Matchnight ran a rock-solid explanation as to why the Boston metro area seems like a big, big stretch for a soccer-specific stadium (SSS). Written by Don Cuddy, who I swear must be the same guy whose work appears on Soccer365.com does a bang-up job of separating pipe dreams - e.g. a beautiful stadium, tucked into a bustling urban neighborhood - from the realities of Boston's politics and real estate.
He goes one further by making the case for Foxboro.
Having lived in Boston for a few years not too long ago, I can chip in thoughts of varying quality. To begin, Cuddy's take on the politics and real estate seem pretty grounded and accurate; his section on Foxboro less so. That place is seriously in the boonies and that discouraged a car-less me from buying season tickets, etc. At the same time, I didn't know anything about plans to add some commercial development to the area, something that would change the dynamic quite a bit.
The question is how much? Even assuming they build the bars, restaurants, etc., the odds tilt heavily toward TGI Friday's-style franchise/dumps. Worse, those would likely boast prices based on the assumption of a captive audience - i.e. once you're in Foxboro, you will pay top dollar for that pint of Sam Adams and a pre-game "girl-drink" is out of the friggin'question. Put another way, where else are you going to go? And I'm sure hotels/motels will be part of the commercial development; can't wait to see what a room goes for (or how many people will quietly "room stuffs" to split the cost).
For all that, assuming the Kraft family is serious about making Foxboro more worth the visit - again, I emphasize that place is a wasteland in its current incarnation, about as much fun as a wheatfield - Cuddy's overall point makes sense. Still, I'd love to see them try to build an SSS out in, say, Lowell. God knows that place could use the boost...and there are all those kick-ass restaurants up (I think it's) U.S. 1, including this massive thing positively devoted to MEAT.
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