Spectacular preview work by the Seattle Times: 1. Team profile 2. New Stadium 3. 5 Keys to success 4. A-League Map 5. 2003 Outlook 6. Practice Photos 7. Ticket Info http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sounders/
I think that's a better preview then some MLS teams got. I don't think either one of the Chicago papers did this much for the Fire. I hope they get a big turnout for the opener. Are there any early numbers on pre-sales or guesses on numbers?
You don't get it? The Seattle Times is a paper that does as it is told. Someone, probably someone with some big bucks, got it through to the editors that this soccer thing is going to get really big in Seattle (remember NASL?), real soon, so now is the time to help out, and show MLS what kind of coverage the MLS Sounders can expect. Now, do you get it?
Counterattack; You conspiracy theories are music to my ears...but wouldn't the times cover "news" about a possible MLS chance if they knew one? In fact...they rustled the Paul Allen camp only Monday with this article: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134685105_blaine29.html So are they "in the know" or behind the possibility?
Adrian Hanauer mentioned to me at a recent pre-season game that advanced sales for the Friday opener vs. Portland put the crowd in the 4,000 range. He said a healthy crowd depends entirely on a nice walk-up. Portland fans will travel and help a bit. The rest is up to "buzz" and the weather, which is forecasted to be nice---mid 60's.
Crowds have almost entirely been walkup in recent years. Although we do have a lot more season tickets than in recent memory, that's probably still only ~ 1000 or so if that. The size of the stadium in and of itself guarantees a lot of people won't buy advance tickets. Fortunately the weather is slated to be excellent, so I'm thinking we'll do alright.
Is the weather still going to be excellent? They are calling for showers in Vancouver on Saturday, just in time for our season opener. I think most A-League teams draw mostly from walkup crowds.
I would imagine. There are only so many people who will pony up for and use season tickets, even if the teams are creative about how you can use them. I would think Rochester has a bunch of season tickets. It would take an few booths to get 7-8k walkup customers through the gates in under a couple of hours.
So someone who's lived here longer than me tell me, is it my imagination or has the Times really expanded its soccer coverage since the World Cup? Even the PI has a Tuesday "Inside Soccer" column that takes up half to 2/3 of a page.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/othersports/119997_sound01.html Less coverage today in the Seattle-PI...but hey, still coverage!
Coverage is going "through the roof!" for the 2003 Sounders! http://www.usldiscussions.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=5&t=000413#000003
You're not imagining stuff with respect to the Times. They're actually giving a bit of game summary for MLS matches, akin to what they do for out of town NHL, NBA, etc. It helps that senior level sports guys like Steve Kelley and to a lesser extent Blaine Newnham are pretty pro-soccer. I've seen Steve Kelley at Sounders matches last season and he wasn't doing it as their beat writer. Both Kelley and Newnham have done columns in recent months telling the soccer bashers where to stick it.
Goodness! That Seattle Times article even recognizes the Sounders as the city's most recent champs! Of course, the same holds true for the Fire (if you do not count the AHL Wolves). It's nice that the Daily Herald has a one-page soccer column, but there is little else. Company loves misery in Chicago! There was a joke in Monday's (?) Herald: "What is the difference between the Chicago Blackhawks and the Anaheim Mighty Ducks? One is a Mickey Mouse operation while the other is owned by Disney!" Of course, we're blessed to have FIVE Mickey Mouse operations along with the Fire and Wolves!