So What Do We Think of the New NYCFC Crests?

These are the final two choices for the NYCFC crest. (nycfc.com)

So early this week NYCFC (NY2) jumped on the beginning of the season hype machine for MLS by announcing the final two choices for it's crest, err badge.  They use "badge," but I prefer "crest" so I'm going with that.  It's actually a pretty smart move for the franchise, one year out from actually hitting the pitch.  It continues building their fanbase by letting fans vote for which crest they prefer on the official club website and gets the rest of us talking about them as part of the league throughout the 2014 campaign.  

Now that they have their first coach, *COUGH--HACK--WHEEZE.* Sorry about that.  Anyway, now that they have their first coach, there will be more steps toward formulating the club's identity and building their support.  You'll have the first signings, the first DP signings, the signing of a sponsor, the first money drop from Manchester City (I kid, kind of), the stadium announcement, the first kit, the first supporter group, the second supporter group, the first cranky disagreement between supporter groups, then finally the first game, the first goal, oh and the first chance to bitch about MLS referees.  Welcome, NYCFC!

Actually I like the crests.  Now, I had seen some others during their design contest that I liked better, but I think these are two solid choices.  I think I like the circular one a little better.  The shield looks just a little too elaborate for my taste, then there's that hint of Mets orange that, as a Braves fan, I think is rather meh.  Honestly, I don't think the club can go wrong with either one though.

In previous entries I've been quite critical of Major League Soccer's choice to put a second team in the NYC area.  But hey, now it's happened, so I'm gonna get behind what the league thought was a good move, even if I disagree.  I'm still not thrilled with the Man City aspect either, but again, it's out of my control.  I do think a healthy derby between Red Bulls and City could be a great thing for MLS, even if it might take it awhile to develop.

There are going to be those who hate it for other reasons as well.  You've got the "I hate whatever MLS does" faction of folks who feel that this sucks just because it's affiliated with MLS.  You also have the history buffs who thought that MLS should have brought the Cosmos back into division one.  NYCFC is always going to be an abomination to these guys with their reanimated zombie version of the Cosmos sitting in NASL while this Man City farm squad plays in the US top flight.  Nobody is ever going to win over either of these two groups of people.

But, if you're an MLS fan like I am, I urge you to get behind this effort at least a little bit, even though it might be a particular issue for my fellow RSL fans.  NYCFC is going to bring more talent into MLS, and we know that Jason Kreis is going to play the right kind of soccer with that talent, well, either that or he'll end up being the David Moyes of MLS.  We shall see.  Besides, away days in NYC?  I'm thinking that might be a pretty good time, don't you?

Jason Kreis and RSL: The Roads Diverge.

It's the end of an era at Rio Tinto Stadium

Late this summer a frightening specter emerged for RSL fans to think about.  Rumors began to circulate that head coach Jason Kreis, the face of the franchise, was considering a move to expansion franchise New York City FC as their first head coach.  It caused a considerable ruckus to say the least, leading into the US Open Cup Final and a big regular season clash with the Seattle Sounders, both of which RSL lost.  Gradually things calmed down though, and RSL rebounded with a tremendous run through the MLS playoffs falling just short to Sporting Kansas City in the MLS Cup final last weekend.

However, once that match was over, the eyes of everyone affiliated with RSL and many affiliated with MLS turned to Kreis to see what choice he would make regarding his future.  Last night, coach Kreis had the team up to his house and broke the news: he's taking the job at NYCFC.

Now one can't fault RSL fans for feeling like they've been kicked in the teeth while they were down.  The jubilation of beating Portland in the Western Conference final gave way to huge disappointment with the cup loss, and to deal with this three days later is kind of hard to swallow.  My own immediate reaction last night was severe disappointment, as I had hoped Kreis would stay.  To me, there was a sense of unfinished business this year after 2 Cup final losses.  However, after sleeping it on it, I've come to a different perspective.

First off, Jason Kreis owes this club and it's fans absolutely NOTHING.  I'm not sure that anyone in MLS could have built RSL from what it was into what it is in as short an amount of time as Coach Kreis.  We've gone to from doormat to champions and perennial contenders.  This last year, after jettisoning several key players, Coach Kreis lead this team to an MLS Cup final in what was supposed to be a rebuilding year.  Kreis has more than earned his wage and our respect in Salt Lake City.

Second, this is a HUGE chance for Jason Kreis.  Not only will Jason be moving into a huge role with a ton of cash to play with to face his latest challenge, but he's going to be a first hand witness to big time European Club football.  According to the NYCFC website, Coach Kreis will travel to England to work directly with Manchester City staff including manager Manuel Pellegrini.  He'll also get to work with Director of Football Txiki Bergiristain, who won the Champions League with Barcelona.  For a man who wants to continue to progress as a head coach in football, whether in the USA or abroad, this is a chance that cannot be passed up.

Finally, this was obviously not easy for Coach Kreis.  I encourage everyone, RSL fan or not, to listen to his interview with ESPN 700's Bill Riley. It's heartbreaking in spots, and gut-wrenching for RSL fans.  In the interview, Kreis speaks of the agony of making the choice, knowing he would have to make up his mind soon as the playoffs wore on.  He also said that telling the team was the hardest message he's ever had to deliver.   Listen to the interview for more perspective on this.  It's fantastic.

Are there potentially pitfalls here for both Kreis and RSL?  Absolutely.  The club has stated their intention to hire someone who will continue with Kreis's system, or as he put it: the RSL ethos.  However, if next season does not go well, one can quickly see the questions and finger-pointing beginning immediately.  If it goes south quickly, we'll have one unhappy fanbase.  For Kreis, he'll go right into the pressure cooker.  NY is an entirely different sports culture than Salt Lake.  Granted, it's not the Yankees or the Giants, so the spotlight won't be quite as white hot, but MLS, Man City, and the Yankees have invested a lot of time and cash into this enterprise, and results will be expected quickly.  Also, when you think of both New York and Manchester City, "The team is the star" is hardly the first thing to come to mind.

The path ahead for both RSL and Kreis is risky, but nothing worth having is usually easy.  For now, I hope other RSL fans will join me in expressing their gratitude for Coach Kreis and pondering the legacy he has left here.  Soon enough, a new frontier awaits the club and the man, and when that time arrives, fortune will indeed favor the bold.

Opinion: MLS Formally Announces NY2, One Fan's Thoughts.

MLS has formally announced that NYC will be the home of it's 20th franchise.

Major League Soccer and Commissioner Don Garber made it official this morning, New York City will be the home of the league's next expansion franchise.  The team, currently operating under the name "New York City FC" will be a jointly run venture owned by Manchester City in England and the New York Yankees.  They are scheduled to begin play in 2015, and currently have no concrete stadium plans.

So there's the news portion of this entry, the rest is strictly opinion, and some folks at MLS aren't going to like it.  Now keep in mind, I'm not a businessman, nor am I a New Yorker, so I don't pretend to be an authority on the issues that are involved here.  What I am is a die hard MLS fan who pumps hundreds of my own dollars into my club and the league every year, and I believe that people like me should have a voice in the process.  However, all the concerns raised by any number of fans or fan blogs have poo-pooed by the league, if they are even acknowledged at all.  There are quite a few MLS fans, and potential MLS fans in other markets, that really feel railroaded by this whole process.  If you don't believe me, take a look at twitter.  The American soccer media has been running interference for the League on this all day, hald-assedly answering legitimate questions or just plain saying we have no idea what we're talking about, after all, this is NEW YORK baby!

Now I don't have an objection to New York City having an expansion franchise.    It's true that all of the "major sports leagues" in the USA have a presence in/around NYC.  I do have an issue with the timing.  There are other markets that really are begging for MLS (Orlando) who at least have a temporary stadium in place, again, Orlando could play in the Citrus Bowl.  It would be no worse than DC United playing at RFK.  I'll also give MLS credit for not bowing to the Cosmos ownership group.  The Cosmos are a brand, period, and bringing in a team just for the the brand is even worse than what they're doing.

This issue with a potential stadium in New York really bothers me.  The Yankees participation in the project means that Yankee Stadium MIGHT be an option for a temporary site, but it's nothing but a stop gap measure.  Garber has pursuing a plan to put a stadium on Flushing Meadows park land in Queens, but has met with heavy resistance from the locals, who don't really feel like giving up the park space that they already have.  This has caused major issues, and by Garber's own admission, there is no plan B at this point.  This is perhaps the biggest sticking point, and I'm sure the league and the new ownership group think that all they have to do is throw money at it and the problem will go away.  I'm not sure that's going to be the case.  

Plus, how does this affect the Red Bulls?  Take a look at least weekend's nationally broadcast match between the Red Bulls and the LA Galaxy at Red Bull Arena.  The Galaxy practically sell out every stadium, even without Beckham, yet the Red Bull logo in the stands was plainly visible between the sparse crowd of folks in attendance.  Fact: the Red Bulls seem incapable of filling their stadium, despite the presence of world class players like Thierry Henry and Tim Cahill.  Don't give me that "but they're all the way out in New Jersey" thing either.  People drive to New Jersey to see Jets and the Giants at the Meadowlands, correct?    Plus, we drive 45 minutes to an hour to see Real Salt Lake every match too, and we're season ticket holders.  Obviously SLC traffic is a whole different ball game than getting from NY to Jersey, but if people want the product badly enough, they'll go, hence the NFL situation.  Plus what chance will the Red Bulls have of continuing to attract world class talent with the rich step-brother next door?

It seems to me that most of this is based on TV money, and I'm not sure the MLS TV model is on the right road.  Almost every Red Bulls match is broadcast on either ESPN or NBC Sports, yet the league's ratings continue to be horridly underwhelming.  Plus, the league continues to shove matches like Chicago vs Philadelphia at us because of the large market thinking.  These matches tend to be total snoozers because the league's best soccer is not played in Chicago or Philadelphia, though the Union seem to be heading in the right direction and have an outstanding stadium and fanbase, so no  offense.  The ratings seem to show that the large market bias isn't working particularly well for MLS.  What can be assured is this: the New York/LA centric MLS TV coverage is just going to get worse with this development.  

In the final analysis, I'm not sure this is the best move to grow the league in the long term.  It's a money grab, period.  MLS will get 60 million more in an expansion fee from this franchise than they would get from an Orlando market or elsewhere.  Money talks, and the execs listen.  They don't listen to the fans though.  They don't listen to the fans who have already said they don't give a hoot about New York games on TV.  They don't listen to fans who say they don't want one of the league's flagship franchises to be a farm team for a free wheeling EPL club.  They don't listen to fans from other markets who are literally crying out for this sport.  Now, if they are going to expand further, they're going over FIFA's 20 team limit, not that MLS has ever cared about anything FIFA does, which costs teams their best players every time an international date rolls around.

They're going to do what they're going to do, end of story.  I'm not saying it isn't going to work.  I love MLS, and for the sake of the league, I really hope they know what they're doing.  I'm just not sure that a venture between a bunch of oil rich dudes and the baseball team that kept firing and rehiring Billy Martin over and over again is the best idea in the world when competitive football already exists in other markets.

Just my two cents.