MLS To Seattle in 2009: The Right Choice?
Just as Seattle seems set to lose an NBA team, so it gains an MLS one. I’m not sure that’s an equal trade in the American sports arena yet, but it’s excellent news that the league will finally have a presence in the Pacific Northwest. It’s been rumoured for a while, but the Seattle P.I. affirmed the news today.
Sources confirmed on Friday that the long-rumored announcement of an expansion franchise for the city will come early next week. The new Seattle franchise will play at Qwest Field on Field Turf. The primary ownership group will consist of Seattle Sounders owner Adrian Hanauer, Hollywood mogul Joe Roth, and Seahawks’ owner Paul Allen.
That’s a big time ownership group, adding to the diversification in recent years. Rumours have also been that the team will retain the name of the USL’s Sounders, with the team closing its doors for 2008: whilst keeping the name would make sense, closing the doors for a year wouldn’t. Why not build some momentum?
The other outstanding issue is the stadium. Qwest is a huge NFL venue, albeit one built with soccer in mind to some degree, as I understand it. It’ll be better than, say, Arrowhead, but it still won’t be very full and it’s another Field Turf surface. Is that a step back for MLS, after the successful launch of Toronto F.C. in a soccer specific stadium?
MLS will also probably add a sixteenth franchise alongside Seattle in 2009. It’d be nice if it were Portland, given the longstanding rivalry between the Timbers and the Sounders (see pic of the Timbers Army at Qwest above) and the obvious genuine passion for the sport there. But it seems more likely to be Philadelphia. Is this pace of expansion too rapid?
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It seems fast, but if MLS gets to 16 clubs and stay there for a while — which I think has been its intent all along — it should be just fine. A 16-club league lets them do a 30-game, single table schedule, it would make an 8-team playoff seem slightly more meaningful.
The right choice? Let’s see…
I live in Seattle. Therefore… Hmmm… Thinking…
Yup. The right choice.
Keeping a USL-1 Sounders side for one more season wouldn’t build momentum. They’ve always been perceived as a minor league franchise in a major league town. They also happen to be a money loser and I don’t think that would change in 2008. I think they are right to take a year off, build a new MLS Sounders brand, and to try to tap into the large business base in Seattle that has largely ignored the current version of the Sounders. The further they can distance themselves from the current perception of the team the better. I say that knowing full well that they have had a lot of success on the field.
I have my reservations about how well they’ll do – especially in a stadium that is not exactly intimate even when it is a quarter full – but that largely stems from my Portland bias. It will certainly be interesting to see how it turns out, although I don’t expect to make the 180-mile trip very often to find out in person.
I’m frightened by this fast expansion. The talent pool is spread thin already and this won’t help at all. Maybe there will be less restrictions on the number of Americans in a squad and an extra DP but I don’t know. It seems like MLS is choosing good candidates with good fanbases, I just hope the stadiums get built. We’re not the NHL and I just hope the MLS isn’t racing to get to an “acceptable” number.
I think the next two or three years, the overall talent level in the league will drop because of the expansion. After that, the youth academies being established by every MLS side should start having an impact on the quality of players entering the league. Don’t forget that judicious use of the DP rule can just as easily increase the quality of play in MLS because of the vast experience a DP player brings to the table, especially if he is able to effectively pass it on to his teammates.
I think we can prevent a great slide in level of play if we can raise the salary cap. If we can raise the cap, good young American players out of high school and college may prefer to stay here as opposed to taking chances winning spots in lower leagues overseas. Further, a higher salary cap (and maybe an increase in the number of senior and youth internationals we can have) could allow us to get more quality from overseas. If guys like Emilio, Fred, and Toja can be brought over for between 100k (Toja) and 300k (Emilio), more money means we can scout around and lure other players of similar ability.
As to Qwest Field, I think the idea behind SSS, besides creating a good atmosphere, is to have the owners/teams own their stadiums as well. I’d figure that if Paul Allen owns the stadium, and also owns the team, the team wont have to pay rent (which other teams in other peoples’ stadiums have to do) and may even get a cut of things like parking and concessions.
Now, as to the atmosphere, the lower bowl of the stadium is supposedly designed to serve soccer, but as to butts-in-seats, I guess that’s now the responsibility of the Sounders and their current fans.
Just wanted to note a follow-up story in the Seattle press today. Some interesting stuff, as it looks like the Sounders will play in 2008, Drew Carey is involved in the ownership group, and the current USL team will move to Kitsap County (where’s that, Pacific Northwesterners?).
I am kinda new to MLS so I’m asking: Is it true that MLS has draft system like NBA? I last saw it on an old version of Football Manager series.