Mozda nije trenutno najveci ali ce biti najveci. Tim bez ijedne zvanicne tekme, prodao 20,000 sezonskih karata. Mada nije poredjenje istih stvari (baseball ima 80 domacih tekmi i sezonska je oko $3,000 dok nogomet ima 15 domacih i sezonska je oko $500), ipak nije mala stvar da neki tim proda vise sezonskih za nogomet nego za baseball u Americi.
New MLS franchise Seattle Sounders FC creating a buzz in Northwest
1 day ago
SEATTLE — If this happened in London or Stockholm, maybe Freddie
Ljungberg wouldn't remember the exchange. It would be just another part
of his day as one of the most recognizable soccer players in the world
not named "Beckham."
But in America? In Seattle?
"I just went to buy some groceries and people came up to shake hands," Ljungberg recalled.
Simply
suggesting there is mere "interest" around these parts for the return
of professional soccer is grossly understating the amount of
fascination for the Seattle Sounders FC, the newest franchise in Major
League Soccer.
Season-ticket sales have surpassed that of the
Seattle Mariners across the street - more than 20,000 have been sold,
higher than the league's average attendance last season - and were
capped at 22,000 to give fans a chance to buy single-game tickets.
Seats at QWest Field normally covered with tarps will be used for the
home opener on Thursday against the New York Red Bulls, where more than
32,000 are expected.
Before the first official shot, save or goal in franchise history, Seattle has already been awarded the 2009 MLS Cup.
The
franchise appears to hold all the pieces needed to establish a
stronghold not only in the local market but league-wide: strong
ownership led by Hollywood producer Joe Roth; a marketing partnership
with the Seattle Seahawks; an established home in Qwest Field; and
recognizable name players like Ljungberg and former U.S. national team
goalkeeper Kasey Keller - a Pacific Northwest native.
There will
even be a band at every home game and a fan support group with the
power to vote out general manager Adrian Hanauer - part of the
conditions placed by minority owner Drew Carey before the comedian
agreed to invest with Roth, Hanauer and Paul Allen's Vulcan
corporation, to bring the MLS to Seattle.
Put simply, Seattle is like no other expansion team the MLS has welcomed within its ranks.
"I'm
just trying to get the best people in. Trying to get the best general
manager and the best coaching staff, the best head coach, the best
partners. I think if you just keep with the same standard, it will
filter down," Roth said. "It doesn't look like an expansion team. In
this first season, I would expect us to be a competitive team and have
a program for the fans that is at least entertaining as any in the
league."
Added new midfielder Brad Evans as he gazed around his
home field after practice recently, "It certainly doesn't look like an
expansion franchise."
Fielding a competitive and entertaining
team is the responsibility of Sigi Schmid, the highly successful coach
lured to Seattle after he led Columbus to its first MLS Cup title last
season. Schmid is implementing an aggressive, attacking system at the
behest of Roth, Carey and Hanauer, who all admire European and South
American club teams with such styles. Schmid's additional challenge was
melding a group of players that never stepped on a field together
before training camp opened.
"If there is ever a coach to bring guys together it's him," said Evans, who was with Schmid a year ago in Columbus.
Schmid
pulled in players he knew. Midfielder Peter Vagenas and defender Tyrone
Marshall played for him in Los Angeles. Then there's Keller, who might
be the squad's lynchpin.
"From our most seasoned player, if I can
use that term with Kasey, all the way down to our youngest player, has
an immense amount of respect for him," Vagenas said of Schmid. "I
cannot stress that enough. That's very important."
The respect
for Schmid may help the Sounders meld together away from the pitch, but
there are significant questions once the squad takes the field:
-Can
Ljungberg, recovering from left hip surgery in December, regain the
form that made him one of the top offensive midfielders in the English
Premier League a few years ago with Arsenal? Seattle is paying
Ljungberg $1.3 million per season to control the midfield and create
opportunities for forwards Nate Jaqua and rising young Colombian
international Fredy Montero.
-Will Seattle be able to stop anyone
on defence? Having Marshall, acquired in a trade with Toronto, along
the back line provides a veteran presence, but the majority of
Seattle's defenders are either young or lack MLS experience.
-Does
the 39-year-old Keller still have the speed and quickness in net to
handle what will likely be a heavy load in his return home?
"I'm
feeling great where I'm at physically, but I also know I'm near the end
of my career," Keller said. "I'm at a great time to be able to come
home and to give back. ... I feel like I can still compete and if I
couldn't I wouldn't be out on the field."
Roth's expectation is
that Seattle will be a winning organization from the start and contend
for the playoffs in its first season. Schmid doesn't run from those
expectations.
"To me it's not pressure, it's exciting, it's an
opportunity," Schmid said. "It's why you coach, it's why you play this
game. Inside we all want to perform and to know there is going to be a
lot of people here to watch us perform that just makes the whole thing
great."
“Kam hit this tight end SO HARD, I swear I saw that TE’s soul leave Qwest Field right on that 35 yard line.”
