In America, billionaire investors like Philip Anschutz and Stan Kroenke have bet on soccer’s success. But the imminent arrival of David Beckham in Los Angeles, the celebrity city he was always destined to one day call home, has also made the world press sit up and take notice. The British press is certainly keeping a closer eye on the league than ever before. Here, The Guardian’s John Sterlicchi takes a look at a few of the things Major League Soccer needs to fix as it begins its 2007 season.
For the last 11 years, the New York Red Bulls (formerly the MetroStars) have been one of the league’s major downers. As one of the biggest soccer cities in the U.S., it’s a shame New York can’t seem to put together a strong team. Saturday’s 0-0 stalemate in Columbus won’t have given fans new confidence, either. The club reportedly lost $14 million since the Austrian energy drink maker bought the franchise and it bleeds an estimated $100,000 each time it uses Giants Stadium. But the Red Bulls plan to move into their own stadium in 2008.
The stadium strategy is certainly working elsewhere. Clubs with their own stadiums earn revenue from ticket sales, parking, concessions and even rock concerts. Indeed, smaller stadiums also go a long way toward enhancing the atmosphere at games. It’s admittedly hard to watch an MLS game with pockets of fans in a mostly empty stadium after watching an EPL game on cable.