Final 2012 Timbers game: the live experience

It was a historical day in the Rose City today. The crowd at Jeld-Wen Field saw the San Jose Earthquakes' striker Chris Wondolowski tie for the most goals scored during regular season (27), a record set by Roy Lassiter during the inaugural MLS season back in 1996. The goal came from a soft penalty kick on a bad call by the referee in response to Steven Lenhart's apparent foul by Donovan Rickets.

Regardless of the method, Wondolowski got his 27th goal and will go down in history as one of the most consistent goal-scorers the league has ever seen. He has now been the top scorer in MLS for two seasons: 2010 and 2012 and has amassed 64 goals for San Jose.

As for the Timbers, this was a different kind of game. Without a post-season to play for and Cascadia Cup already won, this was more of an exhibition game in which the players kept on performing for the sake of maintaining a high profile on the wake of Caleb Porter's arrival as the new head coach. There was little flow through the middle of the park, with Chara constantly being blocked and Nagbe largely ineffective for long periods of the game. Steve Smith provided a spark on the left side and Bright Dike always looked dangerous, if without as many chances, although his perseverance allowed for Portland's tying goal that left the final score 1-1.

The real winner today was the crowd. We sat at a completely different vantage point at the stadium today, closer to the Timbers Army. This provided great views of most of the field and kept us dry from the drenching Pacific rains. The best part, as always, was the atmosphere. Every seat was full even though this game didn't matter competitively, even though it rained heavily at times, even though there were a myriad college football games to watch on TV. 

Jeld-Wen field is a magical place. Outside, its creeping vines rise up the walls above the front gates and turn a pinkish orange tint with autumn. Inside, the crowds smile and you can see babies and children carried by their parents. You also see the more raucous groups belonging to the Timbers Army or the casual group of avid fans. It is a place of diversity where soccer is king. This city, after all, is Soccer City USA.

Thanks, Portland Timbers, for another season of memories.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 24

A short update. This time of the year brings a lot of outside teams in preseason matches versus MLS sides. It's also a time of unbearable heat for most of the country. This even includes Portland, where the mercury was in the 100s for their game on August 4th. Unlike places with higher moisture like in the east coast, every single seat was taken at the game.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14178	73	14287
KC	19382	105	19600
NE	12980	65	12857
CLB	14858	73	16024
TOR	19089	83	18944
CHI	15563	78	15757
NYRB	17351	69	16464
PHI	18416	100	18412
HOU	21287	97	22039
MON	23620	116	18435
LA	22729	84	22143
CHV	13559	72	13822
DAL	13335	65	11702
SJ	14464	138	10525
COL	15074	83	14987
RSL	18680	93	18702
SEA	41418	108	38709
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19442	93	19727

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 20

The summer void is upon us with oppressive heat that clears seats in stadiums throughout the country. Why some teams choose to play under unbearable East Coast conditions is beyond most of us. And yet the players must go on playing in virtual saunas that can't possibly be good for their health. How about scheduling matches in the evening?

As far as the statistics, not much has changed. New York looked to be making up for lost ground but the latest matinee match erased their gains. Houston looks to have lost some of their initial spark in attendance and are now below the 100% mark in 3 games out of their last 4. However, these are still 90% full thanks to the BBVA Compass Stadium.

Elsewhere, Montreal is having a hard time attracting fans to the newly-renovated Stade Saputo, and this has taking down their numbers considerably so that the median is 17112. This, after selling out the Olympic stadium for the LA Galaxy match and their opening game. Short honeymoon?

For some perspective, below is the 2012-2011 difference. Notice that the major population markets are down relative to last year, especially New York. Unlike Seattle and Portland, Vancouver has seen some minor ups and downs and don't quite sell out their stadium on a weekly basis.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 17

Briefly catching up with MLS, which is in full swing after the international break. There are consistent patterns in attendance numbers stemming from how well a team is doing, especially as compared to recent seasons. DC United, for instance, has seen a steady increase in attendance given their winning ways this season. The same can be said for Columbus, Chicago and Colorado.

Some of the negatives include New York's struggles at Red Bull Arena, although the latest match was a sellout, and Montreal, which has seen attendance numbers that are relatively low for a debuting team. Indeed, as soon as Saputo Stadium opened, there have been three games in a row well below 15,000. Interestingly, places like Seattle and Portland sell out every game, and Salt Lake, Philadelphia, Houston and Kansas City have full stadiums almost every game.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14132	73	14131
KC	19353	105	19876
NE	12254	61	12523
CLB	14141	69	11978
TOR	19036	83	18911
CHI	14756	74	14163
NYRB	17161	68	17114
PHI	18399	99	18367
HOU	21632	98	22039
MON	26495	130	19223
LA	22483	83	21836
CHV	13291	71	13816
DAL	13252	65	12203
SJ	16509	157	10391
COL	15396	85	15269
RSL	18820	94	18780
SEA	39514	103	38399
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19123	91	19271

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 15

After a long stretch of international games, qualifiers and a small break for the Euro, MLS got back into full action last week. Thus, it is time to look at statistics once more. New England, DC, and New York continue to struggle. The latter, although the average number of seats filled approaches 16,000, the relative value is 63%, making Red Bull Arena look empty.

Montreal's recent opening of Stade Saputo, its permanent home base, would suggest strong, constant attendance numbers. Instead, neither one of the first two games at the stadium have sold out the 20341 available spots. This weekend's match, for example, drew in only 12,357. Blame the Euro perhaps, but other locales had close to capacity from Philadelphia to Salt Lake City. 

To illustrate the reason why averages may be much higher than any given match, the Eastern Conference mean vs median is presented in this scatter plot. Clearly, Montreal has a median closer to its stadium capacity, while New York has a higher mean stemming from a couple of sold out games.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 11

Recent trends in the attendance numbers show some gain in New England, Columbus and DC. The biggest markets, however, still lag far behind the Pacific Northwest, newer league teams and recently opened stadiums. Here we speak of LA and New York. LA has been stagnant mainly due to poor form while New York just can't seem to get their city excited about their team no matter who they hire to play. Example: midweek fixtures in New York (13919, 55%), Chicago (11,947, 60%), LA (16,512, 61%) compared against Seattle (38,311, 100%) show the discrepancy. 

It is true that these major markets have other major sports, but you don't see their numbers suffering. Not too long ago, LA sold out every match, regardless of how full the Staples Center was. It comes down to the product on the pitch (LA, Chicago) and, well, the New York fickle crowd. Is a second team in the city necessary? Would it make a difference? Only time will tell.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	13548	70	13619
KC	19017	103	19777
NE	11598	58	12112
CLB	12658	62	11516
TOR	19022	83	18944
CHI	13730	69	13852
NYRB	15823	63	15517
PHI	18437	100	18526
HOU	22039	100	22039
MON	36498	179	23120
LA	22242	82	22143
CHV	13856	74	14296
DAL	13178	64	11953
SJ	11668	111	10256
COL	14660	81	14756
RSL	18344	92	17924
SEA	38587	100	38380
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	19012	91	19333

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 8

An update on DC United's attendance: the actual "soccer" capacity of RFK for this season is 19467 and not 24500 (as it was previously). This changes DCU's standings in the relative category significantly and puts their current average relative at 71%. Their average numbers are still well below what it used to be for the perennial champions of the 1990s and early 2000s. That number is currently 13751. In 2007, the average was 20967. New England and Columbus are also well below the numbers in previous years. 

As a corollary to a previous post (week 5), the relative versus average attendance for the Eastern conference is provided above. Philadelphia and KC both have similar stadium capacities and are both selling out their home games. More interesting, perhaps, is the New York Red Bulls at 17426 average attendance but only 69% full. Bigger stadium but relatively weaker attendance than Toronto, for example. 

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 5

Week 5 has seen further normalization of the attendance figures for most teams. Thanks to the opening at Montreal, however, the average attendance in 2012 is higher than 2011's by close to 2000. The Red Bulls have slipped further in attendance figures and are now at -2411 relative to 2011 due to smaller number of fans in the last two games. This despite the resurgent Henry and his partner Kenny Cooper, who are obliterating opposition left and right after the team started the season at 0-2.

There is a lot about the MLS statistics on this page that deals with "relative" attendance. That is, the total number divided by the stadium capacity. I always find it more instructive by looking at the whole picture. Century Link Field typically holds twice the available seats at Colorado's Dick's Sporting Goods Park. This doesn't, however, mean that the Rapids' stadium isn't full at 18,000. 

To better illustrate the concept of relative attendance for new visitors to the website, I would like to show the average attendance vs relative for the Western Conference. Notice that both Seattle and Portland sell out their games and are therefore at 100%, but their average attendance differs by about 18,000 seats. A team like Chivas plays at the Home Depot Center with a capacity of 27,000. Their low attendance numbers, coupled with low relative attendance relegates the squad to the lower left quadrant of the plot. However, this relative figure may need to be revised since it looks like the Goats have lowered their expected attendance figures, as can be seen by the large plastic Chivas mats covering seats on the end stands.

MLS Attendance Statistics 2012 Week 4

Week 4 and a few changes and trends begin to appear. First and perhaps most importantly are the two biggest markets in MLS: LA and New York. The Red Bulls remain south of last year's 19,691 average despite this being the first few weeks of the season with less distractions from football or baseball. The New Jersey base for New York may have been necessary from a logistics point of view but would it have been better to put Red Bull Arena elsewhere? Would a second New York team make a difference? We hope so, especially if a good location for a stadium is secured.

For LA its two teams have vastly different situations. Chivas is ailing at the moment both on the soccer pitch and the stands. Its relative attendance is less than 50% and averages 11,853, a figure just over the capacity for San Jose's team. The Galaxy has bigger attendance margins due to its superstar trio but have only sold out their opening match versus RSL and sit at over 80% capacity averaged over the first three games.

The numbers:

Team	Average	Relative	Median
DC	14742	60	14742
KC	17469	95	17469
NE	12925	65	12925
CLB	18197	89	18197
TOR	19507	85	19507
CHI	18075	90	18075
NYRB	17220	68	17220
PHI	18443	100	18443
HOU
MON	58912	290	58912
LA	22263	82	21324
CHV	11853	44	13372
DAL	16555	81	16555
SJ	16171	154	16171
CRD	13954	77	13954
RSL	18577	93	18577
SEA	38438	100	38304
POR	20438	100	20438
VAN	20197	96	20197

MLS 2012

Photo credit: Houston Dynamo

Not a doomsday year for MLS. Not by a long shot. Indeed, 2012 is building up to be one of the biggest years for the American soccer league. There are three MLS teams in the Concacaf Champions League quarterfinals, a new set of designated players, a new stadium in Houston, a longer season and a new franchise in the Montreal Impact.

Success for MLS transcends the game and shows its impact in the makeup of a city. For Portland, the Timbers mean a solid franchise with a stable fan base. Where the Trailblazers may fail, the Timbers supersede expectations by nearly reaching the playoffs in their first year and by selling out every single match at Jeld-Wen Field.

The Pacific Northwest is the mecca of soccer in this country now, and with Vancouver, the regional rivalries grow in fervor and it brings Canada closer to its potential as a soccer nation. Cross-country and regional rivalries within the maple leaf country are further heightened with the entrance of the Montreal Impact, a team that gained a "promotion" of sorts from the lower divisions of North America.

Internationally, the MLS presence in the Champions League has grown by one team from last season. Toronto FC is facing LA Galaxy for one of the matchups while the Seattle Sounders are facing Santos of Mexico. LA is arguably the best team in MLS even if tonight's match versus Real Salt Lake was a 1-3 loss. They are the most complete team and replete with star power in Donovan, Keane, Buddle and Beckham, and unsung heroes like Mike Magee, Juninho, De la Garza and Saunders. A ticket to the final for LA or even a championship in this tournament isn't out of the question. It would also bring the team and the league to its first FIFA Club World Cup later this year.

Aside from the current slate of designated players is a new batch, highlighted by the Timbers' Kris Boyd, the leading scorer for the Glasgow Rangers at 101 goals. The updated "Beckham rule" now includes the ability to recruit younger players like Diego Chara and Fabian Castillo and more teams are likely to follow this paradigm.

As the league grows, one of the most important economic aspects is the need for a soccer specific stadium. There are now 12 teams with such stadiums and 2012 marks the inauguration of the BBVA Compass Stadium for the Houston Dynamo, a futuristic-looking edifice worthy of the Space City.

Major League Soccer is undoubtedly one of the most competitive leagues in the world. This argument has its basis in the salary cap and the redistribution of players through drafts, as well as the playoff-style finale to the season. This is how we arrive at Real Salt Lake and Colorado Rapids as champions. But legacies can also be forged: the Galaxy and DC United have storied pasts in the league with 7 titles among them. The American version of the superclub is alive in New York and LA. We cheer for underdogs, superstars and the emotion of each game. This is why we love Major League Soccer.