South Beach Boys

Soccer Digest, Nov, 2001 by Dave Brousseau

The Miami Fusion, MLS's Cinderella team, are playing so well that even passive South Florida fans are taking notice

IT'S DIFFICULT TO TELL WHAT pleases Miami Fusion coach Ray Hudson more: the Fusion owning the league's best record at the All-Star break or the effort it took to earn that distinction.

"So far, it's been as close to a dream come true as you can get," Hudson says of the first half of the MLS season. "I don't see how we could have possibly been any better--even in the games that we lost. So it's not just the results, either. Wins and losses are symptomatic of the way a team performs, and I never dreamt our play would be so consistent and so emphatic and so entertaining."

The Fusion--whose future in South Florida was practically written off last season--are playing some of the best soccer in MLS. The team's business fortunes are on the upswing, too: Season ticket sales are up 15% over last season, revenues are up 35%, and group sales are mushrooming.

Hudson and Fusion general manager Doug Hamilton began putting the pieces for the turnaround together immediately after the team missed qualifying for the playoffs last season. This year the play-offs are a certainty, and advancing to the MLS Cup is a strong possibility.

The successful, attractive style of soccer that Hudson has orchestrated is credited with the boost in the Fusion's home attendance. Through the first half of the season, attendance at Lockhart Stadium was up 39% over 2000. Admittedly, two dates in Miami's Orange Bowl helped boost that average--as did a doubleheader that teamed a Fusion game with an international friendly between Honduras and Ecuador.

Team and league officials can't hide their enthusiasm about the Fusion's on-and off-field success, but they recognize they haven't yet completely won over South Florida's finicky fans. "The soccer community has embraced us," says Hamilton. "But we haven't yet begun to try to attract the casual fan."

A series of internal changes helped lead to the Fusion's box-office success. First, Hamilton and Hudson convinced team owner Ken Horowitz to let Hudson take multiple scouting trips to South America, Central America, and Europe over the course of the offseason. On those trips, the Fusion acquired Alex Pineda Chacon from Honduras and lan Bishop from England, while at home they traded for Carlos Llamosa, Preki, and Chris Henderson. The club also added role players Lazo Alavanja and Brian Dunseth.

With a promising team in place, the veteran sales staff galvanized support from the Fusion's established fans. The front-office plan scrapped newspaper advertising in favor of radio plugs, which reach more fans. And rather than sending its players to every school and bar mitzvah that put in a request, the team has been more selective about appearances, choosing ones that are likely to have a return. Also, the sales team has focused on community organizations and groups, many of which have become ticket-buyers.

One area, however, in which the Fusion have been lacking--where other professional teams are flush--is corporate support. "We're looking for that to happen," says MLS commissioner Don Garber, adding that large corporate deals with banks and others have been signed in other markets. "We'd like to see a similar success with corporate sponsorship [in Miami]."

After last season there were rumors that if the team's attendance didn't improve, it would be on the move. Garber now says the league is pleased with the Fusion's turnaround, but he, like Hamilton, admits there is more work to be done. "We're still evaluating the market," says Garber. "We're very pleased with some of the improvements, but we're still looking for other indicators that this market wants a professional men's soccer team. Still, we really want to succeed in South Florida."

The prelude to the Fusion's success was Hudson's vision. "Putting together this team, I always wanted to go with three [defenders] in the back," says the Fusion coach. "Everybody--even the players--were skeptical about our ability to play that way. [But] that has been a key to our goal of getting all of our best players on the field."

Hudson's plan could have failed were it not for Llamosa, Ivan McKinley, and Pablo Mastroeni--probably the best defensive unit in the league. Thanks to them, the Fusion allowed only 19 goals and recorded five shutouts through 16 games, and goalie Nick Rimando was among the league leaders with a 1.04 goals-against average.

Llamosa adds stability and credibility to the Fusion's back line. At 32, the U.S. national team regular is consistent with his decision-making, and that helps the entire unit "Carlos fills a specific need," says Hudson. "We identified a need and filled it with a gem of a player. Llamosa is a tower of strength; he brings instant respect to our central defense. He is the biggest defensive acquisition the Fusion has ever made."

Getting the most out of Bishop, 36, and Preki, 38, has also been a key. Hudson calls Bishop "the glue in the midfield and the most responsible player the team has ever had." Preki, he says, "fits in wherever his intelligence dictates." Preki was near the league lead in assists through most of the first half of the season and even chipped in five goals prior to the All-Star break.