyhow.... I hate to hear of money holding someone back from going to a game. If you want a ticket to a game, IM me. Most times I can muster up an extra ticket if u need it. My treat.
Agreed with you that NO stadium is easy for everyone. Believe me I know. But I'm positive you would get more people from NYC, LI in Harrison. 100% positive. Less cost inhibitive, easier transportation, general interest from these areas. What am I complaining about, my poor buddy in MetroNation who shall remain nameless though his heritage is quite Irish has a three and a half hour commute. I appreciate the offer on the free tickets, maybe will take you up on a game or two. But mostly, I just stomach the 18 dollar ESC fare.
They proabably don't want to share anything stadium or otherwise with AEG. They shouldn't do it with them anyway, single entity should be over especially becuase RED BULL can do it on their own and don't need Uncle Phil!
When the Fire moved to Naperville, attendance declined. Why? It wasn't only the lower capacity because they frequently didn't sell out.
Is Naperville to Soldier Field the same as the Meadowlands is to Harrison? Even if it is identical. How do you explain METRO only getting 12 grand or so in a market of 5 or 6 million people that are within an hour of the place? Harrison has become the Glenn Foley (Back up QB that JETS fans would call for game after game) of attendance banter. It's the back-up everyone is waiting to come in and save the day. Foley.. Foley.. Foley. Harrison.. Harrison.. Harrison. Till that day comes when O'Donnel gets hurt and he finally gets his chance. He played well to start, but soon after we all realize he wasnt the solution after all. We still liked him better than O'Donnel, but he wasn't our savior. Ok ok.... Until then, Harrison is the Tri state areas soccer version of Mecca.
Just my $0.02, I flipped out when my co-worker showed me the NYT story, but isn't RBNY just doing due-diligence with their $100 Mil by having a rethink of Harrison. /Definitely think the NY Metro region could/should support two MLS sides. //Haven't read the thread
I feel like I'm stuck repeating myself: it doesn't matter how many people go to the Meadowlands now out of the potential fan population. Yes, we know it's low. The current level of popularity is a completely irrelevant fact to this discussion. The only question is whether being more accessible (and attractive) would have a large effect on whether current fans go. The evidence from other markets is pretty overwhelming: yes, it makes a huge difference in the number of people who will go for the same product. 5 or 6 million people were within an hour of Naperville, too. Repeating ad nauseum that people will go to Meadowlands for things they really care about doesn't mean that there's only one way to get more fans to watch soccer. No, mass transit isn't the only reason RB won't average 80k-- that doesn't mean it's not an important factor. You can disagree about how much having a mass transit accessible stadium will make a difference, but frankly, I can't see how a rational person could think it won't make a difference.