Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

NWSL champion @FCKansasCity acquires #uswnt vet Heather O'Reilly from Boston for Morg

Collapse
X
  •  
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    NWSL champion @FCKansasCity acquires #uswnt vet Heather O'Reilly from Boston for Morg

    Steven Goff‏@SoccerInsider

    NWSL champion @FCKansasCity acquires #uswnt vet Heather O'Reilly from Boston for Morgan Marlborough and Kassey Kallman
    ================================================== =
    Remind anyone of the Leroux trade. Selling a stallion for 2 pony's ?

    #2
    Keeping a lot of money tied up into aging veterans when the team is flawed is what the Bruins are doing. The example of where the "win now" mindset ends up is the Celtics right now. If you want to build a sustainable franchise you do what the Pats do, build up a core of good solid young players and then draft a few superstars to put you over the top.

    Comment


      #3
      Originally posted by Beachbum View Post
      Steven Goff‏@SoccerInsider

      NWSL champion @FCKansasCity acquires #uswnt vet Heather O'Reilly from Boston for Morgan Marlborough and Kassey Kallman
      ================================================== =
      Remind anyone of the Leroux trade. Selling a stallion for 2 pony's ?
      HAO will be missed, but let's not forget what the Breakers problems were last season. Marlborough is a 6-foot tall forward who can score goals. Kallman is a strong durable defender. O'Reilly's pace provided a spark on offence, no doubt, but this may not turn out to be a bad deal in the end.

      Comment


        #4
        You're totally missing it. This is about ticket sales. The entire league is hanging in the balance from month to month and Heather's name recognition may keep them viable a little while longer. Even then, I'm not sure it's enough.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
          You're totally missing it. This is about ticket sales. The entire league is hanging in the balance from month to month and Heather's name recognition may keep them viable a little while longer. Even then, I'm not sure it's enough.
          Dead on. The average Breakers fan has no real interest in soccer, they are there because their children play. This is about the "brand". In the last year the Breakers have traded away two well known players for relative unknowns. Not great for marketing.

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
            Dead on. The average Breakers fan has no real interest in soccer, they are there because their children play. This is about the "brand". In the last year the Breakers have traded away two well known players for relative unknowns. Not great for marketing.
            Ok, so how many more Breakers tix were sold this year due to Heather O'Reilly being on the roster. My guess; not many. If we're talking about a true crossover star like Alex Morgan or Hope Solo, then yes, but HAO is not near the top in name recognition. Leroux was a popular and admittedly ascending name, so it was arguably a bigger hit marketing-wise when she was traded. Take someone like Wambach. Was and still is a very big draw, but with the younger set whose family choices (spend $ /don't spend $) will eventually make or break the NWSL, I think you will find even she is a star whose power is quickly descending.

            If Breakers are smart, they will figure out a way to put KM near the front and center of their marketing for next year. Product of a local club and D1 program, NT capped, photogenic, etc, etc. Someone local youth players can relate to. Somehow add one big national star to that mix, make them the dynamic duo, and then maybe you have something.

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
              Ok, so how many more Breakers tix were sold this year due to Heather O'Reilly being on the roster. My guess; not many. If we're talking about a true crossover star like Alex Morgan or Hope Solo, then yes, but HAO is not near the top in name recognition. Leroux was a popular and admittedly ascending name, so it was arguably a bigger hit marketing-wise when she was traded. Take someone like Wambach. Was and still is a very big draw, but with the younger set whose family choices (spend $ /don't spend $) will eventually make or break the NWSL, I think you will find even she is a star whose power is quickly descending.

              If Breakers are smart, they will figure out a way to put KM near the front and center of their marketing for next year. Product of a local club and D1 program, NT capped, photogenic, etc, etc. Someone local youth players can relate to. Somehow add one big national star to that mix, make them the dynamic duo, and then maybe you have something.
              If the Breakers are smart they will do whatever it takes to pair KM with her sister who is the best college player in the country and base their marketing around the two local stars. Obviously no one of National stature wants to play here. It wouldn't surprise me if HAO wanted out just like Leroux did.

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                You're totally missing it. This is about ticket sales. The entire league is hanging in the balance from month to month and Heather's name recognition may keep them viable a little while longer. Even then, I'm not sure it's enough.
                Agreed. Terrible decision, especially after Leroux. Are they trying to turn people away.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                  You're totally missing it. This is about ticket sales. The entire league is hanging in the balance from month to month and Heather's name recognition may keep them viable a little while longer. Even then, I'm not sure it's enough.
                  The league is not hanging in the balance month to month. If you follow the NWSL you will know teams are now profitable, more MLS franchises are looking to add women's teams and US Soccer has committed its operational resources, at its own expense, for the long term. That was publicly stated from US Soccer president.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                    If we're talking about a true crossover star like Alex Morgan or Hope Solo, then yes, but HAO is not near the top in name recognition. Leroux was a popular and admittedly ascending name, so it was arguably a bigger hit marketing-wise when she was traded.

                    If Breakers are smart, they will figure out a way to put KM near the front and center of their marketing for next year.
                    On the first point, yes Leroux was the bigger loss, but it's about the trend. And on the second point, following your first, Mewis isn't a bigger name, star or anything else compared to HAO other than she has her roots here. Sorry, but that's not nearly enough.

                    The Breakers, from the roster to the attendance, and the soccer, was a standard-bearer francise and at its pinnacle in the final year of WPS. NWSL clearly doesn't see Boston as relevant compared to SEA, POR, HOU, KC and CHI to name a few.

                    Best days, I'm afraid to say, are over.

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                      Ok, so how many more Breakers tix were sold this year due to Heather O'Reilly being on the roster. My guess; not many. If we're talking about a true crossover star like Alex Morgan or Hope Solo, then yes, but HAO is not near the top in name recognition. Leroux was a popular and admittedly ascending name, so it was arguably a bigger hit marketing-wise when she was traded. Take someone like Wambach. Was and still is a very big draw, but with the younger set whose family choices (spend $ /don't spend $) will eventually make or break the NWSL, I think you will find even she is a star whose power is quickly descending.

                      If Breakers are smart, they will figure out a way to put KM near the front and center of their marketing for next year. Product of a local club and D1 program, NT capped, photogenic, etc, etc. Someone local youth players can relate to. Somehow add one big national star to that mix, make them the dynamic duo, and then maybe you have something.
                      If the Breakers are smart, they'd find a new head coach. TD was terrible. His decision to shuffle untested defenders onto the back line early in the season cost the team at least 2 games. The whole season looked like one big experiment with regard to roster and positions. It was a joke. My understanding is the players don't have a ton of respect for him either. Who knows, he may have been the reason HAO asked to leave? If he stays, the Breakers risk another sub-par season.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                        The league is not hanging in the balance month to month. If you follow the NWSL you will know teams are now profitable, more MLS franchises are looking to add women's teams and US Soccer has committed its operational resources, at its own expense, for the long term. That was publicly stated from US Soccer president.
                        In other words, US Soccer is subsidizing the league to make it viable at least through World Cup next summer. The league is in trouble because players are making peanuts compared to even the low base salaries of the MLS. The only players making any money are the ones on the National Team who are able to strike while the irons hot and make a few commercials here and there. Right now the league is little more than an extenstion of the youth program. Instead of U-18, they're just U-30's. Painful to hear as the parent of an aspiring soccer playing daughter but it's the harsh reality right now.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Originally posted by Unregistered View Post
                          In other words, US Soccer is subsidizing the league to make it viable at least through World Cup next summer. The league is in trouble because players are making peanuts compared to even the low base salaries of the MLS. The only players making any money are the ones on the National Team who are able to strike while the irons hot and make a few commercials here and there. Right now the league is little more than an extenstion of the youth program. Instead of U-18, they're just U-30's. Painful to hear as the parent of an aspiring soccer playing daughter but it's the harsh reality right now.
                          I guess you decided not to read the part stating teams are now profitable? From my understanding two teams made over $1m this past year. The league WOULD be in trouble if it resorted back to high salaries (like previous leagues), until such growth in sponsorship and TV that will not happen.

                          When NBA was launced players were paid peanuts, league was close to folding at least ten times and players worked two other jobs to earn a living. Look how that turned out in the long run.

                          Comment


                            #14
                            The league is absolutely on the right track, a much better track than the past, following more closely the model of the WNBA/NBA. That's a separate conversation from Boston as one of the cities among others. Whatever characteristics you might attribute the success in a city like Portland, whether it's the stadium, the roster loaded with stars or MLS relationship, Boston is clearly not on the same path.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Half the problem seems to be clubs that just have too short a vision and are simply trying to cash in on the short term bump offered by the WC instead of doing the hard work of building their brands brick by brick like they need to. The Breakers need to do this the old fashioned way. They have to build a team that fans want to follow and create an identity for it in a very crowded pro sports market. When was the last time they really did any sophisticated marketing? Moving to Diboy was a huge mistake also because they pegged themselves as a youth club instead of a pro sports team by doing that.

                              Comment

                              Previously entered content was automatically saved. Restore or Discard.
                              Auto-Saved
                              x
                              Insert: Thumbnail Small Medium Large Fullsize Remove  
                              x
                              Working...
                              X