Could MLS to Portland help WPS to Portland

Would a conversion of PGE to a soccer specific facility make it easier for a Portland group to bring in a WPS franchise? Anyone with some bucks wanna pony up and do it please?

That would be great. It you had a Portland team built around former UP stars it would draw very well here.

Does anyone know if the soccer conversion of PGE Park will involve real grass? That would increase the attractiveness of the MLS and/or WPS games a whole lot for me.

SoreKnees wrote:That would be great. It you had a Portland team built around former UP stars it would draw very well here.

Does anyone know if the soccer conversion of PGE Park will involve real grass? That would increase the attractiveness of the MLS and/or WPS games a whole lot for me.

Grass is not in the future. The stadium will still see PSU and HS football. There's no way Grass would hold up to the number of games that will be asked of it. Many of the MLS fields either are Turf or are being converted to Turf - especially the ones in the Northern climates.

The current Generation FieldTurf Paulson installed was an improvement over the rock hard NexTurf. I just hope strides in that direction will continue.

Any grass field in Portland, especially one used for football and for just a large quantity of games overall, seems like it would be a mud field more than anything.

Of course Merlo would be a great site for a WPS team. Especially seeing that Santa Clara's field is being used for a WPS team. WPS finishes their season in August, wouldn't seem to conflict. How did we miss out on an inaugural team?

aleppiek wrote:Of course Merlo would be a great site for a WPS team. Especially seeing that Santa Clara's field is being used for a WPS team. WPS finishes their season in August, wouldn't seem to conflict. How did we miss out on an inaugural team?

Most (though not all) WPS teams are affiliated with Men's programs this time around. I think Paulson wanted to concentrate on MLS before even considering WPS.

aleppiek wrote:Would a conversion of PGE to a soccer specific facility make it easier for a Portland group to bring in a WPS franchise?

I certainly hope so. It's the main reason I'm supporting trying to bring a MLS team here.

As much as I love the WPS and womens' soccer, I'm a litte bit cynical about how quickly they'll be able to have expansion in this economy. I'm still trying to figure out how I can best support the league besides watching games on the Fox Soccer Channel at the soccer bars on Sundays and possibly buying a jersey...

Yeah, honestly this league needs to be more concerned about survival before they every even concern themselves with expansion. There is yet to be a professional women's league in pro sports to survive an extended period of time (I'm not counting the WNBA, they leech money from NBA), so the league maintaining itself as is, is a MUCH greater concern at this point... That said a local women's team in Portland would make a lot of sense in the future, and a successful MLS team would probably help (although the WPS has the unfortunate task of running the same time as the MLS aka competing, so I'm not sure how that would work... I guess it would be more usage of PGE park??)

DaTruRochin wrote:Yeah, honestly this league needs to be more concerned about survival before they every even concern themselves with expansion. There is yet to be a professional women's league in pro sports to survive an extended period of time

I guess for "leagues" this is correct. But, separate organizations for women's tennis and golf have survived for a long time, especially for tennis. Indeed, women's tennis players, for grand slam events, make as much as men and possibly make more on the endorsements front. I don't follow women's golf, but part of the reason for tennis is that fans don't look at women's tennis and say the women aren't as good as the men. Instead, they appreciate women's tennis for what it is, a great sport. It stands on its own. That's how I look at women's soccer, too. I think there's a marketing message there.

I thought that MLS required a "soccer-only" facility, which is why Portland has to build a new baseball park elsewhere. If it's soccer-only, why does PSU get to play American football there? And if PSU doesn't use it for football, why can't it be grass? There are so many new turf fields at high schools that PGE should be much less in demand than 10 years ago.

Sorry, but even the new turf surfaces are just not the same. The ball still runs on them in a way that it doesn't on grass.

Other MLS teams share with Football, most notably Seattle, which is sharing the facility with the SeaHawks.

I don't think the MLS is opposed to another sport, they want the venue to be right for Futebol, and they don't think that a venue that is shaped for Baseball fits the need.

The Timbers are going to have to add seating in what is now left field to reach that goal. Let's hope they think about making the place more intimate for soccer (get the fans closer to the action).

Purplegeezer wrote:
The Timbers are going to have to add seating in what is now left field to reach that goal. Let's hope they think about making the place more intimate for soccer (get the fans closer to the action).

The beer garden isn't intimate enough??

I have a similar concern, the pitch (as in angle, not field you silly anglophiles) of the stands is geared more toward baseball and the wider range of sight that it requires... I doubt 60 million or whatever it will end up costing will be able to adjust for that... As of now it's a baseball stadium where they happen to play soccer at, some pretty major adjustments will be necessary, and for some reason I just don't get a sense of what it will look like from the only picture I've seen:

UPSoccerFanatic wrote:But, separate organizations for women's tennis and golf have survived for a long time, especially for tennis. Indeed, women's tennis players, for grand slam events, make as much as men and possibly make more on the endorsements front. I don't follow women's golf, but part of the reason for tennis is that fans don't look at women's tennis and say the women aren't as good as the men. Instead, they appreciate women's tennis for what it is, a great sport. It stands on its own. That's how I look at women's soccer, too. I think there's a marketing message there.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact that the women play in skirts. I think it would be a great idea for someone to design a women's soccer uniform bottom that looks like a skirt. Oh wait, you said someone already did that?

But seriously, that is a good point UPSF. Women's soccer is different than men's but not in a bad way like basketball.

I don't know that I'll go to any games or really support, this league, but I would like to see it do well. Heck, maybe I will go up to Boston if that team with Christine (don't they have a few former Pilots, I don't even remember which team and I am too lazy to look it up) pays a visit.

Now, totally of subject. Has anyone seen how they are going to do their playoffs? It is kind of cool. They are doing it like the finals of bowling tournaments. In the first round, 4 plays 3. Winner plays 2. And the winner of that plays 1.

DaTruRochin wrote:

Purplegeezer wrote:
The Timbers are going to have to add seating in what is now left field to reach that goal. Let's hope they think about making the place more intimate for soccer (get the fans closer to the action).

The beer garden isn't intimate enough??

I have a similar concern, the pitch (as in angle, not field you silly anglophiles) of the stands is geared more toward baseball and the wider range of sight that it requires...

You know, Widmer probably has the best seats in the park for baseball, even better than my seat in 111, behind the plate. For me the seats at Safeco are baseball sightlines. Civic* feels more like the multi-use stadium it is. When they remodeled the park they really did not put in any general seating that got the fans closer to the field, just the party area in LF and Widmer. And if you don't get a seat along the front you can't see the whole field. Also, the front half is usually set aside for private parties most games. I love Civic and it feels like home, but it could be even better.

*It was Civic when I started going, and that's good enough for me.

mattywizz wrote:[quote="UPSoccerFanatic"I don't know that I'll go to any games or really support, this league, but I would like to see it do well. Heck, maybe I will go up to Boston if that team with Christine (don't they have a few former Pilots, I don't even remember which team and I am too lazy to look it up) pays a visit.

The team is FC Gold Pride, the Bay Area team that will play at Santa Clara's newly re-created Buck Shaw Stadium. In addition to Christine who recently signed her contract, the other Pilot under consideration and looking likely to be on the roster is some player named Tiffeny Milbrett. In their first pre-season game against Cal, where the coaching staff was looking at which players trying out they want to keep, Tiff had three assists and a goal in a 6-1 victory.

Seeing the Chicago vs. Bay Area matchup will be fun...

I've been going to games at Civic Stadium since I was a kid, when it was Multnomah Stadium, as in before soccer existed in Portland and baseball Beavers ruled. You know, when Lou Pinella was slender. Which is great for nostalgia and not so great when it comes to a modern facility for any sport. All the current luxury boxes are baseball-specific behind home plate. Even a moderate crowd causes traffic jams around the concourse where the concessions lines block passage. No facelift can fix the main design features/flaws there. I love the place even so, but it has more in common with the Roman arena in Arles, France (built +-2,000 years ago) than with Merlo Field or Carson. Calif's purpose-built pitch.

Wait.... Lou Pinella was slender?? WHAT??

I share your concerns as to the ability for an intimate soccer enviro that you get in places like Merlo, HD Center, or even Qwest to be translated into Mult/Civic/PGE/whatever new sponsor Merritt comes up with. Clearly the "left field" seats will be the best as far as being built for a purpose, but yeah those luxury boxes aren't the best for viewing soccer... I guess I would just like to see more specifics on the stadium, that and I tend to ebb on the side of a cynic...

Yeah, the concourses leave something to be desired... But, I was more concerned with my wait to get into the beer garden... Somehow I just don't see a line snaking through rows of seats flying in any Major League... Let alone selling beers for $3...

purple haze wrote:I've been going to games at Civic Stadium since I was a kid, when it was Multnomah Stadium, as in before soccer existed in Portland and baseball Beavers ruled. You know, when Lou Pinella was slender. Which is great for nostalgia and not so great when it comes to a modern facility for any sport. All the current luxury boxes are baseball-specific behind home plate. Even a moderate crowd causes traffic jams around the concourse where the concessions lines block passage. No facelift can fix the main design features/flaws there. I love the place even so, but it has more in common with the Roman arena in Arles, France (built +-2,000 years ago) than with Merlo Field or Carson. Calif's purpose-built pitch.

All excellent points. They may have expanded the concourse some, but the park still can't handle a crowd of more than about 9000. I would say take out the beer garden, put a pub in the deck in CF by the scoreboard, and extend the seats all the way down to the field. Face it--are most people in Widmer on a Thursday night more interested in the scoring on the field, or the scoring of phone numbers in the stands?

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:more interested in the scoring on the field, or the scoring of phone numbers in the stands?

Wait they play actual games on Thursdays??

Haha I don't see THAT tradition continuing with the MLS... But I will miss making snide comments as the stilletto heeled crowd tries to navigate the stadium steps double fisting piss water beers....

(My grandpa from Ireland may have been on to something with his comments about women in red shoes...)

I'm going to stop...

Ha..ha....Thirsty Thursdays in the MLS.

Yeah, Thursdays are a big night in the MLS. There are a lot of games on ESPN2 on Thursday nights. I caught some good ones last season.

I actually saw the Women's World Cup semifinals at Civic several years ago...the year that Germany embarrassed us. Eventhough I was saddened by the result, I thought that Civic was a pretty fine venue for soccer. I definitely think that they can do the rennovations and make it work. I mean when you look at some of the pitches that teams are playing on now...like the Red Bulls' stadium (shared with the New York Giants) where there are still hash marks for football on the field during the games (that ticks me off...), Civic will actually be a pretty fine venue.

By the way, tune in to ESPN2 next Thursday night to see a team playing at Quest, another fine venue. LOL.

That might be the best football played in Qwest since the Seahawks' Super Bowl run.

HEY-OOO!



(Sorry)