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Montreal in MLS sooner than we think?


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quote:Originally posted by CanadianSoccerFan

You would have a point if Portland didn't also satisfy all of the criteria you just stated while still being an American city.

Anyway, back to Montreal. George Gillett was on the radio tonight and said the Canadiens new state of the art practice facility also has a FIFA approved full sized indoor soccer pitch. A year round practice facility for the Impact might just be another feather in their cap.

At least the Whitecaps don't need an indoor facility for year round practise, they already have a practise facility they built and paid for at SFU and are planning a larger $25 million one of their own in Delta.
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quote:Originally posted by speedmonk42

I really don't think the MLS sees USL as a threat.

Granting Vancouver or Montreal a franchise, killing USL will not be part of the plan or intention.

A healthy USL is good for MLS and vice versa.

I disagree totally. If MLS feels so great about USL, why wouldn't thay have an agreement of some kind, instead of MLS funding a marginal reserve league? You've got several USL markets with decent attendance, (gates bigger than a few MLS teams) WITHOUT the high overhead, and huge expansion fees. The MLS absolutely regards the USL as a competitor...exacerbated by the success USL teams have had against MLS teams in various competitions.

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On the Philly to Montreal front, this is from Greg Douglas' column in today's Vancouver Sun:

END ZONE: Dan Courtemanche, senior vice president of marketing and communications with Major League Soccer, says suggestions that the 2010 expansion franchise in Philadelphia is in "economic jeopardy" are unfounded.

"They've signed a significant corporate partner just 10 days ago and have more than 5,000 seasons ticket deposits for the 18,500-seat stadium," Courtemanche says from MLS headquarters in New York. The negative insinuation, it comes to pass, was hatched in Montreal in anticipation of improving that city's status as a future franchise.

http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/sports/story.html?id=dda8ca84-296a-4d09-85c4-6aebce41f3bd

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I hope, for the sake of the league, that the Impact get in on the considerable strength of their own bid rather than the weakness of one of the other existing or upcoming teams. I could see good reason to bring in Philly and Montreal in 2010 but coming in the back door as a replacement for Philly would, to my mind, make Montreal's entry into the league seem somehow less official or less deserving.

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quote:Originally posted by Johnnie Monster

They've only sold 5,000 season tickets?

Sure they're two years away, but come on... that's all they've managed? And I'm sure those are just deposits, not full paid tickets.

I heard on World Soccer Daily that Seattle is up to 22k season tickets. So 5k is terrible. Don't Montreal have more than that now in the USL?

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Guest speedmonk42
quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer

I disagree totally. If MLS feels so great about USL, why wouldn't thay have an agreement of some kind, instead of MLS funding a marginal reserve league? You've got several USL markets with decent attendance, (gates bigger than a few MLS teams) WITHOUT the high overhead, and huge expansion fees. The MLS absolutely regards the USL as a competitor...exacerbated by the success USL teams have had against MLS teams in various competitions.

In the last ten years... 28 teams to 11. What agreement would you have?

Don't get me wrong, I love the USL/A-League, but there is just no comparison between the two organizations.

One is a giant slowly turning juggernaut. The other is accomplishing good things by being flexible in many departments. One is building 100 million dollar stadiums... ect...

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quote:Originally posted by piltdownman

I heard on World Soccer Daily that Seattle is up to 22k season tickets. So 5k is terrible. Don't Montreal have more than that now in the USL?

http://www.rds.ca/impact/chroniques/252027.html

According to rds.ca (May 19th), the Impact sold 5.1 K season tickets, compared to 2K the year before (the final year at Claude-Robillard). So yes, we already have more than them with our USL team. [8D]

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quote:Originally posted by piltdownman

I heard on World Soccer Daily that Seattle is up to 22k season tickets. So 5k is terrible. Don't Montreal have more than that now in the USL?

http://www.rds.ca/impact/chroniques/252027.html

According to rds.ca (May 19th), the Impact sold 5.1 K season tickets, compared to 2K the year before (the final year at Claude-Robillard). So yes, we already have more than them with our USL team. [8D]

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My question would be are the 5100 season ticket sales all sales to individuals or does that include the group sales that Impact has with various soccer groups and corporations. If it is purely individual sales that is a pretty good number but if it includes the other it is much less impressive.

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My question would be are the 5100 season ticket sales all sales to individuals or does that include the group sales that Impact has with various soccer groups and corporations. If it is purely individual sales that is a pretty good number but if it includes the other it is much less impressive.

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Guest Jeffery S.

You don't compare existing season tix sold for an existing team to ticket sales for a team that does not exist and won't play for a couple seasons. Regardless of the league.

Apart from that, I don't believe the rumours about Philly having problems came out of Montreal. I mean, aren't they and Seattle officially in now, fee paid, meaning they technically vote on future expansion or have a say on it? And does Montreal know this? You don't try to drag down an entity that has a say in your future just to rush things out of sheer anxiety. You pander to them, which does not include starting rumours to slag them.

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quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

You don't compare existing season tix sold for an existing team to ticket sales for a team that does not exist and won't play for a couple seasons. Regardless of the league.

Apart from that, I don't believe the rumours about Philly having problems came out of Montreal. I mean, aren't they and Seattle officially in now, fee paid, meaning they technically vote on future expansion or have a say on it? And does Montreal know this? You don't try to drag down an entity that has a say in your future just to rush things out of sheer anxiety. You pander to them, which does not include starting rumours to slag them.

In fact, Philly's first game's gonna be in just 17 months (less than 1 ½ year), and THEY ARE an existing organization. Sure it's touchy to compare those numbers, but don't forget that Impact season tickets are actually sold, while Philly's 5K just = 5K promises...
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quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

My question would be are the 5100 season ticket sales all sales to individuals or does that include the group sales that Impact has with various soccer groups and corporations. If it is purely individual sales that is a pretty good number but if it includes the other it is much less impressive.

I don't see how it could include one-off group sales. I figure there's probably 1.5k-2k corporate sales (seeing as there were 2k at CCR), and a further 2-3k to individuals.

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quote:Originally posted by Daniel

I don't see how it could include one-off group sales. I figure there's probably 1.5k-2k corporate sales (seeing as there were 2k at CCR), and a further 2-3k to individuals.

I don't really understand your post. It seems like you are saying it does include group sales though in the first sentence it seems like you are saying it doesn't. Can you clarify?

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quote:Originally posted by Jeffrey S.

You don't compare existing season tix sold for an existing team to ticket sales for a team that does not exist and won't play for a couple seasons. Regardless of the league.

I agree.

Toronto only had 7k deposits In October of 2006, six months before their first kick. They then sold over 1,000 actual season tickets on their first day of sales, and eventually had sold 14k season tickets by the time April 07 rolled around.

Saying that 5000 deposits is "terrible" for a team that is well over a year from starting play is incredibly smug and short-sighted.

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quote:Originally posted by speedmonk42

In the last ten years... 28 teams to 11. What agreement would you have?

Don't get me wrong, I love the USL/A-League, but there is just no comparison between the two organizations.

One is a giant slowly turning juggernaut. The other is accomplishing good things by being flexible in many departments. One is building 100 million dollar stadiums... ect...

Well, Montreal built a 13 million dollar stadium (not 100 million), and they're about to join MLS. And the number of teams now vs 10 years ago has NOTHING to do with the USL's overall quality. In fact, most of those 28 teams were crap teams. The current clubs are stable and drawing (in some cases) more than the "jugernaut" MLS teams.

The point is whether the USL is a threat to MLS, and with 2 top divisions and dozens of feeder teams in PDL, it IS a threat. Which is why MLS would love nothing more than to bring Vancouver, Montreal, Miami, Portland into the fold, like they have with Seattle.

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