30K Mexican fans whistling and jeering an MLS match on National TV. That would be interesting, I guess. I think the double header might not happen.
MetroStars fans will be happy, but I wonder if this might have been a chance to stage a match that means something in an MLS hopeful city like Houston, Cleveland, one of the Oklahoma towns, Portland or Seattle. If they draw well then I guess its moot, but it's hard to imagine there will be much of a crowd for this.
Wasn't this done in New Orleans (a cup semifinal double header, I think), and was a terrible failure? And San Diego's all-star game was kind of a bust. It's a nice thought, but pretty much an undeveloped hypothetical, and saying it's a shame that your offhand proposal wasn't adopted is kind of weird.
It's the lease with Giants Stadium that's practically bankrupting MLS. It's on dangerous, ugly turf (don't give me the BS about "new and improved"--Rimando's injury ain't gonna happen on grass). It's in cavernous, old, ugly car-vandalizing-in-the-parking-lot-every-game Giants Stadium on a Wednesday night. And USOC wants to pay them some MORE money to rent the old bitch out. Why not just have it at Rutgers? They won't get any more people than that for a midweek, short-notice event anyway. Every time we even begin to think logic might be at work in the USSF....
http://www.northjersey.com/page.php...3dnFlZUVFeXk2JmZnYmVsN2Y3dnFlZUVFeXk2NDM1MzQz this link will not take you to the story,so i posted it here, Tuesday, October 7, 2003 By IVES GALARCEP HERALD NEWS The Chicago Fire front office already had planned everything. The night would be a soccer fan's dream of a tripleheader. A match between Mexico and Uruguay, a testimonial match for Fire legend Peter Nowak, and kicking the night off would be the U.S. Open Cup final. The Fire was ready to take the country's oldest soccer tournament and make it an afterthought, an opening act rather than the main event the Open Cup final deserves to be. The U.S. Soccer Federation thought better of that idea and, to the delight of New Jersey and New York soccer fans, awarded the U.S. Open Cup final to Giants Stadium. The game is Oct. 15. The decision ruined Chicago's plans, and gave MetroStars fans hope of seeing the franchise win its first championship in person. Whether it was the USSF's decision, or the influence of a television network, it was the right thing to do. Chicago fans will argue that the final would have been better off at the remodeled Soldier Field, where the Windy City's passionate soccer fans would have most certainly come out in full force. Apparently the USSF should have ignored that Chicago already played host to the Open Cup final twice in the past five years (1998 and 2000). More fans would have been at Soldier Field this year, but more of them would have been there to watch Mexico than see a 90-year-old tournament that doesn't receive anywhere near the respect it deserves. Sources say the plan was to have the U.S. Open Cup final open the tripleheader with Mexico-Uruguay to follow. Having this country's most prestigious soccer tournament open for a Mexico friendly would have been an embarrassment. What would be next, U.S. World Cup qualifiers in doubleheaders with Chivas de Guadalajara? By giving the MetroStars the chance to hold the Open Cup final, the USSF is rewarding a fan base that hasn't had much to celebrate over the years. It will also allow MetroStars fans to show the kind of numbers that justify the potential building of a new stadium in Harrison. Whether Giants Stadium draws 20,000 or 2,000 when the MetroStars face Chicago in the final, the event will be a success because a new group of fans will get to experience a Cup final, a final that will get the treatment it deserves.
1. There would have been plenty of Fire fans there to watch the USOC at the new SF 2. The only reason the Metros got the final is because of FSW. Not because of their fans or any other reason than FSW 3. The USSF is going to kick themselves once they find out how much money they lost on the final.
No, it's just fact. This 'doomsday scenario' popular with some here and apparently with Ives simply would not have happened. The decision was made by tv only. If it had simply been made because we've hosted twice before I'd have been fine with that, but that did not affect the decision making process at all.
All I know is if it were any other team in the final against the Metros at GS those supporters would still call it a lousy deal. The rest of us just can't catch a break, now can we?