Did the Times just say that the Strikers advanced? I think they meant Railhawks. Not much else new there, nice of the NY Times to interview the chief.
It was done by a freelancer. And the NY Times probably isn't going to fact check a Q&A on minor league soccer.
Both of those things are examples of how things have slid over time. The NYT should still hire people with ability, and they should check everything that goes out under their banner. That's just me, I'm old school. Not good enough. Not at all.
The following podcast has some good insight into the FC Edmonton situation, with information on the Sinkgraven firing, budget cuts, Saiko situation. The club is trimming the over-the-top expenses, not bailing on the NASL. http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2012/...48-playoff-quarterfinals-trouble-in-edmonton/
How dare you bring facts into this discussion on Big Soccer. For shame. Clearly, you don't understand the native population very well.
originally posted by ceezmed http://nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=3386 Ricky Hill Named NASL Coach of the Year Hill led Rowdies to 2nd Place Regular Season Finish
FC Edmonton signs reserve team players for 2013 season and hires new reserve team coach : http://the11.ca/tag/fc-edmonton/ They will also hire a new head coach by the end of November and have scheduled a Canadian player combine then as well.
That would seem to indicate they're planning on 2013. Year three is often the make-or-break year, so good luck to 'em.
Their top youth player also just moved to the Whitecaps. http://the11.ca/2012/10/17/fc-edmon...eenage-prospect-sigue-to-whitecaps/#more-9898 Nice to see FCE doing their part for Canadian soccer development
Nice article on MLSsoccer about NASL and MLS - no announcement or anything but still a good read. I would like to see a closer working relationship between the two leagues. http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2012/10/18/throw-mls-nasl-closer-working-partnership
Thats a really great article. Its fairly open about a coming connection between NASL and MLS. I have no idea what it will be, but it seems to be the prelude to a more formal loaning process. In any case, very cool and I hope we get to read more about this type of thing.
“We believe if they were playing in our league in front of 4,000 to 6,000 fans, with real men in real competition, that’s a better situation for them.” What types of men are they playing with and against now, I wonder? (Also, do you know how many NASL crowds were over 4k this year? 37 of 112. Or 33%)
Stars Takes 2-0 Lead to Florida in NASL Championship Series http://www.nasl.com/index.php?id=3&newsid=3453
Why would investors be interested in Minnesota when the Vikings are clearly interested in bringing a MLS team there? Sure, it could be a delayed scheme, sorta like what happened to Seattle with their stadium. But I haven't heard of a Adrian Hanauer in MN yet. It would be a shame if they couldn't make NASL live there, at least until (or if) Vikings FC joins MLS.
The answer to your question is simple. Americans only care about a top division league. People would rather see a bad top division team than a first place second division team. To be successful in a lower division, marketing to families and youth teams is crucial. The location and visibility of the team is also really important. There are few hardcores in the lower leagues, but it is good and bad. It's fine to be a losing team because of it, the gameday experience for fans in the main selling point.
I don't think it would have. I wasn't a soccer fan back then, but I understand that only a new owner would have saved them. There were rumors at the time that the Glazer family would take over the team, but that didn't happen. If MLS still had a Tampa team, I would be a fan of them as I really like the Lightning and the Rays. On the Stars situation, the main problem has been the location. Blane is pretty far from the Metro area. The Stars have done very well considering the situation has been almost spartan for 5 years now.
We've covered this, but ( a ) There's no guarantee the Vikings' supposed "interest" is actually sincere (i.e. wasn't just a carrot to help get them their stadium). ( b ) There's no reason an actual, bona fide owner couldn't take over the current D2 team or create one that was so substantial that it would have to be included or accommodated in whatever the Vikings eventually decided to do. The only thing actually stopping that is the fact that, financially, lower-level soccer in Minnesota hasn't been viable for many years. Considering Miami nearly did (and had the best team that year) and were, I think so, yes. Some of you people have got to get past this quaint but silly notion that a championship team that flounders economically will somehow get a reprieve because they win. Nobody really cares who wins in a given year. Had the Mutiny won MLS Cup, they'd have been an MLS Cup-winning team that was without an owner and was stuck with a craptacular lease, first at Tampa Stadium and then at Raymond James, that made it incredibly difficult to be financially successful. I know some fanboys think you can just wave your hand and magically "convince" people to re-do financial arrangements and TV contracts and stadium leases, but you can't. Winning MLS Cup - which is still not a big deal - would not have staved off contraction for the Mutiny, most likely. And it would have been unlikely to shake loose a new owner from the underbrush. That has not been the main problem, and, no Blaine is not pretty far from the Metro area. It is 18 miles from Minneapolis City Hall to the NSC and 20 miles from St. Paul City Hall to the NSC. And when the Thunder played in (basically) downtown St. Paul - 3 miles from the state capitol - they didn't set the world afire with crowds, either.
What does it tell you that Glazer didn't want the team anyway? The lease would have been between MLS and TSA. Glazer probably could have been successful in forging a new lease, but the fact he didn't try should tell you something. Well, it should tell normal people something. I can understand if it doesn't tell you anything.