If it were truly the case that they have never made money hosting a USOC match, then the appropriate thing to do would have been to skip the tournament altogether. In reality, this is a decision that was made for short term gain. It will have no bearing on the long-term viability of the team.

I might add that long-term thinking would include the effects of additional travel on performance in league play, the opportunity of publicity for hosting an MLS team in a meaningful match, and the opportunity of winning prize money in the USOC. Since there is no clear way to assign value to those things, they appear deceptively small compared to a hosting buy-out by RSL.

Several people have told me that they started following the Thunder during the 2005 USOC run. Some of those are regulars now. Some are season ticket holders. You can put a value on repeat customers. Is it more or less than the few thousand the Stars would have lost by hosting RSL this time around? Which is more important to the long-term viability of the team, more repeat customers or bonus buyout cash from RSL? I think that the repeat customers are the more important, so I still say there was an opportunity lost here.

Corrected Sir!

Facts, an interesting concept sometimes?

Carolina and LA being bottom feeders this year, now that is a fact!

On a Tuesday with 6 days' notice? We don't know how much money RSL paid, but I can guarantee it's more than the team would have earned playing for 2000-2500 fans.

As much as I hate this whole thing, I have to agree with Gumbygrrl on this front. I think 2000 would be a high estimate for attendance given day of the week and short time frame. I recall an open cup match 2 years back on a week night where I counted 82 people in the stadium at kick off.

I think that was against an amateur Iowa team that didn't even have uniforms. Not quite the same as a MLS team.

In 2009, we drew 3,878 fans against Kansas City per IMSoccer News.

http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2009/09/28/minnesota-thunder-attendance-%E2%80%93-by-the-numbers/

I remember talking to Kevin Hartman but he didn't play. Being a soccer fan I appreciated seeing players like Josh Wolff and Herculez Gomes at the NSC but they might not have the star power that others would want.

Kansas City Wizards - Boris Pardo; Lance Watson, Jonathan Leathers, Rauwshan McKenzie, Matt Marquess; Michael Harrington (Claudio Lopez 89), Kurt Morsink ©, Graham Zusi (Herculez Gomez 77), Roger Espinoza; Abe Thompson, Michael Kraus (Josh Wolff 98)

It sure was. Obviously an MLS team will draw better than that team, but I don't see an MLS team that doesn't have David Beckham drawing many casual fans on a Tuesday night without a proper time frame to promote the game.

Ah, yes, the Nebraska 402 or 312 or whatever game. That was fun. Their keeper/coach should have been in the beer garden with us and they picked up Chris Brunt on the drive in to play for them.

BTW, here are the attendance figures for our 2005 run (from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2005_Lamar_Hunt_U.S._Open_Cup

Fire PDL at Thunder: 1,115
RSL at Thunder: 2,218 (two week build up)
Colorado at Thunder: 3,191 (two week build up)
Thunder at KC: 1,551
Thunder at LA: 4,373

I went ahead and looked at all years since...

2006
Des Moines at Thunder: 1,060

2007
Indios USA at Thunder: 1,132
California Victory at Thunder: 1,258 (El Perro Loco game)

2008
St. Louis Lions at Thunder: 483 (Grass bowl)
Cleveland City Stars at Thunder: Not reported (Grass Brawl game, seriously, brutal)

2009
402 FC at Thunder: 245
Fire Premier at Thunder: 359
KC Wiz at Thunder: 3,878 (two week build up)

2010
KC Athletics @ NSC: Not reported
AC St. Louis @ NSC: 265

Now that I'm on a roll, previous cups as well

2004
Boulder Rapids Reserves @ Thunder: 1,259
Galaxy @ Thunder: 5,505 (in the Metrodome, three weeks to promote)
San Jose Earthquakes @ Thunder: 5,688 (two weeks)

2003
Sounders @ Thunder: 3,182

2002
San Deigo Gauchos @ Thunder: 4,789
Galaxy @ Thunder: 5,154

2001
Did not qualify

2000
Mexico SC @ Thunder: 1,209 (at Macalester)
Dallas Burn @ Thunder: 3,110 (1.5 week lead time)

1999
Michigan Bucks @ Thunder: 225

1998
did not qualify

1990 - 1997 Wikipedia ran out of content...

-Rant on-

I wonder what Zigy would have done with a D2 team which had a home game scheduled against an MLS team who currently sits in first place in the western conference?

I wonder what he thinks about the game being sold for peanuts?

I bet they were not even hot nuts?

This team without an owner has a big uphill to climb soon. This does not really help the team get up that hill (to finding a new owner or becoming an MLS team someday) now does it?

At some point you have to show that you can fill a stadium! How many better chances in the next two years are they going to have to do that?

-We are the current NASL Champions!
-We may have a great chance at becoming an MLS team in the next years.
-8,600+ people came out to see them play this year against Carolina.

We have some huge marketing statements with those facts! We will never know how many more might have come out to see them play against the top western MLS team. A wasted opportunity. It's a shame really.

We were right in front of the goal, and we did not even try to take a shot.

-Rant Off-

*I agree totally with Wes the USSF has a lot to be blamed for not creating a better marketing platform for D2, D3, and MLS teams with the US Open Cup.

I remember the KC match. I got there at half time. Bruce, JW7, KJ, myself and maybe two others went and sat pitch side and heckled the AR and offered the KC goalkeeper beer every time he made a save. My second cousin, twice removed (Thomas Granum) also got some playing time at left outside mid. I thought he did a great job. Too bad Manny was not paying close attention, otherwise he would have seen more playing time for the remainder of the season.

I also remember the fans. I think there were more players, team staff and NSC grounds crew present that "paying fans." That one was probably only a good money maker for the team because Hairy Grump refused to leave the beer garden and join us pitch side.

I was out of town in Chicago during the match against AC St. Louis. 265? Pathetic. I am assuming the team made some money if Hairy Grump was in the beer garden.