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Austinist Interview: Dave Wasser, Fútbol Fanatic
Fútbol in the United States has had its share of peaks and valleys. From the heyday of the North American Soccer League (NASL) to the quarter final run of the national team in the 2002 FIFA World Cup , there have been quite a few success stories in a country that is supposedly averse to the sport. Austin, too, has had its share of hits and misses. The Austin Lone Stars, Austin Lightning, and the University of Texas soccer teams have kept the flag flying for the sport in the city, albeit temporarily at times. Sandwiched in that past is one Austinite that has done more for the sport than most.
Boasting the largest collection of taped soccer matches in the country, maybe even in the world, Dave Wasser defines the term fanatic. Wasser, who grew up in New York, became a huge fan of Pelé’s Cosmos in the 70’s, and thus started his love affair with the sport. He insists his collection of archived matches might be larger than even the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s library. “In fact”, he states, “My collection of several thousand tapes is bigger that the combined collections of the Soccer Hall of Fame and the US Soccer Federation.” A media director by day, Wasser also runs the NASL Alumni Association but has never played or coached soccer competitively. Instead, he has focused his energy on developing interest in the sport as well as organizing various events like last year’s NASL Reunion in Dallas. Wasser believes the history of the NASL is both nostalgic and vital, and learning from the failures that led to the demise of the league will eventually pave the way for continued success of its successor, Major League Soccer (MLS).
We agree, and want to hype the 2006 MLS Cup. This Sunday in Frisco, Western Conference Champions, the recently relocated Houston Dynamo, take on the New England Revolution for all the marbles. We recently caught up with Wasser to garner his views on US Soccer and the big match.
Interview with Dave Wasser after the jump.
How does the current league (MLS) compare with the NASL?
The main difference is that MLS has a league-wide salary cap, and the NASL did not. That makes MLS far more stable. Some NASL teams spent wildly on international stars, and other teams couldn't keep up. MLS has a much smarter framework for long term success.
One of the similarities of the two leagues is that the average attendance per match is about the same -- around 15,000 per game. But the two leagues arrive at that average very differently. The NASL had some cities where soccer was huge, drawing 40 or 50 thousand per game, and other cities where soccer failed miserably.
MLS attendance is pretty consistent from team to team. Although in a few cities like New York they are inflating attendance figures by counting "tickets distributed" rather than tickets sold. One of the puzzling things about soccer in America is that the NASL succeeded in cities that have been poor draws for MLS, and vice versa. For example, Los Angeles and Houston were box office failures in the 1970s, but are successful now. However, MLS has flopped in cities that were huge successes for the NASL, like New York and Tampa.
The Dynamo has done really well in its first season in Houston.
In 1979, Houston was one of the best teams in the NASL. In fact, they never lost at home. But the fans stayed away. They usually got no more than 4,000 fans at the Astrodome. Contrast that to the passion of the fans in Houston at the MLS playoff games the past two weeks. MLS deserves credit for making soccer work in Houston.
How is the current state of soccer in the country, both as a participant sport and a spectator one?
As a participant sport soccer is doing great in this country. In fact, demand exceeds supply. In some communities there are more kids that want to play than there are fields for them to play on.
As a spectator sport, it is somewhere between success and failure. As I noted above, MLS has really struggled in some key markets like New York. And TV ratings aren't terrible, but they aren't great either.
Many Americans only think about soccer once every four years, during the World Cup. It's the same way they watch Olympic sports. They pay attention to swimming, track and gymnastics once every four years during the Olympics. I think things will improve over time. MLS is in a better position now than it was five years ago. And it will be in an even better position five years from now.
How did you end up with this massive collection of matches?
I started collecting matches on videotape about 15 years ago. I asked anybody in the soccer community if they had taped any NASL games. I asked players, coaches, referees, team administrators, and other fans like me. For every fifteen or twenty people I talked to, maybe one of them would have taped a few games. I offered to pay them for copies. When the internet came along in the mid 90’s, I set up a web site listing all the tapes that I had, and that's when my collection really took off.
So what about the big game Sunday? Who is going to win the MLS Cup?
Houston will win. New England is a pretty mediocre team that is lucky
to get this far.
We hope for the state of Texas that Wasser’s prediction is accurate. Houston’s season surely deserves the ultimate accolade in US League soccer after their fairytale run to the finals.
Dave Wasser’s Official Site and Soccer Video Library
MLS Cup: Houston Dynamo vs. New England Revolution
Sunday, November 12th
Pizza Hut Park [Map]
Kick-off at 2:30pm
[Tickets]
