The Week of “Jeez”

Sorry I’ve been keeping you waiting, I still really need help writing the MLS Offside. If you or anyone you know is interested, email me at kaufmb@d-e.org. Please.

It was a week of events that just make you go “Jeez”. But not in a bad way; this is more of a raised- inflection, lean back when you say it “jeez”, as opposed to the head-shaking, disappointing one we’re used to. Here’s what I’ve been saying:

“Jeez, MLS attendance is really good” One of the strangest aspects of the 2011 season is that practically nobody’s taken note of how solid our league’s attendance records have been. Many MLS blogs gave up on following attendance numbers in the last few years, but if you take a look, you’ll be happy with what you see. Soccer America reported that overall attendance is up 9.6% from last year, from 16,037 to 17,577. This definitely has more than a little to do with the success of our newest clubs, Portland and Vancouver, who have averaged 18,733 and 20,608 respectively for their inaugural year. The’res been a lot of improvement in what were last years lowest finishers, with Dallas increasing from 10,815 to 13,036; San Jose going up from 9,659 to 11,928; and Kansas, with its new stadium, skyrocketing from 10,287 to 17,678. A few clubs’ numbers have decreased (*cough* Chicago, Chivas, Colorado, Columbus, Houston, Phillie, and Toronto *cough*) but must slips down are pretty slight, and reflect team performance and roster changes. People have talked in the past of MLS surpassing the NBA in attendance (which, I guess, is easy when there’s a lockout), but we look like we’re really zoning in on that goal. With teams moving into their own stadiums, that dream could be a reality fairly soon.

“Jeez, the West is still great” With the Sounders calming their consecutive (let’s repeat that: third consecutive US Open Cup and the Galaxy claiming the Supporters’ Shield with weeks to spare, the West is riding as high as ever. All three of it’s playoff births have already been clinched, and, of the five top teams in the running for the four wildcard berths, 3 are Western. In fact, if any team in the East’s playoff contention were in the West, they could only be looking for a wild card, as the best team in the East (Philly, as of last night) is a full 17 (there’s another Jeez) points behind the best team in the West (guess who). People, bow down. LA is the undisputed ruler of our league, and the Sounders have done something in three years that no other team has in 42 years (shoutout to Greek American AA soccer club).

“Jeez, the playoffs are soon” Right now, it’s the night of October 9th. That leaves 14 days until the last game of the season (Houston v. LA on 10/24), and 17 until the playoffs begin. 17 DAYS PEOPLE!!! Yes, I’m freaking out. Unlike many, I really like the playoffs (though their format could be better), and I’m really excited to see what happens. So I’ll cut the crap and get to my playoff predictions: obviously, the West is already clinched. In the East, I say it’ll be the Union, KC, and (here’s the interesting part) New York. Yes, I think that if the Red Bulls can beat LA, they can beat Sporting and/ or Phillie. For the wild card, that leaves Columbus, Dallas, Colorado, and Houston. But I’m kind of torn about whether Houston or Portland will take it: they seem pretty dead even. If Portland can pick up their D, there’s no reason why they can’t top Houston. DC and Chicago, though are way past out in my mind. Sorry.

So that’s that. Please, I care a lot about this blog, and I wish I could have some help writing it. If you’re interested, email me. Otherwise, see you next time.

What do you think?

Category: MLS