You know what I find special about our fan base?

[S1ARK5]

I have never seen anything like our fan base in MLS history. We have folks who are raised in NYC or its surrounding areas that follow the team because they consider NYCFC their home team. Some of these fans still live in NYC or the tri-state area, and some, like me, have moved away to other parts of the country, but still love NYC and consider NYC teams our home team.

Other fans that I have met have moved to NYC for work, whether it was last year, or 5 years ago, or whatever, and are naturally inclined to root for NYCFC. Some of these fans have come form mid-west, from the south, etc. Heck some of these fans, if you asked them about soccer, much less MLS, maybe a few years ago, they would laugh at you. Now these guys consider themselves die-hard NYCFC fans.

We also have a number of fans, that really do not have ties to the NYC area, that live outside of the US but for some reason or another gravitated to NYCFC. Maybe it was David Villa? Maybe it was Lampard? Maybe it was Pirlo? Maybe it was CFG, and fans of Man City and Melbourne etc, have become NYCFC. Whatever the reason is, I find these fans to be great such as our boy Falastur. What other MLS team can come close to having this type of varied support? I can't think of any, and like I said, I have not seen any support within MLS like this.

I appreciate all of you, and this forum is the best fan online experience there is, in any sport, in any league. And the only reason is US. The fans.

I can't wait for the 2016 season to start and to banter and talk about our team, which will hopefully end the opposite of last year =)

Cheers!

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

I have never seen anything like our fan base in MLS history. We have folks who are raised in NYC or its surrounding areas that follow the team because they consider NYCFC their home team. Some of these fans still live in NYC or the tri-state area, and some, like me, have moved away to other parts of the country, but still love NYC and consider NYC teams our home team.

Other fans that I have met have moved to NYC for work, whether it was last year, or 5 years ago, or whatever, and are naturally inclined to root for NYCFC. Some of these fans have come form mid-west, from the south, etc. Heck some of these fans, if you asked them about soccer, much less MLS, maybe a few years ago, they would laugh at you. Now these guys consider themselves die-hard NYCFC fans.

We also have a number of fans, that really do not have ties to the NYC area, that live outside of the US but for some reason or another gravitated to NYCFC. Maybe it was David Villa? Maybe it was Lampard? Maybe it was Pirlo? Maybe it was CFG, and fans of Man City and Melbourne etc, have become NYCFC. Whatever the reason is, I find these fans to be great such as our boy Falastur. What other MLS team can come close to having this type of varied support? I can't think of any, and like I said, I have not seen any support within MLS like this.

I appreciate all of you, and this forum is the best fan online experience there is, in any sport, in any league. And the only reason is US. The fans.

I can't wait for the 2016 season to start and to banter and talk about our team, which will hopefully end the opposite of last year =)

Cheers!

When you followed the NJs, did you participate in a forum? If so what was that one like?

 

[mgarbowski]

I have never seen anything like our fan base in MLS history. We have folks who are raised in NYC or its surrounding areas that follow the team because they consider NYCFC their home team. Some of these fans still live in NYC or the tri-state area, and some, like me, have moved away to other parts of the country, but still love NYC and consider NYC teams our home team.

Other fans that I have met have moved to NYC for work, whether it was last year, or 5 years ago, or whatever, and are naturally inclined to root for NYCFC. Some of these fans have come form mid-west, from the south, etc. Heck some of these fans, if you asked them about soccer, much less MLS, maybe a few years ago, they would laugh at you. Now these guys consider themselves die-hard NYCFC fans.

We also have a number of fans, that really do not have ties to the NYC area, that live outside of the US but for some reason or another gravitated to NYCFC. Maybe it was David Villa? Maybe it was Lampard? Maybe it was Pirlo? Maybe it was CFG, and fans of Man City and Melbourne etc, have become NYCFC. Whatever the reason is, I find these fans to be great such as our boy Falastur. What other MLS team can come close to having this type of varied support? I can't think of any, and like I said, I have not seen any support within MLS like this.

I appreciate all of you, and this forum is the best fan online experience there is, in any sport, in any league. And the only reason is US. The fans.

I can't wait for the 2016 season to start and to banter and talk about our team, which will hopefully end the opposite of last year =)

Cheers!

You running in some kind of election?
I kid. Please do go on about how awesome I am. I mean we are.

In seriousness, I think you hit on 2 separate things. One is the CFG factor, for folks like Falastur. There's really nothing comparable with most other teams.
The other has to do with place loyalty, and there I'm not sure NYC is special except in its size and volume. Columbus, Dallas, San Jose, etc all have new residents and former residents, and some ex-pats still root for the old teams and some new arrivals adopt the new team, just like NY, but we're so much bigger than just about any other city in the country that these effects are more prominent. The flip side is that MLS teams in smaller cities have a much more prominent place in their city's culture.

 

[SoupInNYC]

Other fans that I have met have moved to NYC for work, whether it was last year, or 5 years ago, or whatever, and are naturally inclined to root for NYCFC. Some of these fans have come form mid-west, from the south, etc. Heck some of these fans, if you asked them about soccer, much less MLS, maybe a few years ago, they would laugh at you. Now these guys consider themselves die-hard NYCFC fans.

This is me in here. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, moved to DC 5.5 years ago, moved to NYC 2.5 years ago. Was always a hardcore USMNT fan, but never got into MLS besides attending a random DCU or Fire game here and there. Several years ago, went to a Sounders game in Seattle sitting in the ECS section and it opened up my eyes. Never considered NJRB as a viable option, but once NYCFC came along, it made too much sense.

Now my passion for this team rivals my since-I-can-remember passion for the Steelers (family is from Pittsburgh originally), and my passion for my alma mater's (Marquette) college bball team. In fact, I think NYCFC might be taking over.

 

[NYC24]

I was born in Manhattan but moved to California at 3 years old. My parents are from Boston.

I am a Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics fan. I hate the Yankees.

I moved to Brooklyn in 2003 and to Connecticut in 2012.

NYCFC is the first NY team I have ever liked, and it is already my favorite team of all time. I actually like Yankee Stadium now.

Edit. To explain my user name. 24 is my favorite number. I have an NYCFC jersey #24 with my last name on it.

 

[S1ARK5]

When you followed the NJs, did you participate in a forum? If so what was that one like?

I did participate. Not as regular as I do here but I did participate. I don't want to mention names but lets just say the NJ soda drink fan base are a miserable bunch. I guess you can't blame them. The have a been a loser franchise since day 1.

 

[S1ARK5]

You running in some kind of election?
I kid. Please do go on about how awesome I am. I mean we are.

In seriousness, I think you hit on 2 separate things. One is the CFG factor, for folks like Falastur. There's really nothing comparable with most other teams.
The other has to do with place loyalty, and there I'm not sure NYC is special except in its size and volume. Columbus, Dallas, San Jose, etc all have new residents and former residents, and some ex-pats still root for the old teams and some new arrivals adopt the new team, just like NY, but we're so much bigger than just about any other city in the country that these effects are more prominent. The flip side is that MLS teams in smaller cities have a much more prominent place in their city's culture.

No doubt if you look at places like Columbus, Portland, RSL, etc. Their fan base are great. However my point is that you will not see anyone outside of their region really giving a crap about that team. Where as here with NYCFC, we have fans, and A LOT of them from all over the world.

 

[S1ARK5]

This is me in here. Originally from the Chicago suburbs, moved to DC 5.5 years ago, moved to NYC 2.5 years ago. Was always a hardcore USMNT fan, but never got into MLS besides attending a random DCU or Fire game here and there. Several years ago, went to a Sounders game in Seattle sitting in the ECS section and it opened up my eyes. Never considered NJRB as a viable option, but once NYCFC came along, it made too much sense.

Now my passion for this team rivals my since-I-can-remember passion for the Steelers (family is from Pittsburgh originally), and my passion for my alma mater's (Marquette) college bball team. In fact, I think NYCFC might be taking over.

Bingo. Same here man regarding the passion. I love this team as much, maybe more then the NY Giants, and the Knicks. I used to be a big time Yankees fan and Rangers fan but honestly as I have gotten older (32 years old now) I have lost interesting Baseball and Hockey. To me I get more excited for the start of the NYCFC season, then I do the NFL season.

 

[S1ARK5]

I was born in Manhattan but moved to California at 3 years old. My parents are from Boston.

I am a Patriots, Red Sox and Celtics fan. I hate the Yankees.

I moved to Brooklyn in 2003 and to Connecticut in 2012.

NYCFC is the first NY team I have ever liked, and it is already my favorite team of all time. I actually like Yankee Stadium now.

Edit. To explain my user name. 24 is my favorite number. I have an NYCFC jersey #24 with my last name on it.

Wow. you see this is what I am saying. Here we are have a Boston fan from other sports/leagues but a NYCFC fan in MLS. This is crazy and the epitome of what I was saying originally in my post. great stuff!!!!

 

[mgarbowski]

No doubt if you look at places like Columbus, Portland, RSL, etc. Their fan base are great. However my point is that you will not see anyone outside of their region really giving a crap about that team. Where as here with NYCFC, we have fans, and A LOT of them from all over the world.

And I'm not disagreeing. My point, and I might be wrong, is that non-resident interest is arguably proportional, and as a result below the threshold of notability in other cities. EG, let's assume non-resident interest in NYCFC is 10% and the same in Columbus. 10% of NYC's fanbase is big. 10% of Columbus not so much, as Columbus is already what, less than 10% of NYC's size. And the size creates network effects. An NYC fan in, say, Atlanta, can chime in here and ask if there are any other fans in the area and its plausible because of sheer numbers. A Crew fan in Atlanta might not even bother because it's unlikely, or he already found all of them in a local setting.
Or I could be completely wrong and my proportionality thesis is all wrong. It's Friday afternoon.

 

[SFphoto]

I moved from the Bay Area in August 2014. The Quakes will always be the club of my youth, but I have never more involved in a soccer team as I am with NYCFC. Or really any sports team for that matter.

 

[Gene]

Bingo. Same here man regarding the passion. I love this team as much, maybe more then the NY Giants, and the Knicks. I used to be a big time Yankees fan and Rangers fan but honestly as I have gotten older (32 years old now) I have lost interesting Baseball and Hockey. To me I get more excited for the start of the NYCFC season, then I do the NFL season.

Same here (and I'm a helluva lot older than you!).

There was a time I had season tickets for the Rangers, real Cosmos and the Giants (still have these). My friends and I lived at the Garden during the winter and Yankee/Shea Stadium in the summer. Now? I couldn't care less about any of them.

I still watch the Giants, because in a 16 game season every game is important, but my father would spin in his grave if he knew my son and I ditched the game against the Cowboys to attend the last match of the year vs New England.

 

[joe]

And I'm not disagreeing. My point, and I might be wrong, is that non-resident interest is arguably proportional, and as a result below the threshold of notability in other cities. EG, let's assume non-resident interest in NYCFC is 10% and the same in Columbus. 10% of NYC's fanbase is big. 10% of Columbus not so much, as Columbus is already what, less than 10% of NYC's size. And the size creates network effects. An NYC fan in, say, Atlanta, can chime in here and ask if there are any other fans in the area and its plausible because of sheer numbers. A Crew fan in Atlanta might not even bother because it's unlikely, or he already found all of them in a local setting.
Or I could be completely wrong and my proportionality thesis is all wrong. It's Friday afternoon.

I mean, there was definitely at least one hungover Timbers fan on the subway the morning after they won the cup...

 

[joe]

I moved from the Bay Area in August 2014. The Quakes will always be the club of my youth, but I have never more involved in a soccer team as I am with NYCFC. Or really any sports team for that matter.

Wanted to like the Quakes more than I ever actually did. The timing of the rise of MLS and my move to NYC was not in their favor...

 

[Tom in Fairfield CT]

The Timbers have SCs all over the country, including the east coast. And the sounders average 45000 people per game.

 

[S1ARK5]

Same here (and I'm a helluva lot older than you!).

There was a time I had season tickets for the Rangers, real Cosmos and the Giants (still have these). My friends and I lived at the Garden during the winter and Yankee/Shea Stadium in the summer. Now? I couldn't care less about any of them.

I still watch the Giants, because in a 16 game season every game is important, but my father would spin in his grave if he knew my son and I ditched the game against the Cowboys to attend the last match of the year vs New England.

Gene u just explained me perfectly lol. I still love the Giants and obviously don't miss any games on tv but I was quoted saying last year that I wanted NYCFC to beat the redbulls at RBA on May 10th more so then the Giants beating the Cowboys in week 1 lol. It just happens it was a double bummer for me but yea same here man. I love the Giants but it's so strange and I never thought it would be this way but I get more excited about the NYCFC and mls season then the nfl and the Giants.

 

[S1ARK5]

And I'm not disagreeing. My point, and I might be wrong, is that non-resident interest is arguably proportional, and as a result below the threshold of notability in other cities. EG, let's assume non-resident interest in NYCFC is 10% and the same in Columbus. 10% of NYC's fanbase is big. 10% of Columbus not so much, as Columbus is already what, less than 10% of NYC's size. And the size creates network effects. An NYC fan in, say, Atlanta, can chime in here and ask if there are any other fans in the area and its plausible because of sheer numbers. A Crew fan in Atlanta might not even bother because it's unlikely, or he already found all of them in a local setting.
Or I could be completely wrong and my proportionality thesis is all wrong. It's Friday afternoon.

I see what your saying. I agree. Good point.

 

[S1ARK5]

I moved from the Bay Area in August 2014. The Quakes will always be the club of my youth, but I have never more involved in a soccer team as I am with NYCFC. Or really any sports team for that matter.

See again another fan that supports NYCFC more then any other team and he is originally from SF. This is what I am talking about in my original post. Our fan base is very unique in a great way.

 

[Vallos]

I love the camaraderie on this board. Everyone coming together to discuss, learn and support one another is fantastic to see. Keep it up guys!

As for me being a fan... This is a unique situation for me. This is the only team that I started following as an adult. All my favorite teams, I was basically born into it. Of course I remember the point from which "I fell in love", but I cannot remember the moment I started following them. They were just always there. It is different with NYCFC. From this perspective, it's like remembering your first steps in life and your first crush. Its an awesome feeling.

 

[Taurus]

I did participate. Not as regular as I do here but I did participate. I don't want to mention names but lets just say the NJ soda drink fan base are a miserable bunch. I guess you can't blame them. The have a been a loser franchise since day 1.

I attended the inaugural match in 96 as a kid. They lost to NE on an own goal. Sealed their fate.