Sounders Principal Owner Adrian Hanauer said that reaching the the club's first MLS Cup final would mean "more than extra dollars," as it would "further a fan-oriented future business plan," according to Geoff Baker of the SEATTLE TIMES. Hanauer said prior to tonight's first leg of the Western Conference Finals against the Rapids, "We’ll sell a few more tickets and maybe we’ll sell a sponsorship and TV ratings will be good. But … as corny as it sounds, for me, getting to a championship, winning a championship, is all about giving back to our fans and our community." If the Sounders get to and win an MLS Cup final, they will "buy time to implement any business vision they want." For Hanauer, his "involves 'inching up' from about 43,000 fans per game -- and a season-ticket base of 35,000 -- to filling 68,000-seat CenturyLink Field" (SEATTLE TIMES, 11/21).
SEEING RED: Toronto FC opens their Eastern Conference Finals tonight against the Impact, and in Toronto, Raju Mudhar wrote TFC's "recent playoff success could go a long way in rebuilding some of the bridges it burned with fans." It also could "potentially attract new ones, anybody who is currently jumping on the bandwagon has had to be patient." An international break for World Cup qualifying led to the MLS postseason being "interrupted for two weeks." The teams "clearly don’t have any control of their schedule, but that is no way to build any real sense of momentum." Mudhar noted it will be interesting to see what the "viewership numbers are for the all-Canadian team final as they have been rising" during the playoff run. While TFC "often attracted 50,000 to 60,000 viewers during the regular season -- and 97,000 for their season opener -- the numbers jumped to 238,000 and 221,000 in their last two playoff games" (TORONTO STAR, 11/20).
