Wrong Turn

Count me as one who hopes the Miami Fusion's game in the Orange Bowl on June 30 is a colossal flop. And why, you ask, would I -- Mr. "Up With MLS" -- want to see it fail?

Well, I'm going to play the bad guy here. I don't have any problem with the Fusion trying to pad their average attendance figures by playing a game in Miami and catering to a different audience for a night or two. It's no different than what Colorado does every Fourth of July, when they draw 50,000-plus, only because they hand out free passes to some amusement park. At the end of the year, the Rapids can say they averaged 12,500 when, really, the typical game attracts more like 8,000 ... that's all fine.

What I fear, however, is the Fusion drawing, say, 20,000 on the 30th and a bunch of people screaming, "We've found the solution to our attendance problems!"

I promise you, playing in the Orange Bowl is not the answer, for so many reasons. First of all, the last thing MLS needs is another gigantic football stadium where any fan with half a brain knows there is no reason to buy a ticket ahead of time. Oh, they might be fooled into buying a ticket for one game, but once they see how many great seats are empty, they'll know better. The next time, they'll wait until game night ... they'll wait to see if the weather is right ... if the kids have been good and deserve to go to a game ... if they're actually in the mood to leave to watch a game ... if all their favorite players are healthy, not away on national team duty, suspended ... whatever. In other words, they'll be in the same boat as every MLS team not named the Crew. If the team isn't tearing up the league, it will soon be the worst place to watch soccer in the league -- bar none.

You see, the one thing the Fusion did right before this season was Lockhart Stadium. I remember Bruce Arena saying, when he first laid eyes on the place in '98, "Now, if we could only build 11 more of these, we'll be in business." Arena was right then ... and all that's changed since he said that is, now, because of Lamar Hunt, the number is 10. A crowd of 7,000-10,000 looks super at Lockhart. A crowd of 7,000-10,000 is, from what I've seen from that market (not just in soccer) about as good as you can expect on a regular basis. That's not a slap at the Fusion ... the same holds true for a lot of teams in this league when you subtract doubleheaders and water-park-giveaways.

Oh, I know all the stuff about Lockhart being "too far" from the Fusion's "ethnic" fanbase. I've even heard Ray Hudson say the club would be averaging 20,000 at the Orange Bowl. I don't buy it. And I won't buy it, even if they average 20,000 for the two games they're going to play at the Orange Bowl this year. Put the Fusion down there, in that stadium, and MLS will effectively be killing a franchise. At Lockhart, there still might be hope.

In Tight Space