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Montreal in MLS sooner than we think?


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quote:Originally posted by Johnnie Monster

It's not smug at all. Look at the numbers Seattle has put up.

... and when Vancouver announced plans for a new stadium and their pursuit of MLS, they collected 14,000 deposits on season tickets, plus deposits on 60 (yes, that's right, Six-Zero) corporate suites.

Does anyone remember the costs? I think there was four levels:

1) Normal seats for almost no money down ($20?)

2) Club Seats ($250)

3) Booths (You got like a restaurant booth with your own table and your own personal replay screen, $???)

4) Full Corporate Boxes (I remeber this number was 60+ and it wasn't cheap, $2,500?)

I know for a fact that the club seats where $250, because I was the first to put money down for four of them, but I have no idea about the rest. What is somewhat scary they have stopped getting snail mail to that 'account' about a year ago. Up until then I got special letters informing me of everything going on at the club, including Christmas cards, offers to buy tickets to the big matches and other things.

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quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

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?

Rereading it, I think you were half-right:

- Individuals (you, me, Grande's dad, etc.) count towards season ticket sales

- Corporate tickets (Bell buys 4 pairs, Air Canada has 10 pairs, etc.) count.

However, you mention "the group sales that Impact has with various soccer groups and corporations", which is not counted into the season ticket base. Some sponsors might get 1k tickets for one game, others 1k for every game (Metro?) while a soccer club or might get 3k for one game. These are group sales, not season tickets.

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I don't understand how anybody could consider the USL a threat long term to MLS.

One league is on the rise, the other is stuck in neutral. MLS increasingly has the stadiums, the corporate sponsorships, the TV deal, and owners with more money. That might sound like a gag considering the profitability of some teams but the numbers are there. MLS gets more money our of ESPN, ADIDAS than USL gets out of anybody. MLS might like to skim the top few teams out of the USL but other than that...

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quote:Originally posted by VPjr

Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette says "Montreal Doesn't Need to Join MLS"

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=53d7c45c-2642-43d2-a527-136447d23d52

Very interesting from a hockey writer for a mainstream paper. I'm of two minds. As a buyer of season tickets, and a lover of the game rather than star personalities, I would ecstatic if there could be a scenario where we stay in the USL yet manage to continue to grow the product. MLS would mean greater tv exposure and somewhat superior opposition.

Anyone know what kind of salary cap exists in the USL and what if any the odds are that the successful franchises can begin to spend 200-300k for example on a player or two?

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quote:Originally posted by VPjr

Pat Hickey of the Montreal Gazette says "Montreal Doesn't Need to Join MLS"

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=53d7c45c-2642-43d2-a527-136447d23d52

Opening with Nine cities, including Montreal, are in line to bid for two expansion franchises in Major League Soccer doesn't help the writer's credibility.

The USL on-field product is pretty good, but everything else about it is Mickey Mouse. If the Impact wish to actually be considered a "real" pro club in this city (and not just some cute distracion), it needs to join MLS. Period.

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Wow. Talk about using stats to bend an argument in your favour.

"The average attendance at MLS games this past season was 16,459. That's down 1.8 per cent from last season." Omitting that last season was the highest attendance since the inaugural 1996 season.

"The average attendance is lower than it was in the league's 1996 inaugural season." Yeah, cuz that inaugural season was a novelty. 5 years ago when the league was on the ropes attendance was thousands less than it is today.

"During his first two seasons in MLS, he has appeared in only 25 of the Galaxy's 60 games." Beckham joined last summer, halfway through the season.

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quote:Originally posted by jpg75

Wow. Talk about using stats to bend an argument in your favour.

"The average attendance at MLS games this past season was 16,459. That's down 1.8 per cent from last season." Omitting that last season was the highest attendance since the inaugural 1996 season.

"The average attendance is lower than it was in the league's 1996 inaugural season." Yeah, cuz that inaugural season was a novelty. 5 years ago when the league was on the ropes attendance was thousands less than it is today.

"During his first two seasons in MLS, he has appeared in only 25 of the Galaxy's 60 games." Beckham joined last summer, halfway through the season.

Like I said... hockey writer. When we wish the dinosaurs in the mainstream media would pay more attention to soccer we have to careful what we wish for....

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quote:Originally posted by Daniel

Opening with Nine cities, including Montreal, are in line to bid for two expansion franchises in Major League Soccer doesn't help the writer's credibility.

The USL on-field product is pretty good, but everything else about it is Mickey Mouse. If the Impact wish to actually be considered a "real" pro club in this city (and not just some cute distracion), it needs to join MLS. Period.

In my opinion MLS is just as Mickey Mouse as the USL. However, perception is reality and they have a far better image, marketing power and reputation whether deserved or not so from that point of view you are right that we need to be in MLS.

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quote:Originally posted by Grizzly

In my opinion MLS is just as Mickey Mouse as the USL. However, perception is reality and they have a far better image, marketing power and reputation whether deserved or not so from that point of view you are right that we need to be in MLS.

As I've said many times I think the main difference between the MLS and USL is marketing. The marketing does entice better players, the difference between quality of play is there, but not as much as many think it is.

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quote:Originally posted by Lorne

http://www.canada.com/montrealgazette/news/sports/story.html?id=53d7c45c-2642-43d2-a527-136447d23d52

The Gazette has a well written article about why Montreal is more important to the MLS than the MLS is to the Montreal Impact. There is nothing new here, but it is a perspective that I largely share. The USL has a lot of the fundamentals right.

It was already posted, in this very thread.

And it is most definitely not well-written, as many of the posts above yours will attest.

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A lot of people have taken issue with my comment that the USL is a "threat" to MLS. I made the comment on the basis that the MLS would love to snatch the most successful USL clubs (Van, Mtl, Sea, Por) and strategic markets like Atl and Mia to keep the USL in the mid level markets.

When I look at the crowd in New England for the playoff game last weekend, for a PERENNIAL powerhouse and regular championship finalist, and see only 5,000 people at the game...I wonder if alarms are sounding.

Yes MLS has grown in leaps and bounds, but the fundamentals are not great. And in this economic crisis, the bigger you are, the harder you fall. As long as the USL is around and attracting markets, other potential investors will have a choice between a 50 million dollar entry fee, and a 1 million dollar expansion fee.

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quote:Originally posted by Calgary Boomer

A lot of people have taken issue with my comment that the USL is a "threat" to MLS. I made the comment on the basis that the MLS would love to snatch the most successful USL clubs (Van, Mtl, Sea, Por) and strategic markets like Atl and Mia to keep the USL in the mid level markets.

...

Agree with that and it's a good strategy. Even just busting up the regional rivalries is a good move. And honestly, outside of Montreal I don't see any USL 1st Division owner willing to take on MLS in the same market were an MLS bid made by a rival.

Even still, I agree MLS doesn't want to be put into a situation where a they need for the established and successful USL club to be part of an expansion bid for a market. Gives the current market reps negotiating leverage.

And that's exactly how they (the USL teams, in particular Vancouver & Montreal, but throw Ottawa in just for fun) should use it. When the WHA merged into the NHL it was an all or nothing deal. The WHA's best franchises would enter as a group or none would.

(Hmm. Kinda funny. Of the 4 teams that jumped to the NHL within 16 years 3 of those teams, New England, Quebec and Winnipeg had moved on to other cities. Ah well. It was fun while it lasted).

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