Forget about Joe Cannon's move. Forget about the new season schedule. The must-read today in MLS is the scathing series of stories about Real Salt Lake'snew stadium plan (in this weekend's Salt Lake Tribune) which is under serious, serious fire. Here's some choice stuff:
-- Doug Willmore, the Sandy County chief administrative officer, fired off an email to RSL CEO Dean Howes saying: "Someone has been going around town making false (cowardly, wild, irresponsible, unethical) accusations about me and attributing them to you. Unless I've seriously overestimated you, I don't think you'd ever
stoop to ad hominem tactics, especially behind someone's back." According to the Salt Lake Tribune, the "defamatory things," include charges that Willmore "breaks his word; lies; is out to kill soccer in Utah; and other accusations." (Howes denies making these statements.)
-- Howes, when asked why the team hadn't turned over financials to the county as they had promised to, claimed the team feared that "competitors" would see RSL's finances. When the Salt Lake Tribune asked just who those competitors might be, Howes replied: "Everybody." "Everybody" is competing against RSL?
--Take a look at the last hotlink for a SLT editorial, headlined: "RSL must come clean or go away."
If there is any organisation out there that has failed as badly as RSL has to articulate their message to the public at large, I'd like to know about them. From where I stand, this seems like a disaster.
Not a good thing at all. This reminds me of the old NASL - what is Checkets (SP?) doing? There was all the hype about him being positive for the leage, and then his organization goes and pulls a stunt like this. Bad, bad, bad....
With all the positives that have been happening for the league, this does not bode well. I'm expecting to see the team being relocated - they are not treating the community with respect and it will lead to their downfall, especially in the area that they are in (no religious tilt intended, just a view of where they are located and their demographics - not looking for an arguement on that aspect).
The more I think about this, the more it bugs me. I would love to see MLS succeed and expand. However, the league as a whole does not need something like this going on. Admittedly, the Salt Lake newspaper seems to be gunning for the team (read all the articles - I think they are biased).
Why is RSL so reluctant to hand over their financial details? Maybe because they are not as solvent as they would like to be. I don't know. However, with their own stadium and not having to share revenues aka New England, DC etc, their solvency would have to increase. OK, their ticket sales did not increase as projected per their business plan, but if they would put a more viable product on the field, then I expect their ticket sales would increase. Look at the Real Madrid - RSL crowd - 45,000. It's goes for all of MLS - put a quality product on the field and you will draw good crowds.
I agree with the above comment: why did MLS expand into Salt Lake City in the first place? And then to have half-assed stadium deals that fall apart because MLS doesn't want anyone to know that "hey, our franchises are money pits"...well, that is just great.
Not sure about your money pit comment...FC Dallas, in the first full year in their stadium, made money this year. LA Galaxy now make money in the Toolbox and the Crew are a naming rights deal away from the same in CCS. No doubt Real should open the books, but let's not support that with false generalizations.
Also, Real has been attendance wise one of the most successful MLS franchises over the last two years, despite being a #### side. I support the idea of MLS going into areas where they are close to the only game in town (see Rochester). Again, those of you pooh-poohing RSL should note their level of support as compared to some more established clubs. If their ownership had any PR skills, this deal would have sorted out ages ago.
No question that RSL has support; let's see how they do down the road.
As for FC Dallas, I'm not convinced that they do actually make money. They may be breaking even, right enough, but turning a proft? I don't know that we can say that with any certainty.
What we can say, because we know the numbers, is that FCD and Chicago certainly have not been able to turn their own stadia into the attendance success story that LA/ChU has in Carson. The evidence also suggests that suburban stadia don't perform as well as those in urban areas. And, in regards to this particular issue, it seems that it is becoming quite difficult for teams to get the generous public handouts that Chicago got.
The controversy in SLC is mirrored in KC, and I think that's why Cleveland's new digs are largely to be privately funded. We may well be entering an era of tight pockets for all sports teams, not just soccer. I think it's safe to say that there is some "stadium fatigue" at large.
Last edited by JamieTrecker on December 7th at 6:36 AM.
Claiming that Carson is in the middle of an urban area is incorrect. LA has no urban area.
Salt Lake made sense because they do have a large soccer population and an owner group and very little competition for people's entertainment dollars.
While the press surrounding this stadium is bad, I remember before they built the HDC, you never saw any articles about it in the newspaper. That project got 10% of the coverage that the RSL stadium is getting.
I am sure the other part of this is that Checketts owns (I believe) the St. Louis Blues of the NHL. Not sure if he has any other holdings. (If I am wrong on this, I'll take my lumps as appropriate.)
It is not unreasonable to consider that funds are probably flowing between these franchises (and any other entities he may have) and he isn't eager to open the books. St. Louis may not like what they see either.
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