A closer look at SBI

 

Good afternoon folks. As we hit a bit of a lull before tomorrow's jam-packed slate of World Cup qualifiers it is time to take a closer look at things here at SBI.

I am pleased to report that the site surpassed the 1 million pageview mark for August, making it the first month SBI has reached the seven-figure mark. We have also surpassed the 6 million pageview mark since launching in January. Thanks to everybody who has helped make those numbers possible.

There is one sad bit of info to report. SBI has discontinued the weekly Supporter's Views segments. While they were entertaining and a very good take on the fan's perspective in MLS, the project proved too difficult to maintain. The hope is to make it a staple of SBI in 2009 as we look to expand our coverage and writing stable. Thanks to all the writers who made the series a successful one.

Now, onto the statistical breakdowns of SBI readers. There is one major development in the latest traffic statistics. California has surpassed New York and moved into first place among states for most SBI traffic. I'm sure the series of news stories we had on items ranging from Bruce Arena's hiring by the LA Galaxy to the departures of Ruud Gullit and Alexi Lalas, as well as the transfer of Brad Guzan and arrival of Eddie Lewis, helped push Cali past perennial leader New York.

The Cali love isn't just an LA thing. There are six California cities in the Top 30 cities for SBI traffic.

Here are the stats for top countries, states and cities (statistics provided by Google Analytics):

SBI READERSHIP (July-August, 2008)

Top 10 States (total visits)

1. California-       99,945
2. New York-        96,606
3. New Jersey-     76,951
4. Illinois-            49,242
5. Texas-             46,094
6. Virginia-           34,370
7. Massachusetts- 28,503
8. Pennsylvania-    26,057
9. Florida-             22,819
10. Ohio-                22,365

Top 30 Cities

1. New York..........39,065
2. Chicago............27,303
3. Los Angeles.......22,868
4. Washington DC...20,246
5. Toronto............14,927
6. Dallas...............11,728
7. Brooklyn............11,229
8. Boston..............10,824
9. San Francisco......10,308
10. Houston..............8,898
11. Arlington (VA).......8,343
12. Denver...............7,686
13. Seattle...............7,296
14. Atlanta...............6,824
15. Columbus............6,741
16. Philadelphia.........6,573
17. Salt Lake City.......6,122
18. Minneapolis..........5,600
19. Austin................5,223
20. Oakland..............5,213
21. Miami................4,736
22. Portland.............4,624
23. San Diego...........4,452
24. Irvine (CA)..........4,409
25. Raleigh/Durham....4,250
26. Indianapolis.........4,149
27. Hoboken.............4,014
28. London...............3,884
29. Long Island City.....3,869
30. San Jose (CA)........3,768

Top 10 Countries

1. USA...................774,940
2. Canada................44,161
3. United Kingdom.......8,870
4. Germany...............2,644
5. Netherlands...........2,167
6. Norway................1,502
7. Japan..................1,122
8. France.................1,079
9. Australia..............1,067
10. Mexico................1,065

Lastly, let me know what you would like to see more of on SBI, as well as what you would like to see less of. I can tell you that very soon I will be bringing back You Write the Caption as well as incorporating more player interviews.

I want to hear from you, the SBI readers, so let's hear some feedback.

Comments

[jrnail23]

Looking at the DC/Virginia numbers, just confirms what I see every day here around the city (DC)... This is a great area for soccer.

[anotherbodymurdered]

Was the caption contest with the picture of Osorio ever resolved, or did I just miss that one?

[jrnail23]

BTW, sorry to see the supporters view segments go away. I enjoyed getting real fans' perspective from around the league.
Maybe there's a way to make it less formal/less frequent, but still give us a good fan's-eye-view from time to time?

[Steven C]

Congratulations Ives. Good stuff. Ohio only in 10th. hmm.

[john]

Brooklyn represents! Top 10 cities!

[sprool11]

GO CALI....

[A.S.]

Brooklyn isn't a city, it's a borough. And Long Island City isn't even a borough!

/nitpick

[Freddy]

Excellent work so far Ives!

I'd like to see more coverage of the European leagues especially the German Bundesliga.

[Fumar]

Grill Bob Bradley, please.

[brett]

i pull in 90% of the indianapolis hits :P

[A.S.]

"Grill Bob Bradley, please."

Ives had the chance last week in Bradley's pre-Cuba press conference, but apparently decided against grilling Bradley and came up with some lame question about whether it was difficult getting info on the Cuba players. You can hear it on USSoccer.com, which podcasts all of the Bradley press conferences.

(Sorry, Ives.)

[Chris]

I'd like to see (or, I guess, hear) podcasts that feature interviews with coaches, players, and other soccer journalists.

[K.W.]

Frequent browser here. Just wanted to say that your site is THE place to go if looking for news on soccer. Thanks- really appreciate it

[A.S.]

BTW, I think it's pretty impossible to grill Bradley. He gives the most politically correct, non-committal, non-interesting answers to press questions I've heard this side of Bill Belichek.

[EnglishBrit]

I believe, I was 1,000 of those California votes!

Keep up the great vote, Ives!

[Reid]

everything about the site i like, and now that you dropped the game write ups too. THey started out interesting, but kind of die when you get into the middle of the summer. Trying next year would be worth it though.

Maybe you could do a podcast segment with you and Ivan Gazidis shootin the shite, chillin out.

[anotherbodymurdered]

Can the results plz be crossindexed with regular posters to the USMNT BigSoccer forums and all those users be banned? kthxbye

[Chris]

I'd like to see some updates from some of the Central American and Caribbean leagues. Now that we have the Champions League it'd be good to know a little bit more about the enemy. (ie Honduras, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, etc.) It would also help in getting a better idea of who some of the players are that are being transferred to MLS from those leagues.

[john in atl]

Ives, you do a fine job in keeping your regulars all readily informed! You've struck a fine balance with info from Europe blending in with all things American Soccer. Here's a couple of things I'd like to see:

1) An interview/feature with Ray Hudson and Phil Schoen
2) More onsite game reports. You do great work when you hit the road!

[RK]

Looking at the DC/Virginia numbers, just confirms what I see every day here around the city (DC)... This is a great area for soccer.

Posted by: jrnail23

And that Maryland isn't :)

[BJR]

Another vote for a more critical eye towards Bob Bradley, Sunil Gulati, and the USMNT in general.

This seems to be lacking in all facets of the media coverage in the US, not just on SBI. Definitely a void that needs filled.

Doesn't seem like you hold back when it comes to all things MLS that catch your eye, so why not with the USMNT?

Also, another vote for player/coach interviews.

[scott47a]

I'd like to see some updates from some of the Central American and Caribbean leagues. Now that we have the Champions League it'd be good to know a little bit more about the enemy. (ie Honduras, Costa Rica, Trinidad and Tobago, Guatemala, etc.) It would also help in getting a better idea of who some of the players are that are being transferred to MLS from those leagues.

Posted by: Chris | September 09, 2008 at 03:07 PM

I'll echo Chris' comment, and include Mexico and Canada.

I know you have a lot on your plate and I know most of your readers are Euro-centric, but it would be great if you could make a place at the table for weekly updates/standings, that sort of thing, from our region of the world.

[PCFC]

Thank you dearly for putting raw numbers!!!! This is a much bigger statement than simple ranks.

I still do not understand why Brooklyn and Long Island City are not park of NYC, but whatever (yes I know Queens and Brooklyn have significant population numbers independent of Manhattan).

Also, why not combine metropolitan areas. I see San Francisco very high and then see London above San Jose. It makes it look as if San Jose is a very poor supporter city when I personally think it is one of the best.

Nonetheless, good job and I love seeing these stats.

[Jeff]

Grea work on a great site!

I would love to see more interviews if possible.

[wyo fan]

Ives,

As presented, I thought the supporters' views section were a distraction from your daily news updates. If you bring them back, which I wouldn't mind, perhaps the site could be structured differently so that they don't push the news items further down the page. Just a thought.

Thanks for a great site.

[Kyle]

Ives,
Big supporter, but I would to see more stories. You use to have slowed down since a year ago. Even 6 months ago. Now it seems like most of your stories go to ESPN (and "Your running commentaries" and "Who would you like to see on the US roster" don't count). It would be nice to have some more commentary pieces like "How San Jose got so good in their first year" or "How is the MLS like the NASL".

[joe k]

new york city #1 means i'm checking the site at work more than at home.

[Mark]

Congrats Ives

[Thomas]

I want to know if there is anyone else in Austria.

[joe k]

kyle, what's the difference if you read ives's stories here on espn? it's kpugs's and ossington's commentary, isn't it?

[SonicDeathMonkey]

I am in total shock that there are actually over 4,000 people in Hoboken that know how to read. ;)

[joe k]

AS: you write Brooklyn, NY as a snail mail address, as well as LIC, NY.

I'm suspicious, though, that LIC might be TimeWarner's gateway for multiple neighborhoods in queens, pushing the count higher than it would otherwise be.

[kpugs]

I think a monthly or bi-monthly "where are they now" would be awesome. Every once in a while I think about random guys like Damani Ralph or Thomas Dooley and just wonder what they are up to.

[Steve JW]

Ives-
I would like to see more multimedia on the website, videos, photos, podcasts...

[Soto]

Ives, I have really enjoyed your site. For me, this is the best place for getting news on the MLS and abroad. About your Supporter's Views series: I had a love/hate response to this series. How about having a monthly Supporter's views that covers a month's worth of games plus other team activities (like trades, for example)? The suporter's views for every game became a bit onerous, but a monthly supporter's view might be a better balance of game level commentary and big picture commentary.

[supsam]

Hey, Ives

you should have a counter on two things:
1) How many more games till Cooper gets called
2) How many times Johnson gets a callup

on a more serious note, you should, if u can, a weekly section where you do an indepth story on a US player whether it be in the MLS or overseas. It could be a combination on how they are doing with their club and just how they are adapting/enjoying their life as a soccer player

[tom]

Ives - Would be interested in more in-depth coverage of injuires and to what extent they impact each player. A great example of this was O'Brien. No one EVER has explained to me what really happened to him. You see a talent like that and the worst creeps into my head - Did he have a drug problem? Was he shooting the "H"? Living in Amsterdam makes you wonder. And then there is Cory Gibbs who has been out since before th WC 2006 (2+ Years -what's that all about?) And now we have both Spector and Simek down and don't know much except it seems like a shoulder/hip for Spector and an ankle for Simek. If you believe everything you read, Simek was game to game all last year. What is really wrong with him?

We just don't get much transparency on injuries...

[adam]

These data need to be per capitized in order to be relevant.

JK, I am a stats person, we get up in arms over these sorts of things.

[Brian]

Player interviews would be great, as well as all MLS player transactions, which hardly ever are posted anywhere.

[Adam R.]

Any update on the player from Atlanta that NY was trying to get?

And have you back handed Gazidis (sp) for accusing you of making up your story to generate site traffic?

[Wispy]

Ives, I agree you should try to bring back the Supporter's Views next season, but (1) only one game per week, and (2) only written by someone who was personally at the game. I love the write-ups, but when done from a couch perspective it doesn't give me much more than I could come up with myself.

[Michael F.]

Ives,

So Jozy scores a hat trick for Villarreal and doesn't even make the bench for the US and Eddie Johnson can't even get 18 minutes at Cardiff get keeps gettin chance after chance. Someone PLEASE fire Bob Bradley.

[Brad]

Ives:

While it's flattering that my neighborhood Long Island City made the top 30 cities, LIC IS New York City...

--Brad

[Enfilade]

go Irvine!

[Matt in SF]

Kinda sad that San Francisco is at #9 on the list and San Jose is all the way down at #30. Move San Jose?

;)

[RK]

Don't blame Ives for the way Google divides geographies.

You could dump the MLS power rankings...

[noname]

Ives,

Totally agree with WYO fan and some of the other comments. Sounds like the site seems set for a redesign where your stuff can occupy the central space and other contributors could occupy either a lower box or you could just use a link to bring the reader to another space (e.g. supporters view section - click here, etc.). Congrats on all the page views.

[PCFC in NYC]

Matt,

San Francisco, Oakland and San Jose are all in the top cities. If they linked it via metro area, San Fran-Oakland-San Jose would be much higher. They must draw from the entire metro area, not just San Jose. I would never say move San Jose because of their great fan support this year...even in a shite stadium.

[joe k]

adam, how would per-captizing the data make it relevant?

would 50% of wyoming (~200k) matter more than 250% of brooklyn (~500k)? it would be interesting, but not necessarily relevant.

what about the semantic definition of a city bothers you as a stats-man?

[joe k]

i mean 25%

[NJ Guy No Longer Stuck in DC]

@Soto, excellent suggestion. I'm not a big fan of the supporter's pieces, but once a month would be tolerable and wouldn't push Ives' other news down.

Gotta laugh at the DC numbers. Nobody lives there but a ton of govt workers are checking your site during daylight hours (and a lotta defense contractors in Arlington!).

Congrats Ives.

[kyle]

Joe k- I'd totally be up for additional people posting additional commentary on Ives(as long as whoever does it, does a good job). I just feel like there are so many good stories that aren't being covered (stories that ESPN may not be interested in paying for).

[James]

Ives, maybe some player profiles or look-ins on foreign leagues, especially Asia, Africa, that do not get coverage in the US

[jeffe]

not bad for hoboken, thats over 10% of the population with a total of @38,000. must be the smallest pop. town on there.

[SFTony]

You can write a little more about the Quakes to start. Interviews would be nice, although I know that'll probably be on espn.com. Also, A little more info about our yanks-abroad since the sites that follow them have become rather useless.

[brentmcd]

Yet another vote for a more critical eye towards Bob Bradley, Sunil Gulati, and the USMNT. In particular, I'd like to see an in-depth article on Gulati, where he came from, his soccer credentials, etc.

[Frimp]

Great stuff Ives. The scoop is all I'm looking for. I guess interviews would be cool too.

Jersey!

[Chris]

lol I work in Irvine, CA -- Good to see my work hours are helping SBI out!

[kco]

IVES -

Where does my small market town of Kansas City fall on your list?

[Ryan]

Ives is the man. Best coverage on the web.......

Middletown, CT is in the Building...

[lk]

If there were a "Big Four" of MLS it would likely end up being New York, LA Galaxy, DC and Chicago based on financials.

[ELAC]

You own California because of me! LMAO!

Seriously, congrats Ives on having the best soccer news website in California and the rest of the US.

When you coming to LA? I know the spots.

[DL]

Congrats on the progress Ives. Hopefully you're making bank as a result

[MasterShake]

The only thing I dont like about the site is the fact that if the comments get to much I have to click Next 3 times to get to the last page. It would be better if it could be paged so that we can click last page (like in forums) and go there straight away.

[quartz62]

I'm surprised to see 4 states without an MLS team playing in them cracking the top 10...

[Aljarov]

Personally, I'd like to see more MLS coverage. I HATE having to get news from MLSrumors.com but as there's no other site that event attempts to cover trades (confirmed, never mind speculation) I end up havign to go all over the web to get info. For example, SJ signed a couple of guys last week and no one even bothered to mention it. Maybe a transactions list? Maybe also a 'hot stove' for players on the block.

I'd also like to see more coverage of the NYRB...I know you've diversified, but for me it's stillt he first reason I go to your sight. I used to really enjoy the training reports and insights. If you could get more info even better.

A final request might be to plug the gaps for sides with below par coverage in the league - Chicago (so little mainstream coverage outside of Red Card blog which is hit or miss and he always seems to be on vacation!), New England, LA (surprisingly poior coverage considering Beckham).

If you could also maybe do some cross polination with the other Designated Players? Would be good to see some general MLS musings from the likes of Buzz Carrick.

[Charles Zimbabwe]

where's delaware!?

[Evan]

The site is great and congrats on the 1 million views in Aug. The only thing I would like to see would be some college soccer reports or updates.

[dieterhansi]

i started percapitizing, but it was too much work. can say that among big cities, Chicago and Dallas have many visits....

Anyways, great blog, I'm into it.

[Brant]

I'm hoping to see a lot of detailed coverage of CONCACAF CL and I'd like to see more detail on US Open Cup, especially the earlier rounds before the MLS gets involved.

[Drew]

congrats!

[Steve]

Keep filling the gaps.

We need the info on MLS, Americans Abroad, USMNT, US Youth teams, non-English leagues.

We don't need any reports on the Premiership, Three Lions, Champions League, etc.... these are already covered by other outlets at nauseum (I'm not sure that's right).

Keep up the good work and Congratulations on the progress.

[DGinLA]

F the suggestions. If people didn't like the site they wouldn't visit. Keep doing what you're doing and F Chelsea, Tottenham and MANGirlU.

[Original Aaron]

Notice that Atlanta is the first city in a market currently without an MLS team. It is in front of 3 cities that already have/have been awarded teams (Columbus, Philadelphia, Salt Lake City), and of the other cities mentioned as expansion possibilities (Vancouver, Montreal, St. Louis, etc.) only Portland is representing- and in 22nd place! The numbers don't lie MLS. If you want to expand your footprint into large media markets with enough fan interest to support a team, and owners with deep pockets- the choices are clearly NY2 and Atlanta! Get it done Arthur Blank!

[www.martinezatlaw.com]

Great job Ives, we at www.martinezatlaw.com are big fans of your work. Way to keep us informed because God knows Mls does not. If I could make request, I'd ask that your provide more material/news on the Houston Dynamo.

[mark kinsella]

Hi Ives

I would like to see LESS european foottabll news e.g. injuries to Michael Essien etc There are better websites for European football news so I think you should stick to what you do VERY VERY WELL: North American soccer.

[Justin O]

What about countries 11-20?
:)

[Al17]

F the suggestions. If people didn't like the site they wouldn't visit. Keep doing what you're doing and F Chelsea, Tottenham and MANGirlU.

Posted by: DGinLA | September 09, 2008 at 11:06 PM

ROFLMAO!!! Merci and you're right on the money

[Fly the Coop]

First, DC represent. Got crunk?

Second, I echo some of the earlier suggestions for the website:
* Monthly in-depth interviews with Americans based overseas
* More coverage of other European leagues, not just the Premiership and La Liga.

And one suggestion of my own: Could you create a fanstasy MLS competition for your readers? ESPN has one, but its not great. It would be much more fun to compete against regular posters from your site.

[Curtis Spiteri]

I like your revamped CISL logo Ives.

[rob]

IVES, I work for the govt, so my ISP comes up as Washington DC. I am in Chicago though, I'm just saying bro, add like 50 hits/week to Chicago. FYI.

Others government workers from around the US may be the same, not to knock against the DC hits.

I'm just passing along the information.

[Ted]

Less of those Euro posts. I doubt many people come here to see you post three links about European football every few hours. Honestly, if people want real news on that stuff, they go to the source where there are reporters in Europe reporting on what they see going on around them, not a guy on a different continent.

More MLS, US, and YA posts are what I would like to see. That is stuff where you can realistically get inside info and do actual reporting, instead of posting link pages.

Don't feel like you need to post a Euro link page because you didn't post anything that morning or afternoon. Quality over quantity.

[Justin O]

Quality and quantity are not always an either or choice.

[Steve O]

Speak for yourselves guys, I like the European coverage. Here's why. Yes, I know there are other sites that do it, but this site fills me in on the most important stuff so I don't have to cut through all the crap I don't care about. I also don't think there's all that much Euro coverage here as it is. I think I've seen one or two posts a day at most.

Keep the mix the same. I love having just one place to come to for all my major news.

[DeliBelly]

I nominate that these stats on SBI readership by city be used when MLS determines the next round of expansion cities to place MLS teams.
With that in mind, looks like Atlanta could be the winner!

[Justin O]

Agreed with Steve O.