NSC Stars Lose to Austin Despite Good Performance
The NSC Stars took another one on the chin on Saturday evening even though the level of play was perhaps the best since their 2nd game of the season against the Carolina RailHawks. The Stars lost to the Austin Aztex 2-1 even though most of the only 753 fans were entertained.
Melvin Tarley beats two Aztex players for control. Photo by Jeremy Olson www.digitalgopher.net
Coach Manny Lagos changed the lineup again this game starting the team in a 4-4-2 which saw the Stars with 3 chances in the first 5 minutes of play. Minnesota kept up the pressure and the bulk of the possession with some clean, crisp passing.
Brian Cvilikas opened the scoring in the game by slotting in a Melvin Tarley pass. The Minnesota forward slipped it by Aztex goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo in the 36th minute. But soon after the Stars’ Daniel Wasson lost his mark and Jamie Watson got by the Minnesota left back and entered into the box diagonally from the left right corner. Wasson swiped his leg at Watson on a slide tackle from behind. The Stars defender claimed after the game that he never actually touched Watson and that he sold the dive to referee Russell Schouweiler. Whatever happened, the referee called a PK for Minnesota but worse yet red-carded Wasson saying he was the last defender and robbed him of a goal scoring opportunity. The Minnesota players along with coach Manny Lagos from the sideline, argued vehemently that there was another defender on the 6 yard box who could have slid over to help, but the ref had no part of the discussion and the Stars were forced to defend with 10 players.
The Aztex Eddie Johnson stepped up to take the penalty kick which was a good one, hard and low to his left, but big Joe Warren made a fantastic fingertip stop, pushing the ball just wide of the goal. The Stars went into the locker room at half up 1-0 and out-shooting Austin 8-4. But with the red card the Stars once again put themselves in the hole with the loss of a player and would have to start the second half defending and switching to a 4-4-1.
Eddie Johnson finally got on the scoreboard for Austin in the 75th minute with a goal cross from Jay Needham. Needham’s cross to Johnson found the forwards head who flicked it to the far post and past Warren.
A few minutes later Austin also went down to 10 men as Joey Worthen was carded off with a straight red for kicking a ball into the face of Kyle Altman who had just taken the Austin midfielder down on a hard charge.
With the teams even again Minnesota seemed to gain momentum. But in the 83rd minute Minnesota gave up possession in their own half and a ball was passed to Watson who slid it by Warren for what would be the game-winning goal.
Notes: Kevin Friedland started as right back and was often pushing forward in support. Two-Boys Gumede made his first start for the team and certainly added an attacking flair that the team has needed. Johnny Menyongar had one of his best games as a Star player, controlling the tempo for large segments of the game.
Minnesota out-shot Austin 13-8 despite being down a man for a large segment of the game. But the Stars have to start getting their shots on frame and forcing keepers to make saves. Despite the upper hand in shots, Austin’s keeper Gallardo made 3 saves to Warren’s 4 saves.
The Stars played a much cleaner attacking game with Austin out-fouling Minnesota 2-1 with 19 fouls for Austin and only 9 for Minnesota.
The Stars are certainly not a run-and-gun sort of team. This is yet another game where the team had no offsides called on them. Seems like we need to add some variety to the game plan.
For a more complete game report please see the NSC website.
USSF D-2 Pro League Results and game stats.
NSC Minnesota Lineup: Joe Warren, Daniel Wasson, Andres Arango, Brian Kallman, Kevin Friedland (Leilei Gao 85), Kyle Altman, Andrei Gotsmanov (Neil Hlavaty 88), Johnny Menyongar (Chris Clements 68), Two-Boys Gumede (Simone Bracalello 76), Melvin Tarley (Warren Ukah 72), Brian Cvilikas
Austin Aztex Lineup: Miguel Gallardo, Jay Needham, Leonard Griffin, Yohance Marshall (Wesley Allen 70), Lance Watson, Stephan Campbell (Maxwell Griffin 46), Lawrence Olum, Yordany Alvarez, Joey Worthen, Jamie Watson, Eddie Johnson (Michael Callahan 89)
Scoring Summary
MIN — Brian Cvilikas 1 (Melvin Tarley 1) 36th minute
AUS — Eddie Johnson (Jay Needham) 75
AUS — Jamie Watson 2 (Yordany Alvarez) 83
Discipline Summary
AUS — Stephan Campbell (caution, reckless foul) 23rd minute
MIN — Daniel Wasson (ejection, denying a goal-scoring opportunity) 44
MIN — Melvin Tarley (caution, delaying a restart) 72
AUS — Joey Worthen (ejection, violent conduct) 80
Attendance: 753
Comments are closed.
Forgetting the play for a moment, what can be done to increase the fan base? I understand a school night appearance, but this was Saturday, for Pete’s sake. Less than 1,000 fans?
If this blog can be productive, I throw out a plea, how can we get more fans in the stands? NSC needs paying customers, if there are none, the concessionaires will not even make it.
It’s the price. $13 for GA ($11 pre-sale) this season versus $5 last year. It’s that simple, in my opinion.
It’s no where that simple Nathan. There are many factors at work here. No time to address them all at this time but hopefully later today I can list some of the issues. But I think that might be one of the issues Nathan so people can keep listing them if they want. Personally, I think the $5 ticket cheapened the product. I know there are those on both sides of the fence on this issue. But I have no problem with a $12.00 ticket. It is a pro sport after all, not your local NPSL team.
How can I put this delicatly.THAT DEFENDER IS A COOCH FOR CALLIN JAMIE WATSON A DIVER!!!
I have seen the man play numerous times, and met him in person, and diving is not a part of his repitoire, thank you very much!!!
Jamie Watson not a diver? HA!
Bart, were you at the game Saturday night? If not, why not? Here are the reasons I have not yet attended a home game:
April 24 — Major school fund-raiser
April 28 — Coaching soccer
May 1 — Neighborhood party (w/10-pound, home-cooked gyros!)
If you were there, what did you see that might compel a soccer fan to attend an upcoming game? Did any individual players stand out? Is $13 for an adult ticket a fair price for the product?
MN Soccer guy,
Bart is not from here but another part of the country. But he cares a lot about the league and it’s future.
BTW, your point is well taken on the events that are taking place in your life and part of what I will write about later. Its also one of the reasons why the team really needs to reach out to the target market instead of the youth soccer market. They need to do both and they are, but they have methods of reaching out to the youth soccer market at a lower cost then they are able to reach out to the Target market. They guys and gals that will make the trip to Blaine and may not have all the youth soccer stuff going on. More on this later.
There is nothing wrong with the Stars charging $13 for a ticket. The cheapest ticket for the T-Wolves was $25 this past season. In my opinion that was criminal! I went to two T-Wolves games this past season and only went because the tickets were free (both times the face value of my tickets were $150+ face value), and I have a parking spot four blocks from Target Center, which my employer pays for.
I am a first-time season ticket holder for professional soccer, and I think the tickets are reasonably priced. I also think the refreshments are at a good price, and everyone has free parking. You also feel safe walking to your car, and the fans are friendly.
I do want to point out that I saw a ton of first time folks at the game that would squarely fall into the “young professional” target market that we have discussed. This tells me that it is starting to work and improvements are starting to take effect.
SB, people watch NBA games to see players do what they can’t — hit 25-foot jumpers with regularity, dunk with either hand, make crazy passes like Steve Nash. Keep in mind that your $25 Wolves ticket also allows you to see the best players in the world — Kobe, LeBron, Melo, D-Wade.
What exactly does your $13 NSC ticket get you? Sure, most of the guys can control the ball and make elementary passes, and the team as a whole seems committed defensively most of the time. But where’s the style, the flair, the excitement? Four goals in six games, including a gift against Carolina and a PK against Tampa Bay, is not professional quality.
SR, even by your standards, “a ton of first time folks at the game” seems outlandish in an announced crowd of 753. It can’t be a good sign that you can recognize every fan, old and new, at a professional sporting event.
It is easy to recognize stylish hipsters in their skinny jeans. It is the overweight balding men that I have trouble differentiating among.
That being said, I still think we need to give them a little bit of time. The brilliant thing about this entire thing is that NSC has alternative sources of revenue that can be brought into the team outside of pure ticket sales. Such as the added value to the relationship that Schwan’s is now getting from the jersey sponsorship.
Finally, 763 people paying full price (comps are not floating around anywhere near as much as the Thunder games of the past) the revenue is on par with a 3,000 person Thunder game when $5 tickets were available.
So, while extremely disappointing, I am not hitting the panic button.
Instead, I was laughing at all the ironic t-shirts the hipsters were wearing.
P.S. I play mens league soccer and I could not of stopped that penalty shot. In fact, that is why I pay $11 per ticket to do so.
I fall into the same category as MN Soccer Guy (although I missed out on the gyros…) but I appreciate the efforts of NCS and this website to keep us informed about the Stars, and I look forward to my first in person game in the near future.
Joe Warren is a great guy, and he was a phenomenal DIII college athlete, lettering in four sports at St. Thomas, but there are a number of local GK’s with similar credentials. That PK on Saturday was poorly taken, especially with a goalie that’s 6-5. If that shot is on the ground, it’s a goal — just look at Austin’s second goal and Rochester’s third.
I can’t imagine that Schwan’s is giving NSC any actual cash for the jersey sponsorship. If minor-league soccer was a money-maker, the NSC would have purchased the franchise a long time ago. Now, they’re desperately trying to recoup some of their stadium renovation expenses from recent years.
Minnesota Soccer Guy raises something that I’ve been thinking about since Saturdays game. Why wasn’t NSC able to buy the Thunder when Mr. George sold them? At the intial meeting where NSC announced their intentions in forming a new team, the fact they tried to buy the Thunder was mentioned. Did they not offer enough or was there other reasons?
MNSoccerGuy:
I’m all for constructive criticism as it will make the team better in the long run, but you seem to be the type who is a part of the problem, not the solution.
If I may quote you:
“Sure, most of the guys can control the ball and make elementary passes, and the team as a whole seems committed defensively most of the time. But where’s the style, the flair, the excitement? Four goals in six games, including a gift against Carolina and a PK against Tampa Bay, is not professional quality.”
Kind of condescending to say the least. Makes me assume you are a bit of a Eurosnob. (If that’s incorrect, I apologize in advance. And for the record, I love to watch games from the biggest leagues around the world as well…)
Let me first say that you’re ignorant about the level of play. Is it the EPL/La Liga/Serie A/Bundesliga/Ligue 1/Eredivisie/Argentine Primera Division/etc? No, it’s clearly not and if it’s that which you’re looking for then don’t leave your house — you can watch all of that stuff at home on TV. But it is a solid level of play — witness the scores of USL1 teams vs MLS teams over the years, or the success of that Montreal and Puerto Rico had in the CCL last year vs Mexican First Division teams. For better or for worse, the Stars are the team we have in Minnesota. They have been up and down so far, but what do you expect with a limited budget and incredibly tight time frame to put the team together? They need some support from so-called soccer fans like you in order to grow the team (and the game itself in our country).
As for there lack of goals not being “professional”:
By this line of reasoning, any team who doesn’t score lots of goals isn’t “professional quality”. So, is every European team who goes through a scoring drought not professional quality? I highly doubt you’d be so simple minded as to say such a foolish thing.
Style, flair and excitement are great and I’d love to see more of it as well. But again, if you expect to see Messi or CRonaldo type of players and skill, then you’re conflating European and American soccernomic realities.
In Europe (and elsewhere around the globe) fans are loyal to their teams no matter what run of form they happen to be in. So since you are apparently so fond of the biggest and the best clubs in Europe, you’d do well to take a page from their book and be a supporter of your local team rather than a basher.
Just my 2 cents…
Less then 800 fans coming to a game is pretty poor no matter what the cost of the tickets. I think you make very valid points MN Soccer Guy in your comparison to NBA ticket prices and what you are getting for your $$$. I haven’t been to a game this year since I have had other things going on (No Gyro parties unfortunately). One thing that has to hurt is location… Who wants to drive all the way to Blaine to catch a game?
Oh, and one more thing:
I don’t think Joe Warren is the end-all, be-all of goalkeepers as he certainly has his flaws, but the save on the PK was superb. How you could possibly think otherwise is beyond me…
MNSoccerGuy,
I know you know who I am and visa versa and we’ve had this same discussion many times over on the discussion boards. I have to agree with M, that part of it is supporting your local team and I know you come out to game occasionally. I don’t think the league as a whole is as bad as you make it out to be, but you certainly have a point that in the US, were are used to seeing the best teams and players in the world playing their sport. Sadly that is not true when it comes to soccer, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth $12.00. Think of what people spend that sort of money on everyday. A couple of burgers? Two beers at The Local? A weeks worth of coffee’s a Starbucks?
For me it’s not only the game but going there to see my soccer friends that I’ve made throughout 30 years of soccer in Minnesota. I love that and going to matches I get to connect. Its all part of the deal.
Oh, by the way, I was sitting with Djorn Buchholz in the beer garden just yards away from the PK and it was a damn well hit PK and Warren made a kick-ass save. Yes, the ball probably should have been placed just a bit differently, but then again Tevez was lucky to get that one under Friedal on Sunday. That wasn’t the best taken kick I’ve seen and what can you say about Carlos Tevez? I’m not even a huge Joe Warren fan but he has come up with the some huge saves already this year. I will definitely give him his due.
Additionally:
To assume someone is a Eurosnob because they feel the local team doesn’t have any flair or excitement is a bit overboard. It was nice when we had DeRoux because he had that little bit of magic that made it worth the $5 to go to a game.
Johnny and Two Boys both showed some flair on Saturday evening.
deRoux was exciting but look at his stats here. He had fewer points that any other midfielder, including those who had far less play time. However, I agree with the concept that flair sells tickets. Howeve, it certainly doesn’t win games.
MichiganMike:
“To assume someone is a Eurosnob because they feel the local team doesn’t have any flair or excitement is a bit overboard.”
Hence my statement: “Makes me assume you are a bit of a Eurosnob. (If that’s incorrect, I apologize in advance. And for the record, I love to watch games from the biggest leagues around the world as well…)”
Do you not know how to read, or do you just respond on this board to other posts so quickly that what you’ve read hasn’t had time to sink in?
Statistically deRoux had his best year in Minnesota in comparison to his time elsewhere. He brought a lot of speed and athleticism to the team in addition to his flair. Didn’t he spend some time at left back for the Thunder?
Pretty sure Deroux wasn’t here when tickets were $5 a pop.
First off, to name call (Eurosnob) is childish even if you’re apologizing while you name call M. I don’t see MN Soccer Guy responding to your Eurosnob comments by saying he is infact a Eurosnob. So clearly you are trying to take a childish jab at a “fan”.
“Do you not know how to read, or do you just respond on this board to other posts so quickly that what you’ve read hasn’t had time to sink in?”
Maybe you are just taking everything very personally because of your connection to the team. You have a very stubborn/close-minded opinion on everything that is critical towards the Stars.
deRoux was not here in the $5 ticket era and he played wide left in the 3-5-2 which I pretty much hated. He was supposed to track back and play the left back position in d when they would defend which would then look more like a 4-5-1. He didn’t track back anywhere near enough not all together his fault because that role is very hard to play and you need to be the fittest of anyone on the team. But he did help to get Dale Weiler some goals and crosses on the right side because he would over weight the left side and people would forget about Weiler on the right side. But deRoux is one of those players who often dribbles close to out of control so that he could not slow down or calm down enough to get a good shoot or pass on.
Heres the article I did: http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2008/11/12/minnesota-thunder-midfield-points/
BQ, I’ll give you that any PK save is good. Just not sure how many people are going to pay to watch a keeper.
I don’t exactly know what a Eurosnob is, but I probably watch more European soccer than anything else. I caught some of the Saturday EPL game on ESPN, and I saw the last 15 minutes of Real Madrid-Osasuna Sunday on FSN. I try to watch MLS on Thursdays, but there’s only one TV in the house and my wife and daughter like Project Runway.
Anyway, here’s my fundamental point — why, as a resident of a major metropolitan area, should I travel 20-25 minutes from either vibrant downtown to watch minor-league soccer? It’s not good enough to call it “professional” or the “highest level” because that’s been tried for 20 years and it hasn’t worked. There’s nothing fundamentally different about the new operation, other than they painted the stadium, started a Facebook page, bought a few ads on the Current and raised ticket prices.
I don’t think the league is bad. I thought last year’s product was a reasonable value at $5 per ticket, but I can’t say that what I’ve seen online this year is worth $11 or $13 or whatever. And that’s bottom line — competition for the entertainment dollar is fierce, especially in these economic times.
MichiganMike:
I just posted it an hour ago. Maybe he hasn’t had a chance to read it yet. Who knows?
You continue to miss the point of my post. I wrote that I was assuming he was a bit of a Eurosnob, then apologized in advance if that’s not the case. How is that being childish?
For the record, I have no connection to the team other than knowing some of the people who are involved (though I did have a connection to the Thunder). I just want people to start to see the big picture of how to make soccer in this country better, and one of the ways is to be a supporter of local teams at the grassroots level.
Anyway, I’d love to continue this discussion at some point but I doubt that anyone wants to continue to read a two person argument so I will spare the board my response. Brian can see everybody’s email address. Maybe he can pass mine on to you or vice-versa and we can talk perhaps via email or in person…
I don’t know about anybody else, but seeing players doing bicycle kicks and crazy stepover chops isn’t what I buy tickets for. I want to see a competitive game in a comfortable environment surrounded by people who aren’t jerks. That’s pretty much how Thunder games got sold to me when I started coming last year, and I know the NSC delivers on the environment and the other fans deliver on the not-being-jerks. If all I want to see is amazing soccer I need to watch that on TV or shady Internet streams of satellite broadcasts, because those are my options as long as I’m living on this continent.
On the whole the NASL hasn’t provided the most scintillating soccer, but its accessible, affordable, and good enough to keep me engaged in the games. I understand (even if I’m not sure I agree) when people say the quality of play is glorified amateur, but the other word for that is “developmental” and that kind of thing is why people have watched minor league baseball for decades. It’s not the best of the best, but paying to see it live gets you access to players that you can watch develop, and they actually develop because they’re getting paid and training every day. Add some pulled pork sandwiches and some cheap suds to that and I’m sold.
This is all just one guy though. I mean, there’s never going to be a ticket cheap enough to convince me to sit through a live NBA game, so take that for what it’s worth.
Michigan Mike- when we had DeRoux the cheapest ticket was $10 a game. The $5 ticket was introduced the year after DeRoux left, therefore, his “magic” was worth just $1 less than the current product, of which, Jonny Meyonger and Two-Boys Gumede put on a similar show to what DeRoux would do.
It will be good for the schedule to now slow down a bit so the Stars can get more training sessions under their belt. Been tough with midweek games, international travel, finalizing the roster, etc… The best way for this team to start to improve is to practice as a team. They have some good parts now they just need to make it all whole.
Jim – I think your “developmental” concept is the one that makes the most sense, but that’s not the product we’re being sold here. Kevin Friedland is a decent player, but he’s not going anywhere. Melvin Tarley has shown occasional flashes, but it’s been how long since he progressed? Johnny Menyongar is on the downside of his career, coming off major knee surgery. There’s no future there.
If live soccer is what you’re after, why not take a bunch of mostly local college kids and have them play at a smaller venue where 500 or so fans can actually create some atmosphere? You can sell some youth clubs on the local hero angle, and casual fans won’t recognize the difference in the level of play. You don’t have to pay the players, and the organization saves money traveling by bus to places like Des Moines and Sioux City and Fargo. Minor-league soccer belongs in minor cities, not in major metro areas like the Twin Cities.
Wow. I see others pointed this out, sorry to pile it on.
I think we all agree that 753 is a low number. I personally believe there are reasons for it, and others think the product is sub-par. But, I know it is well worth the 25 minute drive from my vibrant St. Paul neighborhood to take in a professional soccer game with a bunch of friends, beer and a cat named, Gary. So, if I am sold on this I believe that others like me will start coming out to the games in droves.
So, in a few years when the team is getting 5,000 a game like the Thunder of old I will continue to defend this team to the same people that are suggesting that 5,000 is not a good enough attendance. It is a never ending circle, but in the end, on Saturday night, I saw a good soccer game in which my team took a heartbreaking loss. It sucked, but the entire event was well worth my money, and the friends that accompanied me would agree.
Great point Super Rookie………
My point really didn’t have a whole lot to do with the $5 ticket price. It was directed towards the quality of the product. deRoux was All-USL 2nd team last year if I am not mistaken and we could use that kind of quality and flair. You can look at stats all day but they do not make the player. He brought a different dynamic to the team that was effective. I haven’t had the chance to see two-boys play (insert catholic priest joke here) yet but I hear good things.
MM- The Thunder missed deRoux a ton last year. He had the flair that sold my wife and I into getting season tickets last season after getting single game tickets in his one year here. That being said, I thought Jonny Meyonger and Two-Boys provided us with a glimpse of something we have had here since the playoff run a few years back.
The least expensive MLS seats are behind the goal for $20-$25. A seat comparable to the $13 (or $11 pre-sale) general admission seat for most MLS teams starts at $45. Obviously many of the MLS SSS’s are nicer, but now you have to add in parking (and our beer is cheaper!).
I wonder if the same folks who use the “quality of play” excuse would pop to go see a MLS game for 2x or more likely 3x the cost?
Hey! Kallman’s developed. He didn’t get any cards at all on Saturday. He’s gonna get to play two games in a row.
PROGRESS.
Kalman played well; so did Gotsmanov. The Stars need another former Creighton Jay. Michael Kraus, former Missouri Player of Year 2006 and former KC Wizard, just released is available and wants to play for the Stars (rumor).
The fact remains, in spite of all the rhetorical comments, that the Minnesota NSC team is not a viable business at this point, and in spite of all the color commentary I have read, this has not changed. Unless and until a regular fan base of 5,000 shows up regularly for the games, this team WILL lose money, and with NSC being who they are, they will have to compensate for that by other revenue sources, which they do not have at the moment.
You can hype the optimism all you want, this is a business disaster in the long run, unless the fan base increases by an exponential base that at this point, does not seem possible.
It’s not just you guys that are beinbg affected by low crowds this season. it’s league-wide. Our blog yesterday was commenting on just that:
http://vancouversouthsiders.blogspot.com/2010/05/attendances-suffer-as-ussf-d2-teams.html
Problems: Location, ticket price, lack of marketing, lack of developing relationships with MN clubs, lack of sponsorships, lack of management team capable of developing/building a professional sports team, dark cloud hanging over the Thunder debacle, dark cloud looming over the D2 situation between USL and NASL.
On the positive sign, Manny will probably end up being a very good coach. I don’t think the soccer is that bad…as others have stated. But many MASL games are also worth watching. I think MN Soccer Guy is close to what could be successful. Local talent/heros on a NPSL team is probably more feasible at this point.
Based on your numbers Bart, even for the cheapest seats, that would be well north of $1M for just attendance revenue. Add in advertising sponsorships plus concesssions and in all reality you are pushing a minimum of $1.25M in total revenue, probably closer to $1.5M. I’ve done the top half of the P&L, and since you seem to know what is necessary for them to make money, maybe you could enlighten us on what the bottom half broken down expenses are (something tells me the Stars are getting a break on their stadium lease/rental and except for their coaches, the rest of their management is coming from existing NSC personnel) .
Will they lose money this year – almost assuredly. My hunch is they are taking a slightly longer term approach to this business venture. Kinda doubt they drew up a one-year business plan. IMO, one of the problems with business in general (especially here in the US) is the over emphasis on short term profits over long range goals.
Can’t predict where they’ll be in three years, but I’m sure not going to make a prediction like some after three April games on a brand new franchise that just came together barely three months ago.
Bart, I don’t know if I will get the interview up tonight or not, but I spoke with the GM today and because we own our own stadium and have staff already in place (Which we’ve said repeatedly here since the NSC decided to field a team) they only need about half the gate that other teams need to break even. More on this later. The other piece I have learned from several sources today, is attendance is down this year perhaps for several reasons, one of them being is US Soccer is now in control of the league, monitoring things much closer than in the past and have told the teams DO NOT fudge the numbers. So there is a good chance we were seeing inflated numbers from teams in the past which you will not see this year. USSF will be running a tighter ship in some aspects that USL did previously. The Thunder inflated their numbers big time and often laughed about it. The NSC is committed to being much more honest with those numbers and with all numbers with the team. They have nothing to hide.
Zlatan “lack of management team capable of developing/building a professional sports team” What???? How can you even make that claim. None of us know this yet. Wow, 3.5 months and they put a pro team on the field and they are incapable of running a pro team. Someone has some very preconceived notions that are dying hard. I do give you credit for seeing things differently about Manny. Do you have some inside info we should know about concerning your statements earlier that the Stars aren’t making any money on the Schawans deal or that they have a lack of sponsors? Last I heard their corporate sponsor guy who is dedicated to that position, had worked up 35 different sponsorships with more in the works. Not bad for 3.5 months of work in my book.
I think it should be pointed out from what was posted on du nord that Wasson isn’t a “cooch” rather Watson is a diver.
BQ, you have made some great points.
I would like to point out that some people on this site have made statements in the past that the Stars would never win a match this season. Now that the Stars have won a match (2 for that matter and there is still a lot more season left to win a lot more), they have moved on with other ridicilous attacks on NSC and the team. I guess time will tell if the Stars will survive. However, I am willing to put money on it that 10 years from now, the Stars will be going strong–and the same negative personalities will still have their complaints. I guess you cannot make everyone happy.