What does the next FC Dallas GM need to focus on?

Greg Elliott is long gone and now the Hunt's family (the owner of FCD) has appointed John Alper as interim GM. Who is Alper? He has been with the club since 1995 when he setup the ticketing department for the new team. He has been there for the highs (16,011 average attendance the first year) and the lows (7,906 average two years ago). Why talk about attendance numbers? Well, as Tobias Lopez points out in his Soccer Insider column, the next GM must focus on the marketing of the team.

The Hunt family has put a lot of money into the team, including $25 million towards the new Pizza Hut Park (PHP) and they want to get it back. Lopez thinks Elliott's departure had more to do with the current state of the team (eight straight games without a win) then it did with the delays in building the PHP. I think he makes a good point. As he points out, "Elliott was saddled with the task of promoting the club and the stadium despite the Hunt Sports Group's failure to have the stadium up and running on deadline."

Talk about a hard promotion.

I also like that Lopez points out the need for better marketing to Hispanic fans. They showed up for last weekend's match against Chivas but how to keep them coming back. Maybe a win or two would help out.