Attending an MLS Match in the US

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

What MLS has yet to figure out is the insipid "supporters groups" who spend the entire match BANGING ON GODDAMN DRUMS and singing SONGS WITH NO WORDS drive people AWAY. By people, I mean, you know, me.

To be fair the atmosphere at the Sacramento Republic matches (they play one league down) is really good. And it was very hard to get tickets pre-COVID.

No question the Seattle/Portland rivalry is the tops in the sport. The Timbers have some lumberjack who cuts a slice off a huge tree with a chainsaw right after someone scores and presents it to the player later. It's a pretty good schtick I think.

You can read about the tradition here (near the end of the article): https://www.timbers.com/providencepark/supporters/timber-joey

Yes at the Revs games the 2 fan groups there have one half of the game each on the megaphone, stood on some platform, spending the entire game getting those fans in The Fort to sing their heads off for 90 mins.
Nothing is spontaneous from the crowd. It is the same (however many) songs over and over again being led by the megaphone and backed up with the drums.
Very much the same formula Palace fans have latched onto.

 

[Javi Garcia's Hairstylist]

It is a double edged sword being called New England.
It is such a cluster of six small states that the name brings together the majority of the population. If they became Boston Rovers would the support from the other 5 states (or indeed from other areas of Massachusetts) remain?
There is no way an MLS team could survive in Vermont / Maine / New Hampshire / Rhode Island if being named after a City or town they are from. Hartford in Connecticut could probably pull it off.
The issue with Connecticut is the southern and western part of the state adjoining New York, people are drawn towards the New York sporting teams and not the Patriots / Rag Sox / Celtics / Bruins
I have been in the tailgate parties at the Gillette Stadium and watched the school busses roll up full of junior teams from Vermont and Maine etc.
In some cases it is travelling 3 / 4 hours for a home game!
There is a Boston City FC in some low down league and I know the Revs have been looking for a Boston home for years in Somerville / Cambridge (where even on Sundays the place is a traffic jam) and the last place I read about was somewhere near to South Station / I 93) but with Kraft owning both the Patriots and The Revs why would he spend $100m plus on a soccer stadium when the team already play in one he owns!

Actually if they had a ground in Somerville/Cambridge I think it would do pretty well given the demographic that follows the MLS. I would certainly go more often. Or, rather, at all.

But good luck acquiring the land to build around there!

I don't even know how the Revs are doing in terms of attendance support. Are they happy with the levels? Seems like those clubs that go for the suburban family demo don't do particularly well (ie Dallas). Had some business there for a few years right by where they played and their ground was absolutely dead every time I went.

 

[metalblue]

Since I haven't been able to get over to watch City for obvious reasons, went with the wife and brother-in-law last night to watch New England Revolution/New York Red Bulls match at Gillette Stadium. First time we had been to a match there since before Covid. Overall it was a very pleasant evening - nice summer night and an entertaining match that the Revolution won 3-2.

Positives: only about a 30 minute drive even with rush hour traffic; able to get a decent slice of pizza before the match since the stadium is in a large mall complex with plenty of food options; phone app for tickets worked quite well; enjoyable match even if lacking in quality, but it is MLS.

Negatives: hard to believe that we pay more for MLS matches than I do for City matches - tickets range from $34 to $95, and we bought low/mid range seats for $54.50; it is an American Football stadium so very flat tiering; beer -$12 for regular size and $14 for large; lots in the crowd were up and down constantly for food, etc.; noise before match and at halftime was brutal - music blaring way too loud and a "revolution" chant that blasted for about 5 minutes to try to rev up the crowd reminded me of the noise at basketball games; winners of giveaways being announced during the match.

I'm an old geezer, so take all of this with a grain of salt. Yeah, some things not to like, but at least we had a nice summer night out watching football. Can't wait until you'll let us back in so we can get back and watch CITY!

I imagine the reason for giving prizes away during the game is to stop people nipping out for crafty wank in the bogs. I hope they don’t introduce such nonsense here else I might have to add a cornflake breakfast to my match day ritual

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

Actually if they had a ground in Somerville/Cambridge I think it would do pretty well given the demographic that follows the MLS. I would certainly go more often. Or, rather, at all.

But good luck acquiring the land to build around there!

I don't even know how the Revs are doing in terms of attendance support. Are they happy with the levels? Seems like those clubs that go for the suburban family demo don't do particularly well (ie Dallas). Had some business there for a few years right by where they played and their ground was absolutely dead every time I went.

I know when the Revs have played in some knockout cup they have played at the Havard University (Soldiers Field?) - maybe they could do a deal with the University and build a stadium there jointly - although 20,000 people getting in from and out onto Soldiers Field Road would cause chaos around Allston / Brighton / Cambridge

In June 2013, the New England Revolution played host to the New York Red Bulls in a US Open Cup Round-of-16 game, marking the first time in Revolution history the team played a game within the Boston city limits

 

[eyalluvitt]

I know when the Revs have played in some knockout cup they have played at the Havard University (Soldiers Field?) - maybe they could do a deal with the University and build a stadium there jointly - although 20,000 people getting in from and out onto Soldiers Field Road would cause chaos around Allston / Brighton / Cambridge
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In June 2013, the New England Revolution played host to the New York Red Bulls in a US Open Cup Round-of-16 game, marking the first time in Revolution history the team played a game within the Boston city limits

Havard? That's what she said.

 

[BimboBob]

On holiday in LA a couple of years ago, I had the misfortune to attend an LA Galaxy game. Never been so bored in my life! The stands were full of families with picnics, fair enough if that’s their thing, but they barely took any notice of what was going on in front of them. There is a culture of having barbecue’s outside the stadium before kick-off, I really don’t know why most bothered to pay to get in!

A tailgate party is a thing of beauty. Been to a few NFL/ MLS games over the years when over and they are brilliant. Food, beer, chatting shite to loads of people. Great fun.

 

[Platt Lane veteran]

A tailgate party is a thing of beauty. Been to a few NFL/ MLS games over the years when over and they are brilliant. Food, beer, chatting shite to loads of people. Great fun.

But then they pay to get in the game, and just carry on their conversations, without bothering to check what’s happening on the pitch!

 

[BimboBob]

But then they pay to get in the game, and just carry on their conversations, without bothering to check what’s happening on the pitch!

Americans have always treated their sport as an extension of watching it on the tv in their dens.

 

[Mad Eyed Screamer]

But then they pay to get in the game, and just carry on their conversations, without bothering to check what’s happening on the pitch!

That's because most of the time nothing is happening on the pitch.

 

[Barcon]

But then they pay to get in the game, and just carry on their conversations, without bothering to check what’s happening on the pitch!

I think most of them stay outside the stadium and drink beer and eat sausages.