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.

The MLS 2011 Superdraft

College drafts are as American as apple pie. They occur in every American sport and help to keep leagues competitive and level, or at least it is intended to do so. MLS is no different. The league has held a draft since its inception. Indeed, Brian McBride was the top pick in the Inaugural Draft. These days, however, the draft includes much more than college graduates; it is also comprised of international players, undergraduates and USA youth squads.

This blog entry is not meant to talk about the actual results. For that, it's easier to read analysis on the MLS website and other outlets. Instead, I'd like to acknowledge the increasing amount of attention given to the draft this year, to its players, and to the league as a whole. The first round was broadcast live on ESPN2 and ESPN3.com and the third and second rounds were shown on the leagues website. For ESPN, former MLSers and color commentators Alexi Lalas, John Harkes and Taylor Twellman provided interesting analysis and great arguments.

Online, beyond the coverage on espn3, twitter and Facebook were both lit up with MLS draft coverage. Twitter, in particular, had Omar Salgado as a trending topic when the Whitecaps surprisingly chose him as the first pick. He's a U-20 US international that switched allegiances from Mexico (after being in their U-17 squad) and Chivas Guadalajara to join MLS. We will follow his career with great interest.

Technology allowed me to follow the draft via smartphone and, subsequently, through the Internet (thanks, .edu domain!). I also must acknowledge that I was never appreciative of the draft itself, being more exposed to European and Latin American futbol. But, in a country and league that lacks promotion/relegation, it's the next best thing--and it may be growing on me. There was certainly intrigue involved today, last minute trades between teams, great fans present in Baltimore and more proof that this league matters.

As for the top picks, aside from Salgado's surprise #1, is Akron's five players in the first round, Perry Kitchen's DCU destination and New York's move for John Rooney (yes, that Rooney's brother). DC United, in particular, have built up quite a midfield through trades and player academies. In 2011, they will have Najar, McCarty and Perry Kitchen. Something tells me they won't be allowing as many goals this time around. Portland and Vancouver should be fun to watch also. Portland may be getting Kenny Cooper, in addition to draftee Nagbe. The Whitecaps now have Jay DeMerrit and Omar Salgado, the old guard and the new guard of US Soccer. Bring it on, MLS 2011!

MLS 2009

Welcome back to another edition of MLS. It is now season 14 and things are looking up (and in some instances looking down). Through the Beckham saga we have acquired new meaning abroad and domestically. The league is now 15-member strong with the addition of Seattle as an expansion team. And what an expansion team it is! A (probable European-bound) Freddy Montero opened up his account in MLS with two goals in a 3-0 win for the Pacific Northwest team on Thursday night of last week. Present was a sellout crowd of 32000+.

Added to Seattle's success is the addition of two more west coast teams--Vancouver and Portland. Both were USL teams (Whitecaps and Timbers respectively) so a form of "promotion" seems to have occurred here. Indeed, as remarked by ESPN Soccernet's Ives Galarcep, the Pacific Northwest offers a sizable contingent of true soccer fans dying to have a professional team to call their own. Leave it to Drew Carey (Seattle) and Steve Nash (Vancouver) to add a little flair to ownership plus a great deal of enthusiasm. Last I read Vancouver had already sold 5000 season seats for their debut in 2011. Waiting for their debut is also next-year's Philadelphia.

But not all is bright in MLS land. An expected, sub-par Beckham-less crowd of 18000 came to see the Galaxians face DCU in their home opener at the Home Depot Center. That's a small crowd compared to its capacity of 27000 (frequently filled last season with Goldenballs in the team). Dallas somehow managed to get in almost 16000 fans (probably there to see Blanco). They could use a DP injection, as would Houston. The two-time MLS Cup champions also opened to a reasonable crowd, even with Columbus (reigning champ) and Barros-Schelotto on the pitch. I hear, however, that the men in orange may be close to signing a major Mexican international. That would be a good start.

Disappointing, in soccer terms, were teams like New York (2008 runner's up), Dallas, San Jose and KC. I'm also sad to hear comments from abroad about the state of our league. Hopefully time will change this. In terms of positives, it's very interesting to see Toronto play so well. They have a very deep squad with the likes of DeRosario, Guevara, Ricketts, Dichio, Wynne and Frei. They may be even scarier if management is able to secure a designated player.

As always, I'll let the stats do the talk for me. Throughout the season I hope to have up-to-date attendance analysis graphics on the right column. I welcome feedback.