April 23, 2007
WEST COAST BIAS
Attendance woes plague Chivas USA
By Luis Bueno
LASoccerNews.com Editor

First impressions make lasting ones, and three years in Chivas USA is still feeling the affects of theirs.

If only they had made a good one.

Chivas USA’s 2005 efforts were so terrible and so dismal, they alienated fans and turned off potential supporters with one fell swoop.

On the field, the club was terrible. Chivas USA’s 2005 squad was a lethal mixture of out-of-their-league second division players, backup MLS players and not-quite-ready-for-primetime youngsters.

Off the field, though, the real damage was done. Chivas USA’s initial marketing campaign dug the club into a deep hole that, as yet, has not been filled in. The dreaded “Adios soccer. ¡El fútbol está aquí!” was so pathetically distasteful and rang so hollow that the club has yet to bounce back from such a mindless initial slogan.

In fact, when a club official was reminded of that slogan toward the end of the 2006 season, he shuddered, smiled and asked not to be reminded of that.

If only it were that easy.

Two games into the 2007 season, the club has drawn sparse crowds in what has become a troubling pattern. In home games not involving the Galaxy or Chivas de Guadalajara, Chivas USA has drawn more than 20,000 just once in its history: 20,739 against Real Salt Lake in last season’s home opener.

Chivas USA’s 2006 squad was strong and played attractive soccer. This year’s club shows promise and gives its small but hearty fan base hopes that it will again contend for the MLS Cup title.

But relatively few saw the team transform into a strong club in person last year. Consider some crowd figures:

- The large opening-day crowd against Real Salt Lake was boosted by ticket giveaways: fans who attended the Mexico-South Korea game at the L.A. Coliseum in February of that year were given free tickets to the season opener.

- In key matches down the stretch, Chivas USA drew crowds of 10,989 (against Kansas City), 13,665 (against Houston), 14,588 (against D.C. United) and 13,898 (against FC Dallas). All games were played on a Saturday save for the D.C. match, which was on a Sunday afternoon.

- Chivas USA actually finished second in average attendance in 2006 with an average of 19,840 per game. However, that includes the 92,650 fans that took in the Chivas USA-New England match followed by the Chivas de Guadalajara-FC Barcelona game on Aug. 6 at the Coliseum. In their other 15 home games, Chivas USA averaged 14,985 and below the league average.

The groundwork for its failing attendance figures was laid with poor play and its woefully poor marketing campaign. In 2005, 18,493 were willing to give Chivas USA a shot as that many turned out to watch the first-ever game against D.C. United. In its next home game, Chivas USA drew just 12,697 for FC Dallas followed by 10,893 for Real Salt Lake and 8,977 for a return trip from FC Dallas.

In nine Home Depot Center dates from July through October, the club drew more than 12,000 twice – 15,770 to see Francisco Palencia and Juan Pablo Garcia debut at home against Columbus and 17,394 to watch the season finale against the MetroStars, a game that was followed by a performance from popular Mexican group Los Tigres del Norte. Chivas USA finished with a 4-22-6 record in its first year and had the league’s worst defense and second-worst offense.

With a strong club in place for 2007, though, the attendance has been the same as it ever was. In the season opener against Toronto FC, a crowd of 14,351 turned out. Just 11,253 turned out to watch Chivas USA against Real Salt Lake on Saturday.

Though he agreed the fan support needed to improve, MLS Commissioner Don Garber stopped short of calling the club’s attendance situation concerning.

“I wouldn’t call them concerns as much as the process is going to take some time to build,” Garber said at the Toronto FC match. “We’ve got to look at pricing. We’ve got to look at understanding that this is a market that requires a different marketing approach than the Anglo market does. This is a great team and it’s a good brand and it’s a long-term plan and certainly we’re going to have to work hard to get more people to come to see Chivas games.”

As if their own efforts hadn’t caused enough damage, their fellow Home Depot Center dwellers have also likely put a dent into their potential supporters.

“You also have to realize that they’re reeling right now, with the arrival of David Beckham,” ESPN Analyst Eric Wynalda told LASoccerNews.com. “Sources have confirmed to me that there have been hundreds of calls of people just canceling their tickets and switching over to the Galaxy.”

Chivas USA tickets are actually cheaper than Galaxy tickets. The Galaxy only has individual game tickets through July 7 on sale, and the price ranges from $25-250. Chivas USA tickets range from $14-100. But even without Beckham, the Galaxy counts on more supporters than Chivas USA and can get away with charging higher for their tickets.

Chivas USA initially tried to embrace fans by playing up the Chivas part of its name. Club Co-Owner Antonio Cue once said he would play with 11 Mexicans on the field if he could, much in the tradition of Chivas de Guadalajara who have never fielded a non-Mexican born player. The team’s first roster was heavy on the Mexicans as players such as Isaac Romo, Armando Begines, Hector Cuadros, Antonio Martinez and Alfonso Loera all played key roles on the first-year club. But the talent level was lacking and fans were apparently not impressed by the poor play of the club regardless of what their birth certificates said.

This year’s team is what the club should have tried to achieve from the start. The club should have focused more on the USA part as the club has truly taken on a melting pot quality. Chivas USA features players from eight different countries: the U.S., Mexico, Cuba, Honduras, Colombia, England, France and Romania.

But shedding its first impression has been difficult despite changes in its on- and off-the-field approaches.

“We’ve got to do better in marketing to the audience here in the city for Chivas USA,” Garber said. “It’s a great team. It’s performing well on the field. It’s exciting. It’s attractive soccer. So we’re going to have to find a way to attract a larger fan base to come into the stadium. It’s a beautiful facility. We’re going to have to dig deep and figure out what we need to do to ensure that we get a larger crowd.”

Andrea Canales contributed to this report

Reach Luis Bueno at LASoccerEdit@aol.com