Three professional soccer teams claim to represent New York. All three — the New York Cosmos, New York City FC and New York Red Bulls — have encountered problems securing venues in and around the Big Apple, but their games are accessible by public transportation and all have developed a loyal following.
Meanwhile, we’re trying to figure out if Boston can wedge one measly team into New England’s "major-league" city. While local soccer fans wait for someone to spring for a soccer-specific stadium, their best choice for most of the past 22 years has been to trek to Foxboro to catch the Revolution.
It hasn’t always been this way. Lack of adequate venues did not prevent pro soccer teams from giving it a shot in Boston in 1960s and ’70s.
In 1974, two teams competed for attention — the Boston Astros of the American Soccer League and the Boston Minutemen of the North American Soccer League. Though they likely cut each other’s throats (both the Astros and Minutemen would fold within two years), they proved there was plenty of support for the professional game. In 1974, crowds for the Minutemen averaged 9,600 and for the Astros 6,700, while the Red Sox averaged 19,214 fans and the Celtics 8,459. Those numbers indicate interest in professional soccer could have been nearly double interest in the NBA and even challenged Major League Baseball.
Fast forward to now.
