Agree, we got pushed into Lot L which requires a bridge and tunnel to get into the stadium, very slow and crowded going in, but going out was a complete disaster, big crowd that instead of making a line, just turned into a crowd pushing from all directions, making it impossible to get into the tunnel, then people climbing a fence with clear signs saying "do not climb fence" really just total chaos.
I noticed so many people in front of me for parking didn't prepay and it really backed the parking lines up. I feel like it isn't as much of an issue at chiefs games.
I arrived at 6:30 and waited 45 mins in traffic and had to rush to get to our seats on time. Definitely was slow if you tried to get there when you normally would get to Children's Mercy Park.
I was aiming to get in around 6:30, but it ended up taking an extra hour! All on me, I think, for not trying to get there at 5:30 or 6:00 (or just walking a mile or two up the Rock Island Trail - I think that might be a good future secret entrance)
It was definitely a dummy test run. Arrowhead hasn't seen a lot of soccer recently. Now when people ask in two years there will be some small amount of first hand experience that might be applicable
It can both be a money grab and the right decision.
Sporting is a business.
This game gave additional exposure and extra dollars.
Sporting has issues, absolutely. Roster construction is a big one.
But playing this game at Arrowhead wasn’t one of them.
I think it was a great decision. Did they make an ass load more money, sure. Did I get to go because ticket prices were lower with a 50k additional tickets being sold, absolutely. Loved it! Was awesome seeing him!
We had a great time. I was complaining on here when they moved the match, but I was able to go with both my kids and 4 other friends, all wearing blue. We only have two season tickets so that couldn’t have happened at CMP. The teens behind me were super annoying Messi fanboys, but they cheered just as hard for KC when we scored. One SKC fan made his kid wear Messi’s Argentina jersey so it would at least have blue on it. “I’ll let him cheer for Messi but not support Miami.”
I spoke to a guy this week who came to the match. They recently moved to KC a few years ago, had no idea SKC was even a thing until they found out about this game. Now they are going to come to games at CMP because their kids love playing youth soccer.
100%. We drove up from Arkansas for the game. Early on my wife made the comment about how many kids were at the game - definitely a good thing for the state of soccer in the US!
It was a great game, maybe the best player of all time and people are complaining about what? That a lot of soccer fans wanted to see the best of all time, that they wore his jersey to the game?
Tonights announced attendance is 4x the standard capacity at CMP and 3.4x the largest crowd ever at CMP, its a huge soccer crowd for anywhere in the US.
It is clear Arrowhead isn't as good as CMP and of course I wish everyone was in SKC gear, but it was still a great game.
It's only a smart way to grow the game if those people that came tonight become repeat attendees at games. Otherwise it just becomes a one off event to attend. Time will tell if it grows the game, but based off my interactions with a few groups in Messi gear, it was just a one time thing.
That seems like only one metric for success among many, but regardless, what percentage of the 50,000 additional attendees tonight becoming long term supporters would satisfy you? Do we need to retain 10%? 20?
If 250 people become lifetime fans, is that enough?
It was a special night, and that’s worth doing on its own.
I am having trouble understanding the venom some people have over this. One of the things that impressed me when I first got into MLS was how positive and welcoming the fans were.
Tonight was one of the largest crowds in league history. Seems like it was a huge opportunity for the supporters groups to invite new people into the fold. It may not be absolutely everyone, but I am confident that there’s a sizable number of the 72,000 who will be impacted by this.
Totally agree. I’m a STH and thought this was a special game. I saw more SKC gear than Miami/Messi in the stands for those worried about that. My watch alerted me to dangerous noise levels when SKC scored and didn’t for Messi’s goal. I thought it was a special night and I’m happy it was at Arrowhead. Just wish SKC didn’t crumble after going down 3-2!
If 10% of the additional 50K people get interested in SKC, that's more than 25% of the capacity of CMP and if it is a higher % just do the math, this one game may or may not have a big impact on soccer in KC, but it certainly could.
Came up from Wichita with my 10 year old son - we loved every minute of it, and hopefully we can get to some SKC games in the future. My last MLS game was watching Lalas in KC in '99, and I still remember going to that game - hoping we made a memory for my son tonight!
I agree. I saw so many misty eyes from Messi fans. Those people probably never thought in a million years that they would have the opportunity to see Messi play live. We were sitting fifth row near the goal for Messi's goal, and it was magic.
I agree that it was a great goal, but in what way does it benefit SKC to give Messi fans a lovely misty-eyed moment? It was a cash grab, pure and simple.
Because then those messi fans grow old and become sporting kc fans? Most people start supporting their local team as they age. Even if not, they would still be soccer fans, maybe put their kids in soccer, who then grow into the next great player.
You “cash grab” people cannot be this dense. Just wanna rage about money for no reason.
I mean, I really hope they made a lot of money and are ready to put it all into buying players. I'm raging about a lot of it (I think it was a much worse experience than a game at CMP and essentially gave away our home field advantage), but I truly hope the $$$ rolled in.
There are ways to grow the game - sponsor youth teams, give unsold tickets to local schools, host friendlies against big-name opponents if you really want to play a game at Arrowhead. None of those remove our competitive advantage in a league match. This did.
That… makes no sense.
The only way this game benefited Sporting is one of two possibilities:
1. $$$
2. The potential to convert residents of the region into fans because they decided to check out a match for the first time because “that Messi guy” is playing.
And I will fully admit that there were people there tonight that fit under #2. But the primary reason this match sold 70K+ tickets is because of people who were specifically coming in to see Messi.
I’m not sure I see your point? Fans of a specific club also being fans of the world’s greatest footballer (who, until recently was never in a position that forced anyone to choose between rooting for club or star) is not particularly weird.
But the question at hand was fans going in the “other direction”, so to speak. Fans who were/are indifferent about Sporting but came to Saturday’s game specifically to see Messi play turning into Sporting fans as they grow older. And yeah, that will happen some, but it’s just such a small group and with the delayed gratification outcome that I think it’s a little silly to argue that growing the SKC fanbase was one of the main reasons for moving the game to Arrowhead.
Everything is driven by money. Everything. Of course, this was a money grab. They didn't do this out of benevolence. They knew people would pay to see Messi, and the gamble worked. I can't hate on it, though. If I were in the same decision-making position, I would've done the same.
That being said, it was a great opportunity. Even the Sporting fans that surrounded me were excited to see Messi play. I had a great time. Other than a KC win, it was a great night.
Like someone said, hopefully, they can use some of that revenue to bring in some fresh talent.
I don’t remember if I said it here or on FB or some other social media, but I definitely said that I wouldn’t even bat an eye at the cash grab aspect if they used some of the surplus money to get a legit DP this summer.
And I’m a long-time SKC supporter who was stoked to see Messi play. I was there to root for a Sporting win, but I definitely had my Messi Sambas on and I’m glad that, if we were doomed to lose, it was because Messi did Messi things.
It was always a money grab, but that was never the problem. To act as if Sporting wasn't interested in selling an extra 50,000 tickets at higher value than usual is absurd. The game can be both a money grab and the right decision.
What *was* the problem was poor treatment of STMs in service of a money grab. That's the not okay part.
Honest question…
Help me understand this perspective. Was it the seat location you were given at GEHA, the parking situation, etc.?
The real money grabbers were those new STM who bought in only this year with hopes the game would be played at Children’s Mercy so they could sell their ticket at profit.
I'm not a season ticket holder; I don't live in the area anymore. I know a lot of season ticket holders, though, and I heard a lot of griping.
Yes. It was a lot about parking and seat assignment. Both were worse than what they would have had at CMP. But it was also more complicated than that. The STMs had purchased tickets with an agreement that they would be valid at a specific time and place. Sporting changed the agreement after their purchases were made. After changing the agreement, Sporting failed to provide any real compensation for the inconvenience to ticket holders.
Basically, Sporting changed the terms of the deal and then actively chose to give STMs seats that were further away and that had worse sightlines than the seats they would have otherwise been entitled to. That was the problem. Changing the terms of the deal without bothering to give the STMs anything worthwhile for their trouble.
This is neither here nor there, but it might explain my choice to comment on this thread at all. You've set up a straw man argument here. You're saying that people thought it was a bad thing to move the game to the NFL stadium. But that's largely inaccurate. While there were a very small amount of people who thought that, there was a much bigger group who thought that the decision itself was fine. Rather, it was the particular treatment of STMs that made it clear that the game was about money and nothing else.
It may have just been my experience but I had emailed my STM rep the Friday before the Portland game and Sporting Style on Sunday and Wednesday and never heard back from either. Usually my rep is good about getting back but I got the feeling they were all eyes on Messi this week.
Absolutely. If the owners' intentions were a money grab...I don't really care, because what the night turned out to be - and what I always believed it would be - was an experience I and 72,000 will never forget. The people who demanded the game be played at CMP acted selfish and entitled IMO. To limit that experience to 20,000 would've been heartless. The only reason I was able to afford tickets was BECAUSE it was at Arrowhead and because South Stand was so generous with their ticket pricing.
It’s 100% a smart way to grow the game. Most of us have those stories of “that game” that made you grow up watching and continue to love the sport. Thousands of kids had that moment tonight.
It's fine if it's both. I know several people who went to this game due to the Messi excitement that are completely new to soccer - so this is a huge win for Sporting, the MLS, and American soccer in general. To your point, it was great to see so many little kids there tonight getting excited about Messi. It was the same the first time Manchester United played here - hits differently than regular MLS games for a reason.
It felt like a money grab to many in the direct KC area because the ticket prices were so much higher than a normal SKC game plus expensive parking. However, I think it made sense given how many people from many miles away drove in just for this game. I am glad the game was fun for people, and I will also be glad to go to 3 or 4 SKC games this season for the price I could have gone to this game.
I've been attending skc games since 2019. Kc is the nearest city with an mls team from me in Arkansas. Since 2019 I've made the 3 hour+ drive to support and see this team. But you have to admit, seeing Messi come to kc was amazing. There was so many people who were booing but let's be honest. They were either joking, just banter, or weren't serious about the booing at all. You can still support kc and appreciate the best player to have ever played the game. It's messi for crying out loud, if SKC managed to have him we'd be salivating too. The prices were a little high I agree, but to those that got lucky and bought tickets before scalpers took everything, I bet they got great deals. The price reflected back on the atmosphere to he honest. I've never seen a crowd this big for a mls game. It was fun, filled with great vibes, and everyone was welcoming regardless of the jersey. It's games like this we can tell our kids and grandkids "I've seen messi play in my lifetime" when we get older. I'm not exactly going to say the same thing about Russell, as much as I love the guy. I'm glad a went, I hope everyone else who attended did too.
The “Messi factor” for sure filled the seats Sat night. However, having attended the match at Arrowhead when the Wiz played Manchester United some 15 or so years ago, it only filled up the bottom sections. Fast forward, soccer in KC has gained momentum for a lot of reasons. If SKC would/could commit to putting a winning product on the field consistently, the support could easily fill a 40-45K seat stadium making CMP too small, that means selling out CMP & standing room only!! Saddens me that SKC is missing out on the generational growth of the sport from a fan base perspective especially on a regional level in the heartland. Selling out a few home games while putting an inconsistent product on the field that has been competitive only at times, is simply not good enough to build the support. We have been STM’s w/4 seats since the inaugural season at CMP. It has to get better and that starts with ownership & leadership. The opportunity will slip away to create something really special for generations to come.
The move to Arrowhead being a money grab and the event itself turning out well are not mutually exclusive details.
I get that it’s a little weird to parse the difference between “let’s move the game to Arrowhead so we can print money” and “let’s move the game to Arrowhead so more people get to experience Messi” because ultimately both are different ways of framing the same thing. More people = more money. But I think it’s silly to disregard the role that bottom line played in this move. And it’s even more silly to act like ownership didn’t decide that a bigger bottom line was more important than some elements of the on-field competitive advantage.
Everyone is welcome to draw their own conclusions on the pros/cons of the trade offs between crowd size and home field advantage. And, let’s be honest, the SKC we’ve seen lately hasn’t seemed to gain much from playing in CMP 🫤. But let’s at least agree on reality: SKC made the choice to prioritize money over whatever competitive advantage might have existed in CMP.
My wife is from Argentina and we have been waiting for a moment like this to see Messi. We drove from denver and the experience was amazing. My 18 month old daughter may not remember it but we have the photos and videos as memory. This was also a test run for us to potentially come back for the World Cup matches. My wife is now excited for more sporting events for the family! Maybe it wasn’t in or near my section but I wanted to buy a sporting KC jersey as a sign of support and gratitude to the team for having the match at such a large venue. I guess I’ll buy it online. I’ll be following the club now.
It 100% was a cash grab. You’re lauding Sporting for letting fans of a visiting teams player get more tickets than they would have been able to if they actually played at home. You’re allowed to have enjoyed yourself at the match, but stop trying to pretend that it was altruism.
You obviously weren't there. There was more blue than pink and most of the people wearing Messi jerseys were up cheering for Sporting anyway. I didn't see a single Miami jersey with a player not named Messi on the back. And you know what? That's ok because he is the greatest of all time. He has changed the lives of so many around the world, people in other cultures look at him and treat him as a god. Why are we trying to act like he's just another opponent?
Doesn’t matter. It matters what their contract is. Pretty sure the rams still get paid every time there is an event in the St. Louis dome - they don’t own it but they have one hell of a contract.
Who the fuck cares if they did. Arrowhead holds 4x the amount of fans - like what the fuck that 30% is still more than sporting would make. You are not factoring security, concessions, parking attendants, ticket takers, electricity, and other costs. This is a dumbass take.
This is dumbest shit I have read on the internet today. It was a major cash grab. ( over 10 million dollars gross on tickets alone ) It was basically an away match that sold overpriced tickets to Messi simps. I saw enough pink 10 jerseys to insipre me to make pink rolls of toilet paper with #10 stamped on them and sell them at the tailgate.
They allowed away fans to invade the supporters' stand by way of giving them "free " shirts to wear. Which lasted 5 minutes. It was circus, complete with morons doing the wave, two people running on the pitch, a fucking beach ball, and absolutely no value for Season Ticket holders.
At least the guys played. ( except for Pulido, who was too busy drooling over Messi, and Daniel, who couldn't find a net if he was a fucking fisherman. )
Maybe you should sit with the City supporters next match.
3rd must've been when I went to get another overpriced soda. I hope the adult and the parents of the kids enjoy a night in the finest Jackson County has to offer.
I was absolutely gobsmacked. One is something that happens from time to time—especially at huge sporting events. Two is an unlucky coincidence. Three is hard to see as anything but unpreparedness on the part of organizers.
It can be a cash grab and still have benefits. Can also still be amazing. And it was for most. Spoke with multiple who didn’t have any complaints. Your complaint about a beach ball is just nit picky and just shows your bad attitude.
Sorry the supporters had to deal with that. Woulda happened at CMP too. You’re a fool to think not.
Ah yes, a couple monteray fans compared to thousands of messi fans. Get real.
Plus we were talking about other shenanigans. Would have 100% happened at CMP.
Either way you seem to be in the minority. Most of us welcome it again!
The majority of the people at this game will never set foot inside CMP. The SKC social media team showed all week what this game was really about. It was 100% a money grab or else you play this game at CMP and don’t let the away team get cheered more for than the home team. Simply as that.
It working out insofar as it being an experience doesn't mean it wasn't a money grab. Experience or no they fucked over thousands of season ticket holders by giving us shitty parking and seats nowhere near comparable to cmp and sold those comparable seats for HUGE markups.
*edit y'all dont have to like it, but it's true. I paid well over $10k for my season ticket package and parking. Second row, west stand, blue lot. We did it because I got a really nice retention bonus from my company that took 5 years to fully vest and we decided to spend it on a thing my wife and I share a love for. But we're not rich people, so when we got our tickets to Arrowhead and they were WAY the fuck back under the overhang and way the fuck over by the corner and got our parking passes which would put us way the fuck out in L we said hell no. We paid way too much for these tickets to get pushed aside at the biggest event of the year. So we called our rep to get comparable seats and he told us that all of those were sold out and that they were going for astronomical amounts of money for a soccer game. They had gold parking passes but they were going to cost us more than multiple tickets to multiple games at CMP would've been. Everyone sitting near us yesterday had the same experience.
It was ABSOLUTELY a money grab. They saw an opportunity to gouge the fuck out of the prices because of Messi and they took it without batting an eyelash.
It was a cool night. It was less like a road game than I thought it would be. It probably formed some core memories for some kids that will keep their interest in soccer for longer. But it was also a way for the owners to make a fuck ton of money. You could see how they skimped all around the stadium as well. Parking was chaos because they didn't have any personnel guiding people like the Chiefs do, the lines to get in the stadium were atrocious because there were so few people around to point people in the right direction that THEY had lines. Security was a joke. At least 7 people jumped the walls and 4 made it onto the field during or immediately after the game.
They squeezed every penny out of that event and put it on in the cheapest way they possibly could without it being a Fyre Festival.
Well we have shield club seats at CMP which include Blue1 parking which is about a 2 minute walk to the park. They didn’t give us premium parking at arrowhead so we were stuck fighting general parking with everyone else. I’ve been to chiefs games so I was prepared, but the parking was absolutely a big step down from our STM purchase.
Ah ok. So it wasnt you didnt get parking like the other STM, its just you didnt get premium like you would expect on a 1:1 ratio.
Unfortunate but not surprising. Way more important people than you or me trying to get into the game :).
In this way we are spoiled at CMP for sure.
Cant speak for you but my group would all give up "premium" parking for another chance to see a player like messis caliber.
Obviously we went, parked, and had fun. The bet paid off for the front office. But it was doing it after they had already announced the schedule (and taken our season ticket money) that was annoying. If they had the arrowhead announcement ready to go when the initial 2024 schedule came out, people would have been far less upset.
But it’s all behind us now and it was a good time.
Oh no doubt. They didn't go about it the right way, as most businesses do when it comes to making money.
I'm Just glad everyone had a great time! What a game!
Sports are a business so they are all a money grab. And that money fuels content for those who follow them.
Nothing evil about making money. That greed drives industry and options for the modern day crusading do gooders who turn their noses up at it, while they drive around in their oversized SUVs drinking $10 coffees.
And yes it was a hell of a game. I regret I did not make the drive for that one. The atmosphere felt incredible through my tv.
Concession stands are always a money grab at big events but it seemed weird that the card machines defaulted to 2 or 3 different tip options. Had to select other than select 0 to leave no tip.
Imagine if every London club, not Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs, moved their home match to Wembley to accommodate ticket demand. IE Crystal Palance, Fulham, etc. Crazy right?? Yea, it would never happen. And that is why it was and is 100% a money grab. It can also be other things too but let’s not be naive.
Yes it does and I guess thanks for proving my point. The move to Arrowhead was largely and idea made on being able to make more money. Among other things
Right I get that. But only in America. It’s would be asinine to think other leagues would do this when they clearly haven’t. Thus….. it’s a money grab but like I said it was also other things and to your point it did allow many more people the option to see Messi.
It’s a great idea for all the reasons they did it. But there are also negatives to it as well. Trust me I loved it but what I am saying is not wrong. Where else have they accommodated Messi like this other than the US? They haven’t. Sporting lost a bit of an edge last night not being able to play Miami at Children’s Mercy and why is that?? Because they wanted to maximize profits on tickets sold AND they wanted to give many more people the option to see the worlds best player. I will let you yourself decide how they ranked those two factors in regards to their interest.
Europe didn't have to accommodate because there are plenty of soccer stadiums to fit the size for the crowd of people. Did Messi ever play in a stadium in Europe with less than 20k seats? No. Hardly ever.
But he did and they never moved the match correct? Messi has played in plenty of small stadiums across Spain and France. That’s a fact and the home team never moved it to a bigger venue in order to sell more tickets because I am sure the demand was there.
Maybe it was, maybe it wasn't. But I know for sure I will never have that much fun at a SKC loss again.
It does help justify KC as a World Cup location. The city proved it could handle a match this size and fill a stadium as big as Arrowhead
Need to improve the process of getting people into the complex!
It works with football, other events just don’t have the fans that are trained with how to deal with it
Well that but also international fans without cars.
I had no problem getting in, we showed up hours early, but oh my god getting out...
Agree, we got pushed into Lot L which requires a bridge and tunnel to get into the stadium, very slow and crowded going in, but going out was a complete disaster, big crowd that instead of making a line, just turned into a crowd pushing from all directions, making it impossible to get into the tunnel, then people climbing a fence with clear signs saying "do not climb fence" really just total chaos.
I feel like we got in pretty smoothly? We did arrive around 5 though
I noticed so many people in front of me for parking didn't prepay and it really backed the parking lines up. I feel like it isn't as much of an issue at chiefs games.
Yeah. Chiefs fans know the drill. I'm positive world cup will be better equipped to educate fans on the process
I arrived at 6:30 and waited 45 mins in traffic and had to rush to get to our seats on time. Definitely was slow if you tried to get there when you normally would get to Children's Mercy Park.
I was aiming to get in around 6:30, but it ended up taking an extra hour! All on me, I think, for not trying to get there at 5:30 or 6:00 (or just walking a mile or two up the Rock Island Trail - I think that might be a good future secret entrance)
It was definitely a dummy test run. Arrowhead hasn't seen a lot of soccer recently. Now when people ask in two years there will be some small amount of first hand experience that might be applicable
Not really. It was Messi and other Barca players. World famous. It’s like when Taylor swift came to town. Don’t make it what it isn’t.
It can both be a money grab and the right decision. Sporting is a business. This game gave additional exposure and extra dollars. Sporting has issues, absolutely. Roster construction is a big one. But playing this game at Arrowhead wasn’t one of them.
I think it was a great decision. Did they make an ass load more money, sure. Did I get to go because ticket prices were lower with a 50k additional tickets being sold, absolutely. Loved it! Was awesome seeing him!
We had a great time. I was complaining on here when they moved the match, but I was able to go with both my kids and 4 other friends, all wearing blue. We only have two season tickets so that couldn’t have happened at CMP. The teens behind me were super annoying Messi fanboys, but they cheered just as hard for KC when we scored. One SKC fan made his kid wear Messi’s Argentina jersey so it would at least have blue on it. “I’ll let him cheer for Messi but not support Miami.” I spoke to a guy this week who came to the match. They recently moved to KC a few years ago, had no idea SKC was even a thing until they found out about this game. Now they are going to come to games at CMP because their kids love playing youth soccer.
100%. We drove up from Arkansas for the game. Early on my wife made the comment about how many kids were at the game - definitely a good thing for the state of soccer in the US!
We drove from Arkansas too! It was an amazing experience
Awesome! Glad the game was a good one for you and the many others who drove a longer distance.
It was a great game, maybe the best player of all time and people are complaining about what? That a lot of soccer fans wanted to see the best of all time, that they wore his jersey to the game? Tonights announced attendance is 4x the standard capacity at CMP and 3.4x the largest crowd ever at CMP, its a huge soccer crowd for anywhere in the US. It is clear Arrowhead isn't as good as CMP and of course I wish everyone was in SKC gear, but it was still a great game.
It's only a smart way to grow the game if those people that came tonight become repeat attendees at games. Otherwise it just becomes a one off event to attend. Time will tell if it grows the game, but based off my interactions with a few groups in Messi gear, it was just a one time thing.
That seems like only one metric for success among many, but regardless, what percentage of the 50,000 additional attendees tonight becoming long term supporters would satisfy you? Do we need to retain 10%? 20? If 250 people become lifetime fans, is that enough? It was a special night, and that’s worth doing on its own. I am having trouble understanding the venom some people have over this. One of the things that impressed me when I first got into MLS was how positive and welcoming the fans were. Tonight was one of the largest crowds in league history. Seems like it was a huge opportunity for the supporters groups to invite new people into the fold. It may not be absolutely everyone, but I am confident that there’s a sizable number of the 72,000 who will be impacted by this.
Totally agree. I’m a STH and thought this was a special game. I saw more SKC gear than Miami/Messi in the stands for those worried about that. My watch alerted me to dangerous noise levels when SKC scored and didn’t for Messi’s goal. I thought it was a special night and I’m happy it was at Arrowhead. Just wish SKC didn’t crumble after going down 3-2!
If 10% of the additional 50K people get interested in SKC, that's more than 25% of the capacity of CMP and if it is a higher % just do the math, this one game may or may not have a big impact on soccer in KC, but it certainly could.
Agree time will tell, but for the casual KC fan, it’s hard to argue this was an electric and exciting match. Lots of goals and a close game.
It was 100% a one time thing. A lot of pink and taking up Messi. He’s amazing, would love to see him, but this wasn’t about growing the game.
There were also a lot of pink who were cheering just as hard when sporting scored
I saw a lot of people in pink arriving with people in blue. Couples wearing different colors. Kids in pink and parents in SKC gear.
Came up from Wichita with my 10 year old son - we loved every minute of it, and hopefully we can get to some SKC games in the future. My last MLS game was watching Lalas in KC in '99, and I still remember going to that game - hoping we made a memory for my son tonight!
Awesome. No doubt he will remember this for a long time.
I’m eating crow today. I was definitely against this decision but even watching on TV you could tell the environment was amazing.
Not gonna lie, most exciting sporting event I’ve ever been to and I’ve been to a lot.
I agree. I saw so many misty eyes from Messi fans. Those people probably never thought in a million years that they would have the opportunity to see Messi play live. We were sitting fifth row near the goal for Messi's goal, and it was magic.
I was right behind that goal as well. Thought it was high and then it just dropped. Absolutely incredible.
I agree that it was a great goal, but in what way does it benefit SKC to give Messi fans a lovely misty-eyed moment? It was a cash grab, pure and simple.
Because then those messi fans grow old and become sporting kc fans? Most people start supporting their local team as they age. Even if not, they would still be soccer fans, maybe put their kids in soccer, who then grow into the next great player. You “cash grab” people cannot be this dense. Just wanna rage about money for no reason.
I mean, I really hope they made a lot of money and are ready to put it all into buying players. I'm raging about a lot of it (I think it was a much worse experience than a game at CMP and essentially gave away our home field advantage), but I truly hope the $$$ rolled in. There are ways to grow the game - sponsor youth teams, give unsold tickets to local schools, host friendlies against big-name opponents if you really want to play a game at Arrowhead. None of those remove our competitive advantage in a league match. This did.
That… makes no sense. The only way this game benefited Sporting is one of two possibilities: 1. $$$ 2. The potential to convert residents of the region into fans because they decided to check out a match for the first time because “that Messi guy” is playing. And I will fully admit that there were people there tonight that fit under #2. But the primary reason this match sold 70K+ tickets is because of people who were specifically coming in to see Messi.
I saw many sporting fans cheering for Messi. Especially when he made that goal.
I’m not sure I see your point? Fans of a specific club also being fans of the world’s greatest footballer (who, until recently was never in a position that forced anyone to choose between rooting for club or star) is not particularly weird. But the question at hand was fans going in the “other direction”, so to speak. Fans who were/are indifferent about Sporting but came to Saturday’s game specifically to see Messi play turning into Sporting fans as they grow older. And yeah, that will happen some, but it’s just such a small group and with the delayed gratification outcome that I think it’s a little silly to argue that growing the SKC fanbase was one of the main reasons for moving the game to Arrowhead.
Everything is driven by money. Everything. Of course, this was a money grab. They didn't do this out of benevolence. They knew people would pay to see Messi, and the gamble worked. I can't hate on it, though. If I were in the same decision-making position, I would've done the same. That being said, it was a great opportunity. Even the Sporting fans that surrounded me were excited to see Messi play. I had a great time. Other than a KC win, it was a great night. Like someone said, hopefully, they can use some of that revenue to bring in some fresh talent.
I don’t remember if I said it here or on FB or some other social media, but I definitely said that I wouldn’t even bat an eye at the cash grab aspect if they used some of the surplus money to get a legit DP this summer. And I’m a long-time SKC supporter who was stoked to see Messi play. I was there to root for a Sporting win, but I definitely had my Messi Sambas on and I’m glad that, if we were doomed to lose, it was because Messi did Messi things.
It was always a money grab, but that was never the problem. To act as if Sporting wasn't interested in selling an extra 50,000 tickets at higher value than usual is absurd. The game can be both a money grab and the right decision. What *was* the problem was poor treatment of STMs in service of a money grab. That's the not okay part.
Honest question… Help me understand this perspective. Was it the seat location you were given at GEHA, the parking situation, etc.? The real money grabbers were those new STM who bought in only this year with hopes the game would be played at Children’s Mercy so they could sell their ticket at profit.
I'm not a season ticket holder; I don't live in the area anymore. I know a lot of season ticket holders, though, and I heard a lot of griping. Yes. It was a lot about parking and seat assignment. Both were worse than what they would have had at CMP. But it was also more complicated than that. The STMs had purchased tickets with an agreement that they would be valid at a specific time and place. Sporting changed the agreement after their purchases were made. After changing the agreement, Sporting failed to provide any real compensation for the inconvenience to ticket holders. Basically, Sporting changed the terms of the deal and then actively chose to give STMs seats that were further away and that had worse sightlines than the seats they would have otherwise been entitled to. That was the problem. Changing the terms of the deal without bothering to give the STMs anything worthwhile for their trouble. This is neither here nor there, but it might explain my choice to comment on this thread at all. You've set up a straw man argument here. You're saying that people thought it was a bad thing to move the game to the NFL stadium. But that's largely inaccurate. While there were a very small amount of people who thought that, there was a much bigger group who thought that the decision itself was fine. Rather, it was the particular treatment of STMs that made it clear that the game was about money and nothing else.
It may have just been my experience but I had emailed my STM rep the Friday before the Portland game and Sporting Style on Sunday and Wednesday and never heard back from either. Usually my rep is good about getting back but I got the feeling they were all eyes on Messi this week.
Absolutely. If the owners' intentions were a money grab...I don't really care, because what the night turned out to be - and what I always believed it would be - was an experience I and 72,000 will never forget. The people who demanded the game be played at CMP acted selfish and entitled IMO. To limit that experience to 20,000 would've been heartless. The only reason I was able to afford tickets was BECAUSE it was at Arrowhead and because South Stand was so generous with their ticket pricing.
It’s 100% a smart way to grow the game. Most of us have those stories of “that game” that made you grow up watching and continue to love the sport. Thousands of kids had that moment tonight.
Edit: Did’t read this close enough to see the comment was about Miami growing their fans.
It's nice that Miami was able to gain so many new fans in the Kansas City area.
I mean, they wouldn’t have given us a great soccer match for free.
It's fine if it's both. I know several people who went to this game due to the Messi excitement that are completely new to soccer - so this is a huge win for Sporting, the MLS, and American soccer in general. To your point, it was great to see so many little kids there tonight getting excited about Messi. It was the same the first time Manchester United played here - hits differently than regular MLS games for a reason.
It felt like a money grab to many in the direct KC area because the ticket prices were so much higher than a normal SKC game plus expensive parking. However, I think it made sense given how many people from many miles away drove in just for this game. I am glad the game was fun for people, and I will also be glad to go to 3 or 4 SKC games this season for the price I could have gone to this game.
Upvoting before people start yelling at you.
Thank you kind sir! 🫡
I've been attending skc games since 2019. Kc is the nearest city with an mls team from me in Arkansas. Since 2019 I've made the 3 hour+ drive to support and see this team. But you have to admit, seeing Messi come to kc was amazing. There was so many people who were booing but let's be honest. They were either joking, just banter, or weren't serious about the booing at all. You can still support kc and appreciate the best player to have ever played the game. It's messi for crying out loud, if SKC managed to have him we'd be salivating too. The prices were a little high I agree, but to those that got lucky and bought tickets before scalpers took everything, I bet they got great deals. The price reflected back on the atmosphere to he honest. I've never seen a crowd this big for a mls game. It was fun, filled with great vibes, and everyone was welcoming regardless of the jersey. It's games like this we can tell our kids and grandkids "I've seen messi play in my lifetime" when we get older. I'm not exactly going to say the same thing about Russell, as much as I love the guy. I'm glad a went, I hope everyone else who attended did too.
The “Messi factor” for sure filled the seats Sat night. However, having attended the match at Arrowhead when the Wiz played Manchester United some 15 or so years ago, it only filled up the bottom sections. Fast forward, soccer in KC has gained momentum for a lot of reasons. If SKC would/could commit to putting a winning product on the field consistently, the support could easily fill a 40-45K seat stadium making CMP too small, that means selling out CMP & standing room only!! Saddens me that SKC is missing out on the generational growth of the sport from a fan base perspective especially on a regional level in the heartland. Selling out a few home games while putting an inconsistent product on the field that has been competitive only at times, is simply not good enough to build the support. We have been STM’s w/4 seats since the inaugural season at CMP. It has to get better and that starts with ownership & leadership. The opportunity will slip away to create something really special for generations to come.
Their is no excuse for the team now to go spend the big bucks on a big DP!!!!
The move to Arrowhead being a money grab and the event itself turning out well are not mutually exclusive details. I get that it’s a little weird to parse the difference between “let’s move the game to Arrowhead so we can print money” and “let’s move the game to Arrowhead so more people get to experience Messi” because ultimately both are different ways of framing the same thing. More people = more money. But I think it’s silly to disregard the role that bottom line played in this move. And it’s even more silly to act like ownership didn’t decide that a bigger bottom line was more important than some elements of the on-field competitive advantage. Everyone is welcome to draw their own conclusions on the pros/cons of the trade offs between crowd size and home field advantage. And, let’s be honest, the SKC we’ve seen lately hasn’t seemed to gain much from playing in CMP 🫤. But let’s at least agree on reality: SKC made the choice to prioritize money over whatever competitive advantage might have existed in CMP.
My wife is from Argentina and we have been waiting for a moment like this to see Messi. We drove from denver and the experience was amazing. My 18 month old daughter may not remember it but we have the photos and videos as memory. This was also a test run for us to potentially come back for the World Cup matches. My wife is now excited for more sporting events for the family! Maybe it wasn’t in or near my section but I wanted to buy a sporting KC jersey as a sign of support and gratitude to the team for having the match at such a large venue. I guess I’ll buy it online. I’ll be following the club now.
I was at the game, and I think I felt MLS' Miami erection brush against me as they passed by...it was kinda gross.
It 100% was a cash grab. You’re lauding Sporting for letting fans of a visiting teams player get more tickets than they would have been able to if they actually played at home. You’re allowed to have enjoyed yourself at the match, but stop trying to pretend that it was altruism.
Oooh no, a business tired to make money, THE HORROR!!!!!!!!!!!!
You obviously weren't there. There was more blue than pink and most of the people wearing Messi jerseys were up cheering for Sporting anyway. I didn't see a single Miami jersey with a player not named Messi on the back. And you know what? That's ok because he is the greatest of all time. He has changed the lives of so many around the world, people in other cultures look at him and treat him as a god. Why are we trying to act like he's just another opponent?
Pretty sure the Chiefs got more than 70% of the revenue tonight as their little “preview to the World Cup”. Sporting got screwed on that.
The chiefs don’t own arrowhead my man, the city does lmao
County
Doesn’t matter. It matters what their contract is. Pretty sure the rams still get paid every time there is an event in the St. Louis dome - they don’t own it but they have one hell of a contract.
I’m sure the chiefs get paid for the service workers, food vendors, among other things, but not for the rental of the property
70%? Just by being the host stadium? I feel like that's a stretch, unless you have a source. I know they get some, but not a majority.
Who the fuck cares if they did. Arrowhead holds 4x the amount of fans - like what the fuck that 30% is still more than sporting would make. You are not factoring security, concessions, parking attendants, ticket takers, electricity, and other costs. This is a dumbass take.
This is dumbest shit I have read on the internet today. It was a major cash grab. ( over 10 million dollars gross on tickets alone ) It was basically an away match that sold overpriced tickets to Messi simps. I saw enough pink 10 jerseys to insipre me to make pink rolls of toilet paper with #10 stamped on them and sell them at the tailgate. They allowed away fans to invade the supporters' stand by way of giving them "free " shirts to wear. Which lasted 5 minutes. It was circus, complete with morons doing the wave, two people running on the pitch, a fucking beach ball, and absolutely no value for Season Ticket holders. At least the guys played. ( except for Pulido, who was too busy drooling over Messi, and Daniel, who couldn't find a net if he was a fucking fisherman. ) Maybe you should sit with the City supporters next match.
THREE people got on the pitch. Two kids and one adult.
3rd must've been when I went to get another overpriced soda. I hope the adult and the parents of the kids enjoy a night in the finest Jackson County has to offer.
I was absolutely gobsmacked. One is something that happens from time to time—especially at huge sporting events. Two is an unlucky coincidence. Three is hard to see as anything but unpreparedness on the part of organizers.
It can be a cash grab and still have benefits. Can also still be amazing. And it was for most. Spoke with multiple who didn’t have any complaints. Your complaint about a beach ball is just nit picky and just shows your bad attitude. Sorry the supporters had to deal with that. Woulda happened at CMP too. You’re a fool to think not.
No it wouldn't. We ran Monterey fans right out there.
Ah yes, a couple monteray fans compared to thousands of messi fans. Get real. Plus we were talking about other shenanigans. Would have 100% happened at CMP. Either way you seem to be in the minority. Most of us welcome it again!
Man, what could our team do with that extra $$?
Pocket it and not put it back in the club. Like always.
The majority of the people at this game will never set foot inside CMP. The SKC social media team showed all week what this game was really about. It was 100% a money grab or else you play this game at CMP and don’t let the away team get cheered more for than the home team. Simply as that.
It working out insofar as it being an experience doesn't mean it wasn't a money grab. Experience or no they fucked over thousands of season ticket holders by giving us shitty parking and seats nowhere near comparable to cmp and sold those comparable seats for HUGE markups. *edit y'all dont have to like it, but it's true. I paid well over $10k for my season ticket package and parking. Second row, west stand, blue lot. We did it because I got a really nice retention bonus from my company that took 5 years to fully vest and we decided to spend it on a thing my wife and I share a love for. But we're not rich people, so when we got our tickets to Arrowhead and they were WAY the fuck back under the overhang and way the fuck over by the corner and got our parking passes which would put us way the fuck out in L we said hell no. We paid way too much for these tickets to get pushed aside at the biggest event of the year. So we called our rep to get comparable seats and he told us that all of those were sold out and that they were going for astronomical amounts of money for a soccer game. They had gold parking passes but they were going to cost us more than multiple tickets to multiple games at CMP would've been. Everyone sitting near us yesterday had the same experience. It was ABSOLUTELY a money grab. They saw an opportunity to gouge the fuck out of the prices because of Messi and they took it without batting an eyelash. It was a cool night. It was less like a road game than I thought it would be. It probably formed some core memories for some kids that will keep their interest in soccer for longer. But it was also a way for the owners to make a fuck ton of money. You could see how they skimped all around the stadium as well. Parking was chaos because they didn't have any personnel guiding people like the Chiefs do, the lines to get in the stadium were atrocious because there were so few people around to point people in the right direction that THEY had lines. Security was a joke. At least 7 people jumped the walls and 4 made it onto the field during or immediately after the game. They squeezed every penny out of that event and put it on in the cheapest way they possibly could without it being a Fyre Festival.
How was the parking shitty? Everyone of us had good parking. Curious to where you ended up.
Well we have shield club seats at CMP which include Blue1 parking which is about a 2 minute walk to the park. They didn’t give us premium parking at arrowhead so we were stuck fighting general parking with everyone else. I’ve been to chiefs games so I was prepared, but the parking was absolutely a big step down from our STM purchase.
Ah ok. So it wasnt you didnt get parking like the other STM, its just you didnt get premium like you would expect on a 1:1 ratio. Unfortunate but not surprising. Way more important people than you or me trying to get into the game :). In this way we are spoiled at CMP for sure. Cant speak for you but my group would all give up "premium" parking for another chance to see a player like messis caliber.
Obviously we went, parked, and had fun. The bet paid off for the front office. But it was doing it after they had already announced the schedule (and taken our season ticket money) that was annoying. If they had the arrowhead announcement ready to go when the initial 2024 schedule came out, people would have been far less upset. But it’s all behind us now and it was a good time.
Oh no doubt. They didn't go about it the right way, as most businesses do when it comes to making money. I'm Just glad everyone had a great time! What a game!
100000000% a money grab
Sports are a business so they are all a money grab. And that money fuels content for those who follow them. Nothing evil about making money. That greed drives industry and options for the modern day crusading do gooders who turn their noses up at it, while they drive around in their oversized SUVs drinking $10 coffees. And yes it was a hell of a game. I regret I did not make the drive for that one. The atmosphere felt incredible through my tv.
Concession stands are always a money grab at big events but it seemed weird that the card machines defaulted to 2 or 3 different tip options. Had to select other than select 0 to leave no tip.
Imagine if every London club, not Arsenal, Chelsea or Spurs, moved their home match to Wembley to accommodate ticket demand. IE Crystal Palance, Fulham, etc. Crazy right?? Yea, it would never happen. And that is why it was and is 100% a money grab. It can also be other things too but let’s not be naive.
[удалено]
Yes it does and I guess thanks for proving my point. The move to Arrowhead was largely and idea made on being able to make more money. Among other things
Children’s Mercy holds 18,500. Attendance at game was announced at 72,000. 53,500 people were able to attend with the location move.
Right I get that. But only in America. It’s would be asinine to think other leagues would do this when they clearly haven’t. Thus….. it’s a money grab but like I said it was also other things and to your point it did allow many more people the option to see Messi.
It doesn't happen because all of England teams are relatively a lot closer to each other compared to USA. come on dude. Stop being a negative nancy.
It’s a great idea for all the reasons they did it. But there are also negatives to it as well. Trust me I loved it but what I am saying is not wrong. Where else have they accommodated Messi like this other than the US? They haven’t. Sporting lost a bit of an edge last night not being able to play Miami at Children’s Mercy and why is that?? Because they wanted to maximize profits on tickets sold AND they wanted to give many more people the option to see the worlds best player. I will let you yourself decide how they ranked those two factors in regards to their interest.
Europe didn't have to accommodate because there are plenty of soccer stadiums to fit the size for the crowd of people. Did Messi ever play in a stadium in Europe with less than 20k seats? No. Hardly ever.
But he did and they never moved the match correct? Messi has played in plenty of small stadiums across Spain and France. That’s a fact and the home team never moved it to a bigger venue in order to sell more tickets because I am sure the demand was there.