Vancouver Whitecaps - 2024 Season Thread

[Watchmen]

On 6/3/2024 at 12:45 PM, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

Probably needed.  

We might be headed out to family on the Island at that time and took a peek at the prices.

Imagine paying that for a League 1 side.

£10 we used to pay for lower league cup sides.😛.

I mean, you'll be able to pay about £10 when Pacific comes to town for the Voyageurs Cup. 😉

[Unnamed Trialist]

45 dollars to see Wrexham in the upper bowl? When we paid 25 to see Crystal Palace, which was a real team.

The intent on scamming based on a tv show and Reynold's thinking his hometown is stupid and have no soccer culture, don't know what is worse. 

I hope no one goes.

[Watchmen]

31 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

45 dollars to see Wrexham in the upper bowl? When we paid 25 to see Crystal Palace, which was a real team.

The intent on scamming based on a tv show and Reynold's thinking his hometown is stupid and have no soccer culture, don't know what is worse. 

I hope no one goes.

The lower bowl is about 90% sold, which is why they opened the upper deck, so lots of people are going.

I think most people understand what they're going to see: not a soccer game, but the live taping of a show they enjoy.

If you don't like the $45 pricing in the upper bowl, how about learning that row 1 behind the net in the lower bowl was about $175, row 2 was $155, row 3 was $135, etc? They priced it such that if you wanted the possibility of being on tv, you paid more.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

 

[Watchmen]

Per Gauld, they "came out flat".  Again.  That's been a repeating theme for this season, usually at the worst times.  I've never been a fan of Vanni's formations, but it now seems that in addition to that being poor the "rah rah" managerial technique is now also failing. 

[nolando]

On 6/7/2024 at 10:04 AM, Watchmen said:

The lower bowl is about 90% sold, which is why they opened the upper deck, so lots of people are going.

I think most people understand what they're going to see: not a soccer game, but the live taping of a show they enjoy.

If you don't like the $45 pricing in the upper bowl, how about learning that row 1 behind the net in the lower bowl was about $175, row 2 was $155, row 3 was $135, etc? They priced it such that if you wanted the possibility of being on tv, you paid more.

Even more distasteful. Gouge as many potential real Caps fans even more.

[Watchmen]

1 minute ago, nolando said:

Even more distasteful. Gouge as many potential real Caps fans even more.

The pricing was not set by the Whitecaps, it was set by the 3rd party group that's managing Wrexham on this tour.

[narduch]

8 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

The pricing was not set by the Whitecaps, it was set by the 3rd party group that's managing Wrexham on this tour.

Whitecaps are a willing participants.

They don't get to wash their hands on this one

Edited June 16 by narduch

[Watchmen]

4 minutes ago, narduch said:

Whitecaps are a willing participants.

They don't get to wash their hands on this one

Yes, the Whitecaps accepted a fee (whatever it is) to participate in a game in their hometown against a team that's currently famous among non-traditional fans, giving them access to try and reach a new group of people.  There's a lot to blame the Whitecaps for.  I'm not sure this is one of them.

[narduch]

14 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Yes, the Whitecaps accepted a fee (whatever it is) to participate in a game in their hometown against a team that's currently famous among non-traditional fans, giving them access to try and reach a new group of people.  There's a lot to blame the Whitecaps for.  I'm not sure this is one of them.

This sounds like the same lame ass excuses musical artists make about Tickermaster fees.

The Whitecaps are complicit here.

[Watchmen]

39 minutes ago, narduch said:

This sounds like the same lame ass excuses musical artists make about Tickermaster fees.

The Whitecaps are complicit here.

"Real caps fans" who don't like the pricing aren't going and quite frankly aren't all that bothered by it.  It's a friendly.  But really, it's not even a soccer game.  For a lot of people, it's a live taping of one of their favourite shows, and they're more than willing to pay to see it.  It is a marketing opportunity for the Whitecaps to reach a new group of fans in the area.

[Unnamed Trialist]

22 hours ago, Watchmen said:

"Real caps fans" who don't like the pricing aren't going and quite frankly aren't all that bothered by it.  It's a friendly.  But really, it's not even a soccer game.  For a lot of people, it's a live taping of one of their favourite shows, and they're more than willing to pay to see it.  It is a marketing opportunity for the Whitecaps to reach a new group of fans in the area.

Actually it's a scam and it preys on folk who can be scammed this way. 

The Whitecaps are perfectly able to establish a policy based on a club philosophy. Many clubs in the world do it and insist on it. 

After the Caps weak response to the Inter Miami debacle this is another case of weak leadership and weak commitment to the fanbase. And I seriously doubt this match attracts many new fans, since part of the Vancouver way of understanding their city in media terms, in decades of film and tv shows shot there, is it's a stand-in for some other city in some other place. 

[Watchmen]

2 hours ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

Actually it's a scam and it preys on folk who can be scammed this way. 

The Whitecaps are perfectly able to establish a policy based on a club philosophy. Many clubs in the world do it and insist on it. 

The biggest clubs in the world spend their summers travelling overseas to charge their fans exorbitant prices for friendlies. 

This is a friendly. It's result on their season is meaningless. Go or don't go, the impact is the same. Many have chosen not to, and that's fine! Many are looking forward to it, and that's fine too!

[Unnamed Trialist]

10 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

The biggest clubs in the world spend their summers travelling overseas to charge their fans exorbitant prices for friendlies. 

This is a friendly. It's result on their season is meaningless. Go or don't go, the impact is the same. Many have chosen not to, and that's fine! Many are looking forward to it, and that's fine too!

What's fine, and finer, is when Whitecaps do a friendly with Manchester City or Crystal Palace, you pay 25-30 dollars, and you're watching a stronger team that presents an authentic challenge and you get to watch some quality players.

I still remember a Wright-Phillips winner for City vs Caps and it was 13 years ago. 

In any case, I don't know of a single friendly of Barça, or AC Milan, Chelsea, in the US where they coasted, Barcelona are playing Real Madrid and it should be played at a quality pace. 

Edited June 17 by Unnamed Trialist

[narduch]

The funny thing is MLS in Canada has basically killed the big name Euro club friendly in this country.

They just are big money makers here anymore.

Canadian fans are usually too savvy to get duped by these money grabs

[Watchmen]

18 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

What's fine, and finer, is when Whitecaps do a friendly with Manchester City or Crystal Palace, you pay 25-30 dollars, and you're watching a stronger team that presents an authentic challenge and you get to watch some quality players.

I still remember a Wright-Phillips winner for City vs Caps and it was 13 years ago. 

In any case, I don't know of a single friendly of Barça, or AC Milan, Chelsea, in the US where they coasted, Barcelona are playing Real Madrid and it should be played at a quality pace. 

Chelsea and Man U played Wrexham in the US last year. Chelsea is playing Wrexham in the US again this year. Newcastle and Tottenham flew down for a friendly immediately after the last game of the season this year. What sort of pace do you think that was played at? I've been to games in Seattle against "big name friendlies" as well, and I can assure you the quality was not there.

[Watchmen]

12 minutes ago, narduch said:

The funny thing is MLS in Canada has basically killed the big name Euro club friendly in this country.

They just are big money makers here anymore.

Canadian fans are usually too savvy to get duped by these money grabs

I think its more about the exchange rate. Though I'll also say the Wrexham ticket prices are lower in Vancouver than for the other games.

[BearcatSA]

1 hour ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I still remember a Wright-Phillips winner for City vs Caps and it was 13 years ago. 

It was s few days after the postponed RSL match at Empire Field because they wanted to preserve the temporary sod after the match day morning rain monsoon.

We were reimbursed for our tickets but obviously not for our hotel room that weekend.

[Watchmen]

It's also been a while so I'll confess I don't remember the exact cost of tickets, but Google is showing that "newly released tickets for Man City" started at $60 in 2011, not $25-$30.

[Unnamed Trialist]

3 hours ago, Watchmen said:

I think its more about the exchange rate. Though I'll also say the Wrexham ticket prices are lower in Vancouver than for the other games.

I'm sure the exchange rate makes it look more like gouging, you may be right. 

Reynolds thinking he's gifting something to his hometown when it's really the opposite. So obnoxious.

[Watchmen]

34 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

I'm sure the exchange rate makes it look more like gouging, you may be right. 

Reynolds thinking he's gifting something to his hometown when it's really the opposite. So obnoxious.

Having watched the show, I'm guessing that they were always going to have a Wrexham game in Vancouver. The narrative arc of it was: they've been to Rob's home town of Philly, and now they'll go to Ryan's home town of Vancouver. So the game here was always going to happen. It just becomes a discussion with the Whitecaps of "do you want to participate in this event in your home town?". They answered yes. 

And for comparison, the cheapest ticket to see Wrexham vs Chelsea in San Francisco is USD $68. The cheapest ticket for the game vs the Whitecaps was CDN $45 (with season ticket holders getting an additional 25% off).

It is not cheap to see them in Vancouver. There's aspects on it that I do wish the Whitecaps had pushed back on more (the time between the announcement and the ticket release was ridiculously short, for instance), but the price is cheaper than elsewhere (while still expensive) and it wasn't set by the club. I just can't be that upset about a friendly, and it's lower on my priority list of what I wish the club would deal with.

[Unnamed Trialist]

13 minutes ago, Watchmen said:

Having watched the show, I'm guessing that they were always going to have a Wrexham game in Vancouver. The narrative arc of it was: they've been to Rob's home town of Philly, and now they'll go to Ryan's home town of Vancouver. So the game here was always going to happen. It just becomes a discussion with the Whitecaps of "do you want to participate in this event in your home town?". They answered yes. 

And for comparison, the cheapest ticket to see Wrexham vs Chelsea in San Francisco is USD $68. The cheapest ticket for the game vs the Whitecaps was CDN $45 (with season ticket holders getting an additional 25% off).

It is not cheap to see them in Vancouver. There's aspects on it that I do wish the Whitecaps had pushed back on more (the time between the announcement and the ticket release was ridiculously short, for instance), but the price is cheaper than elsewhere (while still expensive) and it wasn't set by the club. I just can't be that upset about a friendly, and it's lower on my priority list of what I wish the club would deal with.

It's football after all: does anyone think they'll get to EPL? More likely is that they'd drop out of League One or Championship and that relegation would kill the fantasy. Which for most football fans in the world is silly, it only appeals to non fans in the States.

There are even deeper pockets out there trying to do exactly the same as them. So you'll win and lose and then the Americans won't like the story so much. It's like kids in Finland watching The Bad News Bears.

I mean, the City Group has seen Troyes relegate twice in a row, I bet those fans are thrilled with their well meaning owners. 

[Watchmen]

10 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

It's football after all: does anyone think they'll get to EPL? More likely is that they'd drop out of League One or Championship and that relegation would kill the fantasy. Which for most football fans in the world is silly, it only appeals to non fans in the States.

There are even deeper pockets out there trying to do exactly the same as them. So you'll win and lose and then the Americans won't like the story so much. It's like kids in Finland watching The Bad News Bears.

I mean, the City Group has seen Troyes relegate twice in a row, I bet those fans are thrilled with their well meaning owners. 

I think their peak is the Championship. I also think they stall out on promotion this year. And here's the thing: a relegation season would be fascinating too. That's what Sunderland Til I Die is. So, I'm actually more fascinated by "what happens when they're mid-table 3+ years in a row." Which, we as football fans know is a distinct possibility.

But if you're asking what I think of the Rob/Ryan ownership: I think Rob is in it for the long haul, and I think they leave the club in better shape than they found it. And the city itself is capitalizing on the revival, in a good way.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

17 minutes ago, Unnamed Trialist said:

It's football after all: does anyone think they'll get to EPL? More likely is that they'd drop out of League One or Championship and that relegation would kill the fantasy. Which for most football fans in the world is silly, it only appeals to non fans in the States.

There are even deeper pockets out there trying to do exactly the same as them. So you'll win and lose and then the Americans won't like the story so much. It's like kids in Finland watching The Bad News Bears.

I mean, the City Group has seen Troyes relegate twice in a row, I bet those fans are thrilled with their well meaning owners. 

Some people, even Americans, don't pick or follow clubs just because they win most games.

 

There are always exceptions but money will determine a lot of it like a lot of football.  Real Madrid and Barcelona are by far the richest clubs in Spain and they have by far the best records.  PSG in France. Bayern in Germany.  The Premier League has some under and over achievers but the richest 6 are usually in the top 6.  

I don't know what Reynolds and co are actually worth or what of that they are going to pour into Wrexham but so far it is more than most League 2 or 1 clubs and probably more than some Championship owners.  

But it is definitely less than a lot of Premier League owners.

Edited June 17 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[Watchmen]

44 minutes ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I don't know what Reynolds and co are actually worth or what of that they are going to pour into Wrexham but so far it is more than most League 2 or 1 clubs and probably more than some Championship owners.  

But it is definitely less than a lot of Premier League owners.

This was part of an episode this season. They have nowhere near the personal wealth of the other PL owners.

An interesting stat they put up was that it takes about £10m to go from League 2 to League 1, £10 to go from League 1 to the Championship, but £150m to go from the Championship to the PL. Which is why I think they can run the club at about "revenue neutral" to get it up to the Championship, but I don't think they can get it beyond that.