MLS 3.0 starts with LAFC, but #SaveTheCrew needs to succeed
Sporting KC was not only sold and kept in town. They won trophies which provided every marketing and branding class from Khan Online to the Ivy Leagues with an excellent case study on how to do things correctly. Finding a bug in the code and correcting the error does not lead itself to being revolutionary, just right.
The Columbus Crew being held hostage by a venture capitalist that has no real plan in any city is a sign that MLS has truly made it to a major league, but San Jose fans were once worried that they would not be able to wave from Avaya and the world’s best outside bar. It should be a league wide priority for the fans to #SaveTheCrew, but the fight is not some watershed moment.
Atlanta and Seattle draw huge numbers, MLS fans would say. Detractors just point to the NFL signs all around and claim that is the only reason the seats exist. The Red Bulls would love to claim the first soccer-specific, date and revenue controlled venue in a major US market. But they would do so from New Jersey and all of the Bronx laughing would drown out the claims.
Houston and Chicago are major cities, but orange seats are like dead men with secrets, they tell no tales. And while the wind may be light way out in Bridgeview, it would still turn any shouts from Section 8 into mere whispers never to be heard on North Lake Shore Drive.
DC United will have a fine grounds out at Buzzard Point, and be a nice little gem of a stadium in the capitol city. However it has yet to open. Providence Park in Portland is quaint and historic, but not transcendent.
LAFC has the first soccer-specific, revenue and date-controlled stadium in a huge downtown market and the team to match. That last bit is important as well. Plenty of European teams have built stadiums in recent years and fans had to suffer through a squad lacking in funds. LAFC is continuing to spend.
MLS 3.0
Plenty of teams helped build the expectations for the new MLS 3.0 standard. LAFC is the bar now. Minnesota and DC United both have stadiums going live soon and will need to up their spending to keep the fans happy. With coaching, LAFC has not spared any expense. Say what you will about Bob Bradley but after his Egypt, France, and Sweden excursions followed MLS trophies, he is a top manager. Swansea looked rubbish under more managers than they had wins at one point, and all coaches except Pep have a hiccup month or two.
Atlanta fans will claim to have had it all first. Tata Martino, Almiron, and Martinez were all dominating first. And in that huge stadium. Congratulations, Atlanta. You were the last step. Atlanta coming in was MLS 2.9. Without even pointing to the co-tenant status, the locations of each stadium are quite different and the pregame building up to the match counts.
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Having been to Atlanta, and not to LAFC, and being a lifelong fans of the Saints, maybe there is a bias. But from all the reports, this LAFC Banc of California stadium is a massive moment for Major League. A rising tide lifts all boats. With LAFC, Atlanta, New York and Seattle all spending money, pressure will be on the owners lagging behind the modern MLS standard.
This is a landmark year for Major League Soccer, have no doubt. Expansion news, even if nothing is announced until MLS Cup, will shine a light on the direction and values of the league. Beckham Miami FC is hanging in the balance, but not as much is at stake as the stadium battle in Columbus. Toronto had a chance to have a larger historic marker but came up short. Reaching the final is a nice notation though.
The MLS that fans from 1996 have all been watching grow and hoping would some day happen is over 90% complete. If MLS ever achieves Garber’s dream of being a top 5 league, perhaps this whole premise will need to be reevaluated. Until then, the long-term outlooks of most every team is fine. MLS is stable and will not be folding as were the fears that first decade. The new teams’ fans never had to deal with such agony.
There will be a few more bugs, but MLS is well past beta now. LAFC brought us into the new paradigm of club soccer in America. It was a sensational unboxing and rollout of what MLS is in this 23rd season. Moving the Crew would not set MLS back that much in the long run but it would sour a lot of potential and past customers on investing in MLS going forward.
Next: MLS Week Nine Power Rankings
This league has progressed through being pragmatic. Let’s hope that feature is still prominent and the antivirus called Precourt can be deleted. It would make Major League Soccer all that more attractive, and perhaps lead to fans converting friends.