MLS 2010 Attendance stats week 27

The action in MLS continues despite NFL and College Football. Indeed, the bigger markets (LA, NY, Seattle) continue to have strong attendance. It may be safe to say that the dedicated fans are here to stay, at least in these markets. New England and Dallas have a long way to go. A possible switch of Chivas USA to another market might also shake things up. How about Miami? With New York likely to get another team, it would only be fair to grant the US capital of Latin America its own MLS franchise.

Increased attendance in New York notwithstanding, Toronto's steady numbers (~20500) are highlighted in the pie graph. They hold the larger porportion of attendance compared to the rest of the Eastern Conference. A proposed 30,000 seat stadium expansion may not be a bad idea. Also worth noting is the price of tickets at this venue: $90.78 compared to $79 at Manchester United. Wow. Whether true or not, it should raise a few eyebrows. Maybe TFC can start winning cups for a change?

USA needs a Chicharito

Let's face it. Jozy Altidore isn't the complete answer to the dearth of goals in Team USA's front line. Jozy is a strong, dominant player that creates chances and intimidates the opposing defense. But he doesn't score. Not as much as would be required from a prototypical #9. Further evidence for this is his performance abroad: 1 league goal for Hull City and 1 for Villareal in two years of play. Jozy has been switched to a more standard #11.

You could make a case for Charlie Davies as a #9, but his flame was put out just as he was starting to shine. Landon Donovan isn't the prototypical striker either. He works much more as a creative force and scores vital goals (3 in the 2010 World Cup). This brings us to another point: all the goals in South Africa were scored by midfielders: Dempsey, Donovan, Bradley.

Older, in-form players like Herculez Gomez and Edson Buddle did little at the World Cup, partly because their use was limited by the tactics of the game. Robbie Findley has also failed to convince. So there you have it: no sole striker. No accompaniment for Jozy.

If we look south of the border, things look gloomier for the US. Mexico has a formidable weapon in Javier "el Chicharito" Hernandez and the quiet ascent of Carlos Vela. Hernandez plays for non other than Manchester United while Vela suits up for Arsenal. Impressive stuff. Hernandez scores for Mexico basically every other game. He finds the net easily and is always in the right spot. We can't say the same for any US player except for Donovan.

Another important point is the fact that Hernandez is fairly young (22). Altidore is younger (20) but isn't as productive. This blog post is echoed all across the US soccer media, including MLS itself. There are a couple of new hopes in the horizon: Agudelo, Luis Gil, Jack McInerney. I'm following McInerney intently after seeing him in the U-17 tournament. The kid has spirit and scoring ability. He netted twice for Philadelphia Union this season in an impressive manner. He isn't yet a starter but we are seeing him develop into that fairly quickly. Then there is teammate Danny Mwanga. Mwanga is a DR Congo national but is not yet a citizen. He has scored 7 times in 18 games for the expansion side Union.

Until prospects like McInerney and Mwanga take the field wearing a USA jersey and score frequently, it is safe to assume that USA will be limited in its scoring opportunities. The USA needs a Chicharito. They need one before the Gold Cup next summer and World Cup qualifiers in 2012.

Bradley Returns

If the title sounds like a cheap sequel or, perhaps, a masterful reintroduction of a superhero, then Bob Bradley's rehiring by US Soccer fits right in. Yes, it's true that Bradley led Team USA to a 38-20-8 record which included a first place finish in their group at this summer's World Cup in South Africa and second place in 2009's Confederations Cup. But is it worth the risk to continue with the same tactics that allowed for porous defense at the World Cup?

Just like in 2006, a name that emerged as a possibility for head coach was former Germany international and head coach Juergen Klinsmann. And just like it happened in 2006, nothing ever came from rumored "meetings" he had with US Soccer. Would he have been a better option?

It may not all be Bradley's fault when it comes to glaring errors in the USA lineup. Jozy is more of a number 11 than a number 9 (i.e. Davies), so goals from the forwards are hard to come by. The porous defense is likely a combination of factors: recovering Onyewu, aging Bocanegra and DeMerrit, struggling Ricardo Clark. But clearly, Bradley's scheme has also failed to yield positive consequences in this part of the field (i.e. early goals by opposing teams).

Finally, there is the complacency that comes along with retaining a coach for a second world cup cycle. Other teams may adapt to Bradley's style and choice of players. The team itself may be in need of new ideas to motivate them to evolve into a stronger unit. Sven-Goran Eriksson did nothing different for England in 2006 than he did in 2002. Same result: exit in the quarterfinals. Bruce Arena had few breakthrough ideas in 2006 and it turned into a disaster. Is the USA doomed to a 3-and-out in 2014? Not yet. Let's give Bradley some credit.

Bob Bradley is a masterful tactician when it comes to big opponents: England, Brazil, Spain. Better game management is required to defeat the likes of Ghana, Mexico, Czech Republic and even Slovenia. This is where World Cups are successful. Winning the key matches and standing up to legendary teams. If Bradley can muster up new tactics and introduce a better defense, then yes, he should retain his job. Can it be done? Only time will tell, and we hope this decision by US Soccer will not develop into another 4-year flop. Cheers, Bob. Good luck. We are behind you as our Team USA coach.

MLS 2010 Attendance stats Week 23

Apologies for mislabeling 2010 as 2009 attendance figures on previous posts. This should make it easier for people to find this site on search engines. This past week saw sold-out, overbooked BMO field for the TFC-NYRB tilt and 18K+ at Houston to view Nery Castillo and the Chicago Fire do battle with the Dynamo.

How has attendance changed since 2008 (full season of Beckham)? A closer look in the above image shows significant decline in most markets except for modest gains in New York. The biggest markets (New England, LA and DC) have seen large losses (>5000). Also, the season totals have seen a small decline, partially ameliorated by the entrance of Seattle and Philadelphia. For the rest, there is little chance and time to recover during the present season. Will things change next season?

Adu: Is Freddy ready for MLS?

Is Freddy Adu good enough for Europe? Could the once-prodigy USA star be headed back home? After failing to impress at Portuguese giant, Benfica, in 2007, the Ghana-born midfielder/forward was loaned out for two consecutive seasons and three different clubs. Not the best case scenario for the "next Pele." Was it too much hype too early in his career? Did he try to leave home too early? It's likely we won't know the answers to these questions any time soon. We can, however, make some educated guesses about his future and perhaps analyze his stunted growth as a player.

Adu was born in Tema, Ghana, before emigrating to the United States when he was just eight years old. He became a citizen in 2003. Oddly enough, this was the same year he signed a contract with MLS and became available for the US national team. Adu opted to play for DCU at the age of 14 and MLS began its trial of experiments to capture American audiences; one that ultimately culminated in the signing of David Beckham and the advent of the Designated Player rule.

Should he have joined the league so young? We will never know. Piotr Nowak was always apprehensive about using him in his lineup, even if team and league officials as well as myriad sponsors clamored for the teenager to be on the pitch. Even Pele wasn't officially a player until the age of 16.

Adu was traded to Real Salt Lake in a move that I feel recognized the youngster's shortcomings as a player. If he had remained a star, DC would never have cut ties with him. Adu impressed as a US international, however, and a good showing at the 2007 U-20 World Cup (with Altidore, incidentally) catapulted him to Benfica of Portugal for a $2 million fee. There was little playing time, however (11 appearances) and he managed to score just twice. Loans to Monaco (2008-2009), Belenenses (2009) and Aris of Greece (2010) also failed to grant him playing time, although the latter did offer more chances and scoring opportunities.

I admit that by the end of the 2010 season, things were starting to click for Adu. His mood was right, the playing time was there, he was scoring and the fans were behind him. Not enough for South Africa. Not with the likes of Holden, Feilhaber, Torres, slightly higher in the pecking order. We have to attribute this to consistent lack of playing time for at least 3 years (a whole World Cup cycle). Europe was clearly not the best option for it.

Now comes word that Swiss club Sion has passed on the American and Adu is left without a team and under contract at Benfica. Will the club waive him? Where will Adu turn next? Another European club ready to take a gamble on an unfinished product? Could Freddy come back to MLS?

There was another youngster that impressed with the national team youth and senior system: Landon Donovan. Yes, the Galaxy man started his career with Bayer Leverkusen of the German Bundesliga. After just 7 games with the German team, it was clear that Donovan was not ready for Europe. He returned triumphantly to MLS and won the domestic tournament with San Jose and the Galaxy. Flash-forward 8 years later and Donovan is synonimous with US soccer and the general media in the US. It is possibly a fate that Adu could mirror, were he to return to the United States and rekindle his football.

Many American soccer critics [see Fox Soccer, ESPN Soccernet, etc.] are adamant about Adu being one of the best prospects US soccer has to offer. He just needs some stabilization, they argue.

USA is in dire need of a true #10 that can pick up where Donovan leaves off (assuming Donovan will still play in 2014). It happened with Reyna before when Donovan took the job. Adu is a playmaker that can score. He is also not afraid to run at defenses instead of speeding around them (like Donovan). A few years of solid MLS first-team action may just do the trick.

We here at the FutbolUSA desk wish the best for this 21-year old. It brought attention back to the league in 2004. We are all older and wiser about the game nowadays. It's time to play at home, to play with the best of this country, to build a better team USA. We are waiting for you, Freddy. We are ready.

MLS 2010 Attendance stats week 16-22

Yes, I know it's been a long while since I last posted any graphics. As stated on my last post however, important matters needed to be settled.

Most important of all in the new analysis is the presence of Henry, Castillo and Marquez on the die-hard soccer fans in New York as well as the Mexican contingent in Chicago and the Big Apple. Their latest battle (in Chicago, sold out) came to a 0-0 draw thanks to newcomer goalkeeper Johnson. A future USA prospect? Perhaps. This country has a knack for great goalies. I leave you with an amplified view of the change in attendance from 2009. Most glaring is the jump in New York given its new stadium and marquee acquisitions. Seattle also upped its capacity and keeps selling out every week.

More to come. Stay tuned.

And we're back!

Sorry for the month-long hiatus. I've had to settle a few things in my life. Namely, PhD. So your Futbol USA creator is now a PhD. Upcoming topics are MLS attendance statistics, Bob Bradley and the national team, Freddy Adu & Jozy Altidore, new MLS signings, and the return of the Champions League.

Stay tuned.