USA - Mexico in Seattle or Salt Lake?

Discussion in 'USA Men: Fans & Travel' started by metroflip73, Dec 11, 2008.

  1. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    F*ck that Tradition!
     
  2. ThePebble

    ThePebble New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    Why?
     
  3. ussoccer_fan

    ussoccer_fan New Member

    Oct 28, 2008
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    damn guys, this starting to sound like a war zone!!!
     
  4. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    This is by far the biggest game on US soil and it happens only once every 4 years.

    It's bullshit that it's dedicated to the east coast.
     
  5. REVS FAN 1

    REVS FAN 1 Member

    Jul 2, 2004
    Weymouth, MA
    Club:
    New England Revolution
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I cannot wait until the USSF announces that the match will be in Columbus as usual...I wonder how much whining we'll hear from the SLC site supporters about "the one that got away"?

    And I wonder how many of those supporters will travel to Columbus?

    In my admittedly biased opinion;)....We'll hear more whining from the "westies" than we've heard from the "easties" AND there will be less travelling support from the "westies" to Columbus as there would have been from the "easties" to SLC..


    After having said all of that....Aren't we supposed to be a UNITED supporters group? In the words of Rodney King...."Can't we all just get along?" :p


    :D
     
  6. ThePebble

    ThePebble New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    You mean that you don't like the game is routinely played within driving distance for the largest amount of people possible?

    The game isn't being held in NYC. It is held far west enough. Within a 10-drive, no other location gives nearly as many people a chance to attend.

    I'm sorry that this reality eludes you.
     
  7. vflkirwan

    vflkirwan Member

    Mar 28, 2000
    North Jersey
    Club:
    New Jersey
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I would argue that Columbus, Ohio is not East Coast - It is more midwest to me.

    The US has not played a WCQ in the New York/New Jersey area in god knows how long. Is that bullsh!t too? I don't think it is.

    There are good locations to play WCQs. Columbus is one of them and they have done a great job with the past two US-Mexico games. I would feel the same regardless of where I live.

    To prove that point I thought that after the success of the 97 US vs Costa Rica game in the Pacific Northwest, that is should have always been held up there. The white out was great and I would have looked forward to going there for that game.
     
  8. 3.2's

    3.2's Member

    Oct 22, 2007
    SL,UT
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    the united states has never had much of a history of tradition. almost all major sporting events, conventions, etc. like to rotate where they are held. that is what is great about this country, and most people like things to be held at differnet venues in different places because we have so many great options no matter what you are looking for. the only thing i can think of that is "a tradition like no other" is the masters, but its just a golf tournament. even the college bowl games have lost some of their tradition with the advent of the BCS.
     
  9. <sigh>

    By all means, let's fight over it. That will help against Mexico.
     
  10. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To be fair it's easier for you Easties to get to Rio Tinto than us Westies to get to CCS. Delta flys direct into SLC, Nobody files direct into CMH at least not according to expeidia from SFO. Stop over flights mid-winter are just asking for trouble.

    Also 30 minutes outside of Rio Tinto you're in some of the best snowboarding country in the world. 30 minutes outside of CCS and your just 30 minutes outside of Columbus.

    Don't fault Crew or RSL fans for a little whining. It would really suck to think you had this game locally, then have it snatched away.
     
  11. blech

    blech Member+

    Jun 24, 2002
    California
    Okay, but maybe the "tradition" is that games get rotated and you can't have a game against the same team during hex qualifiers more than twice in a row.

    As many have noted, Columbus hosted well, fans turned out, and the results speak for themselves. But, there remains no reason that the same can't happen in other locations, and in fact it has happened in other locations for other games in the past. And, one could argue that the only reason it didn't happen for other locations against Mexico in 2001 or in 2005 was that no one else got the chance.

    Sure, I'm biased to the extent that I'm on the west coast, but I like the notion that games are shared across the entirety of the country. And, if you buy into the concept of sharing the games, it's difficult (in my opinion) to say that we'll share some but not the most important one. Columbus may well get a different game, and I fully expect that 3 or 4 of the 5 games will be east of the Mississippi again, and that's fine and probably appropriate given the population breakdown. But count me as one who objects to any particular city being given the single most important game during every hex.

    (Now, if we could just get an official announcement, maybe everyone could move on and start making their plans).
     
  12. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It doesn't. I think the game should have been held in Columbus. It was, now it's time to move on.

    The rest of the country should be given a chance to easily attend as well.
     
  13. judodono

    judodono Member

    Jun 14, 2005
    Bay Area, Ca.
    Club:
    --other--
    what are the drinking (alcohol) laws in SLC?

    do they even serve alcohol?

    what time is last call?

    and will there be places where non-mormons can celebrate the win after the game?
     
  14. The only law I know of that's kind of "weird" is their (what amounts to) statewide cover charge. Don't know much about it, other than it's a little cash out of my pocket.

    Yes, they serve alcohol.

    Don't know last call.

    The last question is asked for every game. The answer is always the same: the local MLS SG(s) and AO/SA work together to arrange something and they announce it a few weeks before the match to help with hotel selection.

    As for my group, we're at Little America on S Main, between Port O Call and The Republican.
     
  15. ThePebble

    ThePebble New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    Traditions like the Lions and Cowboys on Thanksgiving haven't changed. Some traditions are good. Others can be updated.

    Things don't always need to change.


    There you go with the sighing again. I'm not sure your office would approve of that.

    The rest, well, means nothing in the grand scheme since our disagreements here do not corolate to the actual play on the field or the noise in the crowd.


    Is it?

    Looking at flights into and out of SLC for that weekend is not coming up with much good stuff for those of us in NYC. Much of the direct flights back east are all red eye flights.


    While I would enjoy snowboarding out there, it just isn't happening. People are going for the game and the atmosphere around the game. Almost nobody is going for the ability to see Salt Lake City.

    By this you mean that even less people should be given the game closer to where they live.

    It has become increasingly apparent that the only reason you are arguing this is for entirely selfish reasons.
     
  16. ussoccer_fan

    ussoccer_fan New Member

    Oct 28, 2008
    Los Angeles
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I believe there is a mexican supporter in here starting things up.........
     
  17. jamison

    jamison Member

    Sep 25, 2000
    NYC
    You rang? :D

    [​IMG]


    (yes, not your point, I know).

    I think history & tradition aren't exactly the right arguements to make here. To me, it's about jet lag & a full home end without 15k away supporters. Whichever one works best, just put it there & move on. If that's SLC that time, well, sh!t happens, just pack your bags & go.

    As to the east vs. west, the west does get tons of USMNT games, just that 2/3rds or more are in LA, and they are also largely meaningless friendlies to keep the HDC busy, it seems. So, the atmosphere might be lacking due to there being zero intensity to the annual Sweden friendly anyway, etc. Recently, the US played Cuba in a game that didn't really mean anything, but it was still a WCQ and it was Cuba, so we had tremendous support in RFK from Va./DC, NY, NE & other fans that made it out for that one. I haven't seen a west coast game with that atmosphere that I can recall in the last 4 years, though, I can recall the GC run at Foxboro where they got multiple games in a row incl. midweek, and it wasn't helpful to atmosphere either. There is a track record of good, loud support in the east, but, that's not SLC's fault.

    We thought this was funny when we were out there too....lurking right in the middle of the country, Utah is the North Korea of the United States. It has laws and myths that we think we know, but don't. We assume everyone from there is a crazy fanatic, and they aren't. There seems to be knowledge of it, without actual information about it. It was pretty funny.

    Anyway, a bunch of us NY'ers were there last month. Aside from bars, it is just like the rest of the country. You can buy beer lots of places, including grocery stores & gas stations, just like in the rest of America. There are liquor stores, including one about 2 blocks from the stadium's back (dirt) parking lot. Getting & drinking beer wasn't really a problem, and, we checked.

    I'll let a local explain the bar part.
     
  18. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    That example is debatable but irrelevant. US v Mexico in Columbus is not a tradition.
    I'd do this flight. NYC to SLC
    Not Salt Lake City ... Park City. Yes I expect significantly more red white and blue on the slopes than in the Mormon Tabernacle.
    There is no way you could infer that from the post you just quoted.
     
  19. ThePebble

    ThePebble New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    Which it could have been and seemed to be building towards. Why cut that out?

    I guess you missed my part about "red eye" flights.

    Being as the majority going will be forced into flying, I'm not so sure that this economy lends itself the extra surcharges that airlines smack you with for bringing a snowboard.

    No, not just the part I quoted but everything building to it. It doesn't take a genius to figure out someone's motives when their argument is built on name calling and an insistence of change for the sake of change.
     
  20. vflkirwan

    vflkirwan Member

    Mar 28, 2000
    North Jersey
    Club:
    New Jersey
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    No, that is just Pebble being Pebble. He likes to argue with everyone on everything until you are at the point you want to punch him in the face.

    And because he is your friend, you can't punch him.

    He's good at it! :D
     
  21. RSLKamasBranch

    Nov 2, 2005
    Alcohol shouldn't be an issue. The only significant drawback is that closing time is a little bit earlier, 1:30 as opposed to 2:00. But just like any city, find a friendly place and you might be able to keep on drinking at a bar past closing time.

    As for the bar thing, it's not a big deal at all. Most places that serve only liquor are "private clubs," and require a membership for admission. But membership is about 5 dollars, you can sign up at the door, and any member can bring guests. Many places don't actually care about the membership thing anyway, and are just doing it to satisfy state law. When I'm in SLC I just go up to the door with my group and say, "I am a member and these are my guests." This works most of the time (even if you show an out-of-state ID and have never set foot in the bar), and even if it doesn't, one person in the group just pays the 5 dollar membership fee and everybody else gets in as a guest.

    One time I even had a friend who said he wasn't a member, and the guy at the door basically wouldn't let him pay the membership fee--he kept reminding my friend that if he was a member he wouldn't have to pay, and then asking him if he was a member. After about the third time the bouncer asked him if he was a member so he didn't have to pay the fee, my friend said yes and walked right in (not the brightest).

    Yes, lots of people in the state choose not to consume alcohol. And yes, use of alcohol is a little bit more regulated than, say, NYC (but isn't that also true in Columbus?). But the make-up of SLC is a little bit different than the rest of Utah (look at the last election results and you might be surprised).

    I'll stay out of the overall debate, but of the many reasons that might support keeping the game in Columbus, worrying about alcohol consumption isn't one of them.
     
  22. FUAEG

    FUAEG Member+

    Oct 18, 2005
    San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I haven't call anybody a name. And I've been clear of my bias in previous posts.

    But the statement
    Is a righteous statement and doesn't show bias.

    Do the redeye with that guy. That could be fun. If not expedia says that half (3) of the non-stops back to JFK aren't redeyes and there's a couple more if you go into Newark. Like I said, Its MUCH easier to do SLC from NY than to do CMH from SFO.
     
  23. ThePebble

    ThePebble New Member

    Jun 1, 2005
    There is nothing righteous in your statement.

    I'll be a little more clear: I hate red eye flights.
     
  24. josh24601

    josh24601 New Member

    Dec 23, 2007
    If you are bored like me call US Soccer and tell them that their incompetence in choosing a venue is going to prevent a lot of fans from traveling and that they shouldn't be surprised when the stadium is packed with green and red.

    (312) 808-1300
     
  25. judodono

    judodono Member

    Jun 14, 2005
    Bay Area, Ca.
    Club:
    --other--
    exactly. but i was thinking more like, Saudi Arabia..
     

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