2005 Major League Soccer Realignment

To:  Major League Soccer

This is a petition to request that FC Dallas be moved in the Eastern Conference and the Kansas City Wizards remain in the Western Conference when Major League Soccer realigns for the 2005 season.

The fans and players of FC Dallas and the Chicago Fire enjoy one of the most intense rivalries in the league, a rivalry which was born through many hotly-contested regular-season and playoff games while both teams were in the Western Conference in 1998 and 1999 and the Central Division in 2000 and 2001. The spirit of this rivalry is embodied by the Brimstone Cup, which was bought by Dallas and Chicago, is maintained by Dallas and Chicago fans, and is held for a year by the team who wins the season series between those teams. Because of this rivalry, born from the games of the past, each game between Dallas and Chicago has an added bit of intensity, even during the regular season.

Likewise, the fans and players of the Kansas City Wizards feel a stronger bond of rivalry with teams in the Western Conference than any in the East. While games against Eastern Conference teams do not generally provoke any sort of feelings of passion amongst Wizards fans and players, the same cannot be said about games against their Western Conference mates, particularly the Los Angeles Galaxy. The Wizards and the Galaxy have had several heated playoff matchups in the past and that intensity has spilled over to the regular season, where both teams have often fought for the Western Conference crown.

MLS, as a relatively young league, is making every effort to grow the number of fans who care passionately about its games. Also, many media pundits and fans have sometimes questioned during this season about the level of intensity from the league's players. With those two things in mind, should the league not do what it can to nurture rivalries that already exist and to increase the number of games where passion and intensity is never in question?

Moving FC Dallas to the Eastern Conference increases the number of Brimstone Cup games, while keeping the Wizards in the Western Conference ensures that they play more games against the Galaxy, the Rapids, and the Earthquakes, each of whom arouse more passionate dislike amongst the Wizards' players and fans than Eastern Conference teams.

We, the undersigned, urge Major League Soccer to follow the precedent of the 2000 realignment, when the Wizards went to the Western Division and the Dallas Burn went to the Central Division.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned

The 2005 Major League Soccer Realignment Petition to Major League Soccer was created by and written by Dustin Christmann (dustin_christmann@yahoo.com).  This petition is hosted here at www.PetitionOnline.com as a public service. There is no endorsement of this petition, express or implied, by Artifice, Inc. or our sponsors. For technical support please use our simple Petition Help form.

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