Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I argue that Seattle probably has the strongest soccer fan base. People forget that the Seattle/Eastside youth soccer leagues are are the most well funded in the entire country. High School soccer has been pretty good as well, and almost all the state/city parks have soccer games of some sort going on. Soccer has been a big deal in the Pacific NW long before MLS ever came. The move to put teams in Vancouver and Portland was very smart on the part of the MLS. The Northwest will be the most successful region for soccer in the coming years.
Baltimore seems like a good possibility as well. It appears that the city government has a strong desire to obtain the team and get a stadium deal done.
I've heard whispers of this, the next best option after keeping them here. I remember completing a survey about a year ago, where DC Utd asked their fans how many games they would attend IF it were located in _________. They didn't ask about Baltimore at the time.
Good job on being a KC Wizards fan Robb! I'd swap rosters with you if I could. I heard the KC area has one of the largest and most rabid youth soccer areas. Methinks it is time to pass on the low budget Royals, and the has-been Chiefs and support the Wizards!
Dallas already has 4 major sports teams as it is, that may explain the poor attendance. On the other hand teams like Seattle and KC only have a couple, they can afford to support an MLS team.
Dallas already has 4 major sports teams as it is, that may explain the poor attendance. On the other hand teams like Seattle and KC only have a couple, they can afford to support an MLS team.
That doesn't really mean much.
Jacksonville only has the one major pro sports team in the Jaguars, and they can barely fill up half their stadium....
Also, DFW has over 6 million people in the area and plenty of money to support the Big Four teams, NASCAR, and several minor leauge team as well. So it's like I said before, the main reason why FC Dallas can't get the attendance numbers other MLS cities have is because they're in an area where one team is pretty much worshiped, and all others come last even if they win championships....
Dallas already has 4 major sports teams as it is, that may explain the poor attendance. On the other hand teams like Seattle and KC only have a couple, they can afford to support an MLS team.
I dont think that has anything to do with it. KC also has KU, MU, and K-State athletics which get supported like they are pro teams here in KC. Not to mention that this is a football town through and through. No matter how bad they are, the Chiefs get 100x the support any other team does. All the major cities in the US have stiff competition for the sports fan dollar.
The problem with Dallas is that they are owned by Hunt Sports Group. HSG does not care enough to spend money on properly building up and marketing the team. We had the same problems in KC when they owned the Wizards.
HSG needs to sell FC Dallas to some local owners who will give the team the attention it deserves.
I think if the STL got a team it would blow all the other fanbases out of the water.
How does Dallas stack up compared to Houston? One rumored strategy is to appeal to the Hispanic base down there, but that is probably hard due to them probably already following much stronger international leagues.
As for the United moving to Baltimore. Meh, would they actually care?
I think if the STL got a team it would blow all the other fanbases out of the water.
There is no doubt that STL would have a good fanbase but saying they would blow others out of the water is a bit much.
Quote:
Originally Posted by waltlantz
How does Dallas stack up compared to Houston? One rumored strategy is to appeal to the Hispanic base down there, but that is probably hard due to them probably already following much stronger international leagues.
Dallas has the worst attendance in the league.
Quote:
Originally Posted by waltlantz
As for the United moving to Baltimore. Meh, would they actually care?
Would who care? The DC United fans?
Hell yeah, they would care. In fact, I think the Barra Brava and Screaming Eagles would start a riot.
Yes, there is a debate. While Seattle definitely has a good fan base, lets see where they are in 10 years. Overall, Toronto has Seattle beat, IMO. Their fans actually travel, en masse, to other matches across the country. Cant say the same about Seattle.
In 10 years, the fan base will likely have exploded, worse case scenario be what it is now. Oh, and Toronto is much, much closer to other MLS teams than the Sounders are. At least until 2011 when Vancouver and Portland join (in last year's U.S. Open Cup game in Portland, the Sounders brought tons of fans). Does Toronto FC bring a lot of fans to games in Dallas, L.A. or here? Given how remote we are from the rest of the country, our fan base travels pretty well.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
