The dignity of MLS fans took a hit Wednesday as 53,309 suckers paid to watch Chelsea sleepwalk through a pre-season game against the Seattle Sounders. It was particularly disheartening that the game took place in Seattle, the city where the #TrophiesNotFriendlies movement first started in MLS.
In case you are new to following MLS, the #TrophiesNotFriendlies movement was started by Dave Clark of Sounder at Heart as a way of calling out MLS teams that were scheduling several meaningless friendlies against the strips of big European clubs each year.
By pandering to European focused fans in a cynical money grab, the clubs were putting undue strain on the resources of players in the middle of their competitive season.
In Seattle the owners gave the appearance of listening. They reduced the amount of games they subjected the Sounders to play, but continued to schedule about one a year.
[PRBREAK][/PRBREAK]
Here in Toronto the movement caught the attention of many in the supporter’s group community. Particular attention was directed at TFC putting the friendlies as part of a season ticket package and supporter’s demanded that only competitive TFC games be included in that. If the Reds wanted to play a meaningless exhibition in mid-season then don’t make us pay for it, was the message.
TFC heard that message. Tomorrow’s ill-conceived kick-about with future League One players that happen to be wearing Liverpool strips is not being forced on any paying customer. If you want to waste your money to watch, it’s your call.
By all accounts not many people are. And, those that do go are expected to mostly be cheering for the guys that will compete for a Carling Cup this fall. Hopefully, the players will be told that supporters are staying away because they philosophically disagree with the idea of the game and not because they are protesting the team. The lack of promotion the game has gotten in-stadium would seem to indicate that the front office has a good handle on this.
One thing TFC fans should be aware of is that the game is not a TFC initiative. So, a lack of ticket sales in no way will hurt the cub. The promoter of the game is Rogers Centre and it is they who will lose their shirts if no one comes.
TFC is getting an appearance fee to play. Hopefully, Rogers Centre is learning an important lesson here: if you want to put a Euro team into the Dome in July don’t make the local XI play them. Liverpool versus Chelsea would have likely sold out. It most certainly would not have pissed anyone off like this game has.
And therein is one ominous lesson TFC fans may have learned as well. In the first chance to demonstrate that it thinks and will operate in a different way than the Teacher’s Pension Plan, MLSE’s new ownership group, Rogers, proved to be completely deaf to fan’s concerns.
Hopefully this is not evidence that we were better off with the devil we knew, but first impressions are troubling.