The following are quotes from the May 6 MLS media teleconference, which featured MLS commissioner Doug Logan, MLS VP Ivan Gazidis, new MetroStars signing Sasa Curcic and MetroStars GM Charlie Stillitano. Doug Logan Opening Remarks “We are very pleased with how our 4th of July weekend went … We had hoped to come out of the weekend averaging above 15,000, and our current average of 15,961 certainly puts us in a good position … We have a tough schedule ahead with the second half of the season … We know we will improve upon our average from last year, how much improvement is now the question … We will see how our predominance of Saturday night games helps overall.” “Four of our top six attendances for this season were achieved this past weekend with games at Stanford, Los Angeles, Colorado and the doubleheader at New England … We also were able to achieve our highest average for any Fourth of July weekend since our inception … We’ve always had good success on this weekend, building it up as an event since 1996.” “Our overall average this past Sunday was in excess of 46,000, and even if you eliminate the two Women’s World Cup doubleheaders, we averaged more than 43,000.” “Overall comparing last year to this year we are up 7% in attendance … We have half of the season ahead, we’ve hit our goal for the first half of the season.” “Finally, on a personal note, I would like to wish the best to R.T. Moore, the young defender from Tampa Bay, who now has a great opportunity to go to dental school at Southern Illinois University and to follow in his Dad’s footsteps … I feel fondly toward the family, his dad was my dentist and marathon partner … He will be missed.” “Also, next Tuesday, we are thinking of using the call to announce four or six ventures as far as youth development in MLS goes.” Ivan Gazidis Opening Remarks “We have two announcements for the MetroStars … Joining the team will be a 30-year-old Iranian national team player, Mohammed Khakpour … He has spent the last couple weeks training with the MetroStars … It is clear that he will bring substantial experience to their back line.” “Also, there is a Serbian player, Sasa Curcic, a 27-year-old midfielder who is a tremendously exciting talent … [MetroStars coach] Bora Milutinovic is familiar with him, they share a homeland and have talked several times over the phone during the last couple weeks … He is an exciting acquisition for the league, and is educated about MLS and our development … Everyone concerned, from the MetroStars to the league office to Curcic himself, is very excited.” “Curcic is in the prime of his career … We expect him to come in and contribute, and he will be with the MetroStars for a long time into the future.” Charlie Stillitano Opening Remarks “First, I would like to offer my thanks to the Commissioner and to Ivan … The extraordinary amount of work that Ivan did to bring us these players is much appreciated.” “Khakpour will bring experience to the defense … When Lothar Matthaeus’ acquisition did not come about, we shifted gears … Khakpour fits in well with our players … He is a wonderful gentlemen.” “Sasa will be one of the most exciting players in the league … We finally have a true #10 player who will be the centerpiece of our attack … Bora is very excited.” “We hope that this is the last series of changes for awhile … These players are young, and we hope to have them for a long time … When we have a coaching change, part of my job is to bring in the players that the coach wants … I don’t think it is unheard of for teams in the world to change players every year … But this should be the last significant change for awhile.” Sasa Curcic opening remarks “I am very excited about the transfer to America … I am happy and ready to get on the pitch and play soccer.” Doug Logan on a marquee signing for the MetroStars “We are currently embarked in a negotiation with a specific front-running player, known to all who follow the sport … We will not discuss terms … Our hope is that the MetroStars are able to have a full complement of players to their roster by Saturday, July 24.” Charlie Stillitano on trading talent for a stronger team “We will be stronger with greater depth due to these acquisitions … We will now have one of the deepest benches in the league … We now will have defenders who can go through the center of the park … Khakpour, Curcic and the soon-to-be-named forward will make us a balanced, much better team.” Gazidis on terms of agreement with the two new players “We never go into that … Both players have made a long-term agreement with the league … Curcic can grow with the league and the team at this time in his career … Both players will make a long-term contribution.” Curcic on MLS and the MetroStars “I know American soccer has had a lot of Yugoslavian players and I’ve followed Preki for some time … I am very excited and looking forward to come to America as soon as possible.” Curcic on enticements to come to MLS “In the future MLS will be one of the most exciting leagues in the world, and I see myself there … I am 27 and I can see myself there for the American soccer revolution … MLS is a good league.” Curcic on his colorful past/criticisms of team management “Your information is totally wrong … My job is not to discuss team officials and management … I want to get in uniform and get to America and run the show as soon as possible.” Curcic on playing in a NATO country “I was living in London until the last couple of days … I am a football player … I just want to come and show people that I can play, not talk politics … I am a sportsman.” “You have to understand that I really want to come to the U.S. to show what Serbian people are … I want to play football and be a big sportsman and a big star.” Logan on MLS marketing to the young girls/WWC fans “Many of the people who go to competitions of that type are mostly events-related fans … What the U.S. women are doing as a phenomenon is fantastic, exposing hordes of young girls to a high level of soccer … We are pleased to be a part of that as well as being a part of what the China-Norway game at Foxboro was about … The difference is that there are significant numbers of people who aren’t necessarily sports fans that are interested in a week-to-week competition of league play … However, in both venues there were substantial numbers that stayed for MLS games.” “In both matches we were able to attract non-traditional fans in both locations … We will have converts, we made friends in both places … Those who experienced the second match in San Jose or the first match in New England have now experienced MLS … You don’t make people do anything … The sales effort for selling men’s soccer in a league form is significantly different from selling a three-week competition that has a defined beginning and defined end … Women’s World Cup has been spectacular, but the way you market an ongoing league is different … We saw that with World Cup USA’ 94 and you will see that if a women’s professional league comes into being.” Logan on the prospect of a women’s league “We don’t plan to take the point with regard to organizing a women’s league … We have more than enough on our plates now … But we will assist and play a complementary role … One of the models involves us playing doubleheaders together, which we would have no problem doing.” Gazidis on Lothar Matthaeus coming to MLS next year “There is nothing in writing, and I’m not sure the quotes were accurately attributed to Matthaeus … He has an interest in coming here, but we are not currently committed to him and I don’t think we need to be committed to that position.” Stillitano on acquiring players due to their ethnic affiliations “The key is to get the right players on the field first and build the right team … In an ideal world, you have a team that can win with appeal to some ethnic group or better yet transcend ethnic boundaries … First and foremost, we look to get the team on the winning track.”