The MLS Stadium Thread

Discussion in 'MLS: News & Analysis' started by fairfax4dc, May 20, 2016.

  1. Eastern Bear

    Eastern Bear Member+

    Feb 27, 1999
    Great Falls, VA
    Club:
    DC United
    I was by the site for the new DCU stadium last Thursday and I cannot believe how small that footprint is for the new stadium. I wish they could have gotten right-of-way for stands over 2nd Street like they have for Atletico Madrid's stadium. Either way, If you jam 20K people into that footprint with the kind of noise DCU has created over the years, I think it will make a great atmosphere. It looks to be about the same size as Loftus Road in London - which somehow seats 18K.
     
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  2. holiday

    holiday Member+

    Oct 16, 2007
    fyp. let's wait and see.
     
  3. MUTINYFAN

    MUTINYFAN Member

    Apr 18, 1999
    Orlando
    I hope they don't gouge us on ticket prices. But the stadium has room for expansion?
     
  4. Chesco United

    Chesco United Member+

    DC United
    Jun 24, 2001
    Chester County, PA
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Argentina
    Don't forget NYCFC.
     
  5. #30 falcon6, May 24, 2016
    Last edited: May 24, 2016
    Hardly. Seattle, Atlanta, NYCFC and Vancouver are the same thing as NE. Those other teams don't get the same heat that NE does just because they draw big crowds all the time. It doesn't make their stadiums any less suited for soccer then Gillette.
     
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  6. okcomputer

    okcomputer Member

    Jun 25, 2003
    dc
    I live in SW DC like 6 blocks from where the stadium will be. The area where the stadium will be has a tiny footprint but I think that will make it a really cool experience. It will blend right into the surrounding city blocks much like you see with the smaller stadiums in European cities. The small size too should make it really loud and provide great atmosphere.
     
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  7. TOareaFan

    TOareaFan Member+

    Jun 19, 2008
    Greater Toronto Area
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    I think you meant "more suited"....and I think situations/attendance do matter......Yankee stadium is obviously not suitable for soccer, some of those sightlines look terrible....Seattle, though, shows that just because a stadium is a huge NFL stadium does not itself make it unsuitable, the crowds they draw create a great environment for the sport and it would be hard to say it does not "work" there....Vancouver has "shrunk" their stadium to suitability and it kinda works......jury is, obviously, out on Atlanta on how it will work there (will it be Seattle where the big crowds make it work or will it be Vancouver where they can shrink the stadium somehow to make it work or will it be NE where decent crowds are overshadowed by the vast areas of tarpped off seats that just look bad)......

    ...so (to me) a big part of why NE seems "off" is that they don't get big enough crowds to look like Seattle and they have not found a better way of shrinking the stadium.
     
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  8. ah the turf issue.
     
  9. fairfax4dc

    fairfax4dc Member+

    Dec 5, 2008
    Fairfax, Va
    I agree. Although the immediate area surrounding the DC stadium is a little desolate now (except for the National Defense University and Fort McNair, which aren't exactly party spots), there's no reason to believe that it won't fill in with mixed use development, including a good watering hole or two. Nats Stadium is just three long blocks away and that area is developing rapidly.

    Anyone from LA and Minnesota who can talk about what those stadium settings are like?
     
  10. TOareaFan

    TOareaFan Member+

    Jun 19, 2008
    Greater Toronto Area
    Club:
    Toronto FC
    Nat'l Team:
    Canada
    if turf is the issue, would not Portland have been on the list too?
     
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  11. fairfax4dc

    fairfax4dc Member+

    Dec 5, 2008
    Fairfax, Va
    Tell me Minnesota doesn't really look like this. No way I'd enter that brave new world.

    [​IMG]
    The
     
  12. okcomputer

    okcomputer Member

    Jun 25, 2003
    dc
    Im sure it will. The southwest waterfront is being rapidly redeveloped.
     
  13. adam tash

    adam tash Member+

    Jul 12, 2013
    Barcelona, Spain
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    mls' business model doesnt depend, or even prioritze, ticket sale revenues to fund its teams' payrolls/league profits the way that it used to.

    looking forward, its all about tv contracts. a jam packed smaller venue plays better on tv....and a 20k vs 26k venue doesnt really differ in tv terms. i reckon they'd rather have more gauranteed in-demand events/sellouts than a few extra k spectators in the arena.


    which makes it extra weird (beyond just, you know, the whole "salary cap" idea thingy) how comparative spending on mls rosters is so uneven now...20+mil vs 3-4 mil for some teams.

    im guessing once tv revenue goes up....those disparities will disappear....and they shouldnt exist now, imo.
     
  14. fairfax4dc

    fairfax4dc Member+

    Dec 5, 2008
    Fairfax, Va
    I'm not so sure that 26K is too small for Orlando. It's great that they are drawing 30K+, but with the notable exception of Seattle, no one else has been able to keep that up. I've got to believe that when the novelty wears off, especially if the team doesn't win, attendance will slide some. That said, it appears that the new Orlando stadium will be one of the premier venues in MLS, and I don't doubt Orlando supporters' ability make full use of it.
     
  15. Honore de Ballsac

    Oct 28, 2005
    France.
    This is gonna be my favorite thread for a couple years.
     
  16. Honore de Ballsac

    Oct 28, 2005
    France.
    Bubba? Bubba! Speak to me!! NOOOO!!!
     
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  17. Zoidberg

    Zoidberg Member+

    Jun 23, 2006
    Roofs, sound, amplifies.....oh my!
     
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  18. Boloni86

    Boloni86 Member+

    Jun 7, 2000
    Baltimore
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Gibraltar
    I used to live about one mile South of the MN stadium. The stadium is basically at an intersection of two major streets. Just walking distance to the South on Snelling Ave. you start to enter Selby/Summit area which is the trendiest residential area in St. Paul. About a 3 mile bus ride West on University Ave. you get to the massive University of Minnesota campus and neighborhood which is just over the city line in Minneapolis. About 1-2 miles to the East on University Ave. you get to State Capitol which is the northern edge of downtown St. Paul. Light rail connects the two downtowns right along University Ave., which runs parallel to I94 which again connects the 2 downtowns.

    That stretch of University Ave is not exactly trendy. The immediate neighborhood is diverse and lower income. But I also wouldn't call it blighted. Lots of businesses along University Ave. although the sort you expect in a modest neighborhood like fast food, check cashing, liquor stores etc ... But also some really good ethnic restaurants/grocery stores ... Hmong, Somali, Mexican ... The intersection itself is very busy with lots of foot traffic and 2 private universities in within a few blocks (Concordia U and Hamline U). It's also just a couple of blocks from the state fairgrounds which hosts one of the biggest state fairs in the country for two weeks in late summer. If a game falls on a state fair day you can really make a day of it ...
     
  19. GVPATS77

    GVPATS77 Member+

    Aug 18, 2008
    Fullerton, CA
    To be fair, you'd have to throw Seattle and Atlanta into that same category. Secondary tenets in an NFL stadium. NYCFC is a secondary tenet in an MLB stadium.
     
  20. Bubba1971

    Bubba1971 Member+

    Nov 12, 2010
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    In the case of NYCFC I agree, since they've stated that they're looking for a new stadium and Yankee Stadium is clearly not a dual use stadium. But Seattle and Atlanta are in stadiums that we're designed from the ground up to accommodate soccer as a second tenant, not to mention their superior location.

    Maybe I shouldn't have said "only" New England, but they are clearly in the worst situation in MLS stadium-wise.
     
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  21. Elninho

    Elninho Member+

    Sacramento Republic FC
    United States
    Oct 30, 2000
    Sacramento, CA
    Club:
    Los Angeles Galaxy
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    As of now, it's also designed to be expandable to 25k.

    By the way, even at 22k it would be the largest stadium of any kind with an 80-mile radius of Sacramento.
     
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  22. holiday

    holiday Member+

    Oct 16, 2007
    why stop there... if you project a straight line toward the moon it's the largest stadium within thousands and thousands of miles. :)
     
  23. NeilB

    NeilB Member

    Mar 17, 2000
    Mount Kisco, NY
    Until 2040 when Moon Unit Zappa join the league.
     
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  24. Bluecat82

    Bluecat82 Member+

    Feb 24, 1999
    Minneapolis, MN
    Club:
    Minnesota United FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe you should send that idea to the Krafts. :whistling:

    Or NYCFC. :sneaky:

    Heck, if Governor Dayton decides to veto the bill, I'll forward the idea to Dr. McGuire...:rolleyes:
     
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  25. fairfax4dc

    fairfax4dc Member+

    Dec 5, 2008
    Fairfax, Va
    Thanks for the description. Sounds like an ideal location for a Twin Cities stadium. New Minnesota stadium drawings released. I'm having trouble copying the link - it's in the Minnesota Stadium thread. Serious stadium p*orn! I love it all expect for the big UNITED letters out front. As a DC United fan I'll just have to swallow hard and get used it.
     

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