With the Padres leaving the Q, soccer needs to return there..... I know the league only wants soccer specific stadiums, but the Q has hosted a lot of big international friendlies including those with team USA and Mexico. Also the Sockers in the early 80s enjoyed a lot to success at the Q. Bring on a team for San Diego.
Well maybe the WUSA and MLS can get together and get a SSS. Problem is that land costs in SD are super high and a potential stadium would cost 50 mill or more in SD.
i think the idea of the MLS coming to San Diego is basically hopeless, unless some huge benefactor comes in to guarantee success. the Q is WAY too big - even for the Padres much less a soccer team - and where would you build a SSS anyway? North County? In the City somewhere? (No land.) South Bay? South Bay is the most likely alternative but would all the North County (read: white, affluent, youth soccer lovers) trek all the way to the South Bay for the MLS? And would the South Bay Hispanics embrace the "emay, elay, esay"? Maybe if they're in the South Bay, but maybe not. I've thought about this a lot, and despite the fact we probably have more soccer players per square inch in San Diego County proper than anywhere else, I'm not sure the MLS coming to San Diego will happen in our lifetimes, if ever. I do keep my eye on the lottery though, just in case the numbers move high enough and I can swoop in... ps. it is too bad you just couldn't expand Torero Stadium, which is a beautiful area with a beautiful field, but there just ain't enough space and no way would USD allow it.
My dream would be to put on SSS in the now parking lot of Qualcomm. The dream would be for the new Chargers stadium and soccer stadium to share the same plot of land. Or better yet, have the Chargers leave town allow for the politics to align for a SSS. This is a far fetched dream for sure, but I do think that location would be perfect. Oh yeah I just thought of something else. The current Sports Arena location might be good. Or perhaps the Miramar landfill. There's tons of land, close to freeways, and for the most part is in the middle of the city. Some good south bay locations would be in Chula Vista. Perhaps we could mimic(sp?) LA and put a stadium at the OTC. I think North County people would make the trip south if marketed properly. Afterall, people from all over the county go to Coors Ampetheater for concerts. And if we put it south enough, people from Tijuana might(that's a big might) adopt them as their team since they currently don't have a D1 team in the city. Wow, I'm really rambling. Anyway, the money has to come before we can even think about a team in SD.
Land is a major issue in SD. Anything near the middle of the city is just too expensive for a stadium. I think the area near the Coors Amphetheater has some potential. I think land is cheaper down in Chula Vista and the area is full of soccer loving fans. I don't know how many of you remember the outdoor Sockers, but even back then there was a large contingency of people that would come from TJ to watch the games. Remember Hugo Sanchez?
One possiblity is to build a SSS at SDSU. The aztec soccer team can also use it. Maybe someone like John Moorse can pitch in. Too bad he has lost millions with Peregrine and Neon systems tanking or maybe he would build the stadium on his own.
There's not really any room at SDSU is there? Anyway, I think it would actually be more expensive to put it on campus there.
They should get the mothballs off the ol' airport idea, and build the stadium ON THE WATER. A bunch of sandbags, some pylons and whatever engineering they came up with 10 years to make this a feasible idea (rejected of course by the City as too impractical, though most agree it's not too impractical by engineering standars, but only by political standards), and build the stadium off the docks somewhere... Hey! One can dream can't one? Can't you picture Eddie Johnson (traded to the San Diego Fish in the expansion draft) booting one out of the stadium and into the waves?
Well there is room west of the campus. They were able to build Cox arena right in the middle of the old soccer field. Anyway there are areas that we can investigate. Preferably the stadium should be in the middle of the city so everyone can have access to the games.
LOL!!! Or to steal another airport idea they could build the stadium on the border with the halfline being the border line. If we seperate the fans, this would allow for Mexicans to go to the game without having to go through customs. The SD/TJ Sockers (Hey if the Metrostars can have 2 states in their name we can have 2 countries)would have the largest hispanic market in MLS.
Empennage that is a great idea..... the binational airport didn't work out, but the binational stadium would be great. Red white and blue on one side versus red white and green. Since TJ doesn't have a first division soccer team, they would definitely support the Tijuana Sockers.
No visas necessary..... Those who come from foreign countries that Mexico require visas for will just not be able to play........ But seriously, a SSS in Otay would have to be one of the most ideal spots. North County folks will just have to drive a bit.
I agree, basically 'cause the only space there's any land left is in Otay or other South Bay areas. A few years back Chula Vista was willing to build a baseball stadium (when the Padres situation was up in the air), and I've always wondered since they're trying to promote and build their community, and it's a city filled with soccer enthusiasts, if they'd be interested in MLS and a SSS. But I've heard nary a rumor of such a development. The Gauchos do play in the area but only draw 250 to 400 or so if I'm not mistaken. And I'm not sure how many North County folks would be willing to drive all the way to Otay. Might be a bit much for many of the tepid among them...
I remember when the Flash played at Southwestern College they drew decent crowds in the 3k range on average. My prefrence is a stadium in the middle of the city, but with such limited land, I believe that the south bay is one of the only options. Remember the MLS plays the majority of its games on the weekends which means that a little drive will not be too difficult. For Wednesday games I could see some real small crowds, but then again, most of the MLS Wednesday games draw small crowds.
I think san diego needs to get another A-League team here to start the process of moving to the MLS. We need a team that has better financial backing as well. I can see a team playing in USD stadium drawing 4k average per game with some good marketing.
I believe for their first season in Chula Vista they average around 3500 per game. Once they moved to the San Diego's Mesa college their attendance steadily dropped. I think in their final season their attendance average was around 2200 per game. Please correct me if I am wrong.
Problem with the A-League in SD was that not too many took the league seriously. The WUSA San Diego Spirit regularly draw between 5500 to 7000 for their games even though they have a lousy team and they play in a bad part of town.