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POLL: Which MLS club do you support?

Who are ya?

  • Atlanta United FC

    Votes: 1 3.0%
  • Chicago Fire

    Votes: 13 39.4%
  • Columbus Crew

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • FC Dallas

    Votes: 1 3.0%
  • Minnesota United

    Votes: 4 12.1%
  • Colorado Rapids

    Votes: 2 6.1%
  • Kansas City Sporting

    Votes: 6 18.2%
  • Portland Timbers

    Votes: 1 3.0%
  • Seattle Sounders

    Votes: 3 9.1%
  • Orlando City

    Votes: 2 6.1%

  • Total voters
    33

Menace Sockeyes

HB Legend
Sep 2, 2010
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Not to add to all the soccer threads, my soccer hating HROT bros, but the time has come to be counted. We've got a lot of MLS newbies now with some of our north Iowa posters adopting Minnesota this year, and a number of our 'Nole brothers supporting Atlanta. What say you, HROT?
 
I like soccer, but I don't have much interest in watching MLS. I'll watch the European leagues and of course the World Cup, but MLS just does nothing for me.
 
Chicago sports fan (minus the white sox). Watch when I can, but sadly I have mediacom which does not carry comcast so I miss most games.

Rough night for the Fire last night.
 
I like soccer, but I don't have much interest in watching MLS. I'll watch the European leagues and of course the World Cup, but MLS just does nothing for me.

Pretty much this.

Although related to it, I guess the USMT really needs the MLS to catch on and become a top 5 league globally (OP may argue it already is, I don't think so). At any rate, I don't care about the MLS teams at all. I know there are some good rivalries, but I cannot see myself sitting down to ever watch much of it.
 
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Sounders are number 1 for me but I do want to see the league grow. I like a lot of the teams up there because of their good fan bases: Sporting KC, Portland, Atlanta, Orlando, even Minnesota is doing okay. One problem is that they have to keep the poor fan bases off TV which is hard, especially for FC Dallas with the young talent.

Does anyone know why these fan bases struggle so bad: Houston, Dallas, Colorado, New York (RB), New England is hot and cold, Chicago, and Philly? I know the exhausted excuse of stadium location but it's not like these stadiums are 3 hours away from the city or in unpopulated suburbs. Obviously, winning is a factor as well for most but doesn't seem to change attendance for Dallas.
 
Pretty much this.

Although related to it, I guess the USMT really needs the MLS to catch on and become a top 5 league globally (OP may argue it already is, I don't think so).

Attendance, atmosphere, and quality wise it is not top 5, but it has cracked the top 10. The leagues better are (as I see it)...

-La Liga
-EPL
-Bundesliga
-Serie A
-Ligue 1
-Argentine Primera
-Liga MX

So I guess I'd put MLS as the 8th best in the world right now.
 
Attendance, atmosphere, and quality wise it is not top 5, but it has cracked the top 10. The leagues better are (as I see it)...

-La Liga
-EPL
-Bundesliga
-Serie A
-Ligue 1
-Argentine Primera
-Liga MX

So I guess I'd put MLS as the 8th best in the world right now.

Don't get me wrong either. I think it's great that soccer is catching on in a big way over here, and I'll occasionally sit down to watch a MLS game. I'm just not a die hard like some people are.
 
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Sounders are number 1 for me but I do want to see the league grow. I like a lot of the teams up there because of their good fan bases: Sporting KC, Portland, Atlanta, Orlando, even Minnesota is doing okay. One problem is that they have to keep the poor fan bases off TV which is hard, especially for FC Dallas with the young talent.

Does anyone know why these fan bases struggle so bad: Houston, Dallas, Colorado, New York (RB), New England is hot and cold, Chicago, and Philly? I know the exhausted excuse of stadium location but it's not like these stadiums are 3 hours away from the city or in unpopulated suburbs. Obviously, winning is a factor as well for most but doesn't seem to change attendance for Dallas.

Chicago has had three sell outs this year, and two in the last month. The problem for them was that in between Blanco and Schweinsteiger there were a few ugly years. Also, while they can sellout with their 20k+ in Bridgeview, they could sell out 30k+ in the city. They used to bring in those types of crowds at new Soldier Field. I'm secretly hoping that the PrivateBank Fire Pitch facility on the north side will become a stadium one day, and they sell Toyota Park and use turn the training grounds there into a new facility.
 
Chicago has had three sell outs this year, and two in the last month. The problem for them was that in between Blanco and Schweinsteiger there were a few ugly years. Also, while they can sellout with their 20k+ in Bridgeview, they could sell out 30k+ in the city. They used to bring in those types of crowds at new Soldier Field. I'm secretly hoping that the PrivateBank Fire Pitch facility on the north side will become a stadium one day, and they sell Toyota Park and use turn the training grounds there into a new facility.

That would be cool. I went to a Fire game vs Toronto in Toronto's first or second season and the place was not full. That was even Blanco bobblehead night (which I broke accidently but I hate the Mexican national team so...eh?). I also had a bad taste for Toyota Park when I went to a first round qualifier vs T&T. There had to be only 6 or 7 k there. It was cool though because we went down first row by the corner flag and talked to Frankie Hejduk warning up!
 
I havn't paid attention in a while but I used to support Chicago Fire way back when they first entered the league.
 
Attendance, atmosphere, and quality wise it is not top 5, but it has cracked the top 10. The leagues better are (as I see it)...

-La Liga
-EPL
-Bundesliga
-Serie A
-Ligue 1
-Argentine Primera
-Liga MX

So I guess I'd put MLS as the 8th best in the world right now.

Brasil league is probably right about 8-9th too. At any rate, yeah, the money either has to be bigger which only happens with more attendance and TV deals, or the league will be about like it is now for a long time.
 
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It is pretty cool that some of these NASL and USL clubs are drawing huge crowds.

I got to see the Fire play Tottenham a few years ago. Great experience.
 
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Chicago Fire, although I am a casual fan at best.

I'd probably get more into it if TV access was a bit better or if I lived in the area.
 
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If you consider where MLS was in 1997 and where it is now, it has made huge strides. Has a good business model and has made good decisions. In another 20 years it could well be up there in World Leagues.

That's one of the more impressive things IMO. American soccer was really nonexistent prior to 1990 when USA finally qualified for a word cup again after 40 year or so drought. Then World Cup 1994 happens, the MLS a few years later.

My only concern is that they tap the breaks on expansion just a tad to allow the talent growth to keep pace with number of teams. Don't want situation where talent level is watered down
 
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That's one of the more impressive things IMO. American soccer was really nonexistent prior to 1990 when USA finally qualified for a word cup again after 40 year or so drought. Then World Cup 1994 happens, the MLS a few years later.

My only concern is that they tap the breaks on expansion just a tad to allow the talent growth to keep pace with number of teams. Don't want situation where talent level is watered down

Yeah, but I think they are also pulling more and more international players too. The player pool is big. I dont just mean the big name guys like Villa or Kaka.
 
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Now for real talk. I agree stop the expansion and start growing with RELEGATION! The USOC is all the more reason for this.
 
Now for real talk. I agree stop the expansion and start growing with RELEGATION! The USOC is all the more reason for this.

In 10 years I would love to see the USL merge into the NASL and the NASL become there to be pro-rel between the two, sort of like Japan does with the J-League and J2. NASL has some good TV deals with beIN, CBS Sports Network, and ESPN3.
 
Chicago Fire, although I am a casual fan at best.

I'd probably get more into it if TV access was a bit better or if I lived in the area.

Do you have Comcast Sports Chicago and CSN-Chicago Plus ? Both are on the major TV providers in Eastern Iowa and they carry ALL non-national tv games .
 
Not MLS yet, hopefully with next expansion, but the Tampa Bay Rowdies are my team. Been to several games this year. It's a lot of fun. Plus, I can walk out of my building and see the stadium across the street.
 
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Not MLS yet, hopefully with next expansion, but the Tampa Bay Rowdies are my team. Been to several games this year. It's a lot of fun. Plus, I can walk out of my building and see the stadium across the street.

Jealous. Miss seeing the Mutiny at the ol' sombrero. The Rowdies used to pack that place too in the old NASL days. Raymond James stadium hurt the atmosphere. Glad to see them doing well.
 
I'm a Colorado Rapids fan mainly due to having lived in Denver for a number of years. However, with the Minnesota United club joining MLS, I've wondered if it makes more geographical sense to throw my support behind the new club. I was able to attend a MN United game last year and have a t-shirt that I love.
Has anyone seen the homegrown player territory maps lately? Last I saw, I thought the Iowa City area was Sporting KC territory?
 
Jealous. Miss seeing the Mutiny at the ol' sombrero. The Rowdies used to pack that place too in the old NASL days. Raymond James stadium hurt the atmosphere. Glad to see them doing well.
Yeah, sounds like they got a real good chance for getting bumped up to the bigs. They certainly have the fan support here. People love their Rowdies here.
 
I don't pay much attention, but I live 10 miles from the StubHub Center, so I kinda go for the LA Galaxy.
Luckily for you, these mid-size MLS stadiums have made for great international rugby venues. I saw Wales-USA at Toyota Park a few years back.
 
So, the HROT popularity ranking is...

1) Chicago Fire (2x as many as anyone else)
2) Kansas City
3) Minnesota, Seattle
4) Colorado
5) Many others with 1 vote, but I know a few 'Noles who haven't weighed in w/ ATL.

What is with the Seattle love? The "cool" team? Steven Patrick disciples?
 
So, the HROT popularity ranking is...

1) Chicago Fire (2x as many as anyone else)
2) Kansas City
3) Minnesota, Seattle
4) Colorado
5) Many others with 1 vote, but I know a few 'Noles who haven't weighed in w/ ATL.

What is with the Seattle love? The "cool" team? Steven Patrick disciples?

From the first game I thought the fan base was unlike anything I had seen in the US. I loved their uniforms. They had US internationals like Eddie Johnson, Kasey Keller, Marcus Hannenman, Brad Evans, a young Deandre Yedlin and of course Clint Dempsey. They had some other guys that you grew to love like Freddy Montero, Steve Zakuwani, Ozzie Alonso. Then there were the old guys like Chad Marshall and Zach Scott to hold down the back. Ownership group spends money (Obafemi Martins and Nicolas Lodeiro) and really put a lot of effort into building what they have. Plus Drew Carey!

Whats not to like?
 
Nobody cares about freaking soccer. Good grief, move to Europe.
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