Jump to content

MLS 4 the Lou


Bills_06

Recommended Posts

  • Replies 247
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Top Posters In This Topic

50 minutes ago, Delboy said:

I doubt they will play NCAA soccer national championship here again. Remember what happened last time with the snow.

I don’t think they’ll make us an annual championship location like Omaha/OKC  but they’ve brought the championship to PA and Kansas in the last decade although they lean south for locations. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

49 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

I don’t think they’ll make us an annual championship location like Omaha/OKC  but they’ve brought the championship to PA and Kansas in the last decade although they lean south for locations. 

With all the money the Taylor family pays the NCAA for sponsorship, they will get their stadium in a regular rotation for the College Cup if they so desire.

ChangeOfPace and Pistol like this
Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, billikenfan05 said:

I don’t think they’ll make us an annual championship location like Omaha/OKC  but they’ve brought the championship to PA and Kansas in the last decade although they lean south for locations. 

After doing some research (mainly on Wikipedia), St. Louis was prime for championship events from 2007-2009. Busch opened in '06, they had the all-star game there in 2009. We also had the Frozen Four in St. Louis in '07. Then, we had the D1 Ncaa Basketball Women's Championship in '09. I think if the stadium can be a place for more soccer events, it will do well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The '05 or '06 NCAA championship we hosted at SLU was affected by a really freak snow storm that rolled through.  I think the average temp for mid Dec was somewhere in the high 40s at the time and we got below freezing with ample snow.  That said the field was in good shape given the warming blanket they put over it.  The games were really good as well especially the championship of two CA teams playing in the bitter cold...UCSB and UCLA.   I remember how there was ice throughout the stands, my feet were frozen stiff after the game that UCSB won, and that we may never get another championship again. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, SLUBALLS said:

It was the MLS that dictated the stadium be built downtown per Kavanaugh at a SLU soccer kick-off dinner last year.  This doesn't necessarily mean the County was precluded from participating but it was likely made harder by the firm demand by the MLS.

In terms of who wins, we are competing with Detroit, Las Vegas, San Diego, and Phoenix.  The latter three have one aspect that St. Louis does not and that is a larger Hispanic population which is a huge supporter of futbol.  So I think one of those will be selected.  Second, between Detroit and St. Louis, I don't know how Detroit would be a more attractive option than St. Louis with our historical tradition in soccer and location to Chicago, KC, Cincinnati, and Nashville.   Talk about being at the center of a nice contingent of rivalries.

San Diego’s bid requires a vote to fund a stadium  not probably going to happen   

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While St Louis may not have a large Hispanic population, we do have the largest concentration of Bosnians in the US that is well in excess of 70,000.  When Bosnia-Hercegovina played Argentina at Busch a few years ago it seemed that the vast majority of the nearly 35,000+  people in attendance were wearing Bosnian jerseys...........I suspect good portion of those would attend MLS games if we secure a team.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, brianstl said:

With all the money the Taylor family pays the NCAA for sponsorship, they will get their stadium in a regular rotation for the College Cup if they so desire.

Enterprise is no longer a sponsor of the NCAA.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, SLUBALLS said:

The '05 or '06 NCAA championship we hosted at SLU was affected by a really freak snow storm that rolled through.  I think the average temp for mid Dec was somewhere in the high 40s at the time and we got below freezing with ample snow.  That said the field was in good shape given the warming blanket they put over it.  The games were really good as well especially the championship of two CA teams playing in the bitter cold...UCSB and UCLA.   I remember how there was ice throughout the stands, my feet were frozen stiff after the game that UCSB won, and that we may never get another championship again. 

One of the coldest days of my life and I lived 3 years in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The stands were metal and the ground was still ice covered. I believe it was under 10 degrees. I remember the majority of the players also wore just their uni's no thermals. We went immediately to Sweet Tomatoes on Watson afterwards for soup

Link to comment
Share on other sites

It was great to see how the press conference seemed to focus on inclusiveness - held at Matthews-Dickey, a gender and racially diverse group of speakers, women-led ownership group, etc.  It was a nice change of pace from the way things are typically done here (e.g., the Arch grounds rededication ceremony).

The whole thing made me proud of St. Louis.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

11 hours ago, 73Billiken said:

While St Louis may not have a large Hispanic population, we do have the largest concentration of Bosnians in the US that is well in excess of 70,000.  When Bosnia-Hercegovina played Argentina at Busch a few years ago it seemed that the vast majority of the nearly 35,000+  people in attendance were wearing Bosnian jerseys...........I suspect good portion of those would attend MLS games if we secure a team.

It is the largest concentration outside of Europe. Using the 2013 numbers, we would be the 6th most populous city in Bosnia

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Put some Bosnians on the team and they will come.

Put a Chaminade or CBC alum in the team.

Win

Put is in same division as KC and Chicago.

i attended a KC SC match a few years back. It was incredible! People singing banging drums at both ends of the stadium. I’m sure some of those crazies would make the trek over here, hang out downtown, eat and drink in our fair city.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just now, Billikenbooster said:

Put some Bosnians on the team and they will come.

Put a Chaminade or CBC alum in the team.

Win

Put is in same division as KC and Chicago.

i attended a KC SC match a few years back. It was incredible! People singing banging drums at both ends of the stadium. I’m sure some of those crazies would make the trek over here, hang out downtown, eat and drink in our fair city.

It's a long shot (age, salary requirements, etc.) but bring Vedad to StL.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

9 minutes ago, Billikenbooster said:

Put some Bosnians on the team and they will come.

Put a Chaminade or CBC alum in the team.

Win

Put is in same division as KC and Chicago.

i attended a KC SC match a few years back. It was incredible! People singing banging drums at both ends of the stadium. I’m sure some of those crazies would make the trek over here, hang out downtown, eat and drink in our fair city.

This is the only thing that matters, and should matter. Putting Bosnians or locals on a team will never guarantee attendance, just like it doesn't guarantee Billiken basketball attendance this season. Putting together a team of good players and a couple of headline names that win games will pack the house.

TheChosenOne and Littlebill like this
Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

The thing is will they attend St. Louis MLS games? Do they go to STLFC games? That's always been an underlying question I've heard.

I never would have thought soccer would have taken off in Atlanta but they are breaking all kinds of attendance records. 

I've only been to one game, and part of that was to see the new stadium, I'd say the biggest demographic of the crowd was yuppies. 20-40 year olds that played youth soccer as adolescents and teens. Second group would be the foreign ex-pats.   

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, tarheelbilliken said:

I never would have thought soccer would have taken off in Atlanta but they are breaking all kinds of attendance records. 

I've only been to one game, and part of that was to see the new stadium, I'd say the biggest demographic of the crowd was yuppies. 20-40 year olds that played youth soccer as adolescents and teens. Second group would be the foreign ex-pats.   

Bosnians are a very tight knit group of people. From my experience they tend to do their own thing within their community. For instance I believe they are more likely to support their communities semi-pro travel team than an organized professional team representing the entire city.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, tarheelbilliken said:

I never would have thought soccer would have taken off in Atlanta but they are breaking all kinds of attendance records. 

I've only been to one game, and part of that was to see the new stadium, I'd say the biggest demographic of the crowd was yuppies. 20-40 year olds that played youth soccer as adolescents and teens. Second group would be the foreign ex-pats.   

How was experience overall besides seeing venue?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 minutes ago, moytoy12 said:

It's a long shot (age, salary requirements, etc.) but bring Vedad to StL.  

If St Louis gets a team, I would expect that the MLS will try to find a way to get Vedad on it.  No doubt he is even now past his prime playing age, but he is off to a really good start this season with Hertha.  His contract with them ends after this season. 

By the time a team here would get going, he would definitely be able to make more money and play more in the MLS.  It would probably come down if he had a desire to return to St. Louis.  He only lived here for 3 years.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 minutes ago, billikenfan05 said:

Bosnians are a very tight knit group of people. From my experience they tend to do their own thing within their community. For instance I believe they are more likely to support their communities semi-pro travel team than an organized professional team representing the entire city.  

Their is a difference between be willing to support a team in the USL or indoor team and supporting a MLS team.  Minor league teams always draw from a niche market.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Box and Won said:

It was great to see how the press conference seemed to focus on inclusiveness - held at Matthews-Dickey, a gender and racially diverse group of speakers, women-led ownership group, etc.  It was a nice change of pace from the way things are typically done here (e.g., the Arch grounds rededication ceremony).

The whole thing made me proud of St. Louis.

Really hope this sparks some new youth soccer programs in the area, especially in minority communities

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.


×
×
  • Create New...