Pro Soccer League Alive, Kicking Major League Organizers Planned Well, As Average Attendance Of 20,899 Per Match Attests

Major League Soccer is playing the numbers game well.

The league broke the million mark in attendance last week, a month ahead of schedule. Six teams are averaging more than 20,000 fans per match and the league average is 20,899 one-third of the way through its first season.

Organizers appear to have done enough things correctly to ensure some success, though there are serious questions about the quality of play and refereeing.

Few teams besides Los Angeles and Tampa Bay have combined defensive organization and a high technical level. Few teams display the charisma of Los Angeles and Tampa Bay, with high-profile, stylish players such as Jorge Campos, Eduardo Hurtado and Carlos Valderrama, plus sublime talents such as Mauricio Cienfuegos and Giuseppe Galderisi.

The Galaxy have captured the imagination of many fans. When Los Angeles trained last week in preparation for its match against the New England Revolution, dozens of fans found their way to Babson College in Wellesley, Mass., seeking autographs and conversation with the players.

No surprise that the Galaxy lead the league in attendance with 34,107 per match. They are performing at a significantly higher level than most of the league. They are anticipating problems better than most organizations - the loss of Jose Vasquez to a broken foot barely fazed the Galaxy, and Vasquez is among the best scorers in the league.

The Galaxy also have tapped into the Latino constituency and are becoming the representative team of that community in the United States. There is a strong Hispanic presence among administrators, and the German-American coach, Lothar Osiander, is fluent in Spanish. The team reflects Latin sensibilities with its style of play, and this has been its best selling point.

The Revolution have not gained that level of attention or projected the multiethnic image that could be crucial to the long-term development of soccer in the United States. The Revolution have defeated one team - the New York/ New Jersey MetroStars - in regulation time in the first two months of the season. Yet they are averaging 20,778 at Foxboro Stadium, indicating the potential of the game as a spectator sport in the area.

There is a more incongruous situation in New York. The MetroStars have the worst record in the MLS, but they are averaging 34,093 fans, second in the league.

The question of quality was raised during Los Angeles’ 4-0 win Sunday over the Metro-Stars, as several of the 53,250 spectators tossed bottles onto the Giants Stadium field to protest the expulsion of defender Nicola Caricola.

For now, though, the Federation Internationale de Football Association and MLS officials are mostly concerned with quantity. FIFA, which made the league possible by awarding the 1994 World Cup to the U.S., has been pleased with the numbers.

“Our attendances are better than all but one or two leagues,” said MLS chairman Alan Rothenberg, who attended the U.S.-Ireland match at Foxboro Stadium on Sunday. “They can’t believe it at FIFA and I can’t believe it, either.”

Rothenberg, who recently returned from FIFA meetings in which the 2002 World Cup was awarded to Japan and South Korea, is a member of the 1998 FIFA Organizing Committee. Rothenberg was backed by FIFA during U.S. Soccer Federation presidential elections and he has been primarily responsible for fulfilling FIFA’s directive for a First Division professional league in the U.S.

“Attendances will settle,” Rothenberg said. “We planned for an average of 12,000 in the stadium and 10,600 paid per game. If it settles at 16,000-18,000, we’re going to be off to a heck of a great start.”

Success, though, is often accompanied by problems. The MLS will soon have to confront the probability of expansion.

“We are going to be cautious about expansion,” Rothenberg said. “We are concerned about the dilution of talent. Expanding by two teams would put pressure on the talent pool.”

Expansion will be discussed during league meetings before the MLS All-Star Game/FIFA World All-Stars vs. Brazil doubleheader July 14 at Giants Stadium.

By then, the MLS season will be past the halfway mark and a more accurate assessment of the league can be made. For now, the league can be considered a success by most standards.

“The quality of play has been good and it has been entertaining,” Rothenberg said. “The fans are going home happy and they feel good about what we have done.”