by Jason Kuenle
From marching to keep a team in DC to throwing flares in the stands; from fantastic support in Seattle to terrible attendance in Dallas; supporters of MLS teams have been in the headlines more this year than in any year I can remember. For soccer fans, like me, who don’t live in an MLS market, its tempting to think that none of these stories really matter. But supporting a side or more generally MLS does more for soccer in the US than you might imagine, and the pace of growth of the MLS fan base will largely dictate when the US becomes a true soccer power.
The next 3 years in Seattle may predict the overall direction of the league for the next decade and beyond. Seattle is the first of at least 3 USL teams to join MLS. The excitement of Seattle’s inaugural season in MLS has resulted in an average attendance of nearly 30,000 per game. When Seattle was a USL team, they averaged around one-tenth of that. However, if Seattle’s support dies off in the next few years and returns to anything near their USL numbers, the same is likely to
happen in Vancouver and Portland as they enter and mature in the league, leaving MLS with additional teams that drag down the financial state of the league.
The financial success of the USL-to-MLS converts and Philadelphia will determine where the league is ten years from now. Because of the single entity structure of MLS, the more teams that are financially successful the more the league as a whole succeeds. The income that Seattle’s ticket and merchandise sales have brought in could not have come at a better time for the league. And Philadelphia looks like
they will have the same kind of following in their first year that Seattle has had. As a relatively young league, the current financial climate could have hurt the ability of MLS to continue their slow steady growth plan if not for the revenue that these clubs will create. If these expansion clubs, with their grassroots
organizations, come into the league profitable and remain so, MLS may have a bright financial future.
As more teams move toward profitability, it will be important for fans to demand that the league use those profits to better the level of play in the league. This starts with the CBA that Jason has been following on this site. More money in MLS should mean better players, especially with the financial troubles of some European teams lowering worldwide demand and players’ market values. A higher level of play should mean better competition and more fans in the seats. Therefore, if you want to see MLS become a better product and you are economically capable, be a better fan: go to a game, buy some merchandise, or if you don’t live in a MLS market get MLS Direct Kick, but don’t just sit there and complain that MLS is not the EPL.
But the final way that supporters can help the development of US soccer is the most fun; by creating intimidating places to play. The first game in Seattle was unlike any MLS game that I have watched. The US is notorious for playing poorly in hostile environments: World Cup games in Europe, any game in South America, games in the Azteca, even games in El Salvador. I believe this is, in part, because of a lack of exposure in MLS to hostile environments. Keep things civilized. No flares, pee bags, or racist slurs please, but dress in your side’s colors, chant, sing, or bang the drum. Do your part to develop young American talent by making a game in San Jose, California, feel more like the upcoming game in San Jose, Costa Rica. Perhaps then the US would be in better position to feel like they should come away with all three points.
As fans we have rights and responsibilities. We have a right to demand quality soccer, but that comes with the responsibility of supporting the league. 15 of the 18 players that have played in qualifiers for the US this year spent time in MLS. The national team will continue to depend on MLS. And MLS will only ever be as good as its fans are.
