« Previous Post | Main | Next Post »

She doesn't even know the difference between Elvis and El Vez

Perhaps it's just that I've become more obsessive in my scrutiny of MLS, but I expected attendance to ramp up significantly this year. With the addition of Chivas and Real Salt Lake I thought the league had finally turned the corner from being a fledgling, financially tenuous organization to an established part of the sports landscape.

But it's clear that the league still has a ways to go. Any further expansion plans should be put on hold until the MLS can get its existing teams on decent footing. Two franchises--San Jose and Kansas City--are up for sale and in peril of being relocated.

It'd be a real shame if San Jose ends up moving. Attendance has always been sluggish in that market. This year was no different, with an average of 13,037 butts in the seats. But the city's potential, even without a new soccer-specific stadium, was amply on display this year. The two home games against Los Angeles featured some of the best crowds of the year going absolutely apeshit for 90 minutes. People who were at those games will return.

It was an even more remarkable year for them on the field. San Jose lost just four times in 32 matches--the fewest defeats in the league's 10-year history. And they did it without LD and despite losing two of their starting defenders to season-ending injuries. They've got to be favored to win their third MLS Cup this year.

Kansas City is another matter. The season was an unmitigated disaster for them. They easily had the worst attendance in the league, averaging less than 10,000 fans per game--some 23 percent less than the next crappiest tally (New England). What's more, attendance declined for the second straight year. It was the team's worst showing at the ticket counter since 2000. Both the Miami Fusion and the Tampa Bay Mutiny drew larger crowds in their final seasons before contraction than Kansas City drew this year.

Things were no better on the field for the Wizards. Despite returning most key elements of the team that went to MLS Cup last year, Kansas City somehow crapped out of the playoffs, going winless in their last eight matches. They won their last match of the season on August 19th!

There are no named prospects for local ownership, despite the team being on the block for almost a year. And that means there's been no serious discussions about building a soccer specific stadium in Kansas City.

I see no other option: move the Wizards.

Posted by Paul Demko at October 18, 2005 4:19 PM

« Yesterday I booked my flight for the MLS Cup | Main | Now that I've got a new hot water heater this blog is gonna kick a lot of ass »