Rhode Island ?

yeah, it's a guess that this team will be the Revs entry into the USL Pro/MLS Reserve league.

 

It is more likely that this 'club' will never play a competitive match in any league....ever.

 

Interesting. they have the same jersey as the Battery and even those jackets the coaches are wearing in the staff section are the same as ones you can buy in the Battery proshop

At least they got that part right

 

If they really are playing Tigres like they say, they might actually have something put together up there.

 

I don't think this team will ever play in NASL, and definately not MLS like they mention as a possibility on their web page. They're dreaming there.

Maybe a D3 USL Pro team one day though.

 

I used to think they could convert McCoy to a multi-purpose stadium and put a NASL team there if the Revs moved to Boston. However, that would also require someone buying the Paw Sox and moving them to a place like Framingham or Worcester. As it stands now, there's way too much history at McCoy and pride in the upkeep of the baseball diamond. As someone who also still sniffs his glove for nostalgia purposes, I see that as a soccer pipe dream.

However, Twin River Casino (4 miles from downtown Providence) is getting table games to try and establish itself before MA builds their casinos. An outdoor concert venue/soccer stadium could be something they would be interested in to compliment their smaller indoor concerts.




I think the old track area is a tad too small to build a stadium into the existing casino, but there is plenty of land next to it. They could also utilize the parking and build a parking garage to replace and add to the spots.

Too bad the NPSL team took "Rhode Island Reds". Perfect name for a RI/Providence team.

BTW, I'm starting the first RI Force supporter's group called "Roger's Jedi". The cosplay will be amazing.

 

Welcome to the newest USL, NASL, or MLS venue:



Big stand holds 4200 (probably a lie), little stands hold 1300.

Bryant College does have ambitious plans for their athletic program including building that joint up. Their stated long-term goal is FBS (1-A) football if you can believe it. The location is more than twice the distance from Providence as the casino I mentioned, but it's surprisingly easy to get to from Providence. However, it has the perception of being in the woods.

 

Nah, a soccer team would need to come off as legit out of the gate to gain any kind of traction in RI. We have an inferiority complex which bodes well for supporting minor league teams (we take pride in the Paw Sox and P-Bruins). However, we are also so firmly entrenched in the Boston Pro Sports market that coming out in droves for an amateur soccer team is beneath us.

A team would have to be at a high enough level that the ProJo would cover them. The RI Stingrays had that when they were in the USISL-Pro league or whatever it was called. I don't think they knew what they were doing and didn't market them much for whatever reason. Their last several years of existence (in PDL) was with a front office consisting of a head coach.

For a team to succeed in RI, it would need legitimacy and financial backing. I think USL-Pro would be a good place to take a serious shot.

Oh, and I'm not sure why they are going with "New England". Maybe they can rebrand and capitalize on the Rhode Island thing when/if they apply to a league.

 

4200!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Really? Thats the official capacity?

I live in Smithfield (where Bryant University is situated. It stopped being Bryant College in 2005ish) and have been to Bulldogs games. There isn't room for 4200 in my opinion. The only way you'd get 4200 into the stands (on both sides) would be to get those Japanese guys who work in the Tokyo subway and push people into the cars when its full. The Pats used to have training camp there and traffic and parking were a nightmare. I worked across the street in the financial company and traffic was backed up for miles.

You are right about it being easy to get to (especially off of 295) and the perception of being in the woods. The other thing that people outside of RI don't know about Smithfield is the police. Seriously, they are nice guys but a couple will compete for this Mothers Against Drunk Drivers award each year for the cop who arrests the most drunk drivers. The winner gets a new car for a year. There are a number of bars in town and a cop will hang outside in his/her cruiser waiting for patrons to leave and then follow them to see if they are weaving or intoxicated. They will follow you for a mile then either turn on the lights or spin around and go back for the next person to exit. Some people send the sober person out first, almost like a scout then pile in the cars and roar home. Now as a resident I am happy that my local force is diligent in this, however I also have walked home a couple of times or had called my dearly departed wife to come get me. But a number of bars and restaurants have closed after a year and blamed the nightly presence of the local police. While I don't want to comment on the problem of drivers who have alcohol in their system, the word is out that drinking more than a beer in Smithfield and then driving home is like Russian Roulette. I can see some fans getting turned off by this reputation.

I also firmly believe McCoy will get refurbished for baseball, it was redone in 1999 and the PawSox are part of the community. Lincoln Woods is interesting (its best attribute is location) just off 146 in Greater Providence. The problem with Lincoln Woods is the city of Lincoln. Seriously, the local government officials have been accused, tried, convicted of kickbacks, schemes and graft for years. Getting that casino built was the result of the UK company who was behind it paying under the table money which people did jail time for.

Rhode Island is a funny little state. The people are mainly followers of Boston sports teams, the only exceptions of any note are the Pawtucket Red Sox and Providence Bruins, who are the top affiliate of Boston teams. I went to Rhode Island Stingrays games (mainly at Providence College, once in a season at the stadium in Cranston-another little town with corruption issues) and they would only draw 100-200 fans. No beer was served and it just seemed kind of poorly run.

Maybe things would be different if Gillette stadium and the Revolution weren't 20 minutes up the road and I wish this team well. I will buy tickets, but I don't see it working.

The coach Langer, is also the coach of Bryant, which is why they are probably playing there.

 

Providence is a decent sized metro area and this sounds like a nice fit for a USL Pro setup affiliated with the Revs.

Question for theshelts: Would Rhode Island, Providence or New England on the team's name be more marketable locally? Seems to me a club playing in such a small stadium should try for more of a local name appeal (Providence or Rhode Island) rather than regional (New England). Perhaps there are some local factors I am unaware of that make the New England branding more appealing?

Seems an odd choice to "challenge" the Revs from a branding perspective by using New England when you could try to carve a niche out in your backyard. Providence has a lot of folks with Italian background no? Perhaps something with a nod to Italian soccer (not suggesting it be in a Europosing way).

 

I like Providence personally for the nomenclature.

 

"Rhode Island" is best IMO. In my casino fantasy, they could try "Providence" just to prove how close the place is to the city. I voted no on Lincoln table games, but yes on Newport table games partially on the assumption Lincoln is an east bumfolk craphole. Lincoln is no Central Falls, but it is hardly East Greenwich if you know what I mean.

However, we've had more than one RI team named "New England". The one that comes to mind is the one season arena football New England Steamrollers, but that could have been due to trademark concerns with former NFL champion Providence Steamrollers.

In this case, it is likely they don't want to limit themselves. Who knows, they could be playing in Worcester in a few years and may not want to rebrand.

 

New England does give them more options in a failure scenario, I suppose. I have found building your plan on a failure scenario is not conducive to success. Then again, I have never been in the business of minor league soccer.

 

They may also be using the New England name because they are trying to get some notable names to play for them in the friendlies. Here's the invite list:



Some of them are LOL. Brad Guzan? Maybe someone owes someone a favor. Still, at least they have ambition.

 

Delusion and being full of crap should not be confused with ambition.

 

Relax, this is clearly soccer people trying to establish a pro team on the soccer end first. If they wind up finding an owner to invest, they will go from there. The best case for me is if they approach a lot prospective owners and alert them to what is going on in some NASL and USL Pro cities and something comes out of it, even if it isn't with this team. Worst case, I get to see some half-interesting matches this Summer.

Do you need a visa to train with a team and play in a friendly?