It’s fair to say that Stan Kroenke is heavily disliked by the majority of Arsenal fans.
With that in mind, you then wouldn’t be surprised to learn that the 69-year-old is under pressure for answers in the US too.
MLS side, Colorado Rapids, have started the season in disappointing fashion – one win in seven matches sees them bottom of the Western Conference. Many fans believe that their recent shortcomings are due to poor off-season business, which is ultimately part of Kroenke’s responsibility to successfully delegate.
Centennial 38 is the club’s largest group of season ticket holders and their Facebook post on Monday morning outlined the key issues that need urgent resolutions, otherwise the Rapids’ progression will continue to decelerate as more poor decisions are made.
One of the comments on the post reiterate the underlying issue at hand currently:
“The Kroenke family are some of the worst owners in sports. It’s a shame they have such a presence here in CO. All they care about it the bottom line. They’d put a bunch of high schoolers if it turned more of a profit.”
The Centennial 38 statement in full:
Centennial 38 would like to publicly express its concern and disappointment over the direction the Colorado Rapids has been taking over the last six months. Coming off of a historically successful 2016 season, supporters were buzzing with excitement. Everyone was looking forward to 2017 and how the team could be refined, improved, and be a legitimate contender for trophies.
However, the trajectory of the club appears to have strayed far from the course it charted last year. We understand that bad results happen and the team can’t win every time, but the poor performance of the team is not the only concern. The results themselves are part of a broader series of troubling events. These other events specifically include:
1) Minimal player acquisitions and a general lack of overall activity during the offseason, especially if rebuilding is the actual plan for 2017.
2) The unbalanced trade that sent Sam Cronin and Marc Burch to Minnesota in exchange for unproven prospects and vague promises of future acquisitions.
3) Comments by Pablo Mastroeni in an April 28th article published by FourFourTwo magazine, in which he effectively stated the 2017 season is being sacrificed for 2018.
The third item is particularly concerning; because it gives supporters the impression that being competitive in 2017 is not important to the club.
Centennial 38, as the single largest group of organized season ticket holders, believes that the entire Rapids fan base is owed an explanation for the club’s current direction. We believe it is unfair to increase ticket prices, based in large part on the success of 2016, and then seemingly scuttle that team under yet another premise of rebuilding. In addition it is unfair to the players wearing the badge, and to the fans who have stuck with this club through more lows than highs, to announce that this season isn’t important less than two months into the campaign.
We would like to emphasize to everyone: our members, the Rapids staff, the players, the press, and the greater Colorado soccer fan base as a whole, that there is a very important distinction to be made between being critical of the club itself, and being critical of the people that run it. Players, coaches, management, and even ownership all come and go. In the end the only thing that remains is the identity of the club, and the community that surrounds it.
We encourage everyone to continue to wear the colors of the club proudly, and to show their true passion for the Rapids and the beautiful game. Without supporters, soccer is nothing.
Respectfully Submitted,
Centennial 38