On the same day that The Wall Street Journal published this fluff piece, "Are Americans Becoming Soccer Fans?" you have the stark reality presented to us by our buddies at The Best Eleven:
MLS All-Stars, the greatest players in the league, make as little as $35,000 per year - or an average of $150,000 per year (when discounting designated players like David Beckham).

Major League Soccer's regular season wrapped up yesterday and here are the final attendance figures:

Team G Total Avg Med Hi Lo Change Seattle 15 463,455 30,897 32,404 33,108 28,548 NA Los Angeles 15 306,240 20,416 19,718 27,000 16,649 -21.5% Toronto 15 305,167 20,344 20,384 20,902 19,843 1.

St James' Park's dropping attendance figures are still higher than they should be Newcastle United's defeat to Fulham on Saturday was their final home fixture of the season. And the big crowd that got behind the Magpies and roared them to the brink of relegation helped to put the club on the verge of getting into [.

After stressing the growth of soccer enthusiasts all over the United States - justified by attendance figures and TV ratings over the summer - The San Jose Mercury News' Mark Purdy feels writes how that growth is about soccer...but just not Major League Soccer.
Over the past decade, soccer telecasts from around the globe have found their way onto American television sets through satellite or cable.

Week 13 of MLS action is now in the books. Lets take a look back at the latest attendance figures.
GameAttendanceChivas USA @ Houston Dynamo14,516Chicago Fire @ DC United18,369New York Red Bulls @ Toronto FC19,843Houston Dynamo @ FC Dallas8,580New England Revolution @ Kansas City Wizards10,385Real Salt Lake @ Los Angeles Galaxy19,718San Jose Earthquakes @ Seattle Sounders FC28,999Chivas USA @ Columbus Crew12,658Average16,633.

Street and Smith's SportsBusiness Daily put together a list of Major League Soccer attendance figures in comparison to this point last season.
The Chicago Fire have suffered a 30.3 percent attendance dropoff compared to last season. Through three MLS home games, Chicago has brought in 32,703 people, or a 10,901 average.

Some random thoughts and links to fill the morning/afternoon:
- I didn't actually get to write about the attendance figures for my PE column. In case you hadn't noticed, attendance figures around the league are sagging. MLS Daily does an excellent breakdown of this so you can click on this link to check out the figures.

Arrive early this evening for the Galaxy-AC Milan friendly at Home Depot Center that was a condition of the Galaxy extending David Beckham's loan to the Italian club.

The Galaxy, which routinely inflates attendance figures in the 24,500-seat stadium, might actually have to do the opposite tonight to stay within fire code given that they've sold out the grass berm, standing room only seats - everything.

I really enjoyed Chicago Red Stars' CEO Peter Wilt's post on Pitch Invasion the other day. Titled Grading WPS in Year One, he takes a hard look at 8 aspects of the just-finished inaugural season of Women's Professional Soccer. These include attendance, fan experience, marketing and operations, and quality of play.

Veikkausliiga announced their hoped-for attendance figures yesterday, and they seem to be grounded in as much reality as the budgets. Clubs are hoping for an increase in their attendances that may be difficult to achieve with current facilities, as well as the cold, hard fact that most clubs will be unsuccessful in most seasons.

The Rowdies will most likely announce their temporary home soon (we hope). Most speculation rests on the soccer stadium on the USF campus [pictured left] as the place that the new Rowdies will debut in 2010 before opening their own purpose built ground in 2011 (we hope and pray).

But who is number one?

No matter who they support, many football fans believe that their team is the pride of their area. Pride is not only about success, but also about reputation and respect for the team and their supporters. With Newcastle, Sunderland and Middlesbrough in the Premier League, there is always going to be debate about just who is the pride of the North East?

The latest attendance figures for MLS, USL-1 and WPS:

MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Team G Total Average Median Seattle Sounders FC 4 118,655 29,664 28,792 Toronto FC 5 100,899 20,180 20,056 Los Angeles Galaxy 4 79,045 19,761 19,510 Houston Dynamo 3 48,255 16,085 16,053 Chivas USA 4 59,354 14,839 15,037 DC United 4 57,155 14,289 14,333 Columbus Crew 3 38,779 12,926 14,686 Real Salt Lake 3 37,650 12,550 11,806 New England Revolution 1 11,314 11,314 11,314 Colorado Rapids 3 33,110 11,037 11,885 San Jose Earthquakes 5 55,140 11,028 10,049 Chicago Fire 3 32,703 10,901 10,782 New York Red Bulls 3 31,273 10,424 10,303 FC Dallas 3 29,242 9,747 6,813 Kansas City Wizards 3 27,692 9,231 10,385 MLS TOTAL 51 760,266 14,907 14,051 UNITED SOCCER LEAGUES DIVISION I Team G Total Average Median Portland Timbers 2 15,291 7,646 7,646 Vancouver Whitecaps 2 10,139 5,070 5,070 Puerto Rico Islanders 3 13,350 4,450 4,078 Charleston Battery 2 8,512 4,256 4,256 Minnesota Thunder 1 3,298 3,298 3,298 Austin Aztex 3 9,688 3,229 3,248 Carolina RailHawks 3 7,631 2,544 2,927 Cleveland City Stars 1 2,087 2,087 2,087 Miami FC Blues 4 6,686 1,672 1,539 Montreal Impact 0 0 0 0 Rochester Rhinos 0 0 0 0 USL-1 TOTAL 21 76,682 3,652 3,427 WOMEN'S PROFESSIONAL SOCCER Team G Total Average Median Los Angeles Sol 2 20,951 10,476 10,476 Boston Breakers 2 12,835 6,418 6,418 Chicago Red Stars 2 9,942 4,971 4,971 Washington Freedom 3 14,409 4,803 5,028 Saint Louis Athletica 2 9,236 4,618 4,618 Sky Blue FC 2 8,806 4,403 4,403 FC Gold Pride 3 12,313 4,104 3,321 WPS TOTAL 16 88,492 5,531 5,018

• It's early in USL-1.

OVERVIEW

I feel like I have said all of this before but the story hasn't changed much since then. Here are two teams desperately trying to turn around their seasons. The Red Bulls, though, need a win to begin this four game, must win home stand. It will be interesting to note the attendance figures for this encounter, as the game is scheduled on what should be a rainy Friday night, in the midst of one of the most painful stretches of failure the Bulls have endured in some time.

Editor's Note: Chicago Red Stars President and CEO Peter Wilt returns for his third weekly column on Pitch Invasion, pulling no punches as he grades the first season of the league his own team plays in.

Sunday's Women's Professional Soccer All-Star victory over Swedish powerhouse Umea ended WPS' first season and that makes this a good time to reflect on the inaugural year and analyze WPS' progress.

Veikkausliiga announced their hoped-for attendance figures yesterday, and they seem to be grounded in as much reality as the budgets. Clubs are hoping for an increase in their attendances that may be difficult to achieve with current facilities, as well as the cold, hard fact that most clubs will be unsuccessful in most seasons.

This year's baseball season is shaping up to have more MLS cities in contention than in past years. The Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners are off to really good starts, and this is not good news for MLS. Currently, both teams sit in first place of their respective divisions. These two cities have drawn better at the gate than any other MLS teams, but will it continue if their baseball counterparts continue to position themselves for a playoff push?

The usual way we soccer supporters in the U.S. measure interest in the sport is via television ratings and attendance figures, as both are readily available in the public domain and easy to digest. Unfortunately, this is a pretty weak sampling of fan interest as a whole in the American population.

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- For additional up-to-the-minute news about QPR, mixed in with "retro" lookbacks at QPR; along with some items of general football interest: Visit the combination blog and messageboard, QPR Report Messageboard. If you want to offer your own perspective: It's always welcome!
- QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!

Wendy Parker decides to take a crack at the WPS issues we've all been talking about:

But demanding that a fledging league like WPS shoulder the burden of advancing such things like an anti-rape movement is absurd. WPS has had enough difficulty launching during a recession, experiencing lower-than-expected attendance figures and attracting corporate donors.

Got an article from the past 24 hours that we missed?
Send the link(s) to us at majorleaguewriter@gmail.com
Total articles found today:61
MLS Attendance
Updated 2009 MLS Attendance Figures - MLS Daily
Americans Abroad / USMNT
Americans Abroad - Soccer Insider
Goal Scored By Number.

So what do you do if you are the Front Office of an MLS Club who recently drew under 6,000 people to a regular season match in beautiful weather? Why you call call a town meeting of course. But is this a town meeting of Dallas soccer fanaticos? Nope. It's a town meeting of existing FC Dallas season ticket holders.

All FC Dallas season ticket holders will be thrilled to learn that "Bonus Game B" has been scheduled! This time, FCD fans can head out to Pizza Hut Park and enjoy a match played by a bunch of trialist and no-name players in FC Dallas shirts against a team no one has ever heard of.
While other MLS clubs get international friendlies against Barcelona or Real Madrid, FC Dallas fans get another Central American team that nobody gives a shit about!

Its kind of weird to see the Cotton Bowl hosting MLS once again but tonight it happens. The New England Revolution travel to Dallas to play part of a double header that will pretty much only boost Dallas' dreadful season attendance figures.

New England comes into town on a fairly hot streak despite the fact they just lost one of their key players Steve Ralston for the rest of the year to a knee injury.

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- Checkout the TWO QPR Reports! This QPR Report site. And, the second combination messageboard and quasi-blog QPR Report Messageboard. If you're interested in constantly-updated news re anything QPR-related and also QPR nostalgia, this site has both - along with assorted eclectic non-QPR football material.

Veikkausliiga announced their hoped-for attendance figures yesterday, and they seem to be grounded in as much reality as the budgets. Clubs are hoping for an increase in their attendances that may be difficult to achieve with current facilities, as well as the cold, hard fact that most clubs will be unsuccessful in most seasons.

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QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the cutting-edge/continually-updated/football-only, quasi-blog/quasi-board QPR Report Messageboard! (Also: Feel free to check out the recently-created, general football blog Football Observer)
- QPR Points Comparison: QPR at Year's End and End of the Season
- Goodform Company re Helping QPR Marketing Membership
- Arsenal and Raheem Sterling
- Briefly re QPR Scout: Les O'Neil
- Holloway's Happy Days
- Four Year Flashback: Newspapers List of "Top Twenty Players Outside The Premiership" (None QPR)
- Six Year Flashback: Gianni Paladini Unhappy at Port Vale Decision
- Fourteen Years Ago: Nigel Quashie Made His QPR Debut
- RIP: Allen Batsford
QPR ATTENDANCE FIGURES
- QPR currently have the 17th best (or 7th worst) attendance figures in the Championship) 2009/2010 Championship Club-by-Club Attendance Figures
2009/2010 13,409 (after 12 home games) (MagiltoN/Gallen-Bircham/Hart)
2008/2009 - 14,003 (Dowie/Ainsworth/Sousa/Ainsworth)
2007/2008 - 13,958 (Gregory/Harford/De Canio)
* 2006/2007 - 12,936 (Waddock/Gregory)
2005/2006 - 13,440 (Holloway/Waddock)
2004/2005 - 16,055 (QPR's First back in the Championship after promotion)
2003/2004 - 14,784 (QPR Promotion Season)
2002/2003 - 13,206 (QPR Playoff Season)
* In the club takeover statement in September 2007, the document posted on the QPR Official Site declared "QPR is one of the best supported football clubs in the Championship with attendance at home games averaging approximately 20,000, in the 2006/2007 season.

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QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the cutting-edge/continually-updated/football-only, quasi-blog/quasi-board QPR Report Messageboard! (Also: Feel free to check out the recently-created, general football blog Football Observer)
- Who's Watching QPR: QPR Attendance Figures Year-by-Year
- QPR Points Comparison: QPR at Year's End and End of the Season
- PFA Championship Player of the Month Nominees: George Boyd-Peterborough:
Darren Pratley- Swansea; Billy Sharp - Doncaster: Alan Smith-Newcastle
- Arsenal and Raheem Sterling
- Briefly re QPR Scout: Les O'Neil
- Holloway's Happy Days
- Four Year Flashback: Newspapers List of "Top Twenty Players Outside The Premiership" (None QPR)
- Six Year Flashback: Gianni Paladini Unhappy at Port Vale Decision
- Fourteen Years Ago: Nigel Quashie Made His QPR Debut
Brian Glanville/Sportstar on Wolves, Portsmouth and QPR
Going awry and amiss
Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Mick McCarthy insisted that he had done exactly the right thing to rest his first choice men against Manchester United in the Premiership match at Old Trafford.

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QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the cutting-edge/continually-updated/football-only, quasi-blog/quasi-board QPR Report Messageboard! (Also: Feel free to check out the recently-created, general football blog Football Observer)
- VIDEO "HIGHLIGHTS" - Ipswich vs QPR
- Brian Glanville on QPR, Briatore and Hart
- Who's Watching QPR: QPR Attendance Figures Year-by-Year
- QPR Points Comparison: QPR at Year's End and End of the Season
- PFA Championship Player of the Month Nominees: George Boyd-Peterborough:
Darren Pratley- Swansea; Billy Sharp - Doncaster: Alan Smith-Newcastle
- Arsenal and Raheem Sterling
- Briefly re QPR Scout: Les O'Neil
QPR Official Site - WILLIAMS RETURNS TO POSH
Posted on: Wed 30 Dec 2009
Tommy Williams has been recalled from his loan spell with QPR by parent Club Peterborough.

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QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the cutting-edge/continually-updated/football-only, quasi-blog/quasi-board QPR Report Messageboard! (Also: Feel free to check out the recently-created, general football blog Football Observer)
- VIDEO "HIGHLIGHTS" - Ipswich vs QPR
- Brian Glanville on QPR, Briatore and Hart
- Who's Watching QPR: QPR Attendance Figures Year-by-Year
- QPR Points Comparison: QPR at Year's End and End of the Season
- PFA Championship Player of the Month Nominees: George Boyd-Peterborough:
Darren Pratley- Swansea; Billy Sharp - Doncaster: Alan Smith-Newcastle
- Arsenal and Raheem Sterling
- Briefly re QPR Scout: Les O'Neil
QPR Official Site
.

-
QPR REPORT Available on TWITTER!
- Check out the cutting-edge/continually-updated/football-only, quasi-blog/quasi-board QPR Report Messageboard! (Also: Feel free to check out the recently-created, general football blog Football Observer)
- A QPR/Tampa Bay Rowdies Fan on Rodney Marsh: More to come
- Helping QPR Market Members
- Who's Watching QPR: QPR Attendance Figures Year-by-Year
- QPR Points Comparison: QPR at Year's End and End of the Season
- PFA Championship Player of the Month Nominees: George Boyd-Peterborough:
Darren Pratley- Swansea; Billy Sharp - Doncaster: Alan Smith-Newcastle
- Arsenal and Raheem Sterling
- Briefly re QPR Scout: Les O'Neil
- VIDEO "HIGHLIGHTS" - Ipswich vs QPR
- Brian Glanville on QPR, Briatore and Hart
BBC - Cardiff target midfielder Watson
- Wigan Athletic's Ben Watson has emerged as a January transfer target for Dave Jones as he bids to ease Cardiff City's central midfield injury crisis.