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Report: NYC FC to play first three seasons at Yankee Stadium

YankeeStadiumSoccer1 (Getty)

New York City FC will begin play in Major League Soccer in 2015 in a home within the five boroughs, the only problem is it’s a temporary home.

The New York Times is reporting that NYC FC will play its first three seasons in MLS at Yankee Stadium, a development that isn’t all that big a surprise given the club’s struggles to make progress toward a soccer stadium project.

According to the report, the team is still actively searching for a stadium solution, but as of now it appears no real progress has been made towards one.

Yankee Stadium has staged a handful of international soccer friendlies over the past two summers, but NYC FC and the Yankees will now be faced with a much more difficult proposition of schedule a full season’s worth of home games when the MLS season takes places over practically the same time frame as the Major League Baseball Schedule.

The report cites Yankees officials who expressed confidence that the team could handle holding more soccer games at Yankee Stadium without it being a problem for the baseball operations.

What do you think of this development? Disappointed to hear NYC FC is no closer to a stadium? Think the team will find a place to put a stadium in the five boroughs?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Soccer/baseball double header at Yankee Stadium? NYCFC game at 1:00pm, Yankee game at 7:00pm?

    Might actually be kinda cool even if its a pipedream.

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  2. If they keep to a location on the Subway lines, they will do great. They know this. No river. No Path train. Etc. the D train. Maybe a metro north or Lirr stop.

    I will be there

    NYC resident

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  3. “When NYCFC signs a couple of big players” lol. Big players want to play for big clubs. We will still be the preferred destination for top shelf talent. Big time players will take one look at the NYC set up: No grounds, no training facilty, no history, no fans and come running to Red Bull. Be real with yourselves hahaha.

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      • Pretty sure Titi lives in SoHo and doesn’t have a problem getting to the Arena and the Harrison and the training facility in Hanover. Don’t bet on the players being as idiotic as NYCFC supporters.

    • Hahahaha is right. Players come to RBNY for the NY aspect of the team (and the money).

      They will settle themselves into NY and Yankee Stadium in a heartbeat, you are fooling yourself if you don’t think that buddy.

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      • RBNY has one of the best stadiums and THE BEST training facility in the league. NYCFC has neither. Players always take note of this. If you are Xavi, you can like Titi does and play for a big club with world class facilities – or live in SoHo like Titi does and play for an expansion franchise in a baseball stadium… Which one would you pick?

        Don’t fool yourself buddy.

      • It doesn’t have to be that clear cut of an either-or situation. If you truly don’t think NYCFC can draw a big name player, you are nuts.

  4. They will get a stadium sooner or later–the question is whether there will any new team momentum left by the time that they get it. Aside from the baseball configuration issues (Yankee stadium is better than most for soccer because of the short right field porch), to me the big problem is working around 81 Yankee home games (plus possibly a dozen more if they make the World Series). Because of this, soccer will be an afterthought, and you can’t do anything to improve the configuration (such as bringing in temp stands to place on the third base line. I’d rather they play in a refurbished small HS or JC stadium (a la the Quakes) than this.

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  5. LOL. Can’t wait for nearly empty stadium, with shit sight lines, terrible field, having dates constantly moved or playing at weird dates and times…and thuggish security! Its like Giants Stadium, only worse.

    MLS really looking foolish with Miami and NYC expansion plans.

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  6. Just put a 25,000 seat stadium in LIC and be done with it. Geez. Anyone know if the Flushing idea is completely dead? I’m not crazy about the Bronx idea.

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  7. I said here weeks ago I wouldn’t be shocked if in 5 years they’re still in Yankee Stadium, constructing anything takes a long time in NYC, especially a massive sports stadium. Money can only go so far, at some point you will hit blockades that take time to overcome. Also I find using friendlies as a point of reference for how the field will be to be funny. When big teams come in for a one off the stadiums do everything in their power to make the field be as nice as possible, you think they’ll bend over backwards for an MLS team? I have my doubts, even if Yankees are part owners.

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  8. When NYCFC brings in a couple of big players and starts putting some nice crowds in the famed Yankee Stadium, all the moaning going on in here is quickly going to change.

    Can’t wait to see the quiet take over when the complainers have nothing to complain about.

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  9. San Jose had to play in a bad temporary stadium but now they are getting a great new SSS. If the Yankees and Monsour pay off enough people, this stadium will get done sooner than later. The question is: do they want to spend the many millions to get it done right?

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  10. I hope they put a stadium near Yankee Stadium. Maintain continuity when they move from to their new home. Of course, I’m a Bronx boy anyway and have always wanted it in the Bronx.

    While I don’t think this is ideal, some folks are being ridiculously cynical about this. If you can’t see having some of the deepest pockets in soccer and the most famous sports brand in America combining on a team in the nation’s media capital is a GOOD THING, well, then… I just don’t know what to say.

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    • I think the Bronx makes the most sense out of all the locations. The Yankees will want to keep the team close to home. It also makes an intriguing soccer triangle with the Red Bulls in the west, NYCFC in the north, and Cosmos in the east. What New York soccer fan could complain?

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  11. I can’t wait for all the exciting new injuries!
    I guess they took a page out of the Raiders playbook, “who cares, they’ll still show up anyways!”

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  12. When the Tampa Bay Rowdies came back in the USL PRO, now NASL, they played home games at Legends Field in Tampa. Legends is the Yankees Spring Training home and the Florida State League Class A minor league home of the Tampa Yankees. That first year, the Rowdies and the Tampa Yankees share the stadium. The outcome, horrible. Narrow, short field, with baseball clay. I think MLS needs to hold off until a SSS is built. I really think they don’t need another team in NYC, since the Red Bulls are already in place. I think it’s a pride thing more than anything else to have NYC FC. MLS needs to be careful now with growth. Atlanta in my view is a mistake. Soccer is not big up there and playing on turf in an NFL stadium, it’s another New England. They must hold fast that if you want a team, it must have it’s own stadium. No matter who owns it!

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      • By comparing the Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL to NYCFC who has the ownership group it does?

        Or by comparing Legends Field in Florida to Yankee Stadium in NYC?

        I am not seeing where it makes sense.

    • I dunno. RBNY is just not present in the sports climate here. And then there’s the issue that, for a good portion of the city and the NYC-LI metropolitan area, it’s just too far away or a pain to get to. I cheer for the Red Bulls, but I know as a Long Islander that they’re more Jersey than New York.

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    • Atlanta is not going to be playing on Turf BTW… the stadium is open air and only closes during extreme heat and cold… the roof plates come down to cover the upper bowl as well… this is not some team playing in Gillette… Atlanta has this all planned out…

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      • and “soccer is not big up there”…you are referring to Atlanta? Are you clueless… it is huge here..

  13. Going to be a lot more than three years. This was a poorly thought out mess since day 1 but $100m is hard to turn down.

    There simply isn’t the interest in MLS in the NYC area necessary to support two teams. And this isn’t some cool urban setting – Yankee Stadium is in a horrible neighborhood, located just as far from most of NYC as Red Bull Arena is. And that’s also where they’re trying to build the new stadium. Sure, people will go there for the Yankees but I don’t think comparing probably the biggest franchise in American sports to an expansion MLS team makes much sense.

    Orlando was a great addition but Atlanta and New York Yankees FC? Awful.

    Reply
      • It already is in NYC. And there’s no requirement that it be in “big markets” if those markets don’t have sufficient interest in its product.

      • Absolutely right. I have said from the beginning that a second team in the NY area was a “solution” looking for a problem. Garber and his advisers decided to disregard RBNY — which made a huge investment in a terrific stadium at a critical time in the league’s life — and got blinded by the big lights of NYC, so they couldn’t (wouldn’t) see these easily foreseeable problems. NYCFC risks souring many casual fans, and even some committed fans, with three years in a famous but decidedly inhospitable space.

      • “decidedly inhospitable space?” Sounds like you are just imposing your own bias on this whole thing.

      • Try watching a game where the attandance is 15,000 and the stadium holds 40,000+. That’s what I mean.

      • Yeah, but what if they fill it with rabid fans. Then what will you say? As of now, you are just casting your unsubstantiated fears (or maybe hopes) on it.

      • Laughable to say that MLS has sufficiently tapped the NY market. And you want a company that has the type of growth that MLS has in mind to just give up on the most profitable markets if there is not enough interest in their product? If there are HUGE markets that are not tapped (NYC, Miami, ATL), you MUST get into them and do everything possible to generate interest (playing in Yankee Stadium will help with this, not hurt).

        And you have to do these things not just for that market alone. Who are tv viewers going to watch: a team from San Antonio or a team from Miami. More people will be interested in the Miami team (love em or heat em) than will be interested in the SA team.

      • You are equating “not adding a second team in the NY area” to “giving up on the NY market.” There are plenty of other ways to tap the NY market. But Garber jumped at one way and disregarded all of the league’s “rules” (similar to the infinitely flexible and commonly broken roster rules) about requirements for a new franchise. If Garber were honest, he’d come out and say, “We think we can do better in the NY area than RBNY and we’re placing our bets with Man City and the Yankees in NYC because that’s where the big payout is in the long-term. Sorry, RBNY, but you’ve been pushed aside by a better deal.”

      • Are you suggesting Garber stunt the growth of the league because of RBNY’s incompetence? It’s not his job to operate their day-to-day operations. His job is make help make them a more valuable franchise. That is exactly what he is doing by adding another team in the city as well as teams in ATL and Miami. The NYCFC is a pretty sweet deal for MLS compared to other opportunities in the market, so to say that Garber should not have taken it is highly suspicious on your part.

  14. I, not going to a game there anytime soon as I live on the best coast, don’t mind this at all.

    One, as my title says, I am sick of all the whining. Oh, we don’t have this, we don’t have that, the turf isn’t as good as the grass in Barcelona, the quality isn’t good enough for me and now we have to share a stadium. Shut up and enjoy the soccer.
    Two, if you can’t shut up and enjoy the soccer….I don’t want you around anyway. Maybe this stadium weeds out some of them….good.

    Congrats NY, enjoy the heck out of the games along with us real fans.

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  15. This was expected. You don’t just build major buildings in NYC without extensive, drawn out politicking and the works. That’s just how NYC works.

    What’s more surprising is the number of people who just troll about it constantly. It’s rather sad, actually.

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    • The whining never stops A, it never stops. Hope you are a fan and hope you enjoy the games.

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  16. Honestly, hasnt this been expected since the team got announced? Where is the surprise coming from. Personally I feel NYCFC would be better off in a temporary stadium, ala Vancouver in their first MLS season. I give it about a day until the meathead yankees fans start complaining that they have to share their stadium with a soccer team.

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    • The thinking when the team was announced was that a Bloomberg disciple, like Joe Lhota, would win the 2013 Mayoral Election and rubber stamp the deal that Bloomberg made ($250-300 million in tax-free bonds for 38 years). They always anticipated a delay because it’s NYC, but at least the deal was in place and they could start construction in a year or two.

      Now that DeBlasio won? I doubt we’ll even see a DEAL for a new stadium until 2018 at the earliest.

      Reply
  17. why can’t they share with the Red Bulls oh wait they’re in Jersey

    well why not rent some small 10,000 seater stadium until their 30 K stadium is ready?

    why will it take until 2018 for their stadium,. makes no sense

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    • A, playing in the new House that Ruth, built will draw a lot more casual fans.
      can’t wait to see a packed Yankee stadium, works better than for hockey, and people were loving the winter classics there.

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  18. Look people its New York they get to play by their own rules just like all major cities of the world. New York is a world metropolis not just the US. If they wanted to play on a roof dam it they would most likely get to. Is it fair no but nothing in life is fair. And I rather have NYCFC in Yankee stadium then watch some team in Austin or San Antonio no offence to those cities but it is what it is.

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  19. MLS 2.0- a team in a minor league baseball park.
    MLS 3.0- a team in Yankee Stadium.

    That’s about as half full as this glass is going to get.

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  20. Does this require a crick in your net when you watch the game? Aren’t all the chairs facing the wrong way (i.e., home plate?)

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    • We hosted a CCL neutral site games several years ago and I found it comfortable standing but yeah when sitting the seats are often at the wrong angle. The field fits along a foul line but the stands on that foul line are turned at an angle. The best aligned seats are usually in the outfield bleachers, where the home plate alignment lines up as endline seating too.

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  21. is it possible to hit a corner from the left field corner?

    3 years is a while to be rolling temp grass every weekend.. couldn’t this team wait a couple years?

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      • I don’t see them having a much better chance than DC is as far as being able to convince a city they need a new stadium. United is footing the bill and they still can’t get it done after how many years?

    • With the Jeter farewell tour ending this season they’ll need something to bring people out to the ball park until they can field a winning yankees team. So I’d expect them to play in the stadium forever.

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      • If you think the Yankees are going to be bad for a long time, you’re going to be pretty disappointed.

  22. Absolute joke. NYCFC, who have no stadium, players, jerseys, fans, and only up until recently, no coach, gets an expansion franchise, while already established Orlando City, who already has a coach, players, jerseys, fan base, cannot get a franchise unless they get approval for soccer specific stadium. That’s fair.

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      • Sometimes I feel like its just a way of making the Red Bulls try harder. They do have an empty DP slot after all.

      • Average attendance the last two years has been 19,491amd 18,281 respectively on a capacity of 25,180. I’ll let you do the math to figure out if that is mostly empty…

      • Crowds could be better but “mostly empty” is not accurate. Plus, unless you’ve tried to attend a RBNY match, you can’t understand how ridiculously inconvenient it is. Eventually you figure it out if you go often enough and now I can get in and out pretty easily but if you don’t know what you’re doing, the game day experience could be pretty miserable. I’m sure a lot of people attended once or twice and then just gave up.

      • Parking there is a mess, but if you’re taking the train, it’s not that bad. It’s about 5 minutes walking from the PATH station. They’re also cleaning up the area around the arena building shops, restaurants and condos. As for NYCFC’s concern, I can’t imagine parking being any better at Yankee Stadium. It’s a bigger mess over there.

      • Yeah, Harrison and the PATH station are both redeveloping. Still a few years from getting where they should be but they’re working on it. In a few years, the game day experience will hopefully improve. When it does, I’m confident it’ll be a better area to come to watch a game than the Bronx.

      • + 1

        Not taking a shot at Orlando but this new false equivalence argument that permeates in every talking point in our culture is getting out of hand. Are your seriously comparing NYC top Orlando?

        Not having a go or anything but like we learned from Sesame Street, one of these things is most certainly not like the other.

      • No, because there is no comparison, Orlando will be hugely more popular, supported and viable than NYCFC. I’d be shocked that by this time next year they get more than 10K a game.

  23. makes the most sense since the Yankees are part owners, but that place will rarely ever fill up for a NYC FC game.

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    • Hey, you never know. The people might surprise us all and pull a Seattle or something. Next thing you know, NYCFC is packing 40,000 fans into every home game and they’re the talk of the league. The Yankees could play up that relationship and do some joint promotions, sign the right marquee players, get the right loans from Man City, and then boom! Everyone forgets all about thinking it was a bad decision to bring another club to New York. It’s possible. Likely? Don’t know, but it is possible. Could you imagine something like that happening?

      Reply
      • Being in Yankee Stadium is a huge attention grabber (in a negative way for soccer fans and in an intriguing way for non-soccer fans). Either way, I think both groups will be interested and THAT is the only thing concerning the league office right now.

        If they do well to put a good roster together, and if there is any buzz at all around the city about them (I would think being in Yankee Stadium helps big time with that for the reasons I already stated), it will be a HUGE boost to the league.

      • You don’t have much of an imagination. Especially when there is precedent for it in the same city because of your beloved Cosmos. With the right roster and kickass marketing, NYCFC could be huge for the league both in terms of stadium atmosphere and tv ratings.

      • First of all, if you paid even the slightest attention to my comments, you would know that I am no fan of Hempstead Cosmos, the biggest clown club in the country.

        And second, do you really want to use the Cosmos, who went belly up, as a example MLS should emulate? The Cosmos and NASL failed and MLS was originally structured to avoid the mistakes of the NASL, one of which was overexpansion to areas that didn’t care about its product.

        Finally, I highly doubt that there will be a great atmosphere watching soccer in a half empty baseball stadium.

      • I am well aware of your disdain for the “Hempstead” Cosmos, and your preference for the New Jersey Red Bulls — I was poking fun at that.

        All I am saying is, why is it so hard to imagine NYCFC being a big hit in New York? The Cosmos were. Not that the same business model should be used for NYCFC, but they should definitely hype the team like no other (in Cosmos fashion), and playing in Yankee Stadium will help produce the hype.

        The fact that you are not a fan of the team or where they will be playing tells us nothing about the other millions of people around NYC who are currently not paying attention to your Harrison Red Bulls or other MLS teams.

      • Well the Cosmos went bust after a few years so I don’t think that was a success. Now the club is a few fanboys and hipsters sitting in a college stadium in Hempstead watching minor league soccer.

        Why is your model a team and league that failed and went out of business? How is playing a soccer game in a baseball stadium going to produce hype? Don’t you think people will get tired very quickly of going to watch games at such an ill-suited venue?

        If going to the stadium is such an incredible attraction, people can just go to watch baseball, don’t you think?

      • “Why is your model a team and league that failed and went out of business?” — That is not what I suggested. I suggested that the team should be HYPED like the Cosmos were/are.

        “How is playing a soccer game in a baseball stadium going to produce hype?” — First of all, it’s Yankee Stadium. Second of all, it’s IN New York City. Third of all, think successes where games are played in unique setups like the NHL games in football/baseball stadia.

        “Don’t you think people will get tired very quickly of going to watch games at such an ill-suited venue?” — No, not if the team is good, and it is marketed heavily. If there is a buzz about the team, people will go. If the atmosphere is good at the game, people will get addicted to it and come back.

        I am not saying this is a guarantee of any sort, but I am saying that it is pretty easy to at least IMAGINE.

        Your last point about just going to watch baseball is totally ridiculous since they are completely different sports with totally different experiences. I would bet a lot of fans that are not aware of that will discover it soon, like what they see, and come back.

        Bottom line — this sport has to grow beyond you and me. It has to reach other sports fans, and this MIGHT just be a master stroke by Garber and MLS. Maybe it fails, but the league is at a point where things like this need to be tested.

      • The Yankees can’t even fill this stadium for the Yankees anymore. The stadium is a corporate masoleum, Yankee fans hate it, and it’s going to be even worse for soccer. To think they will come close to filling it up is a pipe dream. They need to figure out the stadium, period, or else the brand will be so busted by the time they get it, the team is going to be a bust.

      • I guess I’m just more optimistic about this than others. I don’t know what will become of NYCFC while they’re in Yankee Stadium, but it doesn’t cost me anything or hurt anyone to imagine the possibility of them being an instant hit…

      • Serie A is the hands down worst business model to follow. I love this idea for NYCFC as an interim solution, but only with a new stadium as the end-game.

        Italian soccer is depressing to watch because absolutely nobody is at the games… even the big derby matches are lame compared to most leagues. The standard of play is certainly very good, but the stadium experience reminds me of the old Galaxy games at the Rose Bowl.

        The Juventus home games are the only breath of fresh air that I have seen– that is a proper modern soccer stadium and it attracts a proper and noticably vibrant crowd. It actually feels like there is some passion in the building outside of the knuckelead ultras throwing flares from some gargbage corner of the stadium, which is all you see anywhere else.

        MLS has learned this lesson Eff Serie A. Dying animal. I hope it improves, but it’s no role model for now. MLS has a better plan.

      • Agree with you Ali Dia, although I used to love watching the Galaxy at the Rose Bowl, I mean it’s the Rose Bowl.

      • Juve actually owns their stadium and tries to fill it. All other Serie A teams don’t bother because apparently marketing costs more than gate revenue.

      • They should just wait until the stadium is finished to join the league. MLS prides itself on “slow and steady wins the race” so I don’t know why they’re rushing to bring this team into the league when stadium plans aren’t even finished yet. Wait until the stadium is done and bring NYCFC into the league in 2017. Then you’ve got an awesome opening day/opening of the franchise. Instead they’ll rush the team into existence, the casual fan will look at the product as second rate and the league will be diluted even worse from the expansion. Wait the 3 years and none of that happens.

      • I hear what you are saying Chris but perhaps the league is moving to the point where they can change up a bit in their expansion approach? Or maybe this, and Miami, are the outliers – worth the exception and the risks involved because getting a foothold in those markets can prove highly beneficial?

        I am not entirely sure what the logic is behind this move but when we see the conservative minded, slow growth leadership making these kind of moves you have to agree that there’s some business smarts to this. This has to be more than the short-term gain of getting an expansion fee (as many would like to boil this down to). These are business savvy guys who have made MLS the success it is today. I’m gonna trust them on this one.

        The dilution myth is proving to be just that – a myth. MLS is clearly getting decent quality players from outside of the US and Canada. This is clearly evidenced by the talent brought in this year based on the current cap numbers. A new CBA is on the horizon and maybe there will be some more room to bring in more talent. MLS does pay it’s players and that’s a huge plus we have when compared to many leagues – even La Liga (take the certain cash or the large IOU?). So if we can make the sale of a real paycheck and peace for players and their families we’ll keep getting better players. Plus with player development growing up, I am sure we will be getting more local talent in the near future as well.

      • Respectfully disagree. I think the league is diluted as is and suffers even more each time a new franchise is brought in. That’s why I don’t see the need to rush this. Bring a new team in every 3-4 years. Not every season. There are a LOT of average to below-average players out there and not much pressure on a starting 11 to train hard in order to keep their job. A few teams have the benefit of depth, but most do not. And that hurts us a lot in terms of our CONCACAF champions league aspirations, and more importantly it hurst the overall quality of play on the field which drives TV ratings down. And without TV money this league is never going to be anything but second rate.

        Speaking of second rate…from a marketing perspective playing in an MLB stadium also looks exactly that. You might grab some ticket buyers who are already fans of the game, but the average sports fan will scoff at how unprofessional it is (And let’s not get into the Seattle debate. That’s it’s own phenomenon which can’t be replicated). There is absolutely no rush to move NYCFC into the league. Why they’re forcing the situation is beyond me…

        …especially considering that…

        There are markets that are really struggling (NE, DC) and I think it’s irresponsible of MLS to allow these franchises to carry on w/out a clear direction while they move on to supposedly greener pastures in places like NYC and Miami. I think it would be more prudent to figure out the problems in existing markets before potentially causing another one. If MLS is going to hang it’s hat on slow growth and the single entity model then why are they rushing franchise’s into the league when A. they don’t have a stadium of their own (NYCFC, Atlanta) and B. there are teams that could benefit from a single entities attention to detail (NE, DC).

        Makes no sense.

      • I get what you’re saying, but there are nuances to consider regarding the clubs you mentioned.

        With DC, no matter what Garber and company want, they can’t influence that situation without moving the team away, which would be a shame. They’re closer than ever, and I’m optimistic about their progress.

        With Atlanta, at least Blank had the stadium built and designed with MLS in mind. The setup will be similar to Vancouver, and they appear to be doing alright for themselves.

        Don’t get me started on New England. Most every MLS fan knows who is responsible for not getting them their own stadium, and why Garber is effectively powerless to alter things.

        The league is just almost 20 years old. I don’t like the growing pains either, but some things have to be established earlier in order to take root and grow properly. NYCFC is one of those things, I believe…

      • respectfully disagree Chris.
        The more teams, the more the league grows,
        the more the league grows,
        the more the fan base, and player pool, and development grows.
        With greater options to play it becomes much more of a viable and possible path for aspiring soccer players/professionals.
        So the end result, soccer continues to develop, grow, and flourish in America.
        That is the goal, everything else take care of itself.

  24. Never saw that one coming! 🙂

    They won’t be there forever and with their money once the politics and math is sorted out I am confident they’ll have one of the better stadiums in MLS.

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    • + 1 Exactly

      With the money and influence these owners have, I don’t see the big concern about getting a stadium. It will happen. NYCFC will be in their own stadium in 5 years max. That means my guess is 2019 will be their debut stadium season. The Yankee fans won’t let the team play in the baseball stadium for much monger than 3 seasons anyway…

      Reply
      • What do you mean, I am a Yankee, fan and I don’t mind one bit.
        Although off course you are correct in the fact that non soccer specific stadiums generally are not that good for viewing soccer the way it should be.
        I know a director of the Yankees, was a good soccer player, and is a big fan, so that helps.

      • Well, I would like to hope more Yankee fans share your enthusiasm. Especially if more than 3 seasons will be needed to secure a stadium…

      • I’m guessing that you’re not from the NYC area if you think a new stadium is a foregone conclusion.

      • True, I’m not from NY. However, my point is that the only reason I believe the stadium will get built sooner rather than later is because of this specific ownership. Most anyone else or any alternate group would likely have me thinking otherwise…

      • Really? I’m thinking the reason it won’t get built is because of the specific ownership. You think the NYC city council and this mayor are making any deals or concessions for a team owned by the Yankees and Sheikh Mansour? I don’t.

      • Absolutely right. DeBlasio is in office until January 2018. Until at least then, there’s zero chance of the sweetheart tax-free bonds that Bloomberg was willing to put up, so my guess is any SSS in the 4 boroughs (SI isn’t a real option) will cost in excess of $500 million. Mansour and the Yanks will have to seriously pony up the cash.

    • Well said. I had no inkling of this, but it is a super interim strategy (assuming the soccer-specific works out as planned…)

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    • This is not a big surprise but I am a tad concerned at us sending out franchises like confetti regardless of whether stadia are actually lined up. I mean, they yanked SJ for this reason and yet you have expansion teams coming in without land much less funding for construction.

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      • Agreed. MLS is moving away from their earlier model on expansion but then perhaps this is an indication of the stability of the league that they are willing to take such risks and bets? These are smart guys who managed to bring the league to this point so I am willing to give them the benefit of the doubt on this change in direction.

        It’s different, yes, but for the players involved and the markets the league is trying to tap into and position themselves in, I’d say it’s worth it at this point. Risk-Reward – now let’s take that risk and bump up that cap somewhat.

      • New York Gets a pass because big name DPS want to play in NY, construction cost and process is a lot more difficult in NYC then any other city in the United States. And NYC is so large that LA, Chicago and Houston can all fit in NYC.

      • Um, don’t know what you mean by saying that LA could fit in NYC. LA is 503 square miles, whereas NYC is 302.

      • Saying one city “fits” in another city doesn’t make any sense if you’re comparing population.

        No… That was a New Yorker making the New York mistake of thinking that New York is the biggest than everywhere else.

      • No, New Yorkers know that the city is small and densely populated. Don’t be bitter about the alpha city status.

      • Oh look… A New Yorker puffing out his chest to defend another New Yorker’s common error.

        How typical. Go suck a Pink Cow.

      • Assuming he was speaking about population, there was no error at all 🙂 Which flyover state are you from, by the way?

    • Does the grass over the sand hold up well enough? Anyone seen a game there?

      Or are players just gunna avoid it… You could get some really tactically lopsided games if if they do….

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      • Saw Madrid play Milan there. Didn’t see too many issues with the grass. Definitely Better than a fieldturf field (for comparisons sake). That said the stadium arrangement is petty awful for watching soccer.

        Really a big disappointment for the league, but totally predictable.

      • True, at least 80% of the field is totally normal grass and baseball lines are less numerous.

        I have weird feelings about Turf. As I play indoor, I don’t mind it but I’m not putting the same strain on my body as they do. I feel like a good turf field should be comparable.(Except for ball movement.)

        I’m thinking about Tennis in comparison. It has a variety of Surfaces including Turf, grass and clay. I found some good research articles. Both university published.

        http://www.strategicgames.com.au/article7.pdf
        http://hartru.com/uploads/downloads/Doc_7.pdf

        Summery:
        We should play soccer on Grass. It has the least number of injuries.

        Playing on Clay would be better than turf.

        Here are the incomplete game percentages
        Wimbledon on grass (2.0%)

        the Australian Open on Rebound Ace (3.1%)

        the French Open on clay (3.6%)

        US Open on DecoTurf (4.3%).

      • Interesting. I always thought the Red Bulls should have built their SSS at the sight of the old Yankee Stadium instead of in NJ. It’s nice to see NYC FC taking full advantage, despite the configuration of Yankee Stadium not being conducive to soccer. It’s been years since I hung out in the NYC area but I do hope they find a viable urban setting within any of the 5 Boroughs (yes, even Staten Island ;^)) for a subway terminal easy access(screw the parking!) SSS Stadium.

      • I don’t think that the timing worked for Red Bull Arena to built there.

        Plus, the old Yankee Stadium site was needed to replace the ball fields that the new one had displaced.

    • Wait for it………….”Baseball lines! I can still see baseball lines!”

      For one game it’s a cute idea or solution like playing hockey in a football stadium or football in a speedway. I’d encourage them to have fans standing because baseball stadia have the stands twisted to home plate and not lined up along the sidelines of the soccer field. You end up at an angle to the field in front of you.

      Reply
    • Why not just play at the Columbia University stadium (Wein Stadium). Seats 17,000. Is on the island. Is large enough (they play football and lacrosse there). Will be mostly empty the times that MLS plays. And it’s basically the right colors.

      Reply
      • I think you have a decent idea from a sporting and fan comfort perspective, but I think part of this deal is grasping for Yankee coattails. I think fans might find the Yankee Stadium aspect interesting for a couple weeks, and then people are going to judge the fielded product and comfort of the situation.

    • Thought bubble: if I am a marquee foreign player pondering where I want to go next, does this (as long as it lasts) offset some of the value of “NYC?”

      I think this had been batted around since the beginning and so I’m more concerned about the 3 years part.

      Further thought bubble: doesn’t it open MLS up to leveraging, profiteering, and politics to announce the franchise before the stadium is “landed” and funded? If people know what you want the land for, they can maneuver in city council to block it, or raise the price, or otherwise make life more difficult. Whereas if you buy the land quietly, then announce a fait accompli, people aren’t leveraging you. I mean, you’re forced to play ball if you take tax dollars, but I thought some of these were going to be purely private. In which case…..

      Reply
      • Red Bulls will still be the preferred destination for any big time players for years to come. We have everything that NYCFC does not. Grounds, fan support, training facility, champions league, legacy.

      • I’m no expert in these matters but I assume owning the land is not enough. You’d probably need to handle rezoning to allow a stadium to be put on it. In addition their would likely be quite a few infrastructure concerns including water pipes, electricity lines, parking, mass transit schedules, traffic lights, etc. At least some of those would require the city to change things they run which brings in the council.

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