Now that it appears Mexico and US are clearly going to advance, it's not too soon to start debating this... There are the places I am favoring right now: Columbus (Crew Stadium) Portland (PGE Park) Salt Lake City (new RSL Stadium) Bottom line is, there are going to be Mexico fans wherever we play. And I'm okay with that. I just do not want to see a situation where it is 80/20 Tri fans. I like the smaller venues, which are going to be need if we want to avoid giving Mexico a huge crowd advantage. Columbus has been great the last two times (I attended 2001 and 2005). And with the great luck we've had against Mexico there, I would be perfectly happy seeing them awarded with the game again. It was ages ago, but anyone remember how great the pro-US atmosphere was in Portland in 1997 for their Costa Rica qualifier? They are long overdue for another important US game and with the MLS expansion momentum and the success of the Timbers, they would be a worthy successor to Crew Stadium for the Mexico tilt. Salt Lake would be my third choice. They have the new stadium and a good season ticket base that would ensure that many US fans buy tickets before they hit the market and Mexico fans gobble them up. Where does everybody want to see this game played?
I'd say you have the right candidates. The date of the game will obviously impact the decision. I think it will probably be in Columbus again. I hope the crowd will be good again. I get the feeling the USSF will keep putting it in Columbus until Mexico either wins there or their fans outdo us there. If RSL racks up impressive season ticket numbers, I'd actually like to see it there. I think Portland has potential and should definitely host a match in the hex next year. The problem is the lack of season ticket holders and the size of the stadium. I think too many Mexican fans would get their hands on tickets at this point.
Gillette Stadium in Foxborough is the only other venue, I would add. 68,756 seats is a lot of tickets to sell there for a qualifier. Columbus has my vote.
Columbus. So I can hop on the interstate and be there in 3 hours. Portland and Salt Lake present a problem for me I bet the choices come down to Columbus and Salt Lake with Salt Lake having the edge since that stadium obviously hasn't hosted a game of that importance. I'm fine either way but selfishly I hope its Columbus as I will be there.
Los Angeles, no not the coliseum or rose bowl but THD center. Sell first to MLS season ticket holders in a lottery, then to Hollywood. Advantages 1. Dominate media in the media capital of the world for a week. (if scheduled in right time of year). 2. No other reason needed Disadvantages 1. One of the one thousand Chivas USA season ticket holders might get a ticket 2. If played anywhere else, the game will not even make the front page of the local sport rags or anywhere on the talk shows, AGAIN. The US will go through no matter how we do vs Mexico (same for them), getting 2 matches in difficult situations against Mexico in preparation for the big show is far better then one at Azteca and one in the middle of nowhere like Columbus. It is time to say to Mexico (and most others): anytime, anywhere!
Good morning to the beach on the left side. This is a home game, right? LA is probably the worst place to play the Mexicans. There have been some very unusual results in LA for our men's team vs Mexico and some Latin American sides. We want to have the "home field" advantage. There are nearly as many Mexicans in SoCal as there are in Mexico. Is this you, Sven? Hasta la vista, baby
Can someone please tell me why it should ever be anywhere other than Columbus?? Why do we have these threads every year?? While we're at it, why don't they hold the Masters at Pebble Beach next year?? Or how about the tennis US Open at the HDC??
If the US wants futbol to remain a niche sport, we should stay in niche cities like Columbus. Interesting you pick niche sports to compare to.
Anchorage, I understand that while there may be some Mexicans in Alaska they are not as numerous as in the continuous US
I think we should have the 5 World Cup Qualifiers at: Columbus - (Mexico) Portland - (Costa Rica) Salt Lake City - (maybe Honduras) Philadelphia or anywhere northeast - (maybe El Salvador) Houston or anywhere south/southeast - (Guatemala/T&T) HDC/California and Florida usually get Gold Cup games, so they don't need any World Cup Qualifiers.
It'll probably be in Columbus but what are we afraid of ? We'll win if we're the better team that day.
A game against Mexico should only be played in a stadium where tickets can first be sold to MLS season ticket holders through a carefully controlled presale. Thus, Portland is automatically ruled out. I agree that the Columbus's past of successfully creating a pro-US crowd, using the afore described ticketing process, makes them the clear first choice candidate for hosting the game.
Until Alaska has shown that it can bring out US fans in numbers, it shouldn't be considered as a potential site for a game against Mexico. We test the waters with a safe team like T&T, Panama or CR and see what happens first.
While I agree Columbus is the probable and logical choice, it doesn't necessarily mean it's the best. If RSL sells a huge number of season tickets, I think they'll be in a better position to provide a pro-US crowd. The Crew's season ticket numbers have dwindled since Crew Stadium opened. More Mexican fans found their way to the game the 2nd time Columbus hosted it.
Yes - If RSL sells lots of season tickets and the front office manages sales to them first, then that might be a good location. I'd go back to Salt Lake for a qualifier. But, don't believe that because we had a good pro US crowd for Costa Rica in Salt Lake City that guarantees we'd have the same for Mexico. The key to a pro US crowd for a Mexico game is proper handling of ticket sales.
I think he was joking about Alaska, Nancy. It will be a while before we seriously consider qualifiers there.
Haha. Alaska even if a joke, (which it obviously is and I laughed) is a very interesting choice. If we could get 10-20k fans then it could be an interesting choice. On a more serious note. How about Seattle? Its kinda sad to watch a WCQ game in a huge city like Chicago with a small crowd, I'm sure seattle would draw many more fans