Detroit & MLS

The MLS might be coming to an unlikely place, and of course all of us at the Detroit 3 are thrilled about it because the MLS could be coming to Detroit. The new owner of the Silverdome wants to bring soccer to Detroit. Well not quite Detroit, he Silverdome is actually in Pontiac, but beggars can't be choosers.

As a Detroiter, I thought that I would run down some reasons why the MLS should come to Detroit and the Silverdome and some reasons why it shouldn't.

Positives 
Well, besides the fact that there are potential owners and a stadium ready, Detroit and its surrounding areas are sports crazy. While Detroit's population is slipping ( No way we are down to 715k though), there are 4 million people within driving distance of the Silverdome and Detroit does have a driving culture ~insert Motor City joke here~. These 4 million people are also quite diverse, with quite a sizable Latino and Arabic population which are markets that this team could potentially tap into. Location is another reason why should Detroit should get a MLS team. Close to Chicago, Columbus, and Toronto this could help create rivalries based on proximity. Also the fact that Canada is so close, there would be the hope that many Canadians would cross the boarder to root for this new team.

Negatives 
On the other hand, only 28k were in attendance for the USA-Canada game last night with a very poor showing from the Canadians as well. The marketing for the game, and Gold Cup in general, is/was non-existent, soccer fans will flock no matter the situation. Yes, there are 4 million people in the areas surrounding Detroit, not many might be that interested in soccer, as proved yesterday. While there is great diversity in the area, around 1 million of the 4 million people are black. Besides me and Isaac, not many other black people are interested in the game. (This is also due in part because soccer in this country is a middle class sport but that is a discussion for another day.) Detroit does have a driving culture, the price of gas is ever rising and people have shown they won't drive to see a loser. For instance, last year the attendance of the Detroit Pistons, who play at the Palace of Auburn Hills(not to far from the Silverdome) was way down. Not to mention the Silverdome seats 60k which would look terrible half full, example: most of the MLS.

The MLS is expanding every year, which is really frustrating if you try and play a MLS team on FIFA or Football Manager, but great for the sport in the USA and Canada. While Montreal is slated as the next team, it could now be a toss up between Detroit and NY as the new next MLS team. Yes, Detroit does have its problems, but Kansas City, San Jose, Columbus, New England, Dallas, Chicago and Colorado all report attendances lower than 15k. I guess we will just have to wait and see if the positives out weigh the negative and how much the potential owners of the team are willing to throw at the MLS. 

Max