Last season FC Cincinnati average 21,199 per game - https://soccerstadiumdigest.com/2017-usl-attendance/. And that's just for league games. It was drawing 30,000+ plus for U.S. Open Cup games.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
RedTeamGo! (04-25-2018)
I played through high school and have been a fan of English soccer since the days of Eric Cantona, watching games through pirate satellite feeds from those massive backyard dishes. I’ve heard all my life that soccer is the next big thing that sweeps America, but it never does. I agree that the EPL, La Liga, and even Bundesliga and Series A are growing in popularity as watching games and following leagues has become much easier, but soccer is just not ingrained in American culture. It’s why the rare American player who is truly any good doesn’t stay here. It’s always going to be niche.
Oh, and FCC is averaging 25,086 so far this season - https://soccerstadiumdigest.com/2018-usl-attendance/. The Reds are averaging 18.959. Small sample sizes, but it wouldn't be surprising to see FCC significantly out-draw the Reds this year.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Football’s demise, yes. That would certainly propel soccer up a few notches on the American sports ladder, but overtaking baseball? Not a chance. Not with the quality of MLS, which is what we’re really talking about. I’m sure that baseball was dead a couple years ago in Houston too. In fact, it was. A 0.0 cable rating for games probably spawned these same type of projections from posters on Astroszone, but things obviously changed.
Kinsm (04-25-2018)
They are, but that has nothing to do with an MLS franchise. People who are true soccer fans know what an MLS franchise is, which is the soccer equivalent of the Dayton Dragons. The other MLS attendees are mostly just people wanting a cheap and fun family night. Nothing wrong with that of course, but that novelty always wears off. Unless it’s the best or among the best, it won’t sustain.
It's not a niche anymore. MLS averages 20,000+ per game. Teams are sprouting up in all kinds of secondary markets too. It's no La Liga/Bundesliga/EPL, but it's a solid league. As a sport, soccer is more ingrained with millennials than baseball is. In fact, according to Gallup, more Gen Xers also report soccer as their favorite viewing sport than baseball.
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
Kinsm (04-25-2018),Revering4Blue (04-25-2018)
A) True soccer fans recognize MLS is a far sight better than A ball. I can spend an hour telling you the problems with MLS, but the average MLS team would be mid-table in Portugal or the Netherlands.
B) It's already sustained into its 23rd season and it growing rapidly.
C) Asensio!
I'm not a system player. I am a system.
A) You should know after 2016 that polls are useless. Even if you give into the premise that it’s accurate, it’s still only a snapshot in a particular time.
B) EPL ratings last year were low, in fact the lowest since NBC started broadcasting it. This year’s Manchester derby set record ratings, but the big matches between the top 6 in England always do well. So does El Classico. But nobody cares about Watford vs Southampton. Most of these “fans” probably don’t even know who those clubs are.
I love that it’s growing. Like I said, I’ve been an English soccer fan for over 25 years now. But also like I said, I’ve heard all of this before. In fact I heard it after the 94 World Cup. And the last World Cup. And when I was a kid playing. I’ll believe it when I see it
Tony Cloninger (04-25-2018)
LOL no. It’s not. It’s where old Euro stars go to die and get one last payday. MLS is a joke to European fans. Yeah it’s been around for 23 years. Major TV contract? Homegrown stars that have become household names? Pipeline of up and coming players that can challenge Europe for supremacy in the coming years? No, no, and no. MLS is doing fine being what it is, but let’s not try to sell it as something that it definitely is not, which is a credible, worldwide competitive league.
bm1475 (04-25-2018)
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