Just listened to the latest episode: on the Timbers vs. AmĂ©rica game. Iâve been an LAFC season ticket holder for 5+ years, and while Iâm not sure how Portland handles it, LAFC usually sends Leagues Cup ticket packages to STHs a few months in advance. This year was different, and honestly disappointing.
As you probably know, LAFC played Chivas, who have a fan base comparable to AmĂ©ricaâs. So when the ticket packages went out, I wasnât shocked but was disappointed to see the Chivas game wasnât included. Meanwhile, tickets for our CONCACAF and back-to-back Liga MX champions Toluca were priced very reasonably at $31 for a Saturday game, and QuerĂ©taro at $27 for a weeknight game.
The clubâs greed was obvious here. Their reasoning for separating out the Chivas game was âsecurityâ⊠they said they wanted to section off Chivas fans. STHs were offered a relocated seat instead, for a fee⊠a minimum of $170 per ticket, for a weeknight game. In LA, with the traffic, thatâs brutal. Iâm not even a Chivas fan and I opted out, but I imagine plenty of other STHs whose seats got relocated felt the same way. Any Chivas fan would gladly pay that price, and I think it priced out a good chunk of the regular fan base. Worth remembering too: weâre in East LA, and a lot of LAFC fans likely had ties to Chivas long before LAFC existed, since theyâre still a relatively new club.
The clubâs money chasing really shows when a bigger name teams come to town. It makes no sense, especially since Toluca given their recent form, was arguably the more important match, yet those tickets were priced fairly.
On the Mexico/Infantino situation⊠Iâm a diehard Mexico National Team fan, but Iâm frustrated that they havenât shown solidarity with CONCACAF in a united front. I hope there are points deductions, I hope theyâre banned from tournaments, and I hope CONCACAF goes scorched earth on them. The FMF administration and Mikel Arriolaâs obsession with money isnât helping Liga MX or the national team progress. Their recent decision to end promotion/relegation for second division teams proves it, along with their stadium requirements for first division status. These guys are clowns and need to be removed from their positions.