Bye bye footy in the US

True Treble Reds

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At this rate, the MLS will be obsolete soon. The average sports fan in the US hasn't even had time to come around to 'soccer' yet and they are kicking two teams to touch already! :rolleyes:

MLS targets two Florida teams for contraction

[ESPN.com news services]

It appears Major League Baseball isn't the only league talking contraction.

Major League Soccer has decided to eliminate its two Florida teams -- the Miami Fusion and Tampa Bay Mutiny -- sources close to the league told The Washington Post on Thursday night.

Both the Mutiny -- one of the MLS' 10 original teams from the 1996 inaugural season -- and the Fusion -- a 1998 expansion franchise -- have been well below the average league attendance of 15,000 the last few years, the Post reported.

The MLS, which owns all of its teams, had talked about contraction the last two offseasons in an attempt to cut costs after losing more than $250 million, the Post reported. Colorado and Kansas City also had been mentioned as possible candidates for contraction.

A dispersal draft is expected to be held in the next few weeks, the Post reported, with several big-name players available, including league MVP Alex Pineda Chacon of Miami.
 
whats the answer then?

i cant believe somewhere as huge as the usa cant generate enough interest in the worlds most popular sport.
 
well, most americans only care when theyre winning ...
 
If they're contracting teams then it's probably to keep the league going in the long run.
 
Originally posted by Fergiesarmy:
<strong>whats the answer then?

i cant believe somewhere as huge as the usa cant generate enough interest in the worlds most popular sport.</strong><hr></blockquote>
The US TV sport watching generation has been brought up on 2½ - 3hr games saturated with commercials. Therefore, 'soccer' is not TV friendly here, niether is it at the stadium. The concept of concentrating for 45mins straight on a game is hard for the average American to grasp.

There's no money in it for the clubs because they can't attract sponsorship and the TV networks shy away because they can't sell commercial time to would be advertisers.

At youth level, the kids are great, but then they are shepherded into other sports were coaching, leagues, facilities and interest are higher. The skills they could develop in their formative years are thus extinguished and footy becomes a 'fun game' to play with their mates now and again.

I've given up hope of ever seeing the beautiful game take off over here. :( Not even the USA winning WC2002 would help imo. Team USA is just a quad annual event in the US unfortunately. That's why Track and Field doesn't get the coverage here either. The US, historically, has the biggest pool of athletic talent to choose from in the world yet only during the Olympics does anyone give a shit.

Basically, Basketball, (NFL)Football, Baseball and to a lesser extent, Ice Hockey have the bulk of TV and stadium audiences. You can quite easily go get a hot dog while attending these games at anytime and not miss owt because of all the breaks in play.
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Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>If they're contracting teams then it's probably to keep the league going in the long run.</strong><hr></blockquote>

Possibly, but I think it is a quickie way of losing less money. It takes the game away from the community in the city and thus quells the interest in the game.

I believe private ownership should be at least contemplated because while the league owns all the teams, no private money will be generated to attract better players and nurture the youth. College soccer is not on a par with football etc. so the kids tend to gravitate toward the other sports in order to get scholarships etc.
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cheers for that ttr

id be able to go and drop one during american sports! not that has its benefits

<img src="graemlins/devil.gif" border="0" alt="[Devil]" />
 
I wouldn't put too much stock in all of this. Afterall, Baseball is contracting two clubs as well and it's the most popular spectator sport here. Economics fuels these decisions in the end. If a club isn't making enough money to stay a float then it folds. In the case of MLS, the league is a single entity and as such makes decisions as to where to expand or contract. Miami losing their franchise would surprise me though, since there is a large latin population down there.
 
Originally posted by Raoul:
<strong>If a club isn't making enough money to stay a float then it folds.</strong><hr></blockquote>
In a round about way, that's kinda my point. The US sports watching public isn't given the chance to evolve footy wise. 92 English league clubs have been going for 'kin years! Not many, if any, fold. Even outside the football league there are plenty of clubs waiting to get in to Div' 3.

Anyway, I've argued these points over the past few years with friends 'til I'm blue in the face and it's got me nowhere :(

BBC America soccer show is starting .... back in 30.
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Without being offensive American sports just don't seem to get the passion that the rest of the world has for our beautiful game.

I know i'm preaching to the converted but how did you lads get your passion for United?

I know why the rest of the world loves football but Americans?

What's the story Yanks?
 
If anything, you would think they would want to keep the clubs in cities with large Latin American populations.
 
I was into German football from the late 70s to mid 80s (when I lived in Germany).I was a fan without a club until the mid 80s when I heavily got into New Order, which led me to Manchester to try and get a deal with Factory. That's when it all took off for me.
 
The sport is set up differently in the United States than in the home country. There is a vital and active "A" league system of individual clubs that does quite well. They are low level pros (mediocre sub-Division III probably) but occasionally one will knock off the MLS competition for the US Challenge Cup. The MLS, however, is a single business entity that sells "franchises," like the other American "major sports." I think one billionaire from Denver owns half the current franchises in the MLS. No matter how poorly a team does, it's still in the MLS.

The lack of a decent television contract and open hostility to the game by established sports media hasn't helped. Association football is in a unique quadry in the US in that it is a Johnny-come-lately to the American sporting conscience and must compete--at a distinct disadvantage, for the segment of the sporting public that supports team sports--i.e., "soccer" is viewed as trying to take fans away from American football, baseball, and basketball, so the established powers in those sports have added their influence to the anti-soccer fervor of the sports talk radio people and subtlely influenced sports television not to play the game up much.
 
I think that the bottom line for footy in the states is that tv networks don't make alot of money if they can't interject commercials every 7 minutes. This translates into less coverage, which in turn means less interest from perspective new fans.
 
I think you are all flogging a dead horse. I was pretty involved with coaching in California up to as high as you could go. I was at one stage hoping to coach full time after I was invited to take over the Semi-pro LA Heat. I turned down the post on the advice of Clyde Best who was a good friend and am glad I did.
There was no interest in developing the game to a professional level, it had all been tried before and had been given a bad name by the likes of Jimmy Hill and others who were only interested in trying to make a fast buck and not develop the game.
Even with the formation of the MLS I was a strong opponent to the setup and predicted demise from day one. I was approached at one stage to see if I was interested in some form of coaching within the system, I flatly refused, I will not compromise my feelings on the issues.
There is without doubt a huge pool of untapped talent in the US, but as has been written here it never bears fruit due to the pull of the traditional sports.
The system HAS to change as does the attitude of the media. They have to stop trying to re-invent the wheel, unfortunately that will never happen nor will the beatifull game.
 
Originally posted by ukbob:
<strong>I turned down the post on the advice of Clyde Best who was a good friend and am glad I did.</strong><hr></blockquote>

I know it's off the topic really but at the risk of giving away my age Clyde Best was at one of the first games that I went to,(1971) he actually scored as well but we still won.......Hurrah......... :) ..........
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Blame the lack of following for soccer (I mean football) to the media's constant criticism of the sport. They are relentless. I mean, SI printed that article by that asshole Frank Delaford (spelling) who basically said soccer is an unAmerican sport. Well, didn't American football develop from Rugby? Baseball similar to cricket? Basketball was played centuries ago by the Aztecs (Tolucan)...what an idiot.

If the media would get behind the sport, it could thrive here. America is the greatest marketing and biggest sports driven country on God's earth. Soccer could thrive here and I think the other sports empires know this. If the kids could develop past the age of 12 (when they are shooed into other sports cause of their speed or size), the US could become a dominant international power. The talent is here. But the rednecks and media personalities will not let it happen. How many times have you heard that some father doesn't want his son playing soccer? Instead, he wants him to play football, which according to his father, is a "man's sport."

The thing that hurts the MLS: the concept of the single entity league. This creates no contraversy by the signing of a star player or the mega trade between teams. The league disburses talent to teams as it sees it- whether to help stabilise a falling fan base or create parity. It sucks. I think the league needs to allow billionaire owners or corporations to purchase a franchise and let them run the team. Then set a salary cap of say $10M and let the owners run wild. You would see the owners attempt to purchase some stars. We would also see an increase in attendance and ratings if good players came here. This would then increase sponsorships and revenues. Soon the league would be operating in the black (producing profits). Then they could add new teams, charging a nice entry fee, and the league could evolve into a global force. Also we would see an increase in player salaries which would attract top players. MLS would be competing with Seria A, EPL, La Liga, and some of the other major division 1 leagues. It can happen cause the money and sports love is here in the US. The question is: will the media, and to a lesser extent the MLS adopting new rules, allow this to happen?
 
I have been suprised (Pleasantly) about how little MLS is shown here on the West Coast.

Instead of seeing Colorado Vs. NY Jets <img src="graemlins/houllier.gif" border="0" alt="[Houllier]" /> as I was expecting I have hardly seen one game on the television.

Instead FoxSportsWorld and ESPN decide to show European football - Why is this?

Shouldn't they first get the US Public involved with football by promoting the US Leagues?

Football is increasing here though, and my father thinks within ten years USA will be challenging for the World Cup <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" />
 
The only serious football interest here is the one that we bring with us when we come, There's no point trying to influence the yanks they just dont have what it takes to embrace the beautiful game, their are so many other interests here. Its not like when I was a kid growing up in Stretford the game was the only thing to look forward to so I guess its in our blood.
 
Some very good posts fellas. My simplistic view; the big three sports in the US, have it 'sown up', more or less. Until there is big money to be made in MLS, it won't get the choice athletes, and the stanard of the 'product' won't approach european or south american football-catch22. But soccer has a foothold, even in little hic towns across the US, they have a soccer field, kids are playing, and thats the first step, kids loving the game, playing lunch breaks, after school, if they get it in their blood, then at least there is the possibility of producing some quality players. When you see the athleticism and talent of players in NFL football, basketball, and baseball, its clear the US has the raw material to produce some of the worlds best footballers. Maybe, european clubs should sponsor talented american 'soccer' teams U12- say(maybe they're doing it already?), to tour in europe and cherry pick some of that athletic talent, before it commits to another sport-that's probably the best chance for the US developing some world class talents.
 
Originally posted by Gazza:


Football is increasing here though, and my father thinks within ten years USA will be challenging for the World Cup <img src="graemlins/lol.gif" border="0" alt="[Laugh Out Loud]" /> [/QB]<hr></blockquote>

In tiddlywinks maybe.
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Maybe we should just accept that some Americans' will only take an interest in their sports and sports they are good at.

For instance, I was having a discussion once with an American and he says, "American's are the best in the world at Sport..." and I laugh and tell him I disagree in some cases and he replies, "Yes, they are, look : Baseball, Football (American) and Basketball - USA are the best"...


Sums it up really.
 
In all honesty though, I think having more and more American kids going over to Europe to play at a younger and younger age will be best in the long run--especially if MLS crashes. I don't know how much of a youth system MLS has, but I doubt it is very good. IMO, we should work on getting young Americans into good, top youth programs over in Europe, and go from there.
 
What bugs me is that the US have top facilities, loads of money etc but nothing is happening. <img src="confused.gif" border="0">
 
i can see it now!

the year is 2025

new york villa are playing in the world club cup against the united, madrid and sau paolo in the group stages

all u yankees have dont a u-turn on united and support new york!

:p
 
BY 2025, all leagues will play on an universal calendar- March through October, with all national team competitions and the World Cup taking place between November and February. The World Club Championships will be the biggest tournament at club level. Manchester United will dominate the Super League of Europe and United's reserve team, the New York Titans, will be winning their 6th successive MLS trophy. The Yankees and United will earn $300 million per year with the recent launch of UYN: UnitedYanksNetwork.
 
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