Dynamo v. San Jose Match Rescheduled to be an Undercard for a U-23 Friendly
by Zach Woosley on Jan 26, 2012 9:21 AM CST
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PrintQuick bit of news from yesterday, the Dynamo's trip to face the San Jose Earthquakes in the second match of the 2012 has been rescheduled, just slightly. Instead of the match being played on Sunday, March 18th at Buck Shaw Stadium has been moved up a day and will instead take place at AT&T Park. The move is so the match can be part of a double header with the Mexico U-23 v. Senegal U-23 game.
The move makes sense I guess, nothing wrong with bundling matches, but this is essentially an MLS match, the top division of soccer in the United States, playing under card to a U-23 friendly. I know it really doesn't matter, I know it's really not a big deal, but it just seems cheap and a bit condescending to MLS (even though this is not the case). It's also annoying personally because it makes it harder for me to cover the match since I was expecting the match to be on Sunday and made plans. Oh well.
The match will kick-off at 4:00pm CT, no TV coverage has yet been announced but it's likely to be part of the still unannounced remainder of the Dynamo's local TV deal. Hopefully no Dynamo fans made travel plans for this match and if they did they'll already be in the San Jose area on Saturday.
Am I nuts to be a bit annoyed bit this?
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Fair enough
I get that Garber is probably justifying it that its a “football weekend” and that its a chance to showcase MLS to an international audience…but it does seem a bit cheap, right? It gives it the feel of an exhibition match instead of a proper MLS match. I know I know, we’re starting to sound whiny here but really, U-23? I’d shut up if it were a proper NT match but we’re taking a back seat to the kids? Huh
absolutely right
it screams “minor league”
I love the fact we are playing in SF to broaden the MLS audience but not at the expense of playing second fiddle to u-23’s. not worth it.
I suppose they are worried about attendance b/c Man City only got 15k to AT&T for their friendly last summer. But that was a poorly advertised game. AT&T got 15k just to watch the England-USA WC game on the centerfield TV. And it got 37k for the USA-Japan friendly in 2006.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 10:51 AM CST up reply actions
I agree with you completely Ginge
When I saw this this morning, certain thoughts raced through my mind:
1. WTF? An undercard to a u-23 friendly?
2. No wonder Dynamo left the Bay Area. If this is what’s needed to draw fans to an MLS game in the Bay Area, screw them. Move the Quakes 3.0 as well. San Diego and Phoenix would love to have them. I’m no Phil Anschutz fan, but he’s a better businessman that Lew Wolff.
3. Well, playing in a larger park than Buck Shaw’s little high school field is a good idea, and the late arriving crowd looking to see a U-23 friendly and being treated to the Houston Dynamo running past a small local XI like the Quakes is certain to give them some value for their popcorn.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Sorry
You are of course correct, as it is on the grounds of UC-Santa Clara. Instead, I should have written, the size, feel and capacity of a dinky high school field.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Actually it's Santa Clara University.
There is no UC Santa Clara. And it definitely has a feel of a bigger than high school stadium. There aren’t any high schools in California that I know of that have stadiums that hold 10,000+ fans. Hell there aren’t many that have stadiums that hold more than 3,000.
Sorry but...
a 10,000 seat stadium seems very high school level compared to 30,000+ Robertson Stadium
There are ~80 high school football stadiums in Texas that hold 10K+. The second largest used to be known as Pizza Hut Oven Park. (Hmm, this link doesn’t say who plays there. Does anybody even care up there?)
Remember
Pizza Hut Park doesn’t exist anymore since Pizza Hut withdrew from the naming rights deal (or decided not to renew. Whatever). So now it’s just the home of Frisco ISD teams, and some local XI.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Tri Power
I think it’s being over estimated here. My initial thought was that this is a busch league move. But maybe I’m looking at things half empty. Perhaps, San Jose is looking at the MLS game as the big lead in and the U’s are a bonus on the back end for people who came to watch the Earthquakes and Dynamo. Outrage soothed.
no, we are definitely the "opening act" for the u-23's
make no mistake about it… the “mexico olympic team” will be the headliner
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 10:52 AM CST up reply actions
AT&T Park will be mostly empty until sometime in the second half with the Mexico fans start to show up to see their Olympic team.
--
Managing Editor of Dynamo Theory
by Zach Woosley on Jan 26, 2012 11:55 AM CST up reply actions
this is what 37k for USA - Japan looked like in 2006
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 1:41 PM CST up reply actions
That’s for a USA-Japan friendly right? Full senior team? And what do you think it’ll look like for a U-23 game? Maybe something like this:
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
The answer is it depends.
IF they do zero advertising and marketing, then yes… it will be pretty empty for the MLS game… maybe 15k like what Man City got last summer for its friendly against Club America in AT&T.
If, however, they properly advertise the game with a couple billboards in SF next the freeway and bridges, and run a couple TV spots on Warriors/Sharks games, then they should be able to get 35k plus no problem. The Quakes got 42k to Stanford stadium (50k capacity) last summer for a regular season match against NY. No double header or anything, they just did a good job advertising it:
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 2:58 PM CST up reply actions
That's what I'm talking about!
So you’re much closer to this than I am. What do you think the odds are that the Quakes will market this game like you say they need to?
Really, there should be no reason for it not to be marketed, and marketed heavily. The Giants and As will be in Arizona still. The Warriors are at Utah that night. That Sharks will be home, but really, that should be more of a conflict with the U-23 game since they don’t drop until 7:30 p.m. And then the team that’s actually responsible for those two stars you guys have on your kits will be the visitors in a springtime afternoon game. What’s not to like? There should be the 35K you say.
Though personally, I’m taking the under.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
They'll probably save the major marketing for the real rivalry game with LA
During the summer at Stanford Stadium. However I imagine they’ll do some marketing for this like they did our previous games in Oakland. I’d expect somewhere in between, say 25k for this game. Particularly since if I’m not mistaken this is the Quakes first visit to AT&T Park (which frankly in and of itself is a shocking occurrence since the Quakes (and A’s) ownership are not on friendly terms with the Giants ownership).
yeah it's pretty surprising
given the ongoing bitter feud between Wolff and the Giants ownership over moving the A’s into Giants-owned territorial rights in SJ.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 5:32 PM CST up reply actions
Who knows
Maybe the relationship has thawed recently and they just haven’t announced it yet. After all, Bud Selig was going to be pushing the issue to the “front burner.”
I would take the under too
as a general rule our marketing department sucks. Not only are the people who work in it incompetent but they are also given little to no resources to work with. So they could decide they want to do a billboard and a few TV spots but that will get killed by higher-ups b/c Lew Wolff doesn’t give them any budget to work with. The Stanfurd game last year showed what can happen in this market when you do it right… but it was an exception to the general rule… most of the time our marketing department is a miserable failure.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 5:30 PM CST up reply actions
Still a bit miffed by this
not so much for whether this packaging could be seen as a undercard v the main event argument (considering Houston & SJ get to tear up the baseball field first I’ll take that as a plus) but that the game’s moved to a baseball-specific field. Already having to go through a rough start by playing the matches away until the Beevah opens, now the squad will have to adjust to this. Further, considering AT&T was built just for baseball & on TV at least looks a bit confined for that cozy old-school baseball feel, one wonders what disadvantage both teams will have over playing @ Buck Shaw.
Lew Wolff owns both teams, so SJ plays there a few times a year, right johnjahafanclub?
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
No Wolff owns the A's, not the Giants.
The A’s play at the Oakland Coliseum, which is a dump and terrible for every sport played there.
Whoops
Got the two venues confused for a second there.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Not to worries
I suspect you don’t live in the Bay Area so it’s understandable. I couldn’t tell you who owns any team in Houston except for the Dynamo and the Astros (and I only know them because they just changed owners).
Let me help you...
Texans – Bob McNair
Rockets – Les Alexander
Knowing is half the battle…
-- "...I was sick, napping, and then woke up and came to the computer to read a note from the Gingered Angel of Doom..." Martek - Dynamo Theory Blog
On the plus side though...
Does this mean that silly inflatable jersey SJ has won’t make the trip to San Fran? I really can’t stand that thing.
supposedly the amway sponsorship ended
so we hopefully will never see that thing ever again. it’s not even the worst thing about buck shaw… try the overflowing porta potties.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 10:53 AM CST up reply actions
Talking Of
overflowing porta potties….what ever happened to Darren Huckerby??
What's a Huckerby?
He retired after the 2009 season.
--
Managing Editor of Dynamo Theory
by Zach Woosley on Jan 26, 2012 2:57 PM CST up reply actions
if u want to know why the Quakes struggle for media attention in the bay area
you merely have to watch the infamous Huckerby interview with local sports radio heavyweight Gary Radnich:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-B6ucoSoIy4
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 3:01 PM CST up reply actions
Wow
that was….wow.
(Deleted excerpt): “Soooo…this soccer-ball stuff. Do you guys like ever throw the ball, you know?”
sorry @johnjaha and @athletics, please tell me you guys have someone else over there who can speak a bit more articulately regarding football
we do but not in the major media
Robert Jonas is the cream of the crop but he has to do it via his independent outlets like Quake Rattle and Goal on SB Nation. Rick Tittle is our go to guy on sports radio but he’s not on the big gorilla sports station KNBR like Radnich is.
There’s a hired gun on Comcast sportsnet who does announcing for home games but he’s not a soccer guy. Elliot Almond does a good job with the local paper but they still make mistakes and often relegate him to the back pages. For example the SJ Mercury news didn’t do a pre-game article for our summer friendly against West Brom so no one knew about it so only 6k people showed up to witness this now world-famous goal in person: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05VhDBSQ8JQ
SF chron and oakland tribune do not cover the Quakes aside from 1 or 2 special interest stories per year.
Win or lose, we'll always be there for you.
by johnjahafanclub on Jan 26, 2012 6:11 PM CST up reply actions
Yeah cities like Houston and Seattle are lucky
The Quakes usually get almost press regardless of what the FO does, and until Almond came along our only regular press was from that moron Barry Witt and his pieces were all negative pieces about how a stadium for a soccer team was a waste of time. Thank God they threw him out with their downsizing a few years ago.
I know it's not sa simple as this...
…because with AEG there are always agendas, but now we can all see why the Quakes 2.0 moved to Houston in the first place. What was amazing to me is that Lew Woolf was interested at all in bringing in the 3.0 version. For the Mercury-News to basically ignore the team speaks volumes.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
They're too busy contemplating their own demise
To report on much of anything anymore. The Murk is a rag that is slowly dying from a thousand different cuts.
by athletics68 on Jan 27, 2012 11:23 AM CST up reply actions
Radnich...
…is the same guy who asked Yallop about Victoria Beckham with his mouth drooling a few years ago.
"We don't care who finishes second." -- Celtic's Peter Lowrie
Dislike this, but at least it's only one day.
It’s not like the moved it up over a month (and changed to a mid-week game) to accommodate Ozzfest or anything.
No, I won’t let go of that, it was the lamest thing Waldos have done so far.
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