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***Official Soccer Discussion Thread*** (3 Viewers)

From Soccer America

===========================

U.S. attendance records, from Hakoah to Olympics

by Paul Kennedy, August 1st, 2014 3:24PM

[CROWD COUNT] A crowd of 109,000 is expected Saturday at the Big House, home of University of Michigan football, when Manchester United faces Real Madrid. It will break the U.S. attendance record that has stood since the seminal event in modern American soccer: the 1984 Olympics. Here's a look at the record U.S. crowds dating to 1926 when another touring club, SC Hakoah, set a record that lasted more than 50 years.

46,000 New York Stars-SC Hakoah (May 1, 1926 in New York, N.Y.)

By the mid-1920s, a case could be made that soccer in the Northeast in the form of the American Soccer League was the second most popular sport in the United States behind baseball. In 1926, SC Hakoah, an all-Jewish team from Vienna, embarked on a 12-game tour of the United States over seven weeks, beginning with four games that drew increasingly large crowds in New York. The largest crowd came out for a match against an ASL all-star team of players from the New York Giants and Indiana Flooring. The New York Stars won, 3-0, for one of only two wins by American teams on the Hakoah tour.

62,394 New York Cosmos-Tampa Bay Rowdies (June 19, 1977 in East Rutherford, N.J.)

The Cosmos had been around for five years, but they didn't take off until 1977 when they moved into the new Giants Stadium in New Jersey. The Father's Day crowd watched the Cosmos win, 3-0, on Pele's hat trick.

77,691 New York Cosmos-Fort Lauderdale Strikers (Aug. 14, 1977 in East Rutherford, N.J.)

The summer of 1977 in New York is remembered for a lot of things. There was the blackout that touched off widespread looting. Son of Sam terrorized the five boroughs, and Studio 54 was the place to be. By the end of the summer, the Cosmos were the hottest ticket in town. They drew their first sellout for the playoff game against the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. In the press box, reporters were excitedly told, "They're selling standing-room only seats." And over in the Bronx, the Yankees drew only 21,472.

78,265 USA-Costa Rica (July 29, 1984, in Palo Alto, Calif.)

A case can be made that the most important event in the history of modern American soccer was the 1984 Olympics. The success of soccer -- there was no women's tournament back then -- was the impetus for FIFA urging the United States to bid for the 1994 World Cup. The NASL was on its last legs, but huge crowds turned out at all four venues across the country to watch the Olympic soccer tournament. It began at Stanford Stadium, where the United States opened play with a 3-0 win over Costa Rica thanks to two goals by Ricky Davis and a third by Jean Willrich.

97,451 France-Yugoslavia (Aug. 8, 1984 in Pasadena, Calif.)

The truth is, the huge crowds that turned out at the Rose Bowl was not drawn only for the soccer. Few knew the teams or players, who for the first time included pros. The driving factor behind the huge crowds was the availability of inexpensive tickets for fans who wanted to experience the Olympics first hand. This was true in Los Angeles but also elsewhere. The same day as the France-Yugoslavia game, the other semifinal, Brazil-Italy at Stanford Stadium, drew 83,642 fans.

100,374 Yugoslavia-Italy (Aug. 10, 1984, in Pasadena, Calif.)

For the third time in less than two weeks, the U.S. soccer attendance record was broken -- this time for a third-place game. Yugoslavia beat Italy, 2-1, to take the bronze medal. The crowd of 100,374 remains the only crowd besides the 101,799 fans for the final in excess of 100,000 for a soccer match in the United States.

101,799 France-Brazil (Aug. 11, 1984, in Pasadena, Calif.)

Two months after France won the European Championship for the first time, it captured Olympic gold for the first time with a 2-0 win over Brazil on goals by Francois Brisson and Daniel Xuereb. The crowd of 101,799 pushed the average attendance at the Olympics to 44,426.

 
I wonder if either team has played in front of 109,000 before. You'd have to think so (Maracana, Azteca, some others), but it may have been awhile at the least.

 
wdcrob said:
I wonder if either team has played in front of 109,000 before. You'd have to think so (Maracana, Azteca, some others), but it may have been awhile at the least.
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Camp Nou held a 120k from 1980-1993 so RM would have played there and maybe Man U during a European Cup game did as well.

 
Ramsay Hunt Experience said:
"Good said:
Slapdash said:
"Good said:
Enrique's apparently talking about Barca rolling in a 3-5-2 next year.

Alves has been told to beat it. :pickle: Enrique's after Cuadrado to replace him.
Click to expand...
Neymar -- Messi

Iniesta

Alba Cuadrado

Sergio Rakitic

Matthieu - Pique - Bartra

:excited:
Click to expand...
The downside is that it's hard enough to shoehorn all of their attacking talent into a 4-3-3, nevermind a 3-5-2. The upside is that we're that much closer to converting noted 3-5-2 fetishist Ramsay Hunt Experience into a Barca supporter. And still, we need another CB.
Click to expand...
I think the LVG style 3-4-3 is a better fit, in truth. Not much different than the first formation that had Messi in the AM position. But it's a big change in style. Much more direct. I don't know if I've seen a formation like that (that often bypasses the middle of the field) used by such a possession heavy team. The forward line interchange would be an absolute nightmare for defenses, though.

I also have to admit that I don't really understand the idea between replacing Alves with Cuadrado. I'm not sure that Alves is really any worse in a system that minimizes his defensive responsibilities.
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Yeah, Cuadrado is even less of a fullback than Alves.

 
Comcast has been running replays of last season's PL matches this summer and last night was Stoke-Southampton, which was a really intense 1-1 draw. It was a little sad to see all those guys who won't be there this season playing so well but it was positive to see the Saints goal scored by Rodriguez on a great long feed from Ward-Prowse. And Nat Clyne isn't half bad either.

Seventeenth or bust!

 
roadkill1292 said:
Comcast has been running replays of last season's PL matches this summer and last night was Stoke-Southampton, which was a really intense 1-1 draw. It was a little sad to see all those guys who won't be there this season playing so well but it was positive to see the Saints goal scored by Rodriguez on a great long feed from Ward-Prowse. And Nat Clyne isn't half bad either.

Seventeenth or bust!
Click to expand...
I actually like some of the guys they have left in the squad - getting above 10th again might be a challenge, but I think they should be able to avoid relegation comfortably, if they can fill in the gaps.

It does sort of feel like Major League (the Movie) going on there though, with the owner sabotaging her own team...

 
on a side note, this is pretty impressive:

I'm very much interested in how Charlotte has become this hive of activity for the Reds. Over 1,600 fans turned out - ONE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED - to see Mignolet and Sakho. They were loud and raucous - I have no idea what awaits on a Saturday afternoon.
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That's for a meet and great...

 
charvik said:
on a side note, this is pretty impressive:

I'm very much interested in how Charlotte has become this hive of activity for the Reds. Over 1,600 fans turned out - ONE THOUSAND SIX HUNDRED - to see Mignolet and Sakho. They were loud and raucous - I have no idea what awaits on a Saturday afternoon.
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That's for a meet and great...
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Everything I have read from the teams involved in the Guinness Cup, or whatever it's called, has been extremely positive. All the managers have been very appreciative, has had a lot of great things to say about the organization, training facilities, fans, and anything else... the only critique has been about the quality of the match pitch.Too many temporary surfaces, which has been a challenge...

This should mean that more clubs should be willing to do pre-season over here, especially with US ties to ManU, ManC, Liverpool, Roma etc etc... We could be in for some treats every summer if this gets going.

 
btw... stop for a minute and think through the US v Ghana/Portugal/Belgium matches again. Getting three matches that epic and entertaining in one WC is crazy.

 
Sinn Fein said:
roadkill1292 said:
Comcast has been running replays of last season's PL matches this summer and last night was Stoke-Southampton, which was a really intense 1-1 draw. It was a little sad to see all those guys who won't be there this season playing so well but it was positive to see the Saints goal scored by Rodriguez on a great long feed from Ward-Prowse. And Nat Clyne isn't half bad either.

Seventeenth or bust!
Click to expand...
I actually like some of the guys they have left in the squad - getting above 10th again might be a challenge, but I think they should be able to avoid relegation comfortably, if they can fill in the gaps.

It does sort of feel like Major League (the Movie) going on there though, with the owner sabotaging her own team...
Click to expand...
Except nobody wants to see Catharina get naked.

 
roadkill1292 said:
Sinn Fein said:
roadkill1292 said:
Comcast has been running replays of last season's PL matches this summer and last night was Stoke-Southampton, which was a really intense 1-1 draw. It was a little sad to see all those guys who won't be there this season playing so well but it was positive to see the Saints goal scored by Rodriguez on a great long feed from Ward-Prowse. And Nat Clyne isn't half bad either.

Seventeenth or bust!
Click to expand...
I actually like some of the guys they have left in the squad - getting above 10th again might be a challenge, but I think they should be able to avoid relegation comfortably, if they can fill in the gaps.

It does sort of feel like Major League (the Movie) going on there though, with the owner sabotaging her own team...
Click to expand...
Except nobody wants to see Catharina get naked.
Click to expand...
I don't know, Christo would be all over that

 
Sinn Fein said:
roadkill1292 said:
Sinn Fein said:
roadkill1292 said:
Comcast has been running replays of last season's PL matches this summer and last night was Stoke-Southampton, which was a really intense 1-1 draw. It was a little sad to see all those guys who won't be there this season playing so well but it was positive to see the Saints goal scored by Rodriguez on a great long feed from Ward-Prowse. And Nat Clyne isn't half bad either.

Seventeenth or bust!
Click to expand...
I actually like some of the guys they have left in the squad - getting above 10th again might be a challenge, but I think they should be able to avoid relegation comfortably, if they can fill in the gaps.

It does sort of feel like Major League (the Movie) going on there though, with the owner sabotaging her own team...
Click to expand...
Except nobody wants to see Catharina get naked.
Click to expand...
I don't know, Christo would be all over that
Click to expand...
:porked: :wub:

 
You guys know how much it bothers me to go against the grain. But I just have to say I kinda like these ManU Chevy jerseys.

 
Having apparently been wrong about Sterling I'm ready to be wrong about Ibe too. He looks very lively and I like his distribution in the little bit I've seen him.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
wdcrob said:
Having apparently been wrong about Sterling I'm ready to be wrong about Ibe too. He looks very lively and I like his distribution in the little bit I've seen him.
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I think he'll be better than Sterling :unsure:

Better size, faster...who needs Konoplyanka!

 
Keane, Gonzo and Chad Marshal have been replaced by Bobby Boswell, Maurice Edu and Sean Franklin for the MLS All Star Game against Bayern.

 
Courtois gets an exhibition start today, I believe the first time he's ever worn a Chelsea shirt. Torres once again in the humiliating (imo) left wing position, seemingly just filling that role until the Brazilians and Schuerrle return this week.

 
Looks like a money man (Kings owners) has stepped forward which makes an MLS bid for Sacramento Republic viable

Even as they begin building a new downtown arena, the owners of the Kings are in discussions to expand their footprint in the region by buying Sacramento Republic FC – the minor league soccer team selling out games locally since April.

There is no agreement in place yet between the Kings and the Republic, but the Kings owners are interested in the idea of investing in the franchise and elevating it to the level of Major League Soccer, America’s premier soccer league, according to sources with knowledge of the talks. They declined to speak publicly because the deal isn’t completed.

This week, Kings President Chris Granger will travel to Portland to meet with MLS officials along with current Republic owner Warren Smith. Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson is also expected to attend the meeting, scheduled for Wednesday.

A source close to Kings majority owner Vivek Ranadive said he sees soccer as a “tremendous opportunity for a larger vision of growth in Sacramento.” Soccer also fits with Ranadive’s interest of investing in sports that can create excitement not only locally but also internationally.

The prospect of Ranadive and the Kings suddenly materializing as legitimate players in a Sacramento pitch to MLS caps a dizzying few months for the little soccer team started by Smith, a former River Cats executive.

From the beginning, Smith planned on laying the groundwork for MLS by creating excitement around a minor league team in Sacramento that was built to grow. Part of that plan was to use the success of the Republic to entice investors and the capital needed to run an MLS franchise.

It worked. The Republic has drawn more than 118,000 fans to its games this year, smashing the attendance record of their current league, USL Pro. At the same time, the Sacramento market produced some of the highest TV ratings in America for the recent World Cup.

“Clearly the support for the Republic has been noticed by all of us,” said Dan Courtemanche, executive vice president of communications for MLS. “It’s been incredible what we’ve seen week in and week out.”

Amid growing momentum, Smith began quietly talking to minority Kings owner Kevin Nagle, a successful businessman based in El Dorado Hills. Nagle, in turn, began talking to his partners with the Kings. It was then that talks between the Kings and the Republic intensified.

In an interview, Nagle said: “It makes all the sense in the world to figure out how to align collectively – soccer and basketball,” Nagle said. “It would enable us to take advantage of all the synergies available in marketing and sponsorships … To be a better enterprise to respond to the wants and needs of our fans.”

The full weight of the Kings franchise would be in line with a trend of investment in soccer by major owners in traditional American sports.

Groups including the New York Yankees of Major League Baseball and the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL own new MLS franchises in New York and Atlanta.

Courtemanche said the league hopes to expand from its current 22 teams to 24 by 2020. MLS has committed a 23rd franchise to Miami if former soccer superstar David Beckham can build a downtown stadium there – though Miami officials have twice rejected a Beckham stadium plan.

That leaves Sacramento in competition with cities such as Minneapolis, San Antonio and Las Vegas for the 24th franchise.

Though not as costly as an NBA franchise, an MLS franchise fee would not come cheap for a Sacramento group. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported that Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons, paid $70 million for an Atlanta franchise set to begin MLS play in 2017.

A Sacramento group will meet with MLS officials in Portland this week for its nationally televised All-Star game on Wednesday.

Sources said the Sacramento officials hope to formally schedule a visit to the region by MLS officials, perhaps this fall. The MLS board of governors will meet in September, and some in the Sacramento group hope to have a new Republic ownership team and the outline of a stadium plan in place by then. A location for the stadium has not been determined yet.

The source close to Ranadive cautioned that the deal “has to make sense” to the Kings but that interest in acquiring the soccer franchise is strong.

Ranadive’s group paid more than $500 million to buy the Kings last year and has pledged to spend as much on surrounding development near a new arena slated to open in 2016 at the old Downtown Plaza. The Kings are contributing $222 million to the arena, with the city putting in $255 million. On Friday, Johnson presided at the beginning of demolition work at the faded mall adjacent to blighted buildings at Seventh and K streets. Also last week, the Kings signed a lucrative television deal worth a reported $700 million over 20 years.

Smith said he’s confident his MLS dream can happen. “We’re trying to do something really good for the community,” he said. “It’s very exciting.”
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