Crisis Averted- Now it's up to the fans

MLS owners and the players union finally came to terms yesterday, signing a new 5 year collective bargaining agreement. Sounders will kick off this Thursday against Philadelphia at 630pm.

So here is a brief recap of what they were arguing about. Players were looking for a higher league minimum wage, a greater ability to switch from club to club, and guaranteed contracts. Ownership wanted to maintain control over player movement, length of contracts, and a lower overall salary cap.

MLS players wanted the same rights players receive abroad, while the owners (who have lost millions since MLS inception) wanted to be more conservative. Toronto FC and SOUNDERS FC are the only two profitable teams in MLS.

But why were the players and owners put in this position? It all comes down to certain markets not giving their club enough support. I have proposed on various soccer blogs that if a club can not average 15,000 fans this year then they should be relocated.

COLUMBUS CREW- 14,175 might sound pretty close to the mark, but keep in mind they were the returning MLS Champions from 2008. Not good enough.

COLORADO RAPIDS- 13,018. They had a competitive team, a soccer specific stadium (SSS), and are in a major metro area.

NEW YORK RED BULLS- 12,744. Pretty sad for the second biggest market in America. The good news here is they are opening a new SSS this season, which should significantly increase their numbers.

NEW ENGLAND REVOLUTION- 12,427 fans a game. Absolutely terrible. Boston is a great sports town, and a lot of fans attend US National Team games. They will never get a SSS until they can boost their fan base.

SAN JOSE- 10,329, yuk. They have been relocated once before (Houston Dynamo), and I would hate to see this team go again. But the truth is, they are holding the league back.

KANSAS CITY WIZARDS- 10,053 fans a game. This one I understand, the only people who cheer for wizards don't have an athletic bone in their body. THey are a money pit to begin with, but allowing them to build a SSS only makes it worse. Give them one more year and relocate them to Montreal.

FC DALLAS- 9,883. This only fuels my hatred for all things Texas (sorry Andy). Dallas has a major metro area, a SSS, a local rivalry, a large latino market, and a team that was one game away from making the playoffs.

CONGRATS to our SOUNDERS averaging 31,203. LA GALAXY with 20,827. TORONTO FC with 20,344.

So what do you think? Is 15,000 fans for each team realistic? Would a different city be more deserving?