Soccer Stadiums of the USA

[Bobby3]

Originally Posted by Scba

Anything FC is ridiculous in the MLS.

What about "AFC"?

[tritown]

Originally Posted by Scba

Anything FC is ridiculous in the MLS.

I think that it would be nice to see SC, since soccer is a more common name.

But that doesn't make FC rididculous. It's still football, even if there is another, more popular sport here that dubs itself "football". Even though both sports are called football, you won't really have any confusion from names like FC Dallas. No one is going to ask if FC Dallas, or TFC, or Seattle Sounders FC are gridiron football teams, because gridiron football teams don't use that naming convention. Can you imagine Dallas Cowboys FC or Seattle Seahawks FC? No...

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I have an update that is more on topic.

Seattle Sounders FC will play in Qwest Field, as most know already, I assume.
There are 18,000+ full season tickets packages sold last time I checked. I regret to say that I will not buy a package, but it is still exciting nonetheless. This 18,000 figure exceeds Toronto FC's 2008 figure (highest in MLS until now) by about 4,000, and packages are still being sold. Also, this exceeds any other club by at least 9,000.
Partial season ticket packages are not for sale yet. Personally, I may buy one of those. I don't know the details about the packages yet, i.e. will they have a variety of number of games, and what not.
Qwest Field seats 67,000, but the capacity is going to be set at 24,500, because they will only sell tickets for most of the lower bowl and none of the upper bowl or Hawk's nest (a bleacher section that seats about 3,000). From what I've heard, the only event in which they will consider adding to capacity is if 22,000 season tickets are sold (I don't remember if that includes with partial packages or not).
Tarps with advertising will be draped over the seats on the upper deck. Hopefully these won't be too gaudy. I can't decide which is worse, empty seats or advertising. But at least I know that having a half-capacity game with everybody in the lower bowl is certainly better than a half-capacity game with the fans in every other seat throughout the stadium.
They will not in any other circumstances increase capacity for MLS regular season games. I don't know what the capacity will be in the event of SSFC making playoffs. Frankly, I doubt they do either.
SSFC will play 3 home friendlies against international opponents. Word is that they are trying to lure one EPL team (and one of the better sides at that, I hear), a La Liga team, and a team from Latin America. For those, the capacity is allegedly going to be set at the full 67,000 (wisely so, I would think). Full season ticket holders will have tickets for each of these three games(!), and whether or not I buy partial packages for my wife and I has a lot to do with whether or not one or more of these three games is included. (Who wouldn't want to see SSFC vs. Arsenal/ManU/Chelsea/Liverpool/Real Madrid/FCB etc?)

I hope they keep selling season tickets so we can have as good an atmosphere as possible (and here's to hoping that I'll be able to get a ticket for myself!)
For all the haters of Seattle getting a team without needing an SSS, I challenge that the atmosphere will be way better than some exurban field with a stage that is miles out of town.

Cheers,
KCT

[ryebreadraz]

Originally Posted by tritown

I think that it would be nice to see SC, since soccer is a more common name.

But that doesn't make FC rididculous. It's still football, even if there is another, more popular sport here that dubs itself "football". Even though both sports are called football, you won't really have any confusion from names like FC Dallas. No one is going to ask if FC Dallas, or TFC, or Seattle Sounders FC are gridiron football teams, because gridiron football teams don't use that naming convention. Can you imagine Dallas Cowboys FC or Seattle Seahawks FC? No...

----

I have an update that is more on topic.

Seattle Sounders FC will play in Qwest Field, as most know already, I assume.
There are 18,000+ full season tickets packages sold last time I checked. I regret to say that I will not buy a package, but it is still exciting nonetheless. This 18,000 figure exceeds Toronto FC's 2008 figure (highest in MLS until now) by about 4,000, and packages are still being sold. Also, this exceeds any other club by at least 9,000.
Partial season ticket packages are not for sale yet. Personally, I may buy one of those. I don't know the details about the packages yet, i.e. will they have a variety of number of games, and what not.
Qwest Field seats 67,000, but the capacity is going to be set at 24,500, because they will only sell tickets for most of the lower bowl and none of the upper bowl or Hawk's nest (a bleacher section that seats about 3,000). From what I've heard, the only event in which they will consider adding to capacity is if 22,000 season tickets are sold (I don't remember if that includes with partial packages or not).
Tarps with advertising will be draped over the seats on the upper deck. Hopefully these won't be too gaudy. I can't decide which is worse, empty seats or advertising. But at least I know that having a half-capacity game with everybody in the lower bowl is certainly better than a half-capacity game with the fans in every other seat throughout the stadium.
They will not in any other circumstances increase capacity for MLS regular season games. I don't know what the capacity will be in the event of SSFC making playoffs. Frankly, I doubt they do either.
SSFC will play 3 home friendlies against international opponents. Word is that they are trying to lure one EPL team (and one of the better sides at that, I hear), a La Liga team, and a team from Latin America. For those, the capacity is allegedly going to be set at the full 67,000 (wisely so, I would think). Full season ticket holders will have tickets for each of these three games(!), and whether or not I buy partial packages for my wife and I has a lot to do with whether or not one or more of these three games is included. (Who wouldn't want to see SSFC vs. Arsenal/ManU/Chelsea/Liverpool/Real Madrid/FCB etc?)

I hope they keep selling season tickets so we can have as good an atmosphere as possible (and here's to hoping that I'll be able to get a ticket for myself!)
For all the haters of Seattle getting a team without needing an SSS, I challenge that the atmosphere will be way better than some exurban field with a stage that is miles out of town.

Cheers,
KCT

If they get to 20k season tickets or so they will likely open the Hawks Nest for the season. They said that they will likely only open the upper decks for the first game and the Galaxy game. Don't expect them to open up the upper decks just because they've sold 23k or so. It's not worth opening the upper deck for 3k or 4k to sit there. It's only worth it if they can put 15-20k up there.

[flierfy]

Originally Posted by Scba

Anything FC is ridiculous in the MLS.

That's correct. But not because the F stands for football. If I'm not completely wrong all these corporations are franchises and not clubs. So it's the C that is wrong in my eyes.

[en1044]

Originally Posted by flierfy

That's correct. But not because the F stands for football. If I'm not completely wrong all these corporations are franchises and not clubs. So it's the C that is wrong in my eyes.

a franchise in the US is another name for a club, its not a franchise in a traditional sense.

[Wezza]

Originally Posted by flierfy

That's correct. But not because the F stands for football. If I'm not completely wrong all these corporations are franchises and not clubs. So it's the C that is wrong in my eyes.

Maybe it stands for Fran Chise?

[BoulderGrad]

Sons of Ben sounds like a great name for a supporters club rather than a team.

"Its hard to watch the game with all that rukus coming from the stands over there, who are those people?"

"Why thats the Sons of Ben"

[ElVoltageDR]

Originally Posted by BoulderGrad

Sons of Ben sounds like a great name for a supporters club rather than a team.

"Its hard to watch the game with all that rukus coming from the stands over there, who are those people?"

"Why thats the Sons of Ben"

Haha, yeah that would be great.

I hope they design a really good crest though. I wouldn't mind Philadelphia FC, it might not be the most creative name, but with a nice crest (and maybe a nickname or name) they should do well.

[Scba]

I mean that because the league is "Major League Soccer." In America, it isn't a football team, it's a soccer team. I get where they're coming from with it, and I totally respect the history and prestige of club names, but it just seems bizarre.

[Bobby3]

Originally Posted by Scba

I mean that because the league is "Major League Soccer." In America, it isn't a football team, it's a soccer team. I get where they're coming from with it, and I totally respect the history and prestige of club names, but it just seems bizarre.

Happens with the other football codes (rugby union, gaelic, and aussie rules) here too, just they aren't in the press so you don't see it.

[hngcm]

what's the hawk's nest?

[ryebreadraz]

Originally Posted by hngcm

what's the hawk's nest?

The Hawk's Nest is that triangle seating area just below the scoreboard that is silver benches and not blue seats.

[MegasAlexandros]

Actually, it is. We might use the terms "club", "franchise" and/or "team" interchangeably but when it comes down to it, MLS has franchises while Europe has clubs.

[nyrmetros]

Originally Posted by MegasAlexandros

Actually, it is. We might use the terms "club", "franchise" and/or "team" interchangeably but when it comes down to it, MLS has franchises while Europe has clubs.

I wi sh we had a club and not a franchise here in NYC.

[krudmonk]

Originally Posted by MegasAlexandros

Actually, it is. We might use the terms "club", "franchise" and/or "team" interchangeably but when it comes down to it, MLS has franchises while Europe has clubs.

Who gives a shit? Is some rampaging superclub like Manchester United any more down-to-earth than our insidious franchises?

[flierfy]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

Who gives a shit? Is some rampaging superclub like Manchester United any more down-to-earth than our insidious franchises?

Maybe not Man Utd, but outside Britain clubs are controlled by their members which is significantly different.

[MegasAlexandros]

Originally Posted by krudmonk

Who gives a shit? Is some rampaging superclub like Manchester United any more down-to-earth than our insidious franchises?

Always nice to see how empowering it is for some people to have access to a keyboard... but I digress.

But to respond to your comment: I was not discussing which is more "down-to-earth", I was simply stating that the structure of MLS and it's franchises is different to what is the norm in the rest of the footballing world.

Have a nice day.

[BoulderGrad]

Since when did they add the Seahawks graphics to the upper deck seats?

[nyrmetros]

nice stadium. looks european with a roof. haha

[Arist]

Originally Posted by BoulderGrad

Since when did they add the Seahawks graphics to the upper deck seats?

I just noticed that too