And, Derek, I’m glad we have Seattle in the league, but the whole “we’re saving you like you were post-WWII Europe and we’re the Marshall Plan” is tired and incredibly self-indulgent.

Your paragraph about casuals and non-soccer fans is ludicrous on its face. Casual sports fans don’t have a strong opinion about soccer – that’s why they’re called casual – and non-soccer people don’t care. It’s our own people who have to get on the rooftops and SHOUT ABOUT WHAT A FAILURE IT IS THAT THEY USED THE WORD ‘MAJOR!’ I’M DISAPPOINTED!

I’ve heard for sooooo many years that we have to watch out that we can’t run the risk of “turning off the casual fan.” I used to feel this way, when I didn’t think there were enough ACTUAL soccer fans in this country and that we actually COULD get the casuals and non-soccer types to like our game.

But we can’t. We won’t. My motto is “I’d be thrilled if those people came under the tent, but I’m not going to devote one more dollar or minute to trying to make them.” Because I’d rather devote the limited resources we have to trying to get the people who are standing just outside the tent into the tent. You can’t tell me that’s not an easier sell than trying to get Joe Sixpack. Because Joe Sixpack – like the majority of Americans – simply isn’t into soccer (on a spectrum that runs from “Oh, we’re doing well in the World Cup? Great” to “Meh” to “I hate that pansy-ass sport. It’s so boring.”

We agree to disagree, and that’s fine. The semantic argument of “You said major and it wasn’t major enough for me” (even though teams and leagues hyperbolize ALL. THE. TIME.) is absolutely over the top, and I don’t ACTUALLY believe soccer is going to fail in this country because of twentysomethings in all caps.

But I DO believe that the stupidity and pettiness of the American soccer fan is holding us back. Especially when they seize on every single tiny thing that goes wrong and hold it up as evidence that everybody’s a failure, and they completely ignore the shovels in the ground, the four million plus people who will go to MLS games this year and…most importantly…the fact the days of wondering if the league is going to fold are absolutely past us.

I thought it was pretty well known even before the release that the All-Star game or the Cup Final was going to be at Red Bulls Arena.

What will be the problem is eventually casual sports fans and non-soccer fans might tune in to see what the “major” announcement is, and then to get let down after let down, it’ll likely turn them off to it.

The schedule being released today is more “major” then the all-star game. When the league starts turning a profit, it won’t be because of the PR or the marketing or Don Garber, it’ll be because Seattle joined the league and their fans made the sport look fun for the casual sports fan. Through that momentum more people who normally wouldn’t attend a match are trying it out, now throw in an actual derby with real historic ties (Cascadia) and we might get ourselves a profitable league.

And Kenn, if that’s your name, does the NFL have a special press release announceing a MAJOR announcement when when they announce ANYTHING about their Pro Bowl? Does the NBA? Does MLB? No, no they don’t. Because they know it’s NOT A BIG DEAL! MLS acting like they just announced they invented PB&J makes us look stupid. And to top it all off, IT WAS JUST THE SITE (me likey CAPS!), not even the opponent, or date, or lame-o halftime show. Just that it was acutally taking place.
WOOOWWEEEEEEE!!!!
:rollseyes:

But it pains me that we’re being held back in our development partly – PARTLY, not exclusively or completely – by dumbass fans who can’t have an actual conversation about things because they’re too caught up in their own personal agendas, their own insecurities, their own immaturity, their own allegiances to European concepts or any one of a number of other things.

And yes, man, I’m serious. Do you really think I’d have fucking written what I wrote above if I wasn’t serious? Holy shit, if you don’t like it, don’t read it. That’s really your best option.

Why do all of you people insist on putting words in my mouth? I DIDN’T say I gave a shit about the All-Star Game, I DIDN’T say if you don’t care about the All-Star Game you’re an idiot, I DIDN’T say this was necessarily deserving of the phrase “big news.” I don’t give a shit about any of that stuff. I hate stupid people. Always have. Always will.

I personally don’t care about the MLS All-Star Game, either. Or any All-Star Game, for that matter. They’re occasionally fun or retarded or mildly interesting. The baseball All-Star Game used to be somewhat above the others because of its history (baseball has that going for it), but it’s become ridiculous as well. I don’t think home field advantage for your championship should potentially be decided by what some last-minute replacement from the Florida Marlins does in an exhibition game in July. But that’s just me. In large part, All-Star Games are harmless and as long as people are still buying tickets to them and watching them on TV (the Pro Bowl has gotten tremendous ratings the last two years and I have no interest in that), who am I to say what the leagues can or can’t do?

I don’t at all believe that you have to care about this All-Star Game or any particular All-Star Game, that caring or not caring makes you stupid. I’m sorry if that wasn’t clear.

I was taking issue specifically with the frothing-at-the-mouth, caps-locked typical twentysomething soccer fan with internet access who can’t have a rational discussion about anything. Everything has to be THIS SUCKS with tons of exclamation marks and EPIC FAIL!!!! and shouting and extreme points of view. “See, MLS SUCKS! I TOLD YOU! HERE’S PROOF! I WAS RIGHT!” That’s fucking asinine. That’s the only way twentysomethings on Facebook and message boards can have a conversation anymore.

The original commenter’s point of view (which you seem to agree with), which was echoed by many fans that day seemed to break down like this:

“1. MLS said they were going to make a “major announcement.”
2. MLS announced the site for their All-Star Game.
3. I do not believe the site of the All-Star Game qualifies as a “major announcement.” Therefore,
4. I shall type everything in all caps to show everyone what a disaster MLS is and fume and be angry because I was deceived into believing – for less than 24 hours – that there would be a “major announcement.” Because it’s all about me. Me, me, me, me, me. My expectations. My need to feel good about myself as a soccer fan.”

And, yes, it’s about the soccer fans’ insecurity. I don’t know if you’ve really followed the league much, but if you think MLS is insecure about whether or not they’ll be in business from year to year, you’re either misinformed, underinformed or criminally stupid. Because (a) they’re not going out of business, we’re past that point, and (b ) trust me…these people ain’t insecure.

But, having been stripped largely of most of the bromides that soccer-bashers could bring to bear over the years (no one ever goes to games, no one ever watches on television, no one likes this sport, only children like it, it’s a bunch of foreigners, they’re pussies, this sport doesn’t matter), they’re left largely with the “Well….you’re going to go out of business!” bullshit. Which IS bullshit, given the infrastructure that’s been put in place over the last 15 years.

So then we get to the general point, which is (as many soccer arguments are these days) largely a matter of semantics and degree. “This isn’t a major announcement.” Well, boo fucking hoo. So what? Auburn/Oregon isn’t a battle of the titans, either – it’s two fucking college football teams playing the same exact corporate sponsored game they’ll play again next year and the year after that and the year after that. Boxing matches are hyped as if they’re going to determine the future of western civilization. This is what leagues do.

When the reaction to a hyperbolic announcement is a shrug of your shoulders and a “hell, what can you do, this is the way the game is played” attitude, then you’ve got it.

But when you feel the need to take what could reasonably be characterized as an exaggeration (one that really doesn’t impact your life, now does it? If all-star games are meaningless, what’s the outrage for?) and make it into a bait-and-switch that someone should call the FTC about, then, I’m sorry, I’m going to call you on the froth that’s coming out of your mouth.

Major League Baseball announces the site of its All-Star Game a couple of years in advance. And it’s not just a ellipses-contained note at the bottom of a column in your local newspaper, it’s a big announcement. The NFL didn’t just sneak moving the Pro Bowl out of Hawaii temporarily by everybody – it was a fairly decent to-do. All leagues make all-star game announcements. But God forbid MLS should use the word “major” when twentysomething fanboys don’t think this announcement rises to the level of major.

So, no, to both of you. You’ve completely missed what I was arguing. I was NOT arguing that everybody should love All-Star games and if you don’t you’re a philistine. And while we can parse the term “big news” all we want, whether or not this rises to that level isn’t really what I was arguing, either.

What I was arguing is the over-reaction to the over-promise by MLS was fucking ridiculous. But that’s America. And that’s the American soccer fan. And that’s why we’re not going to be a true soccer nation. Because the bulk of our fans are too fucking stupid to do us any real good.

It *was* dumb of MLS to make a big deal about the announcement. They were trying to make a big media event, pulling in two of the league’s biggest stars, and what did they announce?

1) That there will be an All-Star game this year. (Yawn. Just like every other year. Not a big deal, this is expected news.)

2) It’ll be in Red Bull Arena. (Yay. Wear your flak jacket for the walk to the train station.)

That’s it. That’s the news. And whether you like Carella’s writing style or not (I don’t), you haven’t addressed at all the substance of what he said- which is that this simply isn’t a “major” announcement.

He’s right. It’s not. It’s typical MLS hyperbolic BS, where the just-promoted-from-intern marketing department tries to hype the crap out of everything.

Did the announce the opponent? An interesting new format? Some kind of major TV deal for the game to be broadcast around the world?

Nope. Just that there would be a game (we already figured) and where it would be (and again, you knew it was going to be somewhere in the MLS set of stadiums).

Okay, it’s mildly interesting that it’s in one of the newest stadiums. Red Bull Arena is a pretty nice stadium; been there and thought it was a terrific place to see soccer.

Unfortunately, it’s in an absolute armpit of an area, rusted-out warehouses and post-industrial apocalyptic landscape surrounding it, stalled mixed-use real estate development signs rapidly weathering away.

So even where the game will be is to be held isn’t really a big deal.

Act all high-and-mighty about the rest of America’s soccer fans if you want, but to pretend this is big news (which is what you’re arguing) is ridiculous. Carella was right.

What’s more, for MLS to act as though merely holding an All-Star game is a “major” deal says more about the league’s own insecurities about whether they’ll be in business from year to year than anything else.

Who cares about it? Not me. MLS loves NY soooo much they are trying to get another team in a weak soccer market. It is weak, Red Bulls rarely sell out. You add another team into the mix and they won’t sell out at all.

But I think meaningless games like this are a waste of time. Are Americans supposed to love the all star games? Well if you don’t you’re stupid and not a soccer fan. That seems to be your logic.

If the MLS dropped this tradition I don’t think many would be opposed to it. The MLS now has a 34 game schedule and has 3 to 4 teams playing in a international cups. If you love soccer, you should be excited since MLS teams will be playing in matches that matter. Unlike the useless and boring forced friendlies and all star games.

OH, AND DON’T GET ME STARTED ON ALL THOSE SUBURBAN STADIUMS!!!!!!