Houston Dynamo FC

[Stan Collins]

I should have specified here in the United States.

17 Million Americans wathced the World Cup Final.

How do I know its not more popular? Because for its Championship game it could only get a stadium with 20,000 seats.

I got a stadium it owned, that's the key. They've drawn many more than that for other MLS Cup Finals. The record attendance is 61,000.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MLS_Cup

You want MLS to be successful? You need prime-time games times. During football season I'd go with a Wednesday or Saturday 7pm start time. Hold the event at an NFL footaball stadium. Hell, just look how the Superbowl is ran. Untill then, I'll still be cutting the grass, BBQing, watching football, shopping, or napping on my Sunday afternoons.

There's a wide gulf between the NFL and underwater basket weaving. Just ebcause a sport's not as popular as the NFL and won't be anytime soon does not mean it's not a viable pro sport.

And for that metter, it took the NFL a long danged time to get to that point, too. Their first championship game that anyone outside of the cities involved cared about was 1958, and the league had been founded in 1919. The NFL was an overnight sensation. . . after a generation of hard work.

Edited November 15, 2006 by Stan Collins

[Stan Collins]

Actually Professional Soccer has been in Texas and the US since 1967! It is hardly in any sort of infancy. After the 1966 World Cup Final, two rival professional soccer leagues were formed in the United States. After one year, they combined to form the North American Soccer League which lasted from 1967/68 until 1984. The Dallas Tornado's were part of the NASL from 1967-1981 winning the league championship in 1971 over the Atlanta Chiefs. There was a two year lull in there until the Major Indoor Soccer League was started in 1982 and is still active today, Major League Soccer was formed and on June 6, 1995 and is still active today. So in 38 years they should have a better following, but you are more than likely seeing it's peak.

I'll take that bet--I'll lay you 10 to 1 on it. When the NASL folded in 1984, there were still hardly any US players who could play the game at any reasonable level--and needless to say the NASL's demise dealt a big blow to any progress on that front. Even in 1996, when half the league was plucked from the semipro leagues that were rattling around at the time, the standard was a pale shadow of what you've got today.

As to the financial side, league finances have measurably improved every year since about 2001. An MLS franchise has never been worth more than it is today, and MLS gets its first national TV rights fees starting next season, at $20 Million a year. To feed off the last post, the NFL would laugh at that money, but that's not an excuse for you and I.

If one was to assert that MLS would someday be as popular as Major League Baseball or the NFL, there'd be no tangible evidence to back that claim up. But there's even less grounds for claiming that MLS has already peaked, in that there's actually pretty weighty evidence against it.

[DJ V Lawrence]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/sports/4335699.html

Houston Dynamo's no longer for sale. Is AEG the long-term owner then?

[skwatra]

here are some of my pics from the game-

one of the smoke bombs

victory!

trophy presentation

chron stadium edition

after party

Edited November 16, 2006 by skwatra

[DJ V Lawrence]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4468471.html

This Summer is gonna have the first ever Superliga, deciding the best football/soccer franchise in North America. It's gonna happen July 24-Aug. 29. They decided the teams by their history at winning the MLS Cup or the Mexican championship. Teams include:

Group A = Chivas Guadalajara, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy and Pachuca Tuzos

Group B = Club America, D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and Morelia Monarcas.

This will be the third major championship Dynamo will go for in 2007. They're also in the 2007 US Open Cup, and going for the more coveted MLS Cup. MLS Cup and Superliga will be internationally televised of course.

[lockmat]

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4468471.html

This Summer is gonna have the first ever Superliga, deciding the best football/soccer franchise in North America. It's gonna happen July 24-Aug. 29. They decided the teams by their history at winning the MLS Cup or the Mexican championship. Teams include:

Group A = Chivas Guadalajara, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy and Pachuca Tuzos

Group B = Club America, D.C. United, Houston Dynamo and Morelia Monarcas.

This will be the third major championship Dynamo will go for in 2007. They're also in the 2007 US Open Cup, and going for the more coveted MLS Cup. MLS Cup and Superliga will be internationally televised of course.

Soccer is weird in that different leagues, countries or whatever play each other in a single tournament. Imagine if the Rockets, Austin Torros and say the Cougars all played each other in one tourny.

Edited January 14, 2007 by lockmat

[brijonmang]

Looks like the Dynamo are in the tougher division there...

p.s. - love that new avatar DJ GET IT ON!

[DJ V Lawrence]

Soccer is weird in that different leagues, countries or whatever play each other in a single tournament. Imagine if the Rockets, Austin Torros and say the Cougars all played each other in one tourny.

There's a reason why. NFL, MLB, NHL, and the NBA are leagues that are considered the highest level of play for their sport. All other leagues around the world are considered minor leagues compared to those four because they offer more money and sponsorship than any other in their sport. The biggest championships in their sports are national playoffs, and that's where it ends.

In soccer, there are so many teams and so many major leagues that there's so many major championships that a team can win. For example, Dynamo will play this year for the title of best team in America minor or major (US Open Cup), best professional team in America (MLS Cup), and best in North America (Superliga).

Soccer is probably the only major team sport where we in America watch teams in other leagues play as well as our own. In Europe alone, there's at least seven soccer leagues that have a bigger international audience than any of our leagues of any sport excluding the Super Bowl. The UEFA Champions League may be giving the Supre Bowl a run for it's money though.

p.s. - love that new avatar DJ GET IT ON!

[MexAmerican_Moose]

this is great for soccer here in the US...but i find soccer rather boring....especially those 0-0 matches...ugh

[DJ V Lawrence]

Looks like the Dynamo are in the tougher division there...

It's hard to tell. I would HATE to be FC Dallas. They have to face Beckham's Galaxy AND the Chivas Guadalajara. Pachuca's no joke either.

We're going against Club America, who almost beat Barcelona in an exibition and the Mexican club more compared to the Yankees than anyone else, a fiesty Morelia, and the dynasty that is D.C. United. If Dynamo repeat the MLS Cup and/or win Superliga this year in the Beckham-era, the team is $1 Million richer, and would be considered one of the storied franchises in North American sports.

[dalparadise]

this is great for soccer here in the US...but i find soccer rather boring....especially those 0-0 matches...ugh

It's only boring if you're awake while the game is being played.

[DJ V Lawrence]

It's only boring if you're awake while the game is being played.

I take it you're not a sports fan, huh?...

[dalparadise]

I take it you're not a sports fan, huh?...

Sure I am. But soccer blows. It's for five-year-olds, Euros and the third world.

The idea that you can somehow con America into having an instant soccer tradition has been tried with Pele and it failed. You just can't fake interest where it doesn't exist. It isn't that it doesn't get enough coverage. Fundamentally, the sport is just not interesting to an American audience.

Comparisons you draw with the NHL are bad ones. The NHL has been bolstered by the sport's best athletes over the course of the past 20 years or so. Many would say the league is at its best now, with the most competitive teams and best skaters. But, by and large, America doesn't care. NHL is a diversion. It's a side note. Yeah, it's big in Detroit, just like soccer may be big in border cities like Houston and LA. But, if it doesn't capture the imagination of the larger fan base, it will remain a back-of-the-sports-page story.

You keep calling out for the media to hype soccer in the US, but the media will cover only what interests people with money to buy tickets and advertisers' products. In America, that means people who have grown out of the soccer carpool set, namely those 18-34 who are big sports fans and enjoy MLB, NFL and NBA and those 34-60 who are upper-income and enjoy MLB, NFL and NBA. The core group of these fans is predominantly male and predominantly white. Yes, I know that other demographic groups buy the gear and are targets of a large part of the advertising targeting, but once again, that's niche marketing -- to expand the appeal and grow the revenue. The real money is in the core audience -- the people who buy the tickets. It's a lesson even NBA is learning the hard way, as they continue to alienate the core audience.

Expecting soccer to play in the corporate season-ticket-buying American market after this initial bump from Beckham is expecting too much. It isn't flashy or competitive enough, the strategies are too simple to excite an American audience and the nuances of the game don't play well on TV. It's a fun game to play. It's just not made for an American sports audience.

Edited January 14, 2007 by dalparadise

[DJ V Lawrence]

Sure I am. But soccer blows. It's for five-year-olds, Euros and the third world.

Currently, it's for every country and is one of the top three sports for every country on earth except us.

The idea that you can somehow con America into having an instant soccer tradition has been tried with Pele and it failed. You just can't fake interest where it doesn't exist. It isn't that it doesn't get enough coverage. Fundamentally, the sport is just not interesting to an American audience.

Comparisons you draw with the NHL are bad ones. The NHL has been bolstered by the sport's best athletes over the course of the past 20 years or so. Many would say the league is at its best now, with the most competitive teams and best skaters. But, by and large, America doesn't care. NHL is a diversion. It's a side note. Yeah, it's big in Detroit, just like soccer may be big in border cities like Houston and LA. But, if it doesn't capture the imagination of the larger fan base, it will remain a back-of-the-sports-page story.

The big comparisons in American sports has been what Wayne Gretzky did for the L.A. Kings after he was traded from Edmonton in 1988. The Kings went from a slowly covered team to one of the most talked about teams in L.A. and the national media. There's no question that Beckham will make L.A. Galaxy the hottest ticket in SoCal for the next five years. It's fair to say that what happened in the Pele days with NASL won't happen with MLS because most of the money this time will be coming sponsorship, and many Americans follow international soccer more than MLS, so they know who the big-tymers are. So long as MLS teams have a desire to win and think bigger than the U.S., MLS will be aight.

MLS, just like NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL, learned from NASL's mistakes. NASL also proves that American fans can very well be interested in attending U.S. soccer league matches. Soccer itself isn't the reason why NASL failed. Bad marketing post-Pele did it. They couldn't maintain the league after all the superstars finished their careers.

Also remember, plenty of other leagues in all five popular sports in America have failed; not just NASL.

You keep calling out for the media to hype soccer in the US, but the media will cover only what interests people with money to buy tickets and advertisers' products. In America, that means people who have grown out of the soccer carpool set, namely those 18-34 who are big sports fans and enjoy MLB, NFL and NBA and those 34-60 who are upper-income and enjoy MLB, NFL and NBA. The core group of these fans is predominantly male and predominantly white. Yes, I know that other demographic groups buy the gear and are targets of a large part of the advertising targeting, but once again, that's niche marketing -- to expand the appeal and grow the revenue. The real money is in the core audience -- the people who buy the tickets. It's a lesson even NBA is learning the hard way, as they continue to alienate the core audience.

The ticket sales question isn't there anymore. MLS is currently only selling season tickets because the end of the season hasn't been scheduled yet. Even so, teams all over the league have reported record season ticket sales. The highest attendance game for Dynamo at Robertson last season was around 25,000. That number will be passed plenty of times this season. As that number and the interest grows, the media should cover it as such. No false hype. But if more people are attending an MLS game than an NBA or even MLB game in a night, obviously someone's watching. Show some in-depth highlights.

Expecting soccer to play in the corporate season-ticket-buying American market after this initial bump from Beckham is expecting too much. It isn't flashy or competitive enough, the strategies are too simple to excite an American audience and the nuances of the game don't play well on TV. It's a fun game to play. It's just not made for an American sports audience.

It's already happened. Like I said, it's not "is soccer marketable in the U.S." because it obviously is. 75,000 wouldn't pack Reliant when Barcelona came if people weren't interested in attending a soccer match. The question is when MLS will tap that market to the fullest potential. L.A. signing Becks will help spark that, but it's not enough. The league though have put themselves in a position where Beckham is just the beginning. EVERY team will be working to be MLS Superclubs and become one of the top brand clubs in the world, as Galaxy are going for.

[dalparadise]

Currently, it's for every country and is one of the top three sports for every country on earth except us.

The big comparisons in American sports has been what Wayne Gretzky did for the L.A. Kings after he was traded from Edmonton in 1988. The Kings went from a slowly covered team to one of the most talked about teams in L.A. and the national media. There's no question that Beckham will make L.A. Galaxy the hottest ticket in SoCal for the next five years. It's fair to say that what happened in the Pele days with NASL won't happen with MLS because most of the money this time will be coming sponsorship, and many Americans follow international soccer more than MLS, so they know who the big-tymers are. So long as MLS teams have a desire to win and think bigger than the U.S., MLS will be aight.

MLS, just like NBA, MLB, NHL, and NFL, learned from NASL's mistakes. NASL also proves that American fans can very well be interested in attending U.S. soccer league matches. Soccer itself isn't the reason why NASL failed. Bad marketing post-Pele did it. They couldn't maintain the league after all the superstars finished their careers.

Also remember, plenty of other leagues in all five popular sports in America have failed; not just NASL.

The ticket sales question isn't there anymore. MLS is currently only selling season tickets because the end of the season hasn't been scheduled yet. Even so, teams all over the league have reported record season ticket sales. The highest attendance game for Dynamo at Robertson last season was around 25,000. That number will be passed plenty of times this season. As that number and the interest grows, the media should cover it as such. No false hype. But if more people are attending an MLS game than an NBA or even MLB game in a night, obviously someone's watching. Show some in-depth highlights.

It's already happened. Like I said, it's not "is soccer marketable in the U.S." because it obviously is. 75,000 wouldn't pack Reliant when Barcelona came if people weren't interested in attending a soccer match. The question is when MLS will tap that market to the fullest potential. L.A. signing Becks will help spark that, but it's not enough. The league though have put themselves in a position where Beckham is just the beginning. EVERY team will be working to be MLS Superclubs and become one of the top brand clubs in the world, as Galaxy are going for.

Sorry, I dozed off. What were you saying about the demographics of soccer fans? Do you really believe it isn't considered a major sport because Channel 13 doesn't mention the thousands in attendance? The fact that you try to compare MLS's appeal with that of MLB, which even in a mid-market like Houston can draw 3,000,000 fans per season is telling of your skewed viewpoint.

MLB has corporate sponsors and a fan base that here that sees it as more than just a curiosity. It has network TV deals. It is not hype about one player. It is built on an American tradition in the game. All the third-world countries in the world kicking cans on some dirt field in front of crowds who paid the equivilent of $.50 US for a ticket don't even compare to MLB.

As for being the hottest ticket in SoCal -- I agree with you. There will be an initial groundswell of interest, fueled by hype. Once the demographic that matters realizes that the game is not that interesting, it will wane, though. It's just like NHL. Your LA Kings example is a perfect one for stating my point.

[DJ V Lawrence]

Sorry, I dozed off. What were you saying about the demographics of soccer fans? Do you really believe it isn't considered a major sport because Channel 13 doesn't mention the thousands in attendance? The fact that you try to compare MLS's appeal with that of MLB, which even in a mid-market like Houston can draw 3,000,000 fans per season is telling of your skewed viewpoint.

It has nothing to do with what a tv station reports interms of attendance. MLS is already the biggest soccer league in America, and soccer has been a major sport in the states since '94. My point is that not every Astros game will sell out. Some games will have around 20-30,000 in Minute Maid Park. That same night, Dynamo might sell out at 32,000 a few times this season. The point is that people are watching, and there's an interest. If so, perhaps the local and national sportscasters should learn more about the players at that time and show highlights of that game.

And in terms of the demographics; building multiple demographics is key for MLS. Many kids who want to pursue soccer in America aspire to play the major leagues in Europe. The idea is to turn MLS into another desirable league for the younger generation to want to play for (as well as the USA team of course).

MLB has corporate sponsors and a fan base that here that sees it as more than just a curiosity. It has network TV deals. It is not hype about one player. It is built on an American tradition in the game. All the third-world countries in the world kicking cans on some dirt field in front of crowds who paid the equivilent of $.50 US for a ticket don't even compare to MLB.

MLS also has the corporate sponsors, hardcore fanbase, and network TV deals. (ABC, ESPN, Univision, FSC, etc.). But the league is young and still needs to build it's fanbase. Tap the audience that enjoys playing soccer or follow other leagues. That's where Becks comes in. There's gonna be more major signings to come.

As for being the hottest ticket in SoCal -- I agree with you. There will be an initial groundswell of interest, fueled by hype. Once the demographic that matters realizes that the game is not that interesting, it will wane, though. It's just like NHL. Your LA Kings example is a perfect one for stating my point.

I bet U the LA Kings today post-Gretzky are still more talked about and watched in SoCal than they were before Gretzky came in 1988. Market-wise, that's all Galaxy could ask for. Beckham already has Cobi Jones and Landon Donovan to call his teammates. After Jones retires, Galaxy will probably replace him with another American star that could bring more spark on the field.

As Becks get people to watch the game and keep the team competitive, other players would steal the show on the field.

Younger talent would love to take advantage of Beckham's extra on-field media and build their own markets as he has.

[dalparadise]

It has nothing to do with what a tv station reports interms of attendance. MLS is already the biggest soccer league in America, and soccer has been a major sport in the states since '94. My point is that not every Astros game will sell out. Some games will have around 20-30,000 in Minute Maid Park. That same night, Dynamo might sell out at 32,000 a few times this season. The point is that people are watching, and there's an interest. If so, perhaps the local and national sportscasters should learn more about the players at that time and show highlights of that game.

And in terms of the demographics; building multiple demographics is key for MLS. Many kids who want to pursue soccer in America aspire to play the major leagues in Europe. The idea is to turn MLS into another desirable league for the younger generation to want to play for (as well as the USA team of course).

MLS also has the corporate sponsors, hardcore fanbase, and network TV deals. (ABC, ESPN, Univision, FSC, etc.). But the league is young and still needs to build it's fanbase. Tap the audience that enjoys playing soccer or follow other leagues. That's where Becks comes in. There's gonna be more major signings to come.

I bet U the LA Kings today post-Gretzky are still more talked about and watched in SoCal than they were before Gretzky came in 1988. Market-wise, that's all Galaxy could ask for. Beckham already has Cobi Jones and Landon Donovan to call his teammates. After Jones retires, Galaxy will probably replace him with another American star that could bring more spark on the field.

As Becks get people to watch the game and keep the team competitive, other players would steal the show on the field.

Younger talent would love to take advantage of Beckham's extra on-field media and build their own markets as he has.

The Astros AVERAGED over 37000 fans per game last season. That's for 81 regular season games. This was an exceptional year, but not unprecedented. They haven't drawn averages of less than about 25000-30000 since 1995 -- the season after the strike.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

Edited January 15, 2007 by dalparadise

[JJxvi]

The Dynamo will play for 4 trophies this year. MLS Cup, US Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup (the real North American and Caribean Club championship, similar to the UEFA CUP or Champions league unlike the Mexico-US setup in Superliga), and the aforementioned Superliga.

[DJ V Lawrence]

The Astros AVERAGED over 37000 fans per game last season. That's for 81 regular season games. This was an exceptional year, but not unprecedented. They haven't drawn averages of less than about 25000-30000 since 1995 -- the season after the strike.

http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/attendance

U just reminded me of something. Wasn't there a jump in ticket sales and media on Houston baseball when it was announced that Roger Clements signed with the 'Stros a couple years ago?

The Dynamo will play for 4 trophies this year. MLS Cup, US Open Cup, CONCACAF Champions Cup (the real North American and Caribean Club championship, similar to the UEFA CUP or Champions league unlike the Mexico-US setup in Superliga), and the aforementioned Superliga.

It's gonna be a CRAZY year!! It was announced that Beckham will indeed be there for Superliga. If he's not there for opening game in April, his debut will be against Chivas Guadalajara at the L.A. Colliseum to open the tournament. Probably the match of the decade!!

It's a great year for Houston also. We'll also be hosting the Gold Cup again. That's five major soccer cups in H-Town in 2007.

Rumor has it that there will eventually be two World Cups; one for countries, and one for clubs. Both stopping the world. Problem is the conflicting schedules between all the leagues, though.

[dalparadise]

U just reminded me of something. Wasn't there a jump in ticket sales and media on Houston baseball when it was announced that Roger Clements signed with the 'Stros a couple years ago?

It's gonna be a CRAZY year!! It was announced that Beckham will indeed be there for Superliga. If he's not there for opening game in April, his debut will be against Chivas Guadalajara at the L.A. Colliseum to open the tournament. Probably the match of the decade!!

It's a great year for Houston also. We'll also be hosting the Gold Cup again. That's five major soccer cups in H-Town in 2007.

Rumor has it that there will eventually be two World Cups; one for countries, and one for clubs. Both stopping the world. Problem is the conflicting schedules between all the leagues, though.

This guy gets it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=dw-b...o&type=lgns

"Pro soccer is never going to be a major sport in this country unless it becomes fundamentally more entertaining. This will certainly drive the soccernistas (the elitist, overbearing fan) nuts, but the reason America hasn't taken to the so-called "beautiful game" is not a lack of sophistication, but a wealth of superior and noisier entertainment options."

"The soccernistas want to believe that a well-played game will win over America, but that's naive to the way sports and entertainment work. Athletic excellence is all well and good, but it pales in comparison to colorful characters, rich rivalries, wild feuds and other assorted mayhem."

"Scoff if you wish, but that's how NASCAR and mixed martial arts have gotten big, that's why boxing and tennis have faded and that's how the NFL, NBA and MLB have remained on top. It isn't just the quality of the game (although that doesn't hurt); it is the intensity of the entertainment."

"Because not even Becks and Posh can make soccer a beautiful enough game to thrive in this country."

[JJxvi]

Rumor has it that there will eventually be two World Cups; one for countries, and one for clubs. Both stopping the world. Problem is the conflicting schedules between all the leagues, though.

There is already a Club World Cup. It includes the 6 champions of the regional confederations. The Dynamo would qualify by winning the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Club America (Mexico) represented North America/Carribean and Internacional (Brazil) won the championship over Barcelona (Spain). Hopefully they will find time and interest at some point to expand the field and get a World Cup style 32 team big tournament at some point though.

[DJ V Lawrence]

This guy gets it:

http://sports.yahoo.com/sow/news?slug=dw-b...o&type=lgns

"The soccernistas want to believe that a well-played game will win over America, but that's naive to the way sports and entertainment work. Athletic excellence is all well and good, but it pales in comparison to colorful characters, rich rivalries, wild feuds and other assorted mayhem."

First off, when it comes to football, baseball, basketball, hockey, and soccer, soccer was the one with more colorful characters, rich rivalries, wild feuds, and mayhem than any other. That's why it's the world's #1 sport. The difference is that American soccer clubs haven't had those storied rivalries. In the states, we try to sell Red Sox Vs. Yankees, Cowboys vs Redskins, etc.. MLS hasn't been around long enough to have a rivalry that compares to either one of those. Soccer itself has, though.

Here's something else from that same article:

To make the average sports fan care, to make the MLS truly "major," requires dozens of flashy players, wild crowds, impassioned rivals, outrageous antics and over-the-top news coverage. This is America; subtle doesn't sell here.

With the exception of the over-the-top news coverage, everything else has been slowly developing in MLS before Beckham's signing went public. Becks is only one factor. You'll see plenty more flashy players, larger and wilder crowds, and more rivalry than ever before (LA vs. Houston, LA vs. DC United, Houston vs. FC Dallas, etc.). The over-the-top news coverage may or may not come, but that will depend on if the media is in touch with the sports world watching now more than before.

Clint Dempsley (and I think Beasley as well) will probably eventually come back to MLS. Until then, let them stay in Europe, develop their skills there, and take it to the US Team come World Cup time. His signing to Fulton, and Beasley's success at Manchester City, have proven to the world that MLS is a talent haven, and gives the states and world a reason to watch MLS AND European soccer.

There is already a Club World Cup. It includes the 6 champions of the regional confederations. The Dynamo would qualify by winning the 2007 CONCACAF Champions Cup. Club America (Mexico) represented North America/Carribean and Internacional (Brazil) won the championship over Barcelona (Spain). Hopefully they will find time and interest at some point to expand the field and get a World Cup style 32 team big tournament at some point though.

It's gonna be a while before Club World Cup becomes more coveted than UEFA. It's coming, though. It'd be crazy if Houston won that, though. The TRUE World Champs!

[N Judah]

It all comes down to development leagues. They should create a system that finds top soccer talent, pulls it out of school, and then nurtures it to be sold later for a profit. It could be like baseball's farm system, European soccer, or even European basketball (which has succeeded at creating excellent players which then come over to the U.S. despite basketball not being that popular in Europe). Then they wouldn't have to gamble hundreds of millions on older players like Beckham -- who wasn't even a starter for Real Madrid!

Right now there are only a few development academies -- one in Bradenton FL and another in Oregon, I think.

[JJxvi]

It all comes down to development leagues. They should create a system that finds top soccer talent, pulls it out of school, and then nurtures it to be sold later for a profit. It could be like baseball's farm system, European soccer, or even European basketball (which has succeeded at creating excellent players which then come over to the U.S. despite basketball not being that popular in Europe). Then they wouldn't have to gamble hundreds of millions on older players like Beckham -- who wasn't even a starter for Real Madrid!

Right now there are only a few development academies -- one in Bradenton FL and another in Oregon, I think.

Bradenton is the US Men's National Team academy for the USA youth teams. Also, each team now has its own academy where they train youth players per a directive from the league. Houston has signed 5 players or so in the last couple of weeks to start their academy. Each team will be allowed to keep a certain number of their own home grown players from now on without exposing them to the SuperDraft. Before that rule was in place, it wasnt worth it to have academies since domestic players had to go through the draft. You would invest in a bunch of players and any team could reap the benefits by taking him from you before you got anything out of him.

[DJ V Lawrence]

Bradenton is the US Men's National Team academy for the USA youth teams. Also, each team now has its own academy where they train youth players per a directive from the league. Houston has signed 5 players or so in the last couple of weeks to start their academy. Each team will be allowed to keep a certain number of their own home grown players from now on without exposing them to the SuperDraft. Before that rule was in place, it wasnt worth it to have academies since domestic players had to go through the draft. You would invest in a bunch of players and any team could reap the benefits by taking him from you before you got anything out of him.

It wouldn't surpise me if there were scouts all over Houston's leagues. There's probably more soccer youth league participants in Houston than any other sport. There's also more people watching these youth leagues than there are people watching high school and college soccer as well. That's another problem with American world sports. There's minimal fan and college support for high school and college soccer compared to just about any other college sport, yet the rewards of winning the greatest prize in soccer are WAY more rewarding than that of any other sport. We knew about Reggie Bush and Vince Young, but we have no clue who may be the next Clint Dempsey to represent our country.

That could change though in time. I think it would take perhaps five or ten high schools to start off with that make soccer a major emphasis, plus three or five Houston-area universities to do the same (St. Thomas, Rice, HBU, UH, TSU, Prarrie View, etc.). Let's say Houston Dynamo were to have a direct program with those schools in terms of talent development, kinda as they do with youth programs outside school. They also have one game in the Houston-area designated as the game of the week, where Houston Dynamo reps were to be there, as well as a popular radio station broadcasting from that game (97.9, 104.1, 101.1, 104.9, etc.), and give out t-shirts or something. Also, for that game only, have both school's bands show up and battle it out. In high school alone, I bet many more would show up. In the college's case, the fan presence probably wouldn't be as effective, but the talent would be much more influenced knowing that the players could be the next ones drafted, and there's scouts at the game.

Remember, the NCAA soccer champs in 2006 were Jim Rome's alma-mater UC-Santa Clara. If they can win it, ANYBODY can win it.

Edited January 19, 2007 by DJ V Lawrence

[texastrill]

If MLS could attract the best players in the world to play in the league,I would watch.I only know of Beckham because he's supposed to be some soccer god.The NHL lost me after Dallas won its cup.FCDallas plays too far from FW.I would catch an occasional game on t.v.,but no one player made me want to watch more.MLS would need to bring some major players to keep an audience.Not just people that are fans because the home team won a championship.

[DJ V Lawrence]

If MLS could attract the best players in the world to play in the league,I would watch.I only know of Beckham because he's supposed to be some soccer god.The NHL lost me after Dallas won its cup.FCDallas plays too far from FW.I would catch an occasional game on t.v.,but no one player made me want to watch more.MLS would need to bring some major players to keep an audience.Not just people that are fans because the home team won a championship.

I don't follow FC Dallas, but I know quite a few De Rosario and Ching fans here in da SWAT for Dynamo. Part of the reason why the games here are so fun is because of Kinner's coaching style; just keep attacking every part of the ball.

I'd say the biggest reason to watch this season is because there's so much more to fight for. If Dynamo were to win Superliga, the CONACAF Cup, and/or the MLS Cup, it'd put Houston right up there with DC United and Galaxy as the teams vying to become a superclub in the coming years.

[Stan Collins]

Sorry, I dozed off.

Wow, you can't stay awake reading. Impressive credentials.

As for being the hottest ticket in SoCal -- I agree with you. There will be an initial groundswell of interest, fueled by hype. Once the demographic that matters realizes that the game is not that interesting, it will wane, though. It's just like NHL. Your LA Kings example is a perfect one for stating my point.

Or blowing the whole question to hell. "Major Sport" is a BS dichotomy you're foisting on soccer fans because you know they'll try and come back at you--and the comebacks will look weak because there's no Excel spreadsheet that will predict the future.

But the NHL carries on, much stronger than pre-Gretzky. Some may consider it "major league" and some may not, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference to a league with payrolls in the tens of millions, franchise values in the hundreds of millions, and an overall valuation in the billions. A league that survived a nearly two-year nuclear winter with all its franchises intact. No Gretzky, and this Does----Not----Happen.

The most delicious irony here is that the guy who would be able to tell you the most about Gretzky's long term impact for the Kings--the guy who owns them now--is Philip Frederick Anschutz, coincidentally the same guy who owns the Galaxy and is paying Beckham all that money now. ! And he's got about $8 Billion that says he knows more about business than you.

[DJ V Lawrence]

The most delicious irony here is that the guy who would be able to tell you the most about Gretzky's long term impact for the Kings--the guy who owns them now--is Philip Frederick Anschutz, coincidentally the same guy who owns the Galaxy and is paying Beckham all that money now. ! And he's got about $8 Billion that says he knows more about business than you.

I wasn't aware of the fact that Anschultz owns the Kings. Good point. Also remember that Beckham's recieving around 20% of his $50 Million from Anshultz, and $400,000 from MLS a year. MLS certainly isn't breaking the bank for this deal. They're gonna make MAD bank. I think with all that money behind Beckham's $40 Million a year endorsement contracts, you'll be seeing a lot of him on television for the next 5 years. Univision has also jumped on the bandwagon with ABC, and both ESPN for MLS games, but that may also be because of Superliga.

Here's the million-dollar question though. Will Superliga become the next UEFA Champions Cup in the world of sports, or will it become meaningless?

[ProHouston]

Dynamo coming to Bryan-College Station

The Houston Dynamo soccer team solved its parking problems by moving its first international match to Aggieland, where the Dynamo hope to find fans eager to see professional soccer and willing to overlook the team's primary color - orange.

Dynamo officials announced Monday that they will play their home match against Puntarenas FC of Costa Rica in the first round of the CONCACAF Champions' Cup at the Aggie Soccer Stadium on March 1.

View the remainder of the story here.