Metrostars renamed Red Bull New York
 

http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/news/mls_n..._mls&fext=.jsp

i understand corporate sponsorship and have no problem with stadium names, or even ads on jerseys (for soccer, anyway, i think i'd be against it for other sports - tradition i guess), but this seems to be taking it a bit far...

I dunno, the Tampa Bay Tampons has that ring to it...

WTF?! I knew Red Bull was buying the team, but changing the name?! That's horrid!

That is just stupid. Why didn't they go with "The New York Red Bulls" or something that made at least a little bit of sense???

...professional soccer, it has transformed Red Bull Salzburg into one of Austria's leading first division clubs by signing impact players and using innovative marketing to increase attendance.

I'll wait hopefully for Jagerbomb Seattle

Hoodsie Cup Minnesota

If you look at their site, and its says New York Red Bulls on it. But...I hate the name and hate this whole "New York team" in New Jersey thing.

I mean, the Giants and Jets are a different story.

Yeah, if anything it should be Red Bull NY/NJ! Damn them!

I like TMQ's idea of Jersey/A and Jersey/B for the Giants and Jets.

I'm not familiar with that. What's that all about?

Gregg Easterbrook writes a column every Tuesday during the football season. He calls the New York teams Jersey A/B

http://www.nfl.com/writers/easterbrook

I hope somebody buys over Real Salt Lake and renames them too. Stupid name.

Houston Dynamo gets a Critch thumbs up though. Just about.

Is it pronounced reel or re-al?

I always thought the naming of MLS franchises to make 'em sound like European clubs always seemed kind of bush-league to me. I don't think many people care what a franchise is named (unless of course someone finds it offensive, as was the case with Houston)...

I'd name my team The Soccer Team.

Just like The Boat in One Crazy Summer.

Red Bull Metrostars would have been a much better choice IMO.

MLS is looking for cash and the hot rumor is that Red Bull gave them $50M to do this. It is a huge payday for MLS, which is moving closer and closer to the black.

Re-al. If they were going for a European soccer name, they should have gone with "City". Salt Lake City.

What was offensive about the Houston 1836 name?

1836 was the year that Texas won its independence from Mexico. In my opinion, its was just a chance for the Latin American market to rant about something. I think very few of them were offended by it. However, MLS is depeding heavily on the Latino draw in the Houston market and did not want to take any chances.

What's the big deal? It's not like MLS is making that much money from the fanbase it's has yet to accrue over 10 yrs. Gotta make money somehow. Sure isn't from the less than enthused Joe Q Public who doesn't care about soccer. Can the average guy even NAME 3 MLS teams? Doubtful.

I agree that nobody was really offended. But you do have to wonder if the MLS marketing geniuses even bothered to test out the name before they rolled with it...

British people, and people of British decent, in Boston should complain about the New England Revolution name.

Spartak Boston sounds good.

I thought the 1836 name freakin' rocked...

The Revolution can counter by naming Che Guevara as their mascot. It would be just as appropos for the Boston area :D

wow. that is horrifically horriffic. i am scarred for life.


do the players get free Red Bull now?

I'm getting you a NE Revolution scarf for FOFC Secret Santa next year.

I can help you get that, Desnudo ;)

I really didn't know that many people cared about MLS soccer.

Yup, we do.

I hope they don't change DC United to Crack DC

Personally if it helps them bring in cash and eventually gets the MLS away from the silly muti-table, playoffs, all teams owned by the league structure, then I'm all for it. In other words, if they have to sell out their team name to allow the MLS to resemble the rest of the civilized soccer world, then I'm all for it.

guess that's better than game tickets.

oh snap!

I don't really, tbh. The quality just isn't there and I find the lack of relegation/promotion takes away from the excitement. I do care about the US team though, and I think a key component is the development of a strong home league.

Are you using reverse psychology on me? So I should get you some tickets?

Who the fuck cares? The Cowboys play as far from Dallas as the Jets and Giants do from New York.

reverse psychology use I do not

5 miles or so?

Truly, a post worth registering for... :D

Welcome Bisbo. :)

i'm sick and tired of these teams that play in the swamp known as New Jersey putting "New York" in their name. they should be called "Red Bull New Jersey". this is ridiculous.

i agree. at least the Devils and Nets have the balls to admit they play in Jersey

exactly. i even think the old school Nets is the best out of the NY/NJ metro area. nothing to be ashamed of.

this is simple but awesome:

I predict that this team will be refered to by normal people as 'New York Red Bulls'.

Oh, and the MLS will never get to promotion/relegation or single table league. That stuff doesn't go in the US, for similar reasons as in other US professional sports leagues.

Dan Rydell: Nobody move! Name five teams that play in the MLS, and Casey says it's an American soccer league so you can't choose Luxembourg. Go.
Natalie Hurley: Columbus Crew.
Elliot: Miami Fusion.
Natalie Hurley: New England Revolution.
Kim: Tampa Bay Mutiny.
Natalie Hurley: D.C. United.
Dave: Chicago Fire.
Natalie Hurley: Colorado Rapids.
Chris: Dallas Burn.
Natalie Hurley: Kansas City Wizards.
Will: Los Angeles Galaxy.
Natalie Hurley: And the New York/New Jersey Metro-Stars.
Dan Rydell: You all just made that up, didn't you?
Casey McCall: You got smoked.

They said the same thing about soccer in general.

I think it will eventually go to a single table league. It's not like you're picking up the casual fan by having conferences. Most folks who watch soccer realize that the rest of the world has a different structure, and I haven't heard too many fans promoting the divisional (let's let everyone in the playoffs and make the season pointless) structure.

It's drastically different to say a sport won't succeed and a model of a league won't succeed. The reason it won't succeed in the US is because advertisers are not going to want to back a league where the team in the NY metropolitan area can go down into the second tier. Advertisers run the show in the US. In Europe, they have a number of teams, so they can make multiple leagues. Big cities will have successful teams because they'll most likely be able to outspend smaller cities. The MLS has already gone with a cap to make the league more competitive and that is a US style that won't be abandoned (most Americans think it's a good idea).

And, speaking of single table. Playoffs get higher ratings. By a good deal. That keeps advertisers paying. Large playoffs helps the league get money.

Don't really care if they do or not, but as long as they don't something will be missing.

People will adapt ;).

I think relegation in US leagues would work. Instead of overexpansion, you'd simply have two leagues....and I think American fans would embrace it, especially those in cities that always want major league teams, but don't get them. It'd have to be in a minor sport, though.

With TV revenue being how it is, it'd be hard to do it with a major sport. Especially with the significant investments in those teams.

That's my point (in bold) in a nutshell. MLS doesn't want to stay a minor/niche sport. It wants to get to hockey-levels in 20, 30, 40 years. Their goal is to be a major sport someday. Introducing relegation/promotion would do irrepairable damage to that goal as you'd never get, say, another Red Bull buying the Metrostars, because of the chance of relegation. Maybe if there was no salary cap, but I don't see that happening.

No doubt, you're dead on. I don't think it'd work with soccer in the US. It's not even a niche sport, it's a game that no one really cares about. Now if all those kids who play soccer grow up and get into it, then there you go. But with all our major sports leagues, the players are the best in the world..or argubaly so. Hockey is obviously borderline and with soccer, not even close.

I think that contributes to their lack of popularity. And the NASL deal doesn't count because there weren't millions of kids playing soccer back then in the U.S.

To a playoff system as bad as the NHL where everyone makes the "playoffs", no thanks.