Okay, it's still early but I can't help but wonder in the cases of certain cities where the heck the people are. I mean in places like Cincinnati and El Paso you have respectable teams, the Hawks are fighting with the Thunder for the top spot in their division and the Patriots are into the next round of the Open Cup, but combined it seems like they haven't topped more than a few thousand fans total over 7 home matches for the two clubs.
I don't know, maybe these numbers are more palatable to some but I feel it's ridiculous. There are lots of rumored and known contributing factors to why the fans stay away in Cincinnati but what's the deal in El Paso? Is the move from Dudley Field to the Sun Bowl going that badly? Are the fans down there just that much more interested in crossing the border to root on CD Juarez?
For the sake of the Patriots front office, who all seem to be doing a good job of trying to make it work, I urge people to go out and watch this team. However, their isolation deep, deep in the heart of Texas makes it difficult to develop any real rivalries. Besides, you almost get the feeling some fans there might be happier in the Mexican lower Primera divisions. Heck, if things keep going this way for the club I'd almost be willing to urge them to move into the Mexican league at this point.
Sure that's a little melodramatic but looking at their attendances it's hard to be real positive. Even the Seattle Sounders are drawing less than they really should be. I can't even begin to speculate on why they haven't gotten even a little bit closer to true break even numbers although I believe their numbers are up over last season. Still, the difference in amenities between Seahawk and Memorial should prove why that has happened.
Okay, so the sky isn't falling. After all attendance has been doing well enough in places like Charleston, Rochester, and Syracuse. Still, I can't seem to wrap my head around the fact that for whatever reason people are not turning out in the numbers that they should in places like El Paso and Virginia Beach where you have two teams that are quite in the thick of things in their divisional battles as well as the fight for the Open Cup.
Sure, there are all sorts of off-field issues that we could concern ourselves with in each of those towns and in others that are underperforming but the fact of the matter comes down to whether or not people are truly soccer fans in these cities. If you're a fan of well played soccer and teams that hustle their rear-ends off then I can't see why you wouldn't at least give these teams a shot to wiggle their way into your supposedly soccer-loving heart.
Then there's the great caveat of the whole debate, Cincinnati, where there have been so many shenanigans that it's quite hard to count them all. I don't even have the space here today to explain everything that I've heard is and/or might be going on down there behind the scenes. Either way, though, there are some former players who have been at the head of the grievance line about this club who have still managed to go out and watch this surprising team in action.
Then again, the Riverhawks could be in for their annual swoon if the result this weekend against Calgary can be any indication. However, the Storm have been deceptively tough at home this year so maybe it shouldn't be much of a surprise that Cincinnati got upended north of the Border. Who really knows but from early reports there appear to be some quite interesting omissions from their lineup this weekend.
Speaking of the Storm, those are some good people and a bunch of players with a lot of heart. Make sure you give them a look when they come to your town. That's the biggest thing about this league, of course, the players and staff around the league who are doing it all for the love of the game. If you love it too why not buy a ticket this weekend? I already have mine for the little shindig in Richmond this Sunday between the Kickers and Silverbacks. I hear there's going to be some sort of pre-match festivities involving some people from New Zealand or something prior to Atlanta and Richmond?
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