From: MLINDROOS@FINABO.ABO.FI (Marcus Lindroos INF)
Subject: US Soccer Proposal (2/3,repost)
Organization: Abo Akademi University, Finland
Date: Mon, 23 Nov 1992 09:21:04 GMT
X-News-Reader: VMS NEWS 1.24

   Suppose we could turn the CBS/ABC/NBC TV moguls, Donald Trump, 
Ted Turner and about twenty other millionaires into soccer fans 
and then start a new high-profile pro league in North America... 
What would it be like? Well, this would be *my* dream league:  
---
LEAGUE NAME: "National Soccer Association", mostly by default. I
wanted to distance the new league from the NASL and there are
already at least three "National Soccer Leagues" in operation
(Australia, South Africa, Canada), while the acronym for
"North American Soccer Association" (NASA) isn't unique either!
Also, the "association" part sums the whole idea up nicely: this
is more than just a league. Plus, the National Basketball 
Association is not a bad role model...

LEAGUE SEASON: The season would run from March (including pre-
season games) to October. This worked out well for the NASL.
Except baseball (April-November), soccer will pretty much be the
only show in town from June to September. The schedule will be slightly 
unbalanced in that teams from warm-weather states will play plenty of
home games in March and April, partly to avoid conflicts with baseball,
partly because this is the most pleasant time of the year to attend outdoor
soccer games (summers in Florida and Texas tend to be uncomfortably hot and 
humid). Same goes for the cold-weather teams playing in domed stadiums. Heck, 
if we have to use those carpeted hellholes, let's try to use them to our 
advantage. The rest (New York, Chicago, Philadelphia and similar cold-weather 
cities) will play fewer home games during the first two months, then get more 
home games as the season progresses. Generally, most games will be on weekends 
when the local baseball team is playing away from home. The exception might 
be some of the larger markets such as NY, LA and Chicago, where soccer teams
will also try to schedule home games for dates when there are as few 
competing sports (mainly baseball but also hockey and basketball during
the first few months) around as possible. The average number of home games
per month will be two (+- 1 or 2 games depending on climate factors), so
there will be plenty of time to build up hype and promote the games.

NUMBER OF FRANCHISES: 16. This is the chosen compromise between
a truly national league (=24+ franchises, good for publicity) and
a smaller but competitive setup (=12 teams, great because enough local
players should be available with few teams around). The drawback is finding 
enough North American players for all teams, and signing at least 
for foreigners per team will be necessary or else playing standards will 
suffer. World Cup'94 czar Alan Rothenberg proposes an 8-to-12 team league 
which, in our opinion, is not enough if we want soccer to become a truly 
national sport.

NUMBER OF NON-NORTH AMERICANS PER TEAM: Four. Another logical step
from the NASL, which had 11 in its last year of operation (1984).
This will give the Tab Ramoses, John Harkeses and Craig Forrests a
chance to play while the rest remain on the bench until they are
good enough to compete at this level. As for the foreigners, about
half should be up-and-coming Brits (plus an ageing star like Glenn
Hoddle, Bryan Robson, Terry Butcher and Mark Hateley here and there). The rest
would be "great value"-players from Europe (probably mostly East European-
and Scandinavian internationals as they are less expensive than their 
Central & Southern European colleagues), South America and Africa, 
i.e., star players like those currently on the rosters of most 
Spanish, French, German, Greek and Belgian elite teams. Most of the 
foreigners probably would cost $500000 - $1 million. This is of 
course much by APSL standards, but still within the limits for 
a major league enjoying the kind of fan support the NASL had in 
its heyday. Except New York, most teams would be well-advised to 
avoid signing enormously expensive (>$3 million) mega-stars like 
Gullit, Maradona etc. - at least in the beginning.
   In addition, I would like to have a low-budget "farm 
league" in the background, where the American and Canadian players 
that aren't good enough for the pro league could hone their skills.

MEMBER CITIES: The NASL tried no less than 40 different
cities and still was unable to find a winning combination. Should
we go for big cities/media markets like New York and Los Angeles?
This is after all where the potential fans should be since a
significant part of their population is foreign-born (for example,
Chicago is the world's second-largest Polish-speaking city after
Warszaw). Sure enough, soccer was a big hit in New York, but not in Los
Angeles despite the huge Latin population living there (for some
strange reason, all the Latin cities -LA, Miami, Houston, San Antonio-
failed to draw). How about smaller cities with a metro population of
500,000 - 1,000,000 inhabitants? None of these have major league
baseball or American Football teams, surely they will watch
soccer? That was certainly true for the Tulsa Roughnecks (up to
20000 spectators per game), but New Haven/Connecticut, Las Vegas
and Hartford did not care that much about their teams. The crucial 
factor is probably competition from
other diversions. The folks in Honolulu and Las Vegas have other
options than watching a boring soccer team. Obviously Tulsa is different,
and once soccer is firmly established as a pro sport in the traditional
big markets, the new league should focus its attention on the mid-sized
cities in the southern states. Places like Louisville, Richmond, Greensboro,
Memphis, Birmingham and (of course) Tulsa have no traditional major sports 
league teams of their own and most likely won't get any. Currently, the 
area's conservative reputation might be too much of an obstacle when trying
to promote a new sport there, but as soon as the "silly foreign sport" rap 
no longer is a factor these cities could form the backbone of a 30-team
league. The NBA left the mainstream a bit by letting in Utah, Sacramento, 
Charlotte and Orlando but hasn't had any reason the regret the decision as 
fan support has been excellent. Anyway, let's take a look at the selection 
criteria:

1 POPULATION: As stated earlier, a large population ensures there
are many potential fans. One drawback is of course that soccer
must compete for local support with other pro sports. A huge ethnic
minority is a plus as a significant part of the NASL fans were 
foreign-born.
2 GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATION: This is important for obtaining a TV
contract. The league won't have nationwide appeal unless all areas
(the Midwest, the South, the Pacific coast states, Canada...) have
at least a few teams each. Therefore, the sixteen teams chosen encompass
all parts of the North American continent. There is no regional imbalance
to speak of in My League although the west coast and Canada do have more
teams than their share of the overall population otherwise would entitle 
them to. 
3 FACILITIES FOR SOCCER: Most stadiums in North America were not 
designed with soccer in mind. Best marks go to a stadium with a
natural playing surface, huge seating capacity and enough room for
a full-size soccer field. Indoor AstroTurf stadiums are
unavoidable in some cities because the local climate makes playing
outdoors difficult.
4 TRADITIONAL SUPPORT FOR SOCCER(=the NASL,mostly): Some people might
argue that fan support for NASL soccer shouldn't be taken that seriously 
as that league folded almost a decade ago. I disagree. Any city can attract
40,000 for a single exhibition game but finding enough fans for 20 
games per year is a different matter. The NASL is the only serious attempt
at launching soccer as a major pro sport and therefore should be studied 
carefully by anyone planning to start a new league.
I've divided the 16 cities plus Portland as a "conditional franchise" 
to begin play a few years after the rest into two groups- 

GROUP I includes the cities whose NASL teams pulled in average crowds 
of over 19000 at least once during their existence. 
GROUP II: cities where soccer managed to establish a beachhead in
the NASL years but couldn't penetrate deeper. 
---
("NASL RECORDS" lists the highest average attendance by a NASL team playing                                                                               
 in the area and the year the record was established. The second part is
 the single-game record).

NEW YORK,NY     
CITY POPULATION: 18054000 (Metro area)   
STADIUM:         Giants(76891)          
NASL RECORDS:    47856(1978)/77691
PRO:The nation's no.1 media- and soccer market. Diverse population: 
    extremely large Italian, Irish and Hispanic minorities. One New Yorker 
    out of four was born abroad. An extensive amateur soccer program, four 
    of American soccer's brightest prospects (John Harkes, Tab Ramos, Claudio
    Reyna and Tony Meola) are NY/NJ products. The NASL's flagship franchise,
    the NY Cosmos, played here and had better fan support than any other team.
CON:Not much. Lots of competition from other sports (nine pro sports teams)
    does mean soccer had better sell itself as a major-league sport right 
    away. Nobody cared about the Cosmos until Pele came to town in 1975.
F  1	  1	1     1     1	  1    0.75    foreign stars and local, promising players, promote the game hard and
    try to find its niche on an already crowded sports scene. Reviving the
    Cosmos nickname might be a good start. Trying to convince Donald Trump 
    to build a second, better football/soccer stadium wouldn't hurt either.

BAY AREA (San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose),CA     
CITY POPULATION: 5953000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Several/Spartan(30000) 
NASL RECORDS:    19286(1976)/25048
PRO: Enthusiastic support for soccer dating back to the NASL (San Jose 
     Earthquakes) to present-day US national team exhibition games. 
     "Live and let live" mentality of diverse (large Chinese, Italian, 
     Portuguese and Mexican groups) population has made it easy for 
     soccer to gain a foothold.  
CON: Like most American mega-markets, there's much competition for the     
     sports dollar from other sports (five other pro teams). Two baseball
     teams in San Francisco and Oakland means that San Jose might be a better 
     choice as home for a soccer franchise. 
FACILITIES:
     Spartan Stadium, home of the NASL San Jose Earthquakes and currently
     the San Francisco Bay Blackhawks of the NPSL, looks like the best
     bet. This is a natural-grass football stadium owned by
     San Jose State University that is just the right size for soccer.
     Other options include Candlestick Park (61000) in downtown San 
     Francisco, although it is a bit cold for summer sports.
     There is also cavernous Stanford Stadium(86019), another college  
     gridiron stadium that will host some World Cup games in 1994. Both
     have a natural playing surface.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Soccer is faced with a pleasant problem here. Do we choose San Jose,
     the affluent, rapidly growing white-collar area south of the Bay that
     is now bigger than San Francisco itself and still doesn't have a baseball
     team? Or do we settle for San Francisco and Candlestick Park with its 
     central location and big-league image if the baseball Giants decide to
     abandon the city? As always, baseball is the key factor. 

WASHINGTON DC    
POPULATION:      3646000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Robert F. Kennedy(53351)     
NASL RECORDS:    19205(1980)/53351          
PRO: Largest city left without a baseball team. America's 9th largest media
     market. Washington and nearby Baltimore (pop.:2303000) have one of the 
     country's largest youth soccer programs and its large foreign contingent
     (mainly diplomats and business executives) is a potential fan group.
     1990 World Cup regulars Des Armstrong, Eric Eichmann and Jimmy Banks
     are from the DC Area. 
CON: The NASL Washington Diplomats attracted a lot of fans after signing 
     Johann Cruyff in 1980, but fan support was unreliable both before and
     after that and the team folded in 1981. Three other sports teams.
FACILITY:
     No problems here. RFK Stadium (one of the USA'94 venues) is ideal for
     soccer in every way.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Promoting soccer among blacks, who make up 70% of Washington's 
     population and provide 50% of the nation's major league baseball,
     football and basketball players. Yet, soccer is not popular and few
     African Americans (Armstrong, Banks, Dante Washington, Troy Dayak) are 
     playing for the national soccer team.

MONTREAL,PQ     
POPULATION:      2828349     
STADIUM:         Olympic(56384)         
NASL RECORDS:    23704(1981)/58542
PRO: "The only European city located in North America." French is the 
     majority language (66%) with huge English-speaking(16%), Italian and 
     German minorities. Canada's second-largest city, yet there are only two 
     other pro teams (ice hockey and baseball). Familiarity with hockey
     should create a better understanding for soccer as well. Enthusiastic 
     support for the Montreal Manic NASL team was destroyed only by 
     mismanagement. Baseball -"a silly foreign sport"-isn't the factor that 
     it is in the States. 
CON: Still something of an untested market, and the CSL's Montreal Supra have 
     largely been neglected by the sports public. Like most North Americans,
     Montrealers will look twice only if the soccer on offer is world-class.
FACILITY:
     Stade Olympique (built in 1976 for the Olympic Games) is definitely a
     problem. On the plus side, it was built for track & field and soccer -
     not baseball. But it possesses an awful, hard artificial playing surface,
     and both fans and players (mainly those of the Expos baseball team)
     complain that it is cold and unpleasant. It would help a lot if the
     stadium authorities decide to replace the carpet with the real thing.
     But that means that the stadium's retractable roof must be kept open, 
     which means soccer games in Montreal will be c-c-cold.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Montreal is a potential success story. The key, as always in Quebec, is
     to market with the French-Canadian public in mind. Signing Francophone
     star players France, Belgium and Switzerland and generally being French 
     (something the Expos, with their predominantly American lineup, will 
     never be) is not just a good idea - it's a must. Too bad there aren't 
     many local players to choose from. Alex Bunbury and Patrick Diotte are 
     the only French-Canadians who have been regulars on the Canadian 
     national team in recent years.

MINNEAPOLIS/St.PAUL,MN  
POPULATION:      2336000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Metrodome(55244)       
NASL RECORDS:    32775(1977)/52621
PRO: Only city in North America other than New York to average more than 
     30000 fans over one season in the NASL. The Twin Cities area might not 
     rank among the top-10 media markets, but it is situated in the middle
     of a wealthy, liberal state with a heavily German/Scandinavian 
     background. 
CON: This is a comparatively small city with four pro sports struggling to
     fill the stadiums. The NASL Kicks lost almost half of their fans over
     the course of four years after the record-breaking 1977 season, so the
     fans' long-term commitment must be questioned. Then again, 
     baseball, gridiron football and (most recently) hockey have encountered
     the same problem. As always, the winning team is "in" and gets most of
     the fans. Also, Minnesota has been out of the ball mainstream since the
     NASL/MISL Strikers folded five years ago.
FACILITY:
     A dome. As if there weren't enough of them already. The Metrodome (which
     was built in 1981) is actually better than most because the Kicks were
     still a factor when it was on the drawing board. Consequently, the 
     Metrodome is more than large enough to accomodate a full-size soccer
     field. The drawback is the mandatory artificial playing surface.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Getting the support of the entire state, fielding good teams and
     reviving the old Minnesota Kick(er)s nickname because of the nostalgia
     factor and because it sounds German! Building 
     a separate stadium (30,000 seats) for soccer is also inevitable in the
     long run although the Metrodome does provide a shirtsleeve environment
     during those spring and autumn snowstorms.

SEATTLE,WA      
POPULATION:      1607469     
STADIUM:         Kingdome(58850)        
NASL RECORD:     24246(1980)/56256
PRO: Another solid soccer community. The Pacific Northwest is one of the
     main soccer hotbeds in the States and the sport remains popular.
     The population is largely of British and Scandinavian descent. The
     NASL Sounders were another great team destroyed by mismanagment.
     Minor-league APSL/WSA (Storm) and MSL (Tacoma Stars) teams have been
     the main attractions after the Sounders folded in 1983. The city does
     have three other sports teams, but baseball is not very popular and
     the AL Mariners may well be gone by the time major-league soccer returns
     to the city.
CON: Like Minnesota, the Puget Sound area is not very big so persuading the
     entire state of Washington to watch is important. It has been ten long
     years since anything resembling top-class soccer was on offer in the
     city, so some promotional work will be necessary.
FACILITY: 
     See Minnesota. . . Actually, the Kingdome isn't all bad because Seattle
     is infamous for its humid climate. But this is another of those cities
     where a second, smaller stadium in the 30,000 range will be necessary.
     Perhaps by expanding the Coliseum, a stadium that seats 19,000 for
     soccer and served as the home for the Sounders before the Kingdome was
     built?
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Building a good club deserving the kind of fan support that the NASL 
     Sounders had despite fielding cheap teams. Also, signing local stars
     like Chris Henderson as amateur soccer is popular. Reviving the Sounders
     nickname would be great because, Like Minnesota again, the original
     Sounders were popular and because it is a truly "local" nickname
     (=as in Puget Sound area). A new outdoor stadium is inevitable in the
     long run. 

TAMPA BAY,FL    
POPULATION:      1569134     
STADIUM:         Tampa(74137)           
NASL RECORDS:    28345(1980)/54247
PRO: This is one of the fastest growing areas in the South, with a huge
     Spanish and Italian population. So far, football and (since 1992)
     hockey are the only pro sports although baseball might end up here
     if the San Francisco Giants are allowed to move to nearby St.Petersburg.
     And this is one of the best soccer towns in America. The Tampa Bay 
     Rowdies joined the NASL in 1974 and was a founding member of the revived  
     ASL that eventually became the APSL. They still play at Tampa Stadium.
CON: Not much. The weather is a problem (hot and humid summers with frequent
     rain and thunderstorms) although playing indoors is an option. Also, the
     Rowdies had the luxury of being the only team in town for much of the 
     70s (the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers arrived in 1976) whereas there will
     be stiff competition from other sports teams this time. 
FACILITY: 
     Tampa Stadium has hosted several SuperBowls and is a good outdoor stadium
     possessing a real playing surface. A minor problem is that the width
     is only 68 yards. Then there is also the Florida Suncoast Dome in nearby
     St.Petersburg (40,000 seats), an indoor baseball stadium with its 
     accompanying disadvantages.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Above all, reviving the good memories of the original NASL Rowdies.  
     Soccer must show that it means business by signing good players, which
     in Tampa's case means Roy Wegerle more than anyone else. 
     Wegerle is perhaps the most famous Rowdie product ever, currently a
     star for the US national team and English 1st leaders Blackburn. Also, 
     trying to persuade one of America's baseball-craziest communities to
     boycott major league baseball after getting turned down five times by
     pro teams planning to move!

VANCOUVER,BC     
POPULATION:      1266152     
STADIUM:         BC Place(66000)        
NASL RECORD:     29166(1983)/60342
PRO: This is Canada's no.1 soccer community. The Vancouver Whitecaps were
     one of the most successful NASL clubs both on and off the field and,
     now known as the Vancouver 86ers, recently joined the APSL from the 
     Canadian Soccer League. Joining the NASL in 1974, the Whitecaps/86ers 
     have been operating continuously longer than most major North American 
     soccer teams. A diverse population from all parts of the British 
     Commonwealth and a booming economy guarantees there will always be 
     enough fans. No major league baseball team either. 
CON: Same as Seattle, namely lack of a suitable stadium. Vancouver, being
     a comparatively small Canadian city, might not sound that exciting
     to American fans - although there should be a built-in rivalry
     with Seattle and Portland.
FACILITY:
     BC Place, a domed stadium built for the Canadian Football League's
     British Columbia Lions in 1982. Will not be good enough as the permament
     home for a soccer team because of its artificial playing surface, but 
     could be useful for occasional games because of Vancouver's humid 
     climate.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Putting on a good show, and building a 30,000 seat outdoor stadium for 
     soccer. Burnaby Stadium (capacity:6,000), where the 86ers currently play, 
     won't be good enough for a major league team. On paper, this is one of 
     the strongest franchises. 

PORTLAND,OR     
POPULATION:      1242594     
STADIUM:         Civic(25000)           
NASL RECORDS:    20515(1976)/35548
PRO: This is one of the smaller cities but still big enough to support a
     pro soccer team. Underrepresented as far as pro sports are concerned,
     Portland has only one major league team (basketball's Portland Trail
     Blazers) so there is not much competition here. Located right in the
     middle of one of American soccer's hottest areas.
CON: The NASL Timbers sold out only during their first two seasons after
     joining the league in 1974, although that probably was due to a lack of
     success on the field. The team was briefly revived in the 1980s, now 
     playing in the Western Soccer Alliance before folding in 1990.
FACILITY:
     Civic Stadium, a comparatively small outdoor stadium. A minor league
     baseball team, the Portland Beavers, currently play there. There's been
     talk about building a domed stadium as part of a bid to get an NFL
     expansion team.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Becoming a big attraction in a city of small attractions. As in Seattle, 
     using Oregon's strong youth soccer program as an advantage is no bad
     idea. That means signing famous native players such as Brent Goulet,
     currently playing professionally in Germany.

II:THE(comparatively) BAD...

LOS ANGELES,CA  
POPULATION:      13471000 (metro area)    
STADIUMS:        LA Coliseum(92516)/Pasadena Rosebowl(102000)     
NASL RECORDS:    14333(1979)/48483
PRO:  The nation's second largest city and a pleasant climate. The largest
      Mexican colony this side of Mexico City calls LA home, and there are
      huge foreign-born minorities everywhere. 38% of all Angelinos are
      Spanish-speakers. No stranger to top-class soccer as both the US and
      Mexican national teams play many of their home games here. The 1984
      Olympic soccer tournament was a sellout, and LA will host the 1994
      World Cup final.
CON:  For all the hype, Los Angeles has never really been enthusiastic about
      pro soccer. The LA Aztecs (with current USA'94 czar Alan Rothenberg in
      the background) lost a fortune, signing Dutch star Johan Cruyff
      to a $4 million contract - a move that was rewarded with single-game
      crowds of 5000 in the cavernous LA Coliseum. Part of the problem is
      stiff competition from other sports. Greater Los Angeles has seven
      pro teams in all, baseball being a particularly difficult adversary.
      The LA Dodgers and California Angels play home virtually every day
      from April to August in front of regular crowds of 30,000 fans.
FACILITY:
      Not a serious problem. Two alternatives exist: LA Coliseum (the 1934
      and 1984 Olympic arena) and the Rosebowl (a famous college football 
      stadium) in nearby Pasadena. Both are old but will be upgraded for
      the World Cup(The Rosebowl) or the NFL's LA Raiders (LA Coliseum).
      They might be unnecessarily big but are technically OK for soccer.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
      First and foremost, getting better fan support from the Latin 
      population. A bilingual team name and marketing in Spanish would be a 
      great start, but avoiding to put off other groups in a city troubled 
      by ethnic unrest is even more important as the ever-increasing Latin 
      population is seen as a threat by some. Finally, trying to find a
      niche despite being squeezed between two baseball teams. Not as 
      difficult as it sounds because this is a big city with enough fan 
      interest for most sports.

CHICAGO,IL      
POPULATION:      8147000     
STADIUM:         Soldier Field(66814)   
NASL RECORDS:    12089(1981)/39623
PRO: One of the classic American "melting pots" as far as ethnical groups are
     concerned. Chicago is the world's second-largest Polish-speaking city 
     after Warszaw and the Mexican, German, Irish and Italian communities
     are also very large. The city is no stranger to pro soccer, currently
     only indoor soccer (Chicago Power) is represented but there have been
     countless outdoor teams as well - including the Chicago Sting which
     survived the NASL to play indoor soccer in the MISL before folding. 
     The youth soccer program has been successful - two of the more famous
     American strikers playing overseas (Frank Klopas and Steve Snow) are 
     Illinois products. The nation's third-largest city and a USA'94 venue.
CON: Questionable fan support. Chicago was the only city that failed to draw
     at least 30,000 fans for its US Cup games this summer - only 
     getting 10,000 for the USA-Portugal game. The NASL Sting played their
     home games in front of mostly empty seats before winning the championship
     in 1981 (the first by a Chicago sports team since 1960) at last brought 
     some much-needed attention. Like LA, a crowded sports scene (including
     two extremely popular baseball team that are the local kings of summer) 
     is a huge problem. The cold climate is another.
FACILITY:
     Soldier Field (where the NFL Bears play) will host the 1994 World Cup
     opening game and is a decent stadium for soccer. A former war memorial(!),
     its artificial grass was replaced with the real thing. A lot better than
     in the NASL years, when the Sting were forced to shuttle between the
     city's two baseball parks and often got lost in the shuffle.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Above all, being patient. This will not be easy. The first thing to do 
     would be to try to find a place in the city's busy sports schedule.
     Building a good team with modestly-priced but well-known foreign stars
     (hm...Andy Brehme, Hugo Sanchez, John Aldridge, Antonio Cabrini, "Jackie"
     Dziekanowski?) is important - this is basically what Sting GM Clive Toye
     was doing fifteen years ago. A patient owner with deep pockets is 
     absolutely essential, but then where is it not?

PHILADELPHIA,PA 
POPULATION:      5891000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Veterans(62382)        
NASL RECORDS:    11784(1974)/25311
PRO: One of those essential markets all pro leagues want to have a team
     in. A huge population (America's fifth largest), including large
     Italian, Irish and East European communities. Sheffield Wednesday's
     visit to play the US national team last year brought over 40,000 to
     Veterans Stadium so the potential is definitely there.
CON: Mixed fortunes as a NASL member. Their first franchise, the Atoms, won 
     the championship in their first year of existence back in 1973 and 
     captured the imagination of the fans. But the team failed to qualify for 
     the playoffs after that and attendances fell off drastically. In 1978 (two
     years after the Atoms folded), the Paul Simon-owned Philadelphia Fury
     entered the league but failed to draw despite signing former England
     star Alan Ball to a contract, moving to Montreal in 1981. As in most
     major cities, there are many established sports competing for the fans.
FACILITY:
     Veterans Stadium, built in 1977, is a decent, all-purpose stadium and
     would be acceptable if it were not for its synthetic grass. The main
     tenants (baseball's Philadelphia Phillies and the NFL Philadelphia Eagles)
     and the stadium authorities did promise to replace it with real grass
     for the 1994 season if Philly's World Cup-bid had been successful. The
     other two teams would undoubtedly prefer to play on grass, but convincing
     the stadium owners is a different matter as AstroTurf is easier and 
     cheaper to maintain in a cold-weather city like Philadelphia.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     The standard recipe for success applies here - signing good players,
     winning championships and generally being a class act in a city that's
     full of them. Building a separate stadium will be expensive but might
     pay off in the long run.

DETROIT,MI      
POPULATION:      4629000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Pontiac Silverdome(72794)      
NASL RECORDS:    14058(1979)/32319
PRO: Motown is one of the classic sports towns. There are pro teams
     in baseball, basketball, football and hockey. The city is no
     stranger to soccer either as a significant part of the population
     has European roots. The NASL Express did quite well at the gate,
     never averaging less than 12,000 during their three seasons in Detroit.
     No wonder Motown was one of FIFA's World Cup'94 selections. 
CON: A relative lack of previous exposure as far as soccer is concerned. 
     Last year's USA-CIS game was the first major soccer event here in years, 
     although it did attract 34,000 to the Silverdome. The Express spent 
     heavily by bringing English star Trevor Francis over on loan from 
     Coventry of the English Football League, then paid the price as 
     attendances were lower than hoped for. Lots of competition from 
     established pro sports is a problem here too.
FACILITY:
     Pontiac Silverdome, the world's largest domed stadium, might in many 
     ways be the most impressive of all indoor stadiums, but a dome is a dome. 
     The field is wide enough (73yd.) but the plastic grass causes all the 
     common problems and, sure enough, the Russian coach was criticizing it 
     after the CIS-USA game. Tiger Stadium (in downtown), home of baseball's 
     Detroit Tigers, could be an option during the summer months although it
     is the wrong shape for soccer.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Building a new stadium for soccer could become inevitable in the long
     run. Other than that, the same requirements regarding marketing apply
     here as well.

BOSTON,MA       
POPULATION:      4093000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Foxboro(61000)         
NASL RECORDS:    11859(1978)/30126
PRO: Another "must" as far as demographics are concerned. America's seventh 
     largest city with a sizeable Irish and Portuguese population. Three 
     international soccer games have been played here since 1991, all drawing
     at least 35,000 fans! The city has had several NASL and ASL teams and
     the New England area has an extensive youth soccer program.
CON: Same as in other mega-markets, namely gruelling competition from other
     sports, Boston has teams in all four North American sports. Also, no
     NASL club survived for long here. The New England Teamen, backed by big 
     money courtesy of Lipton Tea Company, did try to assemble a good team
     but (save for a few 30000+ crowds) never caught on and had to move
     to Jacksonville after just three seasons because of poor fan support. 
FACILITY:
     Foxboro, some 25 miles from downtown. The stadium is so-so for soccer, 
     there's a real grass pitch but its location and lack of comfort has been
     one of the reasons why the city's NFL team, the New England Patriots,
     has been trying to move.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Being a class act (lots of Irish and Portuguese players, please!) and 
     building a medium-size soccer park in downtown. Marketing will be 
     extremely important as the Red Sox baseball team is generally considered 
     Boston's most popular team.

TORONTO,ON      
POPULATION:      2998947     
STADIUM:         SkyDome(50000), Exhibition(55000)         
NASL RECORDS:    15043(1980)/36976
PRO: Canada's largest city and a sophisticated international metropolis.
     The Italian community (500,000 people) is the largest in North America
     percentage-wise and there are countless other minorities. The CSL Toronto
     Blizzard (who joined the NASL as the Toronto Metros back in 1971) are 
     North America's oldest pro soccer team still in existence.  
CON: Only half-decent fan support while playing in the NASL, although this
     could have been because of fielding lowly teams. Only three competing  
     sports, but the extremelt popular baseball Blue Jays are a huge obstacle.
     The Jays always sell out the 50,000-seat SkyDome and do it 81 times a 
     year!
FACILITY:
     The SkyDome, completed in 1990, provides everything and more - except
     a good soccer field. Though it possesses a retractable roof, the stadium  
     authorities decided to choose AstroTurf over real grass as it is cheaper
     to maintain. But the SkyDome is a wonderful building and no doubt both
     fans and players will prefer playing there to the freezing conditions
     outside when playing early- & late season games. As for the summer months,
     old Exhibition Stadium provides a decent alternative. This was built for
     Canadian football's Toronto Argonauts (who have moved to the SkyDome) and
     is suitable for soccer in every way. Old and ugly it may be, but the
     only thing seriously wrong with it is the artificial playing surface 
     and replacing it shouldn't be a problem.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Above all, luring some of those lukewarm baseball fans away
     from the Jays. Watching baseball at the SkyDome is currently the "in"
     thing but there's no reason why a successful big-league soccer team
     featuring many local players (something the Jays don't have) shouldn't
     be able to have the same kind of fan support.

DALLAS,TX       
POPULATION:      3725000 (metro area)     
STADIUMS:        Texas(63855), Cotton Bowl(72000)           
NASL RECORDS:    16511(1977)/23904
PRO: One of the "hot" rapidly growing southern cities. The Dallas
     Tornado was one of the NASL's longest-serving franchises, playing
     fourteen season in Texas before folding in 1981. The outdoor game
     then gave way to MISL indoor soccer (Dallas Sidekicks) in the 1980s.
     Maintaining an excellent youth soccer program, Dallas hosts the
     annual Dallas Cup - one of the world's largest international youth 
     soccer tournaments. Will host one semifinal game in the 1994 World Cup. 
     There are other sports teams (three) of course, but the baseball team
     plays in the suburbs and not in a soccer stadium so this is less
     of a problem than elsewhere. 
CON: Soccer is still something of a strange bird in a state obsessed with
     American football. The Tornado did so-so at the gate, except for a
     brief period in the mid-1970s when watching Pele was still new and
     exciting. Lack of exposure to top-class soccer in recent years is 
     a problem here as well, although a recent USA-Costa Rica game did
     attract a reasonable crowd of 24,000. 
FACILITIES:
     Texas Stadium was built in the 1970s for the famous Dallas Cowboys
     NFL team and, save for the narrow playing field, would make an ideal
     soccer stadium. Cotton Bowl, a famous old college football stadium,
     will be the World Cup site and is to be completely upgraded over the
     next two years, After the World Cup, it will become the ideal (if 
     somewhat big) home for a pro soccer team.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Although Dallas isn't as Latin as its southern neighbors Houston and 
     San Antonio, making the team sound attractive to transplanted Mexicans
     might not be a bad idea. Oil magnate Lamar Hunt tried to do just that by
     choosing a bilingual nickname ("Tornado") for his NASL club. Overall, 
     the state's best bet for a successful team as the community has had
     pro teams far longer than the other two cities, while possessing
     better stadiums as well.

MIAMI-FORT LAUDERDALE,FL   
POPULATION:      2954000 (metro area)     
STADIUM:         Joe Robbie(75500)      
NASL RECORDS:    14279(1980)/19850
PRO: If APSL soccer is the yardstick, Miami is a sure bet for a major league
     team as the area has two teams (Ft.Lauderdale Strikers, Miami Freedom) 
     out of a possible five! 42% of Dade County residents are Spanish-speakers 
     and Miami is one of the fastest growing cities in America. The Strikers
     have what passes for "tradition" in American soccer, they transplanted
     from Washington in 1972, becoming the Miami Toros. They moved out of
     downtown in 1977, changed name to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and 
     signed European stars Gerd Muller and Jan van Beveren while becoming
     one of the NASL's best teams. After a brief spell in Minnesota, the
     team was revived for the ASL/APSL.
CON: Pro soccer has never drawn well in southern Florida. After Joe Robbie 
     Stadium was built, Miami has hosted several international tournaments
     but only rarely had crowds in excess of 30,000. There are several factors
     involved, the city is hot and humid in the summer when watching outdoor
     sports is generally unpleasant. Moreover, the huge Cuban community 
     prefers baseball while, as in L.A., bad relations between the various  
     ethnic groups could cause difficulties for soccer with its
     "foreign" reputation. The sports climate is far tougher now than when
     the NASL was still in operation. Pro football used to be the only sport
     on offer in Miami, now there are brand-new basketball and baseball teams 
     as well - one of the reasons why the city was dropped from the USA'94 list.
FACILITY:
     Joe Robbie Stadium, built by the late NFL Miami Dolphins owner who also
     happened to be a soccer fan, is possibly America's best soccer stadium
     but will host National League baseball (Florida Marlins) from 1993
     onwards. Lockhart Stadium in Fort Lauderdale (where the Strikers play)
     is too small at 20,000 seats.
KEY TO SUCCESS:
     Obviously, merging the two APSL teams would be the first step ("Florida
     Strikers?"). The second important thing is to assemble a team that has
     appeal to all the various ethnic groups and market is so that people
     notice what's going on. On the plus side, the baseball team won't start 
     winning until the year 2000 or so, so a successful soccer franchise 
     playing in a well-respected league will have an edge in this department. 
     Trying to get around the problems with the weather by playing many home
     games in the spring and autumn could be another key. Still, history 
     suggests operating a soccer team here won't be easy.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
   If there is a pattern in the cities that supported NASL soccer well, 
it seems to be that they either didn't have major league baseball 
(also a summer sport and usually using the same stadiums as 
well) or didn't care that much about their local baseball team. Of the
10 cities with the best fan support, five (Washington, Tampa, Vancouver,
Portland, Tulsa) didn't have baseball, six if we include San Jose (sure, 
San Francisco and Oakland did have MLB clubs but the Earthquakes were San 
Jose's own team). Seattle probably fits the second description, putting
butts in the seats for major league baseball games has always been a 
problem there. About 60 - 65% of all NASL teams had to compete with 
baseball for local support, so this seems to indicate something. There 
were of course numerous exceptions from the "no baseball-will watch soccer
" rule (e.g. Denver, Miami, San Antonio, Rochester...). 
---
   Then there is the "image" question. I think it would be great if we 
could build on some of the good things achieved by the NASL. For example, 
there were eight teams that lasted at least five years and drew close
to 19000 spectators per game: New York Cosmos, San Jose Earthquakes, 
Washington Diplomats, Minnesota Kicks, Portland Timbers, Seattle Sounders, 
Tampa Bay Rowdies, Vancouver Whitecaps. The average age of these 
franchises is seventeen years, a relatively long time in the "here 
today-gone tomorrow" world of American sports. In 1974, 20% of the 
current professional baseball, basketball, football & hockey franchises 
either weren't born yet or were playing in another city! There was pro soccer 
in Seattle, Tampa Bay & Toronto before baseball & American Football came to 
town. It would certainly be great if we could revive some of the old, 
popular teams and not have to start from scratch again. Having a "major
league reputation" is important in American sports, and for the first time 
ever soccer could have a foundation to build on. 
---

THE FUTURE - BEYOND 2000 A.D.
The 16-17 teams that would play in My League represent, on paper, the 
best bets for running a pro soccer league. The drawback is that they are
almost TOO good as there is no margin for error. About half of the cities
mentioned above are absolutely essential, if the LA's and Chicagos
fail it will be a massive blow to the league and its financial backers.
The other nine teams, such as the Canadian franchises and the smaller
markets on the west coast and in Florida aren't as essential and can be
moved if attendances turn out to be lower than hoped for. Then again, if 
soccer can't make it there - where will it succeed? 
---
The league should remain at seventeen teams for the foreseeable future as
there will have to be enough new local stars to ensure that the
product will not be watered-out by letting in more teams. Still, there are
markets deserving a closer look - especially if there have to be some 
franchise shifts. OHIO as America's seventh largest state is on top of the 
list. Columbus, the only 1 million+ city without a major league team looks
like the best bet as it possesses a full-size stadium although Cleveland
(a "major league" city that has supported indoor soccer well) would be more
interesting. A second team in TEXAS is also a high priority. Houston is
the largest city without a soccer team, but lack of an outdoor stadium and
bad fan support for its NASL team deducts many points. Instead, San Antonio
deserves a second chance as there is only one other pro sports team and
a huge market for soccer exists because of the local Mexican community. 
SAN DIEGO would make an excellent choice for a third California-based team. 
The Sockers won the MISL championship eight times and played in the NASL
as well. Elsewhere in the west, DENVER as one of only five remaining cities 
having an APSL team probably should be one of the founding members of the 
new league as well.  Still, great fan support for US exhibition games
against Uruguay and Scotland isn't quite good enough to erase memories of the
two NASL teams that folded because of low attendances. In the south, there is
ATLANTA because of its location in the middle of a soccer-less region 
although a previous lack of fan interest means that support for the Olympic 
soccer tournament in 1996 will have to be exceptional for the city to merit 
serious consideration. Finally, there are the remaining 1 million+ markets 
that have no baseball team (Phoenix, Indianapolis, Buffalo, New Orleans). 


*** HOW THE NASL CITIES DID AT THE GATE (All-time averages) ***

1) METROPOLITAN AREAS HAVING MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL:
NEW YORK:     25819 (total of 180 games/over 14 seasons)
MINNESOTA:    24072 (87/6)
SEATTLE:      18338 (139/10)
SAN JOSE:     14292 (151/11)
MONTREAL:     12603 (75/6)
DETROIT:      12455 (36/3)
LOS ANGELES:  9292 (108/7)
ANAHEIM:      9303 (62/4)
SAN DIEGO:    8861 (117/8)
TORONTO:      8445 (180/14)
CHICAGO:      8340 (141/10)
BOSTON/FOXB.: 7489 (79/6)
PHILADELPHIA: 7383 (88/7)
DALLAS:       7106 (179/15)
OAKLAND:      6754 (47/3)
HOUSTON:      6530 (68/5)
St.LOUIS:     5995 (127/11)
KANSAS CITY:  5531 (36/3)
ATLANTA:      5266 (126/10)
CLEVELAND:    4921 (22/2)
BALTIMORE:    4110 (61/5)
PITTSBURGH:   3122 (16/1)
---

2) CITIES HAVING A POPULATION OF AT LEAST 1 MILLION BUT NO BASEBALL TEAM:

TAMPA BAY:    18896 (141/10)
VANCOUVER:    18078 (151/11)
PORTLAND:     12231 (114/8)
Ft.LAUDERDALE:11967 (106/6)
(greater Miami)
WASHINGTON:   11349 (108/8)
DENVER:       5552  (46/3)
SAN ANTONIO:  4752  (23/2)
---

3) POPULATION OF 1 MILLION AND BELOW:

TULSA:        14451 (105/7)
CALGARY:      10501 (16/1)
EDMONTON:     9086 (63/4)
MEMPHIS:      8598 (46/3)
JACKSONVILLE: 8333 (32/2)
LAS VEGAS:    7092 (13/1)
ROCHESTER:    6157 (133/11)
HONOLULU:     4550 (13/1)
NEW HAVEN:    3848 (13/1)
HARTFORD:     3563 (23/2)
-----

MARCU$
Newsgroups: rec.sport.soccer