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| Friday, September 14, 2001 24:16 EST |
MLS wonders where to build it so they'll come
By Jeff Bradley
[ESPN The Magazine]
The village of Naperville, Ill., and North Central College hosted the Chicago Fire-Dallas Burn U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal match Wednesday night, and 7,096 soccer fans paid $10 apiece to sit on bleachers, or stand on a track, to watch the Fire beat Dallas 5-1.
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THE FIRST XI
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Great soccer rivalries:
11. England-Germany
10. U.S.-Norway Women
9. MetroStars-D.C. United
8. River Plate-Boca Juniors
7. Matthaeus-MetroStars
6. Chicago-Dallas
5. Liverpool-Everton
4. Minnesota-Milwaukee
3. Barcelona-Real Madrid
2. Rangers-Celtic
1. U.S.-Barbados
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The Fire have played three MLS games at Soldier Field this year that did not attract as many fans as they drew in Naperville.
When Chicago general manager Peter Wilt was asked how many fans he suspected were attending their first-ever game between MLS teams in person Wednesday, Wilt said, "I would guess, conservatively, about 5,500."
Now, don't get confused, these weren't a bunch of curiosity-seekers. This was a knowledgeable Fire crowd. During introductions, the fans gave an especially loud ovation to Zach Thornton (same as at Soldier Field) and went bonkers when Hristo Stoitchkov got off the bench to warm up in the second half.
The majority of the fans also were decked out in some type of soccer attire, be it a Barcelona shirt or their own youth club's uniform. These were soccer fans that, apparently, don't want to battle the traffic to get to Soldier Field.
But this is not a Chicago-specific problem.
In every MLS market, you have to wonder, where is the best place to attract fans? Is it in the city, where you've got mass transit, and, typically, a multi-ethnic group of soccer fans? Or in the suburbs, where you've got soccer moms and minivans and the thousands of kids who live and breathe the game?
In baseball, the trend has clearly been to build downtown ballparks. That's where the big business is, the suite sales, etc.
But perhaps MLS teams should take the opposite approach, assuming that their fan base is different. Look at Foxboro, for example, where the Revolution, even with one of the worst five-year records in the league, still draw respectable crowds to a bleacher-style stadium in the suburbs.
Maybe MLS belongs in places where families can hop in the SUV, pull into a parking lot, watch a game, and get home at a reasonable hour.
"It's a good debate," said Wilt. "Right now, I don't think anyone has the answer."
You want pressure?
Traveling to Mazatenango, Guatemala? Piece of cake.
Getting pelted with coins in San Jose, Costa Rica? Bring it on.
Playing Barbados in the friendly confines of Foxboro Stadium? Let's not talk about it.
Call me crazy, but I say the pressure facing the U.S. men's national team Wednesday night is much more intense than what they faced in their first two road games. Why? Because, they absolutely have to win. A loss or a tie in this game, and the U.S. will find itself in a world of hurt.
Obviously, the United States should win and win comfortably, but these games are never easy.
I know nothing about Bardados, but I suspect they will be playing for a 0-0 tie. They'll probably be happy to see that the field in Foxboro is narrow and bumpy, making it easier to play the destruction game. The U.S.'s technical advantage will be lessened, so Bruce Arena's team will have to win with mentality and athleticism. Getting Joe-Max Moore and Brian McBride back in the mix should help on both counts.
Should the U.S. men win?
Sure, but a few missed opportunities early, or a slip-up that leads to a Barbados goal, and the U.S. will be staring at pressure the likes of which they have not yet seen.
Sorry, Alexi, it was a red card
So, Alexi Lalas shouts last week during MLS Extra Time that Tab Ramos did not deserve a red card for, basically, showing his studs to Chicago's Josh Wolff.
I haven't spoken to Alexi, but I'm sure his take is, he barely touched him, didn't hurt him, whatever.
It doesn't matter, it was violent conduct by Ramos, and deserved red.
I'm sure a lot of you out there disagree with me, and are spewing something about #@#$!*% MLS refs. Well, let's go back to the last World Cup for a reminder.
Remember what David Beckham did to Diego Simeone in the England-Argentina game? Basically, lying on his stomach, Beckham lifted his foot and barely, if at all, grazed Simeone. He was run from the match and still is vilified in England for a stupid play and a cowardly act. Then, of course, in the Argentina-Netherlands match, Ariel Ortega was red-carded for, basically, faking a headbutt on Dutch goalkeeper Edwar Van der Sar.
Violent conduct. Doesn't matter whether he injured the guy or not.
If anyone has any beef with referee Brian Hall for his handling of the situation, they should be disappointed in his game-management, not his final call.
The Ramos expulsion could have been avoided if Hall got in between Ramos and Wolff, and given Wolff a yellow card for grabbing Ramos' shirt, or for encroaching on the subsequent free kick. That would have settled it, and probably would have kept Ramos from losing his temper.
But once Ramos lost it, the red was appropriate.
In Tight Space
Expect Giovanni Savarese to stay in San Jose beyond this season. He was sitting the bench for a third-division team in Italy, which is hardly what he dreamed of when he left New England to play for Perugia in Serie A.
No point in sugar-coating it now: D.C. United is one loss away from elimination, and MLS is certainly going to be sweating ticket sales for the final at RFK Stadium.
After getting turned down when they put in their request too late for Mauricio Solis the last time they played a World Cup qualifer, the Costa Rican Federation requested all four Costa Rican players who play in MLS -- Solis, Mauricio Wright, Roy Myers and William Sunsing -- way ahead of time. Later, they decided they didn't want Wright.
Earlier this season, one MetroStars player told me he was worried how the Metros would do against teams that either play with three forwards, or run a lot of players out of their midfield. And sure enough last Sunday, Chicago's flank players, Evan Whitfield and DaMarcus Beasley, had a field day against Mark Chung and Petter Villegas, who both prefer attacking to defending.
One well-respected player agent said to me this week that the quote from one of Marco Etcheverry's representatives that there were "seven English teams interested in signing Marco" is a flat-out lie. Furthermore, the agent said, if Etcheverry believes he can make more money (he currently rakes in about $1 million per when housing money and endorsement money are factored in) in Europe, he is mistaken.
Just one question: How can MLS fine Tim Hankinson $2,000 for
criticizing officials when they're fining guys $250 for deliberately trying to
injure players?
Pub Talk
Since the standings in your local paper do not tell the true story of how the MLS playoff races are shaking out, we present the only MLS table that matters:
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The real playoff picture
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In the playoffs
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Played
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Points
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1. Kansas City*
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24
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44
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2. MetroStars*
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24
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41
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3. Chicago*
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25
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41
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4. Tampa Bay
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25
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41
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5. Los Angeles
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25
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40
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6. Colorado
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25
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36
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7. Columbus
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26
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35
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8. Dallas
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26
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34
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Outside looking in
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New England
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25
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33
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Miami
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24
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29
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D.C. United
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26
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24
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San Jose
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25
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23
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*-Division leaders (Chicago over Tampa Bay because of 2-0-1 head-to-head record)
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The division winners and the next five best teams, regardless of division affiliation, will make the playoffs this season.
With that in mind, take a look at how these games can alter the standings:
Kansas City at Los Angeles: Sure, the Wizards have a game in hand, but a loss on Saturday and they're suddenly in for a dogfight for the Western crown.
New England at MetroStars: The Revolution have no choice but to come out and attack against the Metros, who will be without Tab Ramos and Roy Myers. Three points for New England and the Revs could possibly jump into pretty solid playoff position. The Metros might already be in cruise control with an eight-point cushion on the rest of the East.
Colorado at Miami: The Fusion have three more home games and have to get nine points from those games to sneak into the playoffs for the third straight year. For Colorado, another chance to climb over .500 and get into the battle for home field.
D.C. United at Dallas: Do or die for D.C. in the Cotton Bowl, one of the toughest places to win a game in MLS. As for the Burn, a loss and they could slip into the danger zone.
Tampa Bay at San Jose: The Mutiny want to continue to hold serve in their tight battle with the Fire for Central supremacy. San Jose is simply playing for pride.
Jeff Bradley covers soccer ... among other things ... for ESPN The Magazine. Boot Room hits the web every Thursday evening.
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