United, Sounders Add Spice to Cup

The Avellaneda billboard war began in the spring of 2005. Racing Club, for reasons unknown, paid for a sign toward the end of the bridge that connects central Buenos Aires with the southern "suburb" celebrating its status as "the only team to fill two stadiums on the same day." It was referencing the Thursday four years before when it clinched the Apertura championship at Velez Sarsfield before thousands of its own fans, then returned to celebrate at a packed El Cilindro.

Archrival Independiente quickly responded, proclaiming on its own sign nearby that, "We may fill only one stadium, but we win more than one title every 35 years." Racing soon returned fire, and it was on. I was lucky enough to be in Argentina at the time and was both fascinated and envious, hoping that someday our clubs would be as passionate and hilariously petty as theirs.

That day may be Wednesday, as D.C. United hosts the Seattle Sounders in a U.S. Open Cup final that may be a turning point for both the oft-ignored competition and the way American soccer clubs market themselves.

The Open Cup marketing war began in late July, when Sounders GM Adrian Hanauer told The News Tribune of Tacoma that he was "somewhat skeptical" of the bidding process that resulted in D.C. hosting Wednesday night's final instead of Seattle. "Our fans deserve some answers," he said. "And, by the way, U.S. Soccer has been trying to raise the profile of the U.S. Open Cup. A game in front of 10,000 fans at RFK I don't believe is going to raise the profile as much as a game in front fo a sold out Qwest Field."

U.S. Soccer's interest in raising the Open Cup's profile is debatable, but Hanauer's remark about the respective attendances struck a nerve. United President Kevin Payne told The Washington Post that it was "really unseemly for Seattle to suddenly show up in MLS and everything should be handed to them."

Each side had their valid points. Seattle, which has averaged more than 30,000 fans per game this season, surely would have drawn a bigger crowd. United will be fortunate to get half that number. But the Sounders also would have been forced to play the game on a Tuesday afternoon because of scheduling conflicts with baseball's Mariners, rather than the federation's preferred Wednesday night.

Faced with putting his money where his mouth was, Payne responded. The morning after United defeated Rochester in the Open Cup semis, public and media relations director Kyle Sheldon tweeted "D.C. United will face Seattle Sounders FC in the U.S. Open Cup final at RFK Stadium on Wednesday, September 2... We. Win. Trophies." A campaign was born.

For all the success Seattle has had at the box office this year, and for all the good the atmosphere their fans create at Qwest has done for the league, they remain an expansion team whose minor league predecessor was supported by about 10% of the current fanbase. Payne, Sheldon and their colleagues knew they had to attract a good crowd to tonight's final to stick it to Hanauer, and figured the right way to do it was to differentiate themselves not only from the Sounders but from the other professional teams in Washington. (United has won four league titles in 13 completed seasons, the capital's football, baseball, basketball and hockey teams have won seven in 217 combined seasons).

On Aug. 10, the day after United hosted Real Madrid, the club took out full-page ads in The Post and three other Washington newspapers featuring an open letter from Payne. He asked -- Seattle fans will argue that he begged -- readers to support the team "after 14 trophy-filled seasons." He wrote: "I know not all of you are D.C. United fans. Many of you aren't even soccer fans, but a challenge has been issued and we expect all sports fans in D.C. to meet it....Stand up and cheer. Stand up for another championship. Stand up for D.C."

The team created a Web site, wewintrophies.com, and made the image of the Open Cup trophy and the rest of United's historic haul the centerpiece of a marketing campaign unprecedented in the tournament's history. The club set up a "trophy tour", during which it took the silverware to 17 bars around the Washington area. The print advertising continued, and the props director at a local theater who also happens to be a Screaming Eagles member created a seven-foot replica of the Open Cup trophy that Sheldon and his colleagues carted around the city. United offered tickets for "1996 prices", $12, along with $2 beers and hot dogs.

Hanauer said nothing notable in response, but the Sounders fans took up the cause. "Whiny whores host Sounders in Cup final," said the headline on the Emerald City Supporters club's website. It pictured Payne holding a photoshopped letter reading "HOW TO RUN AN MLS CLUB LOVE, ADRIAN H." and for some reason, a photo of a sparsely attended Washington Nationals baseball game. The message board and Twitter sparring between fans heated up, perhaps stoking a nice rivalry between the clubs, and Seattle is planning to recreate their traditional march to the stadium, albeit somewhat smaller, in Washington on Wednesday.

The word on Tuesday night was that all of United's efforts had resulted in just over 13,000 ticket sales. That number certainly is less than an average MLS game at RFK and far below what Seattle likely would have had, even on a Tuesday afternoon. But it's far better than D.C. attracted in last year's final against second-division Charleston (just over 8,000) and is a good crowd for the woefully undermarketed and underfunded Open Cup, the 95-year-old tradition that continues to be treated like U.S. Soccer's stepchild.

Whatever money Payne and Co. decided to spend to secure the final on home turf obviously is an indication of the club's commitment to add to its trophy case. In addition, it's an investment in building a competition that the federation continues to ignore. The $100,000 winner's purse is embarrassing, the games aren't on TV, the qualifying process is arbitrary and unfair and the matches often are played in small, ramshackle facilities before sparse crowds. United's front office, and Seattle's fans in response, have done more for the tournament's status than anyone else has in nearly a century.

In addition, and perhaps most importantly, the provocative statements from Hanauer and the impassioned appeal from Payne send a refreshing signal that perhaps the people who run MLS and its teams are willing to inject a little personality into the proceedings. The league often is far too bland for its own good. Too many people spend too much time watching what they say, removing the hint of anything partisan or controversial. The passion of the fans in Argentina mirrors that of the clubs they support, but for far too long soccer officials in the U.S. have spent their time and money promoting "family entertainment" and trying to avoid offense. Payne and Hanauer have turned the page. Hopefully the rest of the clubs and the federation will follow, and hopefully whomever wins Wednesday night will gloat like crazy.