We're building $150mil soccer stadiums in this country now?

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

Giant Moose wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

MLS tried to be American when it started and everybody laughed at it and it wasn't popular. It's growing now so whatever they are doing is working.

NigelUno wrote:Now this is a stadium...

NigelUno wrote:Now this is a stadium...

Turtleneck wrote:I hope Sherman burns it down.

Turtleneck wrote:

NigelUno wrote:Now this is a stadium...

I hope Sherman burns it down.

NigelUno wrote:$150 million?

Can't they just play in the Vikings new stadium, or at U. Minnesota's stadium?

Nordic wrote:

NigelUno wrote:$150 million?

Can't they just play in the Vikings new stadium, or at U. Minnesota's stadium?

A soccer pitch is wider that a football field.

NigelUno wrote:Now this is a stadium...

Turtleneck wrote:

Nordic wrote:

A soccer pitch is wider that a football field.

What do the team kits look like for Minnesota FC?

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

NigelUno wrote:$150 million?

Can't they just play in the Vikings new stadium, or at U. Minnesota's stadium?

Nordic wrote:

Turtleneck wrote:

What do the team kits look like for Minnesota FC?

The colours are brilliant

MiamiSpartan wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

Different sports have different lexicons and unique aspects. In baseball, you score runs instead of points, the officials are called umpires, the coach is called the manager (as with soccer), and in as much of a odd quirk as anything that manager wears the same uniform as the players. So why should a soccer pitch be called a field?

Look, I get it, a lot of soccer hipsters will use "pitch" and "kits" to try to sound pretentious. But for a lot of people, like myself, who have been following the game internationally for decades, with most of the announcers, writers, etc., being foreign, it just becomes natural to pick up on the words that they use. Personally, I tend to use them interchangeably without thinking about it. Sometimes I say soccer, sometimes I say football...assuming, in the latter case, that it is a conversation about soccer, and not a general conversation about sports. I might say pitch or kit or something when talking to other soccer fans, because it's natural when talking about the game to use words that I've heard associated with that particular game for 30+ years. It's also natural to call it a soccer, a field, a uniform, etc., because that's my American sports upbringing coming through.

In other words, who gives a shit what people call something?

NigelUno wrote:$150 million?

Can't they just play in the Vikings new stadium, or at U. Minnesota's stadium?

Apart from a soccer field/pitch being significantly bigger, as was already stated, the MLS won't grant you a team unless you build your own soccer-specific stadium (in some cases, they'll let a team start in another stadium as long as the plans are under way for their own stadium....for example, Orlando's team started last year playing in the re-vamped Citrus Bowl, with their own stadium not ready until next year).

It makes sense. It's far better experience for fans, players, and those watching on TV to watch a game in any sport with 20,000 people in a 20,000 seat stadium than with 20,000 people in a 70,000 seat stadium. The MLS has learned this and seen what has worked, and have implemented it, along with having stadiums in urban areas, preferably with public transportation.

FWIW, assuming that Beckham gets his deal done in Miami, I've seen estimates ranging from 200-300 million (100% funded by the owners, nothing from the taxpayers, not even a discount on the land nor a property tax break).

MiamiSpartan wrote:
Apart from a soccer field/pitch being significantly bigger, as was already stated, the MLS won't grant you a team unless you build your own soccer-specific stadium (in some cases, they'll let a team start in another stadium as long as the plans are under way for their own stadium....for example, Orlando's team started last year playing in the re-vamped Citrus Bowl, with their own stadium not ready until next year).

It makes sense. It's far better experience for fans, players, and those watching on TV to watch a game in any sport with 20,000 people in a 20,000 seat stadium than with 20,000 people in a 70,000 seat stadium. The MLS has learned this and seen what has worked, and have implemented it, along with having stadiums in urban areas, preferably with public transportation.

FWIW, assuming that Beckham gets his deal done in Miami, I've seen estimates ranging from 200-300 million (100% funded by the owners, nothing from the taxpayers, not even a discount on the land nor a property tax break).

MiamiSpartan wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:The thing I don't like about soccer in the US (and I'm a big soccer fan) is that they insist on trying to pretend that they are European. If you're an American you don't call it a pitch. It's a field. It's soccer, not football. And for Gods sake it's not "Minnesota FC" it's the "Minnesota fuck nuggets" or whatever other stupid name you want.

Anyway, I don't really watch MLS. It's like watching a suburban high school basketball game after going to an NBA game.

Different sports have different lexicons and unique aspects. In baseball, you score runs instead of points, the officials are called umpires, the coach is called the manager (as with soccer), and in as much of a odd quirk as anything that manager wears the same uniform as the players. So why should a soccer pitch be called a field?

Look, I get it, a lot of soccer hipsters will use "pitch" and "kits" to try to sound pretentious. But for a lot of people, like myself, who have been following the game internationally for decades, with most of the announcers, writers, etc., being foreign, it just becomes natural to pick up on the words that they use. Personally, I tend to use them interchangeably without thinking about it. Sometimes I say soccer, sometimes I say football...assuming, in the latter case, that it is a conversation about soccer, and not a general conversation about sports. I might say pitch or kit or something when talking to other soccer fans, because it's natural when talking about the game to use words that I've heard associated with that particular game for 30+ years. It's also natural to call it a soccer, a field, a uniform, etc., because that's my American sports upbringing coming through.

In other words, who gives a shit what people call something?

NigelUno wrote:$150 million?

Can't they just play in the Vikings new stadium, or at U. Minnesota's stadium?

Apart from a soccer field/pitch being significantly bigger, as was already stated, the MLS won't grant you a team unless you build your own soccer-specific stadium (in some cases, they'll let a team start in another stadium as long as the plans are under way for their own stadium....for example, Orlando's team started last year playing in the re-vamped Citrus Bowl, with their own stadium not ready until next year).

It makes sense. It's far better experience for fans, players, and those watching on TV to watch a game in any sport with 20,000 people in a 20,000 seat stadium than with 20,000 people in a 70,000 seat stadium. The MLS has learned this and seen what has worked, and have implemented it, along with having stadiums in urban areas, preferably with public transportation.

FWIW, assuming that Beckham gets his deal done in Miami, I've seen estimates ranging from 200-300 million (100% funded by the owners, nothing from the taxpayers, not even a discount on the land nor a property tax break).

CheesySpartan wrote:

NigelUno wrote:Now this is a stadium...

They could have at least showed it 75% full like a real Atlanta sporting event...

NigelUno wrote:

MiamiSpartan wrote:
Apart from a soccer field/pitch being significantly bigger, as was already stated, the MLS won't grant you a team unless you build your own soccer-specific stadium (in some cases, they'll let a team start in another stadium as long as the plans are under way for their own stadium....for example, Orlando's team started last year playing in the re-vamped Citrus Bowl, with their own stadium not ready until next year).

It makes sense. It's far better experience for fans, players, and those watching on TV to watch a game in any sport with 20,000 people in a 20,000 seat stadium than with 20,000 people in a 70,000 seat stadium. The MLS has learned this and seen what has worked, and have implemented it, along with having stadiums in urban areas, preferably with public transportation.

FWIW, assuming that Beckham gets his deal done in Miami, I've seen estimates ranging from 200-300 million (100% funded by the owners, nothing from the taxpayers, not even a discount on the land nor a property tax break).

Atlanta's MLS team will play in the Falcons' new stadium.

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

MiamiSpartan wrote:
Different sports have different lexicons and unique aspects.  In baseball, you score runs instead of points, the officials are called umpires, the coach is called the manager (as with soccer), and in as much of a odd quirk as anything that manager wears the same uniform as the players.  So why should a soccer pitch be called a field?

Look, I get it, a lot of soccer hipsters will use "pitch" and "kits" to try to sound pretentious.  But for a lot of people, like myself, who have been following the game internationally for decades, with most of the announcers, writers, etc., being foreign, it just becomes natural to pick up on the words that they use.  Personally, I tend to use them interchangeably without thinking about it.  Sometimes I say soccer, sometimes I say football...assuming, in the latter case, that it is a conversation about soccer, and not a general conversation about sports.  I might say pitch or kit or something when talking to other soccer fans, because it's natural when talking about the game to use words that I've heard associated with that particular game for 30+ years.  It's also natural to call it a soccer, a field, a uniform, etc., because that's my American sports upbringing coming through.

In other words, who gives a shit what people call something?


Apart from a soccer field/pitch being significantly bigger, as was already stated, the MLS won't grant you a team unless you build your own soccer-specific stadium (in some cases, they'll let a team start in another stadium as long as the plans are under way for their own stadium....for example, Orlando's team started last year playing in the re-vamped Citrus Bowl, with their own stadium not ready until next year).

It makes sense.  It's far better experience for fans, players, and those watching on TV to watch a game in any sport with 20,000 people in a 20,000 seat stadium than with 20,000 people in a 70,000 seat stadium.  The MLS has learned this and seen what has worked, and have implemented it, along with having stadiums in urban areas, preferably with public transportation.  

FWIW, assuming that Beckham gets his deal done in Miami, I've seen estimates ranging from 200-300 million (100% funded by the owners, nothing from the taxpayers, not even a discount on the land nor a property tax break).

I think you may have taken my post ENTIRELY too seriously.

MLS still sucks tho.

MiamiSpartan wrote:

Travis of the Cosmos wrote:

I think you may have taken my post ENTIRELY too seriously.

MLS still sucks tho.

More than taking it too seriously, I probably got too wordy, rather than just saying to piss off, you wanker.  But it's a complaint I often hear, and as I said, the soccer hipsters that use it to sound cool are annoying.

And yes, MLS sucks compared to main European leagues, but is probably about equivalent to the second tier leagues in Europe.  Some of the fandom still seems too contrived, but I think it's found a niche.  I've never gotten into it, as I've never really had anything close to a local team (living in Michigan, and then the Miami Fusion folded a year after I moved here).  If Beckham's team in Miami goes through, I'll be in to that, however.  But I've also got tons of love for Beckham, and would probably become a fan if he started it anywhere else.

Giant Moose wrote:I should root for the DC United, but I've never even been to one game. At one point I did have an LA Galaxy shirt because I liked one of their original logos, so I guess they'll always be my team. In hindsight, that logo kind of looked like a spinning carrot.

Billionaire businessman Dan Gilbert wants a future where the blighted shell of Wayne County's unfinished jail is replaced by a gleaming $1-billion commercial development, anchored by a new Major League Soccer stadium that's a short walk to his Greektown casino.

The county still would get a new jail in Gilbert's dream, but not one that's located at the edge of downtown Detroit. Instead, the jail would be about 2 miles north, east of I-75 and across from Midtown in a part of the city that has yet to see much revitalization.

And the new 2,280-bed jail that Gilbert would build would be part of a $520-million Wayne County criminal justice complex, complete with a new criminal courthouse, prosecutors' and sheriff administration offices, and 160-bed juvenile jail. The county would pay $380 million of that price, but also would need to pay the undetermined cost of buying the land from the City of Detroit.