And we're back from international play. Whilst some of our ambassadors abroad are struggling for playing time (Onyewu, Bradley, even Adu again), and others are making their mark (Torres and Orozco in Mexico), our own MLS is coming down to the wire. Arena's Galaxians are close to an automatic playoff berth as long as they don't implode as they did versus Dallas this past weekend. So, are people coming to the games? With the NFL and college football in full swing, it would be hard to see many full MLS games. And yet some manage.
Chivas has lost some of its attendance impetus but places like DC, Columbus and Salt Lake City are making up ground and/or exceeding it. A look below at difference between 2009 and 2007 shows how the fall of Beckham has strongly affected their attendance numbers. Also notice, however, that places Chivas has actually seen an increase and Toronto, Houston and RSL (strong markets) have remained about the same. Clearly, ground for improvement but also nice positives as well. Hopefully some of the weaker markets can learn to emulate the stronger ones.
