Woo-Hoo!

sounderfan · Jul 8, 2005

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/2002368142_judd08.html

Official attendance, which usually tends to be optimistic, was initially announced as 10,616. Press-box managers, receiving, uh, updated information, later revised it to 15,831.

Either way, more people have paid good money in this town to watch Lauren Jackson puff herself into shape at KeyArena.

Isn't this supposed to be a soccer town?

Maybe everybody was stuck on the Viaduct. Maybe they were home watching Portland's Natefest — or worse, competitive poker — on cable. Maybe they simply can't work up the gumption to drop $20 to $65 on a pair of soccer games whose ultimate meaning, to steal a soccer term, is close to nil.

Still, where was the cadre of Puget Sound fans who still find themselves, from time to time, daydreaming about Tommy Hutchinson tearing up the left wing on that nasty old AstroTurf in the Kingdome?

If soccer is, as legend has it, part of the lifeblood of recreational sport in this town, where were the faithful last night?

Maybe they're all coming tomorrow, when the U.S. takes on Canada. Maybe not.

Either way, Act 1 was a letdown, both on the field, where the U.S. struggled before finally powering past badly outmanned Cuba, and off.
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sounderfan · Jul 8, 2005

From the same article, and more specifically about MLS expansion:

You look at the crowd — assorted clusters might be more accurate — at Paul Allen's playground last night and start to wonder: MLS franchise? Here?

Not in this stadium.

It's been observed that the MLS teams making a go of it these days usually play in stadiums designed specifically for the game. Just as they do for baseball and football, single-use soccer stadiums make the building fit the crowd, creating an environment people want to be in, no matter where the team sits in the standings. They also allow the owners to keep all that vital parking and concession money.

In Seattle, suffering from a chronic — and justified — case of pro-sports-facility acid reflux, a new, in-city soccer barn is about as likely as a competitive thunderboat race. The only way it makes sense is for Allen to own it himself, as an offseason stadium filler.

He hasn't exactly beaten down the door at MLS headquarters. And let's face it: Allen of all people knows that crowds of 10,000 at Qwest Field don't look good.

Which leads to one troubling conclusion: In the world of local soccer, matches like this might be as good as it ever gets.
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SoccerPrime · Jul 8, 2005

Not quite the glaring example of support for Seattle MLS like we were hoping for.

P1brit · Jul 9, 2005

They way I look at it lots of people are not prepaired to pay attention to a second rate product.

I look at RSL, sure they don't have to compete with MLB, but they roll into town are everyone takes notice, people in utah know who they are. Can the same be said for Seatle? Face it the Sounder are a minor league team in a minority sport in a big market where fans have high standards, not exactly a formula to set the house on fire.

I wouldn't look at the USL-1 attendance a a predictor of what an MLS team would get, its not exactly a linear equation.

GMan Eric · Jul 10, 2005

Gold Cup draws flies just about everywhere, unless US-Mex are playing.

Billibong · Jul 11, 2005

I heard Portland wants to put in a team. Does anyone know about this?