OT: Gooooooal!! The Association Football Thread #124 - USMNT, PL, MLS, etc.

[Burner Account]

Eurosnob: I don't watch MLS because it's ****e mate.

Same Eurosnob: I don't watch MLS because they are signing the best American players to improve the league's quality and hurting the national team (and don't ask me how players from every significant CONCACAF team fill MLS rosters and are good enough to beat the US.).

 

[Satans Hockey]

Again: he has been doing stuff to undermine and wreck the market since he bought the team. He bought them so he could get a team cheaper than expansion and then move them.

He bought the team around mid 2013 so in his full seasons of owning the team they made the playoffs in 14, 15 and this year. They made the MLS cup final in 2015 and may finish 2nd in the Eastern conference this year. He also changed the logo from that awful village people logo to a really nice one so despite whatever he was doing behind the scenes the team has been actually pretty good and nobody is showing up to see it.

 

[sabremike]

Most people in Columbus couldn't watch the team's games because they were on a network nobody got. That's... problematic.

 

[Satans Hockey]

Most people in Columbus couldn't watch the team's games because they were on a network nobody got. That's... problematic.

This apparently was fixed before last season even began, got any other excuses?

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2016/02/26/0225-crew-tv.html

The deal replaces a maligned, two-year agreement with Time Warner Cable that limited viewership to those with access to TWC SportsChannel.

“This was more than I was expecting, and it’s great because it was the biggest complaint that we had,” said Ben Hoelzel, vice president of the Crew Supporters Union, the club’s biggest organized fan group. “The team has done so many things right (since owner Anthony Precourt purchased the team in 2013), but it almost didn’t matter because this was hanging over their heads.

 

[sabremike]

You realize you are using the exact same terms and arguments that rags knuckle draggers used to use to say the Devils should move? They were wrong then, you are wrong now. And I should note they sold out the playoff games in their run to the cup final in 2015, so people there will show up. This past season they were dreck until they caught fire late. Saw their last home game and it looked packed.

 

[Satans Hockey]

You realize you are using the exact same terms and arguments that rags knuckle draggers used to use to say the Devils should move? They were wrong then, you are wrong now. And I should note they sold out the playoff games in their run to the cup final in 2015, so people there will show up. This past season they were dreck until they caught fire late. Saw their last home game and it looked packed.

Our attendance isn't as half as bad as the Crew even when we suck and we haven't had a team that's been good as them either in recent years, you were just making up stuff to use as facts but hey whatever floats your boat.

 

[sabremike]

Our attendance isn't as half as bad as the Crew even when we suck and we haven't had a team that's been good as them either in recent years, you were just making up stuff to use as facts but hey whatever floats your boat.

Was referring to the period when the Devils won the first cup.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I'm sayin' it's a savvy business move:

Austin > Columbus by about 10% population

Austin median family income = $54,100
Columbus median family income = $47,400

Austin = 3% unemployment
Columbus = 3.5% unemployment

Austin = 35.0% Hispanic
Columbus = 2.5% Hispanic

 

[Satans Hockey]

Was referring to the period when the Devils won the first cup.

Our crowds were never that bad, especially during the playoffs, it's always been a nonsense excuse from Rangers fans.

Here's a picture from kickoff from their last home game...

 

[sabremike]

But I could also point out MLS has 2 teams in Texas and they are both in the bottom part of the league attendance wise.

Our crowds were never that bad, especially during the playoffs, it's always been a nonsense excuse from Rangers fans.

Here's a picture from kickoff from their last game...

I could show a kickoff picture of just about every MLS match in the history of the league and it would look like this so that's very misleading. I saw the match and it absolutely filled up.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I'm sayin' it's a savvy business move:

Austin > Columbus by about 10% population

Austin median family income = $54,100
Columbus median family income = $47,400

Austin = 3% unemployment
Columbus = 3.5% unemployment

Austin = 35.0% Hispanic
Columbus = 2.5% Hispanic

It's still a big gamble, Dallas and Houston don't draw good crowds either, I don't think anything changes here I'm Austin unless they get a stadium downtown which seems unlikely as well. I think San Antonio would be a better choice if you had to give Texas a 3rd team which I wouldn't have. I also wouldn't have added a 2nd Los Angeles team but they are doing that as well so who knows.

 

[NJDevs26]

Columbus/Ohio is a hotbed of US soccer fans though judging by all the WC qualifier games they get, there's no reason other than neglect that they can't have a successful MLS franchise.

And yeah a third MLS team in Texas seems a bit unwieldy, but the glass houses argument applies here.

 

[sabremike]

They have to have the stadium lined up in Austin otherwise the league will block it. It's a league requirement that new teams/markets have to have their own stadiums.(this does not apply only if you hand the league a bagfull of blood money like CFG did).

 

[Satans Hockey]

I could show a kickoff picture of just about every MLS match in the history of the league and it would look like this so that's very misleading. I saw the match and it absolutely filled up.

Did they leave early for a playoff spot clincher too?

 

[sabremike]

Did they leave early for a playoff spot clincher too?

Again watching in the 60th minute it looked full on TV. It's definitely possible people left early up 2-0 thinking the game was in the bag. The fact that you seem to be glad fans are going to lose their team really bothers me. I wouldn't even wish this on the scum fans because I've been through it myself.

 

[NJDevs26]

Maybe just MLS. I dont know of any other league where an owner could just, "See YA peeps, I'm OUT!" and leave tomorrow.

That's also what I don't get. Why would MLS just allow an owner to up and move a club without an approval vote from the other owners?

 

[Satans Hockey]

Again watching in the 60th minute it looked full on TV. It's definitely possible people left early up 2-0 thinking the game was in the bag. The fact that you seem to be glad fans are going to lose their team really bothers me. I wouldn't even wish this on the scum fans because I've been through it myself.

I don't care if they keep or lose their team.

 

[BenedictGomez]

I think San Antonio would be a better choice if you had to give Texas a 3rd team which I wouldn't have.

It's close though. The distance from my house to Newark is about the distance from Austin to San Antonio.

 

[Satans Hockey]

It's close though. The distance from my house to Newark is about the distance from Austin to San Antonio.

They have a better core group of fans to start from though, they average around 6k in their 8k soccer specific stadium for their team that plays in the USL.

 

[sabremike]

I'm not going to waste any more time arguing it but anyone who wants the facts on the Crew to Austin story needs to Google the original article in the Columbus Dispatch. Lots of very interesting stuff in that.

 

[njdevil26]

This argument really isn't about the Crew fanbase being good or large or anything like that. This is about the tricks this guy played since the beginning.

He bought the team for 65 ish million because it was WAY cheaper than the expansion fees he would have to pay. The tv deal was just another strange thing about it. The city of Columbus along with several businesses in the city offered to pump money into the franchise and to have ownership stakes and the guy refused to negotiate. The city started talks with him about a new stadium which they were willing to fund about half of... and he wasn't "engaged" in the talks. Now there are MLS to Austin website/social media accounts owned by this guy's sports group. If he was "posturing" for a new stadium deal like the Oilers did and like the Flames are currently doing, he wouldn't have been making deals in Austin in private for the past year or two.

Maybe the Columbus fanbase isn't great... but who are we to talk? Websites will tell you the Red Bulls averaged about 19-21k fans per game which is complete crap. Sometimes they would announce a crowd of 19k and there wouldn't be more than 12k in the building. They buy up their own tickets so they look "sold" and dump them on Seat Geek for cheaper. They do it for every game to fudge the numbers.

Garber is complicit because he wants Columbus gone to pave the way for a Cincinnati team which will probably do pretty well. Austin is intriguing because of how much it's growing... but at the same time Dallas and Houston can't get people in their buildings.

The Columbus fans that do exist are being absolutely screwed over. No question about it. I actually feel bad for them.

 

[njdevil26]

Also, I am reading a statement on Twitter from someone on the supporters advisory board stating that they discovered that Precourt's agreement to purchase the team has a specific "out clause" for Austin.

Ticket sales and merchandise sales are up this year.

 

[Satans Hockey]

I keep seeing people post about the tv deal but that was in place before he got there and he actually fixed it before the 2016 season.

http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/sports/2016/02/26/0225-crew-tv.html

 

[sabremike]

Today the ESC accomplishes what Magneto, nature and government neglect couldn't: tear down RFK!!! I'd also like to note that the scum are holding a postgame adoption drive for all the soon to be homeless raccoons. Their compassion is to be applauded.

 

[sabremike]

Today was only marred by an idiot who lit a flare in the section (one of the wooden seats caught fire) and to compound the stupidity threw it over the railing onto people below. I hope they ID the guy and send him to prison. And I'll give you 3 guesses as to which group was responsible.