An Early Look at the MLS Cup Final: FC Dallas v. Colorado Rapids

Filed under: MLS, Colorado Rapids, FC Dallas, Los Angeles Galaxy

Major League Soccer will crown a first-time champion for the third consecutive year on Sunday, when FC Dallas meets the Colorado Rapids in Toronto.

There's been a lot of consternation since Dallas started to pull away from the Los Angeles Galaxy in Sunday's Western Conference Final about a pairing that league officials and ESPN might consider a bit unfortunate.

Dallas and Denver may be large cities (they anchor metro areas ranking 4th and 21st, respectively, in population), but in soccer terms they're small market.

The former Dallas Burn and the Rapids, who've sported three sets of colors in their 15-year history, have failed to put down meaningful roots in their home towns despite building new stadiums.

Years of consistent losing, dominant pro football teams and marketing that, for too long, seemed to focus on unreliable youth soccer families rather than people who attend games consistently and create some atmosphere, have reduced each club's fan base to a core of die hards.

 

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Source: http://soccer.fanhouse.com/2010/11/15/an-early-look-at-the-mls-cup-final-fc-dallas-v-colorado-rapids/

Lucy Liu Luján Fernández Magdalena Wróbel