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The Official 2005 Major League Soccer Thread
- Thread starter bjmenge
- Start date
Don't be... that game was horrible. The teams didn't start playing until stoppage time started.$teauA said:Did he really?? Now I'm sad that I skipped watching that game for the NBA Playoffs
.
Brian, I hope you're ready for the ass-kicking Chicago has in store for Cowtown tonight.
xxxFLYERxxx
Starting XI
That was like watching retarded children play soccer.
What a disgrace.
What a disgrace.
Where's the media coverage for MLS?
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/3592458
I pondered this question as I sat in the near-empty Arrowhead Stadium press box last Saturday afternoon, as the Kansas City Wizards hosted D.C. United in a rematch of MLS Cup 2004. Looking around at the sparse media population, all I saw were those who cover soccer on a regular basis. Essentially, the usual suspects, with no one out of the ordinary.
I've been a broadcaster in MLS since the inaugural season of 1996, so the lack of general sports media at a league match (or any soccer match in the U.S.) hardly comes as a surprise. But just because I have come to expect this, doesn't mean that I have come to accept or understand this general apathy and even disdain by the non-soccer press. MLS is in its tenth season, and yet the average sports media outlet around the country is still not paying attention.
A year ago when Freddy Adu made his debut in Kansas City, the city's media (both sports and non-sports) turned out in full force. It wasn't about soccer — it was about celebrity. Adu could have been Bono in for a U2 concert or Ben Affleck on a movie promotional stop. The kid is famous after all, so his presence in K.C. must be news, and it must be covered. Media types who hadn't even previously seen a Wizards match (and maybe not even a soccer ball), packed the press box in breathless anticipation. This was the hot story, and nobody was going to be left out.
But last Saturday, Adu was there once again in Kansas City, yet the media crush was now absent. It doesn't matter that Adu is not a regular in D.C. United's starting 11 — the local media is not savvy enough to take this fact into account. He could be the top scorer in MLS this season, and it wouldn't have made any difference. The local sports media in Kansas City, just like in every other city in America, does not treat soccer as a major sport.
Coverage is either niche, such as a newspaper's beat reporter or a radio station's weekly soccer hour, or based upon a big event, like Freddy Adu coming to town, or a World Cup qualifier at the local stadium. Day-to-day coverage is virtually non-existent, which continues to infuriate me no matter how much I've come to expect this.
In my hometown of Kansas City, there are four television stations that have local news broadcasts (affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC), as well as two 24-hour-a-day all-sports local radio stations. How many of them do you think were at Arrowhead last Saturday? Zero, is unfortunately the correct and predictable answer.
Forget for a moment that Adu was back in Kansas City. Forget for a moment that D.C. United are the defending league champions, and forget that this was the first match against the Wizards since MLS Cup last season. None of that should matter to the local sports media. What should matter is that the Kansas City Wizards are a major league professional sports team, and that they are playing at home.
The Royals entered that day with the worst record in baseball, and were on the road. There is of course no local NBA team, and the minor league hockey team had already ended its season. Nothing of note was happening in area college sports, and save for a rookie mini-camp, the Chiefs were dormant. So then, where was the local sports media last Saturday afternoon? Sitting in their newsrooms and studios, not thinking about soccer.
As much as I love soccer, and will always come to the beautiful game's defense, I realize that it is not on equal ground with the likes of football, baseball, basketball, or even hockey in this country. But it ain't netball either. I don't expect the Wizards to receive the same coverage as the Chiefs or the Royals, but what I do expect is some coverage.
Even if a sports editor or sports director in an MLS city hates soccer, they have a journalistic responsibility to provide reasonable coverage. MLS is the highest level of professional soccer in the U.S., thus making it by definition major league. And soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with an ever-increasing fan base in the States. How can a local sports media outlet in Kansas City, or any MLS city, ignore a major league franchise in their town? They simply couldn't get away with this in any other top sport.
Media types throughout the country claim that interest drives their coverage, and that it is not their job to promote a team or sport. Yet, they do this all the time — they just pick their spots.
A city acquires an NHL franchise, and hockey coverage grows exponentially. It builds a race track, and suddenly NASCAR really matters. It truly is cyclical in that major media coverage helps to legitimize a sport while that legitimization fuels all of the additional press. The two become interdependent.
And yet it must start somewhere. And that somewhere is with the general sports media recognizing that soccer has shown itself worthy of serious coverage in the United States.
http://msn.foxsports.com/soccer/story/3592458
I pondered this question as I sat in the near-empty Arrowhead Stadium press box last Saturday afternoon, as the Kansas City Wizards hosted D.C. United in a rematch of MLS Cup 2004. Looking around at the sparse media population, all I saw were those who cover soccer on a regular basis. Essentially, the usual suspects, with no one out of the ordinary.
I've been a broadcaster in MLS since the inaugural season of 1996, so the lack of general sports media at a league match (or any soccer match in the U.S.) hardly comes as a surprise. But just because I have come to expect this, doesn't mean that I have come to accept or understand this general apathy and even disdain by the non-soccer press. MLS is in its tenth season, and yet the average sports media outlet around the country is still not paying attention.
A year ago when Freddy Adu made his debut in Kansas City, the city's media (both sports and non-sports) turned out in full force. It wasn't about soccer — it was about celebrity. Adu could have been Bono in for a U2 concert or Ben Affleck on a movie promotional stop. The kid is famous after all, so his presence in K.C. must be news, and it must be covered. Media types who hadn't even previously seen a Wizards match (and maybe not even a soccer ball), packed the press box in breathless anticipation. This was the hot story, and nobody was going to be left out.
But last Saturday, Adu was there once again in Kansas City, yet the media crush was now absent. It doesn't matter that Adu is not a regular in D.C. United's starting 11 — the local media is not savvy enough to take this fact into account. He could be the top scorer in MLS this season, and it wouldn't have made any difference. The local sports media in Kansas City, just like in every other city in America, does not treat soccer as a major sport.
Coverage is either niche, such as a newspaper's beat reporter or a radio station's weekly soccer hour, or based upon a big event, like Freddy Adu coming to town, or a World Cup qualifier at the local stadium. Day-to-day coverage is virtually non-existent, which continues to infuriate me no matter how much I've come to expect this.
In my hometown of Kansas City, there are four television stations that have local news broadcasts (affiliates of ABC, CBS, FOX, and NBC), as well as two 24-hour-a-day all-sports local radio stations. How many of them do you think were at Arrowhead last Saturday? Zero, is unfortunately the correct and predictable answer.
Forget for a moment that Adu was back in Kansas City. Forget for a moment that D.C. United are the defending league champions, and forget that this was the first match against the Wizards since MLS Cup last season. None of that should matter to the local sports media. What should matter is that the Kansas City Wizards are a major league professional sports team, and that they are playing at home.
The Royals entered that day with the worst record in baseball, and were on the road. There is of course no local NBA team, and the minor league hockey team had already ended its season. Nothing of note was happening in area college sports, and save for a rookie mini-camp, the Chiefs were dormant. So then, where was the local sports media last Saturday afternoon? Sitting in their newsrooms and studios, not thinking about soccer.
As much as I love soccer, and will always come to the beautiful game's defense, I realize that it is not on equal ground with the likes of football, baseball, basketball, or even hockey in this country. But it ain't netball either. I don't expect the Wizards to receive the same coverage as the Chiefs or the Royals, but what I do expect is some coverage.
Even if a sports editor or sports director in an MLS city hates soccer, they have a journalistic responsibility to provide reasonable coverage. MLS is the highest level of professional soccer in the U.S., thus making it by definition major league. And soccer is the most popular sport in the world, with an ever-increasing fan base in the States. How can a local sports media outlet in Kansas City, or any MLS city, ignore a major league franchise in their town? They simply couldn't get away with this in any other top sport.
Media types throughout the country claim that interest drives their coverage, and that it is not their job to promote a team or sport. Yet, they do this all the time — they just pick their spots.
A city acquires an NHL franchise, and hockey coverage grows exponentially. It builds a race track, and suddenly NASCAR really matters. It truly is cyclical in that major media coverage helps to legitimize a sport while that legitimization fuels all of the additional press. The two become interdependent.
And yet it must start somewhere. And that somewhere is with the general sports media recognizing that soccer has shown itself worthy of serious coverage in the United States.
Freddy Adu has to start every game. His backheel to Simms :Bow: He was better than Alecko Eskandarian and Jaime Moreno combined. In addition to being crap in general, Moreno started lookin' REAL gassed after about 55 minutes. After minute 80 he didn't even bother to make runs anymore. Prideaux was ****. He missed with an open goal, he should be thankful that Adu and Moreno saved his ass. Rimando had some great saves. I also never realized what an effective player Clyde Simms. Not too flashy, just a great player overall.
I was at the game. The atmosphere was amazing. The Barra Brava/Screaming Eagles are insane. Plus, the field is not as bad as people claim it is. Yes, it may look like crap at times but it doesn't affect the play at all. It's way overblown, it may be that the RFK people know how to lay the field now though.
Loco is a diving ****. He dived twice in one minute, it got Gros a yellow card. We booed him for the rest of the game and he was invisible.
god DC fall to New England! bugger 
well on a league perspective it is good to see the revs get to their best start in their history as their all tim GD is very bad -55 to be exact. Some other teams are not good either. Chivas are on their way to join the other MLS teams with woeful GD's in the negative.
well on a league perspective it is good to see the revs get to their best start in their history as their all tim GD is very bad -55 to be exact. Some other teams are not good either. Chivas are on their way to join the other MLS teams with woeful GD's in the negative.
xxxFLYERxxx
Starting XI
This is from Jim Conrad's column. Ive been thinking about the stadium issue lately too. And Jim is right. The new soccer stadiums in the MLS should hold 12-14 thousand people. Anything more than 15k is way too much. Chicago only had 10k this past weekend. If their new stadium is holds 20,000, like the home depot center, then it will be half empty- which is something that i hate to see in our league. I was watching League Championship highlights from England (First division), and i think it was Coventry that only had a 13,000 seat stadium. but it was packed and the atmosphere was amazing. This is what MLS needs.
Jim Conrad agrees with me:
Now don't get me wrong, I love the Home Depot Center. I think it's the best piece of evidence our young league has to sustain credibility amongst the baseball-, football-, and basketball-loving public. But for me, the capacity is too big, the stands are too far away from the field, and?
"I propose that we build stadiums that hold no more than fifteen thousand people to make every seat a hot ticket with the fans being as close to the field as possible. Of course, the field would have to be as wide and long as FIFA regulations would allow so that the there is space for the creative players to show off their magic. To boot, the stadium would be much better off in a downtown setting but if that can't be accomplished due to outrageous real estate gouging, then bring the downtown feel to the stadium. Get restaurants, bars, and shops to surround the establishment and make the whole experience a night out. A place where you can't wait to go to next week," I exclaim.
Jim Conrad agrees with me:
Now don't get me wrong, I love the Home Depot Center. I think it's the best piece of evidence our young league has to sustain credibility amongst the baseball-, football-, and basketball-loving public. But for me, the capacity is too big, the stands are too far away from the field, and?
"I propose that we build stadiums that hold no more than fifteen thousand people to make every seat a hot ticket with the fans being as close to the field as possible. Of course, the field would have to be as wide and long as FIFA regulations would allow so that the there is space for the creative players to show off their magic. To boot, the stadium would be much better off in a downtown setting but if that can't be accomplished due to outrageous real estate gouging, then bring the downtown feel to the stadium. Get restaurants, bars, and shops to surround the establishment and make the whole experience a night out. A place where you can't wait to go to next week," I exclaim.
Rochester Rhino
Manager
Rochester's Paetec Park will be 12,500 permanent seats to start out with. It's right downtown, and the real estate is unbelievable. I am not lieing here, the Rhinos are paying $1 a year for 50 years when their lease is over. That's not a typo it's only $1 per year.
Rochester Rhino
Manager
fuuny, too bad he doesn't invest in them, rated top 5 sports franchises in the world, he already owns one of them, he could have 2 of them.
xxxFLYERxxx
Starting XI
Wow, Zuniga is very very bad.
Carlos Ruiz just scored the sickest goal in the book