Time to party!  Enjoy your New Year activities with friends and family.

A quick review of NYC FC’s 2007:
1. The league confirms that New Yorker Fred Wilpon wants to buy a Major League Soccer expansion franchise
2. The Borough Boys Supporter Group and New York City FC dotNet are formed and NYC FC fans start to organize
3. Please sign the Bring Soccer to New York City petition that is being circulated to support Wilpon’s bid
4. Borough Boys outlined plans for 2008, including trips to sporting events and other outreach efforts
5. Money to redevelop the area around Shea Stadium looks like it will be approved by the City
6. At the end of the year, the math is simple… build a soccer stadium and the MLS will come

But with all the good news, there is still a lot to do in ‘08 to bring New York its FC!

::lifts his glass to toast:: To a prosperous New Year!

Someone cue Ol’ Blue Eyes… because it is time to start spreading the news, NY FC is not far away!

Hopefully, a New York franchise will be announced soon, so we can start doing the fun parts of being a fan. Until then I put up a new poll to decide who we want to see as the “Face” of a NYC FC. If you would like to vote, you can find the poll on the left sidebar.

I tried to pick a diverse group of soccer players. If you want to see Kaka, Messi, Ronaldo or someone else use the “Other” option and I’ll report those when the poll is closed.

For those that need to do some scouting first, here are some videos and Wikipedia links (in alphabetical order):

MLS Expansion
MLS is looking to expand to 16 teams by 2010. We narrow the field down to three deserving cities with an old school knockout tournament.

I would like to read it, but it is not online. Can someone share a brief summary? Contact me or leave me a comment if you can help.

Here is the link to the petition’s page on Digg.com: http://digg.com/soccer/Sign_the_Bring_Soccer_to_New_York_City_Petition

New York City’s tap water won with 55% of the vote. Brooklyn Lager was second with 30% followed by Jamba Juice’s 15%. I have a feeling that any pregame tailgating will have a different outcome.

So here’s to NYC tap water, but I prefer mine with:

It is always nice to see success from humble beginnings.  The interview provides some insight into the development of a supporter group and the current state of Philadelphia soccer.  It also shows that we can make a difference as fans.

What I found interesting for New Yorker soccer supporters is how the Sons of Ben were able to stay focused on the goal and did not let the naysayers distract them.  Fortunately, the internet has “ignore” buttons.  Too bad real life does not.

On with the interview…

Tell me about the Sons of Ben’s mission.  Does it branch outside of bringing the MLS to Philadelphia?
Actually, it was never intended to be a lobbyist group. We had one of those, Philadelphia Pro Soccer Foundation, but it died shortly after we started Sons of Ben.

Who founded the SoB and how did they start the organization?  How did they recruit and spread the word about bringing professional soccer in Philadelphia?
Me, Andy Dillon, and Dave Flagler started the group. We started recruiting through BigSoccer. We had made enough noise in two months that Philadelphia resident and Four Four Two contributor Steven Wells decided to pen a piece on us – he met us at our first event.

What is the current state of SoB?  How many members do you have?
We have just under 1,050 members of which about 10% are genuinely active.

Don Garber, MLS commissioner, has stated that either Philadelphia or St. Louis will be the next MLS franchise. Do you like your chances of having an MLS in the near future?
I would think that a market like Philadelphia has an advantage. Not only do we have a larger media market, we also have two derby games within a 2 hour drive. I hope we will be playing by 2010 provided the State makes the deal happen.

What are SoB’s plans for 2008?
Depends on what there is to do. This year could be tough if there is no announcement. Ideally, the deal will get approved and the owners will decide to host a game or two to get momentum building.

A few weeks ago, I though Philadelphia was a shoe-in to be the next MLS franchise, but things have changed a little.  Your stadium has not been approved yet and if you look at 2010 there is news that Miami might be building a SSS.  Does the expansion process get you down?  How do you deal with uncertainty of the situation?  Does SoB have any plans if Philadelphia does not enter the MLS?
I’m not concerned, it’s simple; if the State approves the funding we are in. If they don’t then I have spent the year with an amazing group of guys doing something that no one thought possible. I mean, I was quoted in Sports Illustrated and Four Four Two, was on the cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Delco Times, and did television interviews. I am humbled and flattered all at once. The process is painful, but as Philly fans we are unfortunately accustomed to disappointment.

What is your advice to supporter groups, like NYC’s Borough Boys, that want to help bring an MLS franchise to their city?
Get a bunch of like minded individuals and approach it as a business. We meet at least once a week on skype or in person. We have a charter ready, we are working on trademarking our logo, we just completed our first charity event, and we are very careful and passionate about the organization.

What have you found to be the most effective way to garner attention for a Philadelphia expansion team?
Build a quorum, then plan non-confrontational events. Go to local games, host your own viewing parties, etc.

Has there been any opposition to soccer in Philadelphia?  If any, how has SoB responded?
Actually, there is more opposition to spending state money than to the sport. When we get soccer haters through our Contact Sons of Ben form, we discuss it as a group, and then usually don’t respond. There is no way to convince a soccer hater except by taking them to a game. Save your energy for better things, your persuasive argument won’t impress them.

You mention that the opposition is against using state money. I see that being a problem in NYC too. How has SoB responded to the anti-stadium lobbyists? How have you shown city officials that SoB supports the use of state money?
We’ve done the only thing we could do - create a petition outlining the positives and then deliver it. In our case, after 3 months I delivered the compiled document to the Senate Majority Leader. We aren’t concerning ourselves with the anti-stadium folks.

When Philadelphia does get an MLS franchise, how does SoB plan to celebrate?
The local tattoo parlors will be busy doing Jolly Franklin tattoos. Then, who knows, some kind of weekend long bender.

I would like to thank Bryan James and the Sons of Ben for their time.  Good luck in 2008 and hopefully we’ll be exchanging some spirited cheers in 2011.

SoccerTimes was told off-the-record by an MLS official that the top candidate would be New York City with a soccer-specific stadium built adjacent to Citi Field, the Mets’ new stadium, set to open next to Shea Stadium in Flushing, Queens, in 2009. The league envisions a bitter rivalry between this club and the New York Red Bulls, who are based in New Jersey. League sources admitted, however, getting this done would be hugely complicated and largely dependent on the development of Citi Field.

To be honest, this quote says a lot that is common sense and should be discussed in individual posts, but let’s cover the basics for now.

A Red Bulls vs. NYC FC derby (or as I like to call it MetroClasico) would be insane. Not just for area soccer lovers, but also for the league. Being a top media center in the East Coast matters. Right now the league’s top draw, Beckham, plays many of his games at 11PM EST. Casual soccer fans are not going to stay up late to watch these games. Do you not think MLS knows this?

Fred Wilpon’s name keeps on being trotted out by Don Garber, MLS commissioner, and other league officials as a potential NYC FC owner. The fact that Wilpon, the Mets, and Shea Stadium are repeatedly mentioned means that this is for real. There would be no reason for Wilpon allow the MLS to continue using his name if he was not committed to bringing soccer to New York. This is not some panhandler on the E train, Wilpon does already own a Major League franchise.

Shea is an obvious location for a soccer-specific or multi-purpose stadium, but I hope that the league keeps its options open. A soccer team in New York City can survive in numerous places in Brooklyn and Queens, like Coney Island. Obviously, Manhattan is out and Staten Island and Long Island are less than desirable.

The real obstacle in bringing an MLS expansion team to NYC is the stadium issue. It is the reason that keeps coming up as to why the MLS will never come here. It is also the reason why we have to organize. We have an interested party (Wilpon) that has already built New York sports stadiums (Citi Field, KeySpan Park) and a mayor that is not adverse to funding their construction (Bloomberg). They just need the public support to show that New Yorkers really want to make soccer in the city a reality.  Sounds like a New Year’s resolution to me.

I’ll post some reaction/commentary to this news tomorrow. Enjoy your Christmas!

Thanks to Mets 1989 for the link.