The Other Sports Thread (Titans, Vols, Dores, etc) - Part V

[jumb0]

Im confused. Was yesterdays game a friendly? or part of a tournament other than the WC Qualifier?

This is the Gold Cup. Which is every two years and only features teams from CONCACAF (North and Central America).

We aren't playing our best guys primarily because of level of competition, but also as a way to give these guys a chance to compete for the last few spots on the 2018 World Cup roster.


We get back to World Cup qualifying in September and that's when you'll see Dempsey, Pulisic, Bradley et al back in the lineup.

 

[token grinder]

While I know very little about the city I'm about to reference, I can see Nashville's MLS culture being a lot like, say, Kansas City. Similarly sized, crazy fan base, not generally thought of as a soccer market but they have no problem with it and it's a good fit there and always has been. They're around middle of the league in attendance which is perfectly fine for a city of that size. I see similarities.

As a Royals and SKC guy, I am fine with that.

 

[token grinder]

We honestly shouldn't lose a WCQ from here on out. Costa Rica smoked us, but that was in CR with Klinnsman. Trinidad & Tobago and Honduras should be Ws. Panama and Costa Rica will be tougher, but those are both at home.

Getting Road points will be key. It is hard to win on the gravel parking lots some of them call fields.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Getting Road points will be key. It is hard to win on the gravel parking lots some of them call fields.

Honestly, we probably don't even need a road win. We may not even need a road point.

Panama still has @ Mexico, @ USA and vs Costa Rica the top 3 teams in the group.

We have vs Costa Rica, @ Honduras, vs Panama, @ T&T. At most we should only need a point vs T&T as long as we win our home games. That would get us to 15 points and that should be 3rd but would be no worse than 4th which would get us to the playoff against AFC.

 

[predfan98]

There's not a straight shot from any interstate, but it's right in the middle of 24, 65 and 440. I think a lot of people would be (wrong IMO) more wary of that area of town than they would be of the drive.

Ok, what is the deal with Nissan, and the lease? Can soccer ever be played there? Do we need another stadium and what kind of capacity for soccer?
Is vandy an option?

I don't know anything about what's needed.

 

[Preds Partisan]

Ok, what is the deal with Nissan, and the lease? Can soccer ever be played there? Do we need another stadium and what kind of capacity for soccer?
Is vandy an option?

I don't know anything about what's needed.

MLS is requiring a soccer specific stadium for expansion applications. Love it or hate it, those are the requirements they have set forth.

 

[Drake744]

MLS is requiring a soccer specific stadium for expansion applications. Love it or hate it, those are the requirements they have set forth.

Did Atlanta United get an exemption from this because they'll be moving into the new Falcons stadium when it opens. How strange is it that they lead MLS in attendance by the way?

I know Seattle plays where the Seahawks do but they regularly average 40k+ so MLS leaves them alone. (My team by the way. Go Rave Green!)

 

[predfan98]

MLS is requiring a soccer specific stadium for expansion applications. Love it or hate it, those are the requirements they have set forth.

Thanks, didn't realize that.
Don't know enough about soccer or turf or season or why, but it seems stupid to have the city pay for Nissan and it be empty 90% of year, and it seems stupid for MLS for the same.
Just seems like a waste of useable space. Seems like multipurpose would be better for a lot of reasons.

 

[Viqsi]

Did Atlanta United get an exemption from this because they'll be moving into the new Falcons stadium when it opens. How strange is it that they lead MLS in attendance by the way?

Less "strange" and more "beautiful", because those nitwits in Seattle can no longer claim supremacy.

 

[Drake744]

Less "strange" and more "beautiful", because those nitwits in Seattle can no longer claim supremacy.

Hey now. Sigi is gone, you can officially slow your roll.

 

[Preds Partisan]

Did Atlanta United get an exemption from this because they'll be moving into the new Falcons stadium when it opens. How strange is it that they lead MLS in attendance by the way?

I know Seattle plays where the Seahawks do but they regularly average 40k+ so MLS leaves them alone. (My team by the way. Go Rave Green!)

The soccer specific stadium rules are for this round of expansion so existing teams wouldn't be impacted by these requirements.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

Ok, what is the deal with Nissan, and the lease? Can soccer ever be played there? Do we need another stadium and what kind of capacity for soccer?
Is vandy an option?

I don't know anything about what's needed.

The proposed MLS stadium would also be home to Vandy football from what I have heard.

 

[Drake744]

The proposed MLS stadium would also be home to Vandy football from what I have heard.

I've...uh....heard rumblings about that and firmly believe that would kill what's left of the little stadium experience Vandy football has. Disaster waiting to happen. Students won't even walk to the stadium from across the street for their 11am kickoffs, much less drive to the fairgrounds. Tailgating for the fans driving in would also likely suck.

For all the **** Vandy football gets, I actually like the tailgating atmosphere there considering the size of the school and fanbase. It's a really nice campus and it's fun to hang out there for games. Moving that would be stupid. Temporary home while the real stadium gets renovated? Maybe. Full time move? Redonkulous.

I think the biggest potential secondary benefit of an MLS stadium would be a new up-to-date venue for music that's bigger than Ascend but downsized from Nissan Stadium.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

I've...uh....heard rumblings about that and firmly believe that would kill what's left of the little stadium experience Vandy football has. Disaster waiting to happen. Students won't even walk to the stadium from across the street for their 11am kickoffs, much less drive to the fairgrounds. Tailgating for the fans driving in would also likely suck.

For all the **** Vandy football gets, I actually like the tailgating atmosphere there considering the size of the school and fanbase. It's a really nice campus and it's fun to hang out there for games. Moving that would be stupid. Temporary home while the real stadium gets renovated? Maybe. Full time move? Redonkulous.

Vandy's stadium isn't fit for highschool football. No character, has about 4 total bathrooms and concessions are a mess. They try and cram 40k people into a stadium that can only comofortably accommodate 25k. This is coming from someone who is well aware how bad UT's concession situation is.

 

[jumb0]

Is vandy an option?

I don't see how Vandy could support the size of a soccer field. Atlanta United is currently playing at Bobby Dodd and as far as I know they aren't playing on a full length soccer field. Because of the dimensions of BD the field is smaller.

 

[Drake744]

Vandy's stadium isn't fit for highschool football. No character, has about 4 total bathrooms and concessions are a mess. They try and cram 40k people into a stadium that can only comofortably accommodate 25k. This is coming from someone who is well aware how bad UT's concession situation is.

I was trying to stay clearly away from in-stadium experience. It sucks. I was talking about tailgating and atmosphere outside of the stadium. That said, moving off campus would still be a disaster.

 

[TitansVolsPreds615]

I was trying to stay clearly away from in-stadium experience. It sucks. I was talking about tailgating and atmosphere outside of the stadium. That said, moving off campus would still be a disaster.

I suppose but as you said, very few students are going to games as things stand now. Most of the Vandy fans are local residents who travel to the stadium for games. Assuming those same fans will travel to the new stadium, I think that is a net victory for the program. Nicer stadium, about the same number of fans. More may be enticed to go to games if it doesn't take a quarter to go take a ****.

 

[Legionnaire11]

Coming from the Boro, i'd be more inclined to attend a few Vandy games at the Fairgrounds as opposed to having to hit up 440 and dealing with West End. I mean, getting to Vandy isn't really the worst thing right now, but as someone who doesn't partake in any before or after on gameday (for all sports), the further from downtown, the better for me!

Of course, it's always much easier going to a Blue Raiders game, and they're a better team. But maybe i'm biased, they'll always be #1 for me.

 

[Drake744]

Coming from the Boro, i'd be more inclined to attend a few Vandy games at the Fairgrounds as opposed to having to hit up 440 and dealing with West End. I mean, getting to Vandy isn't really the worst thing right now, but as someone who doesn't partake in any before or after on gameday (for all sports), the further from downtown, the better for me!

Of course, it's always much easier going to a Blue Raiders game, and they're a better team. But maybe i'm biased, they'll always be #1 for me.

GO TOPS!

 

[Viqsi]

Hey now. Sigi is gone, you can officially slow your roll.

You think I haven't already done so?

 

[Enjoy i24 Traffic]

Moving Vandy games to the fairgrounds would be even dumber than putting the MLS stadium there.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Moving Vandy games to the fairgrounds would be even dumber than putting the MLS stadium there.

When Milwaukee was going for an MLS team 10 years, in a last ditch effort to bring a team a sports lawyer suggested a platform with a pitch that would roll onto the infield of the Milwaukee Mile racetrack after their preferred sites in the Third Ward, Menomonee Valley and Park East were all shut down by the city.

I honestly wanted to see just for how big of a disaster I think it would've been and somehow MLS officials endorsed the idea. So just remember, if you think your city officials have a bad idea or a stupid location for something, there's always something, somewhere that's infinitely worse than the idea your city had.

 

[predfan98]

I've...uh....heard rumblings about that and firmly believe that would kill what's left of the little stadium experience Vandy football has. Disaster waiting to happen. Students won't even walk to the stadium from across the street for their 11am kickoffs, much less drive to the fairgrounds. Tailgating for the fans driving in would also likely suck.

For all the **** Vandy football gets, I actually like the tailgating atmosphere there considering the size of the school and fanbase. It's a really nice campus and it's fun to hang out there for games. Moving that would be stupid. Temporary home while the real stadium gets renovated? Maybe. Full time move? Redonkulous.

I think the biggest potential secondary benefit of an MLS stadium would be a new up-to-date venue for music that's bigger than Ascend but downsized from Nissan Stadium.

Wow. It's been years since I've been to vandy football so haven't heard those rumblings but totally agree with you that it probably would be a disaster.

Tailgate experience, gone, going out to eat nearby, gone, safety, gone......at the fairgrounds.

One of the reasons Bridgestone and ascend etc are successful---safety and eating/bars experience. Same is true at present vandy football location.

Doesn't exist at the fairgrounds. Yes the area is changing, but it'll be years.

 

[sparkle twin]

I know that post said it was just a rumor, but, DON'T DO IT VANDERBILT! I can't believe Vandy would even consider moving their games to a stadium at the Fairgrounds. Even when they had a good team they didn't exactly have a huge student turnout.

An MLS stadium won't be ready for a couple of years so if Vandy was waiting for a temporary home to do renovations, why not just look into Nissan stadium so they could fix things now? Unless they did and the Titans said no, it would seem like Vandy is seeking a more permanent move.

When I was in college at Pitt I went from a stadium on campus to Heinz Field. They really lost a lot of the game-day atmosphere. It was so fun being on campus on game-days. I literally lived across a 2-lane street from the stadium. My dorm had a large plaza area and was between 4 frat houses and down the street from 4 others so there were always grills going, music playing, lots of people around hanging out playing games and getting ready for the game. Basically that's where most of the students/alumni and even the public would tailgate. The band would play on the plaza and in the quad early in the morning and wake up the students in the dorms/houses (wow, I literally just remembered that, I had forgotten all about that!). The Panther walk went past our building and down the street to the locker room.

At Heinz field the Panther walk is in the parking lot. Students take shuttles to games. There is a designated tailgate lot for students, but it's a good hike away from the stadium and under a freaking interstate overpass. It's just not the same as being on campus.

I lived in city that was obsessed with football. Even still, after the newness wore off there was a noticeable drop in the student attendance. They would come late and leave early. It was really bad. It's taken a while and a large effort to get students to finally be there on time and stay the whole game (a good team, coach, players help).

The on-campus stadium game-day atmosphere is special and it's a shame schools want to get rid of it. I just think this would be a big mistake for a school like Vanderbilt.

 

[Drake744]

I went to a mid-major football school with a stadium on campus and it's hard to imagine being a student with your team playing off of it. As far as Vandy goes, it's more on the level of mid-major than true SEC fandom so again, I think it would be stupid. A lot of people don't realize that South Carolina's stadium is off-campus but their fans and students are invested enough to not care so they deal with it.

I used to go to games in an off campus stadium but they didn't struggle with attendance. Last year in a bad season they averaged over 67,000. It's a historic stadium with a program that's usually successful so fans and students generally made the trip, even though the stadium is roughly 30 miles from the campus. A weird little thing with them is that their students don't start fall classes until towards the end of September so students are largely missing from the first few home games because they're simply not around.

Anyway, point is, Vandy doesn't have the pull IMO to be successful with an off-campus stadium unless it's just-off-the charts awesome.