Boston Magazine: The Krafts Are the Worst Owners in the MLS

I love soccer or should i say football , but i frankly do not care about the MLS league, at all. I watch a few games years ago, granted people said it is better now, but i feel like it would be like broadcasting high school football compared to the other major league, or even worse a full team of mark sanchez playing . It is a shame that the MLS sucks because I like how they crack down people that dive during game and penalize them. I think that should be the standard.

Joker said:

I'd love to use Phony Gasbaggarotti's face for a soccer ball...

gooooooooooooooooaaaaaaaaaaaallllllll.....!!!!!

Click to expand...

And Vulgar's as a urinal...

Gator Mike said:

Wonderland. The City of Revere wants a stadium there, the land isn't being used by the current owners, there's a T stop there, there's a brand new parking garage there, and they could hopefully piggyback on some of the infrastructure improvements a new casino at Suffolk Downs would bring.

Click to expand...

Actually that's a pretty good idea, Mike. Thanks for at least stepping to the plate with a reasonable alternative. Wasn't that a potential casino site as well? The one problem I see in that site would be the fact that even without any events happening, getting in and out of that area is and was always a nightmare, even in rush hours.

Having a T stop is a start. OK Mike, make it happen.

KontradictioN said:

What's an "MLS"?

Click to expand...

Master of Library Science.

Kdo5 said:

I like soccer and I kinda wish that the sport could flourish in the US but it is about as successful as American football in other areas of the world. Can't blame the Krafts for being bad MLS owners while having the most successful NFL franchise over the past decade.

Click to expand...

Soccer is flourishing in the US. The problem is MLS is still far behind the European leagues.

Look at the access we now have with the EPL, champions league, world cup and Euro cup. NBC, Fox, and ABC pay big money to acquire the rights to broadcast them.

Ask soccer fans in America who their fave soccer team is. I bet over 80% will bring up an international soccer team and not even mention an MLS team.

If your comparing soccer popularity by how MLS teams compare with the big 4 leagues, then yes it's still far behind. But go by an Irish pub during the weekend around a big EPL game. It'll be packed with fans.

Gator Mike said:

Thanks to a nearly unrepeatable stretch of drafting that netted the Revs five All-Stars over a four year period, including some of the very best players in league history. But even during those seasons, the Revs were always among the very lowest payrolls in the league, and there were seasons where they didn't even sign the maximum number of players they were allowed to - the equivilant of the Patriots deciding that they were only going to dress 42 players for a game instead of 48.


Wonderland. The City of Revere wants a stadium there, the land isn't being used by the current owners, there's a T stop there, there's a brand new parking garage there, and they could hopefully piggyback on some of the infrastructure improvements a new casino at Suffolk Downs would bring.


The problem with Harvard Stadium is the actual physical field is too narrow. I agree that BC's neighbors would never allow the Revs to play there. Nickerson field is only about 12,000 seats, it's still FieldTurf, and it's too narrow as well.

Click to expand...

What Does: Bob Kraft Mayor Joseph Curtatone & Assembly Square Have in Common? A World Class Soccer Stadium! | Boston News Group.com METRO BUZZ

KontradictioN said:

What's an "MLS"?

Click to expand...

Here are some choices. I know what it means to me.

Macrolides Lincosamides And Streptogramin
Magnetic Levitation System
Mailing List System
Major League Soccer
Marketing Locating System
Massachusetts Library System
Master of Library Science
Matching Load System
Maximum Length Sequence
Maximum Long String
Medical Laboratory Science
Medium Long Shot
Men Ladies And Seniors
Meyer Listing Systems
Michigan Legal Services
Michigan Lutheran Seminary
Microwave Landing System
Microwave Limb Sounder
Miles City, Montana - Airport Code
Mills Corporation - MLS is the stock symbol
Minimum Load Select
Modular Lighting System
Multi Lingual Scholar
Multi-Language Support
Multi-Layer Switching
Multi-Layered Steel
Multi-Level Security
Multiple Listing Service
Multiple Location Scheduling
Muzzle Loading Smoothbore
My Little Sister
My Lucky Star
and lastly..
My Long Schlong

Pessimistic Pete said:

I hope they move the Rev out of Foxboro, makes the Pats field look ugly and it'd be a lot better for the Rev to play closer to Boston.

Click to expand...

Thanks for posting the link and also to Gator Mike, Azorian and others who constructively weighed in. I don't follow MLS or the Revs and much of that has to do with the aesthetics. Compared to European or world football, the pitches are shoddy, have too many lines and are too cramped to promote what I think is good football. Frankly, I've seen better Serie C playing pitches although they obviously cannot come close to the level that is Gillette as a stadium. So I've always wondered why the Revs had to share a field with the Pats when we know the Krafts have such deep pockets. I now have a better understanding as to the why and I don't understand why the Krafts just unload the team. The Boston area deserves a first rate soccer team and anyone who's attended a men's or women's WC match understands how incredible the fans here can be.

Also, I wonder what would have happened had the Krafts been successful in buying into Liverpool.

I fail to see how playing in a smaller stadium away from the freeway system is of any benefit. Perhaps some of the older football-only fields were not large enough for soccer fields, but Gillette was designed with soccer in mind.

We all remember how the Celtics were left with poor dates in the old Garden controlled by the Bruins. To a degree that is still true, but the dates are much more equitable now,

Scheduling for 8 football dates a season hardly constitutes that kind of second class citizenship concerns. Especially as the Krafts own the football team, the soccer team and the stadium and are concerned that all the enterprises be profitable.

The Revs lack of talent and success is a possibly valid complaint. But MLS is still a second class sport in the USA, not in the top 4, and there are plenty of clubs in MLB that have won squat in a hundred years, like the Cubs for example.

It was the same ownership in pro football, that produced only failure for the Steelers until the 1970s. after 50 years of frustration. Not so suddenly they are viewed as as geniuses.

Vote with your dollars.

It's going to be in Somerville.

And it's going to be a big hit with the young and international demographic in that area and beyond. Concerts/Soccer/Medium Sized events.

Somerville/Cambridge/Medford is exploding with growth and there will be two brand new T stops near that Assembly Row site (one Green, one Orange). It's a real estate homerun. Revere/Wonderland doesn't even come close.

shmessy;38018hit 67 said:

It's going to be in Somerville.

And it's going to be a big hit with the young and international demographic in that area and beyond. Concerts/Soccer/Medium Sized events.

Somerville/Cambridge/Medford is exploding with growth and there will be two brand new T stops near that Assembly Row site (one Green, one Orange). It's a real estate homerun. Revere/Wonderland doesn't even come close.

Click to expand...

Revere is a dump.

Cambridge as been a hit for young urban professionals for some time. Somerville is Pretty much following Cambridge. I bought a house in Medford 2 years ago. It's a mix between Somerville/Cambridge and the suburbs. I love it here.

Word is Kraft always had his eye on Somerville.

AzorianPats said:

Soccer is flourishing in the US. The problem is MLS is still far behind the European leagues.

Look at the access we now have with the EPL, champions league, world cup and Euro cup. NBC, Fox, and ABC pay big money to acquire the rights to broadcast them.

Ask soccer fans in America who their fave soccer team is. I bet over 80% will bring up an international soccer team and not even mention an MLS team.

If your comparing soccer popularity by how MLS teams compare with the big 4 leagues, then yes it's still far behind. But go by an Irish pub during the weekend around a big EPL game. It'll be packed with fans.

Click to expand...

Least MLS has a playoffs. I think it'll be the 5th sport eventually. Not a soccer guy but, I watched some of the revs last years playoff and it was actually decent. Wish they could do away with ties.

I actually think that bad press will make the Krafts do some things to improve. They don't like bad press and will be analyzing whether this will hurt their football product (probably not, judging by the responses here).

Wotan_the_Wanderer said:

e.

Also, I wonder what would have happened had the Krafts been successful in buying into Liverpool.

Click to expand...

It wasn't a serious look into Liverpool. Once he saw the debt that Liverpool had and that the EPL will never ever have a salary cap structure he never got serious.

AzPatsFan said:

I fail to see how playing in a smaller stadium away from the freeway system is of any benefit.

Click to expand...

Because MLS is going after 18-35 year olds who live in the city. Who follow the US National team. Build a 18K-20K Stadium around Somerville/Revere and the Revs sell out every game.


If people don't think soccer in the country can take off you don't pay attention to what is happening. Look this summer in Boston at how many bars will be packed to capacity watching the US World Cup games.
When the league started in 1996. It was played in all NFL Stadiums.

Now in the 19th season 19 teams and only 2 play in NFL Stadiums. NE and Seattle. Seattle averages 44K a game.

MLS in 2013 just had its 2nd best avg attendance 18.6K just behind 2012 18.8K.

MLS is the 7th highest attended Soccer league in the World.

Not saying it will ever catch any of the US leagues but MLS is here to stay.

AzorianPats said:

Word is Kraft always had his eye on Somerville.

Click to expand...

But they've been eyeing Somerville for SIX YEARS now. Jonathan Kraft said recently that they thought they had something done for Somerville's InnerBelt area in 2008, but the recession made things such that the numbers wouldn't work.

There's nowhere else in Somerville to put it. Every other significant piece of land is either spoken for or isn't nearly big enough.

Gator Mike said:

But they've been eyeing Somerville for SIX YEARS now. Jonathan Kraft said recently that they thought they had something done for Somerville's InnerBelt area in 2008, but the recession made things such that the numbers wouldn't work.

There's nowhere else in Somerville to put it. Every other significant piece of land is either spoken for or isn't nearly big enough.

Click to expand...

Assembly Row.

InnerBelt would have been perfect BTW. Right off 93 and Mcgrath , plus with access to both the Green Line in Lechmere and Orange line in Sullivan Sq.

Froob said:

Least MLS has a playoffs. I think it'll be the 5th sport eventually. Not a soccer guy but, I watched some of the revs last years playoff and it was actually decent. Wish they could do away with ties.

Click to expand...

Froob, you want playoffs? Please watch the Champions League.

If you liked MLS, I guarantee you won't be disappointed.

Couldn't care less

Wish soccer would go back to Europe