Major League Soccer 2016

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by JHikka

Edmonton FC and Ottawa FC play the first leg of the Canadian Championship qualification round tonight. I'll definitely be at Lansdowne for the return leg.

Ottawa FC managed 7k+ for their home opener and a second crowd of over 4K in their second game of the season.

Canadian team averages for 2016 (As of May 11th, 2016. League play only)

Toronto FC (1 Match) 30,025 (30,025 total)
Montreal Impact (4 Matches) 22,800 (91,200 total)
Vancouver Whitecaps (6 Matches) 22,392 (134,354 total)
Ottawa FC (2 Matches) 5,670 (11,340 total)
Edmonton FC (2 Matches) 2,116 (4,231 total)

Not sure how you found all those numbers but I do appreciate your efforts. Would love to see the updated numbers near the end of the season!

[TorontoDrew]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

Not sure how you found all those numbers but I do appreciate your efforts. Would love to see the updated numbers near the end of the season!

I would not be surprised if by the time Toronto has its 6th home game like Vancouver it reaches 180,150.

[Acajack]

Does anyone know if TFC expects to be at or near 30,000 for all of their games at BMO this season?

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Does anyone know if TFC expects to be at or near 30,000 for all of their games at BMO this season?

Last year, which was the first year with the expanded configuration, they had 3 sellouts. This year they're on track for 10 sellouts (so far). 9 of the next 10 games (except for next weekends Vancouver game for some odd reason) are expected to sellout. Some of the late season games should sell out too once we get closer to those dates.

[Hybrid247]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

Not sure how you found all those numbers but I do appreciate your efforts. Would love to see the updated numbers near the end of the season!

If you go to MLS "Scores & Fixtures" on ESPN FC and click on a match, it shows the attendance at the top left corner.

Here's the link for Toronto's game against Dallas http://www.espnfc.us/gamecast/440862/gamecast.html

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by mistercorporate

Last year, which was the first year with the expanded configuration, they had 3 sellouts. This year they're on track for 10 sellouts (so far). 9 of the next 10 games (except for next weekends Vancouver game for some odd reason) are expected to sellout. Some of the late season games should sell out too once we get closer to those dates.

OK, sounds like they shouldn't have much of a problem this season averaging in the upper 20Ks or close to 30K even.

[Acajack]

Originally Posted by Hybrid247

If you go to MLS "Scores & Fixtures" on ESPN FC and click on a match, it shows the attendance at the top left corner.

Here's the link for Toronto's game against Dallas http://www.espnfc.us/gamecast/440862/gamecast.html

Cute how ESPN uses the British term "fixtures" on its MLS page...

[JHikka]

Originally Posted by Acajack

Cute how ESPN uses the British term "fixtures" on its MLS page...

Those posh bourgeoisie. How un-American of them.

Originally Posted by Acajack

OK, sounds like they shouldn't have much of a problem this season averaging in the upper 20Ks or close to 30K even.

Here's TFC's franchise average attendance numbers:

2007: 20,130
2008: 20,120
2009: 20,344
2010: 20,453
2011: 20,267
2012: 18,155
2013: 18,131
2014: 22,086
2015: 23,451

So 25K wouldn't be a bad goal for 2016.

[JHikka]

FC Edmonton and Ottawa FC is being livestreamed over at canadasoccer.com

[Hybrid247]

Rumors that Ibrahimovic might sign with the Galaxy

[Denscity]

Vancouver @ Toronto on now

Montreal 1 Philadelphia 1

[JHikka]

Three straight sellouts of 20,801 at Stade Saputo following Montreal's 1-1 Draw with Philadelphia yesterday.

Toronto had 24,748 out to yesterday's game against Vancouver. That will still keep them third in the league in average attendance although it's a much smaller sample size than everyone else thus far.

New England pushed their average up slightly with a crowd of 18,997 this week. The same can't be said of Columbus whose crowd of 15,023 is less than their season average of 16,111.

In Dallas, 14,630 came out for their 2-0 win over Seattle. Dallas has the league's lowest average attendance of 13,791 prior to this game.

San Jose has sold out every game of the season thus far at their 18,000 seat stadium. They also have a full plate of 12,000 season ticket holders. Northern California has become quite the hotbed for soccer as of late with Sacramento FC selling out each of their home matches in the USL this season with 11,569. They've set USL average attendance records the past two years running and are on pace to do it for a third straight year. Sacramento's stadium is a very basic setup with lots of room for expansion (which they completed this spring). Original construction costs for the 2014 structure were just $3M.



Speaking of the USL, brand new club FC Cincinnati are leading the league's attendance table, averaging 17,642 after four games. Cincinnati have garnered crowds of 14K, 20K, 11K, and 23K in a stadium expandable up to 40K. Their average thus far is better than seven MLS clubs.

If only the American system allowed for promotion/relegation so teams like Sacramento and Cincinnati could have a chance to compete with the big boys.

[Denscity]

Vancouver gives Toronto it's first home loss of the season! What a crazy awesome match!!

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by Denscity

Vancouver gives Toronto it's first home loss of the season! What a crazy awesome match!!

Awesome for you guys maybe, lazy lazy match on TFC's part. Hopefully this loss puts them back in check, they should have won this easily.

[csbvan]

It was an entertaining game. I'm surprised the Caps won, this was their 3rd game in 8 days and they played like it. But a win is a win and 3 wins in 8 days is stellar and puts them back on track.

[Riise]

It's not MLS but Foothills F.C. (Calgary) played their first competitive PDL match against Canadian opposition yesterday. Foothills defeated Highlanders F.C. (Victoria) by a score of 2-0.

[Nite]

2016 PLAYER SALARIES

http://www.mlsplayers.org/images/May...0By%20Club.pdf

Team	Base	Guaranteed	# Players
TOR	$19,534,650.00	$21,798,508.57	26
NYCFC	$20,603,922.54	$21,127,776.63	27
LA	$16,110,500.00	$18,105,736.04	27
ORL	$10,656,500.00	$11,554,420.83	28
SEA	$9,479,113.50	$10,728,811.09	29
COL	$7,715,259.66	$8,493,586.54	28
POR	$6,547,661.00	$6,833,543.97	28
KC	$6,309,194.00	$6,752,450.44	28
MTL	$5,936,300.50	$6,741,008.84	28
VAN	$6,012,441.58	$6,565,602.91	28
SJ	$5,821,616.92	$6,409,400.25	29
NE	$5,564,046.87	$5,980,837.58	27
RSL	$5,337,500.00	$5,956,899.50	26
NYRB	$5,186,746.15	$5,829,850.32	27
PHI	$5,242,500.00	$5,674,323.96	27
HOU	$5,312,577.75	$5,674,161.08	27
CHI	$5,292,596.00	$5,600,172.50	25
CLB	$5,282,749.84	$5,531,162.34	24
DC	$4,552,165.26	$5,205,661.76	29
DAL	$3,746,282.00	$4,323,732.00	27
ATL	$177,012.00	$177,012.00	3
POOL	$62,500.00	$62,500.00	1

[esquire]

^ That is incredible disparity. I wonder if we'll see the teams in MLS eventually split up into a premier league/first division type setup.

[Nite]

Overall Payroll for the last 10 years.

2006 MLS Payroll: $27.4m
2010 MLS Payroll: $90.1m
2016 MLS Payroll: $175.1m

[mistercorporate]

Originally Posted by esquire

^ That is incredible disparity. I wonder if we'll see the teams in MLS eventually split up into a premier league/first division type setup.

Nah, not going to happen. The N American franchise system works well and is less dysfunctional than promotion-relegation.