USL vs. MLS in Seattle - Love the one you're with or shoot for the stars
The idea of bringing a MLS side to Seattle has taken on a very interesting dimension amongst the Seattle Sounders supporters' club the A and it is all due to the redesign of a website.
David Falk, a member of ECS who controls the SounderCenter.com web site, recently relaunced it as GoalSeattle.com, which has upset a number of other ECSers. The reason, the new site is no longer just dedicated to the Sounders. Instead, it is focuesed on brining a MLS team to the city.
This has upset a number of ECS members.
Falk believes a MLS team is what is best for soccer in the area. "What do you put first, your city or club?" Falk says. "What's better, the continuation of the USL Sounders or an MLS club? It's difficult for anyone to argue that continuation of the Sounders is best for Seattle soccer."
However, ECS member Sean McConnell doesn't like the way Falk went about doing things. "'Sounder 'til I die' doesn't mean 'Sounder 'til they mention another team.'" McConnel is not opposed to a MLS team in Seattle but as he says, "Why kill something before it's dead?"
The article is a very interesting look at the issue of MLS expansion from a perspective not usually discussed.
I can see both sides of the issue, but sadly, like a lot of things in life, it might not mean very much to anyone except for the handful of people directly involved. As Adrian Hanauer, whose family owns the Sounders, put it, "[An MLS team] is a $30 million to $80 million investment, so it's not something I or any potential ownership group is going to be influenced to do or not do based on a micro-set of the overall market. Although we respect the ECS and try to accommodate them as best we can, we don't run our business based on what it's thinking or doing or asking for."
David Falk, a member of ECS who controls the SounderCenter.com web site, recently relaunced it as GoalSeattle.com, which has upset a number of other ECSers. The reason, the new site is no longer just dedicated to the Sounders. Instead, it is focuesed on brining a MLS team to the city.
This has upset a number of ECS members.
Falk believes a MLS team is what is best for soccer in the area. "What do you put first, your city or club?" Falk says. "What's better, the continuation of the USL Sounders or an MLS club? It's difficult for anyone to argue that continuation of the Sounders is best for Seattle soccer."
However, ECS member Sean McConnell doesn't like the way Falk went about doing things. "'Sounder 'til I die' doesn't mean 'Sounder 'til they mention another team.'" McConnel is not opposed to a MLS team in Seattle but as he says, "Why kill something before it's dead?"
The article is a very interesting look at the issue of MLS expansion from a perspective not usually discussed.
I can see both sides of the issue, but sadly, like a lot of things in life, it might not mean very much to anyone except for the handful of people directly involved. As Adrian Hanauer, whose family owns the Sounders, put it, "[An MLS team] is a $30 million to $80 million investment, so it's not something I or any potential ownership group is going to be influenced to do or not do based on a micro-set of the overall market. Although we respect the ECS and try to accommodate them as best we can, we don't run our business based on what it's thinking or doing or asking for."
Labels: Adrian Hanauer, Emerald City Supporters, MLS, MLS expansion, Seattle, Seattle Sounders
posted by Mike H at 2:40 PM
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