Louisville City FC Super Thread

Discussion in 'United Soccer Leagues' started by CHeading10, Oct 21, 2013.

  1. The Devil's Architect

    Feb 10, 2000
    The American Steppe
    Club:
    Chicago Fire
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It was a question, not an assumption. Way to assume.

    Financial success and growth of soccer are not connected. Ask MLS Owners.

    In lower division soccer?

    You don't really get modern sports in the US, do you?

    Sports teams aren't operated for profit
     
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  2. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Who has you convinced that they aren't making money? MLB teams? NFL teams? MLS teams?
    MLS teams may not have an "operating" profit, but they can sell their team and make more money than they've ever put into it (operating costs, capital investement, etc). When sports teams cry poor, you believe them?

    If owners wanted to throw money away, then why weren't the players/vendors/etc paid in Phonix this year? I'm not suggesting minor league team owners are in it to make money, but I'll let you know that they aren't in it for long if they continue to lose money. Successful organizations last a while because they find a way to not lose money. Even the idiots running the LA Orange Co. Blues said they'd lose money for only so long ... they've gone past that without making any progress (assumed by their attenance) but have decided to give it one last go with a rebrand/relocation. I'd be suprised if they had another 2 seasons as bad as the last 2 that they'd continue. Either way, their buisness model isn't set up for a long run. I understand that sports teams may not be run for profit, but sports owners aren't running it as a charity hand out/for the good of the game. It may be a net zero "hobbie" for some of them ... but if it's a drain on their net worth, they don't do it for long. So yes, I'm rooting that this endevour in OK City is not a drain on their net worth. Maybe "profitable" wasn't the right word. Either way, it can't suck them dry ... and if it does, it won't do it for long.
     
  3. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Louisville. Let's talk about it.
     
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  4. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Muhammad Ali is from there. I once met him on the street there in 1999. I was in a bar and someone came in and said "Ali is outside!" And he was outside on the street, maybe waiting for a ride or something (he didn't have anybody with him, was still ambulatory at that point). A few of us got autographs. I still have it somewhere.

    The only other Louisville memory I have, I think, is covering the International League (?) playoffs down there the night Cal Ripken broke Gehrig's record.

    And there end my stories about Louisville.
     
  5. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Very funny. Relevant to soccer and USL specific?
     
  6. BluebeardRex

    BluebeardRex New Member

    Aug 2, 2013
    Club:
    Waterford United
    Louisville related update (though it seems a little off topic): Still no announcement yet, but it does look like things are still happening, discussion wise. We're pretty optimistic, based on the thought that if it was going down the pan, we would probably have heard something to that effect by now, either on our side, or from others courting OCSC - I cannot imagine Rawlins and co. being happy to wait for a miracle, as much as being willing to wait for papers to be signed. I would speculate that USL Pro in Louisville is close, but not quite there yet.
     
  7. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Maybe they closed the loophole.
     
  8. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Stop already Kenn.

    And I think USL and Orlando ownership are just busy with the season that just started last week. I am sure the announcement is coming.
     
  9. mikehurst21

    mikehurst21 Member

    Oklahoma City Energy FC
    United States
    Nov 6, 2013
    Moore Oklahoma
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  10. mikehurst21

    mikehurst21 Member

    Oklahoma City Energy FC
    United States
    Nov 6, 2013
    Moore Oklahoma
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    mashers-logo.png louisville lads.png louisville fc.png louisville elite.png derby city steamwheelers.png commonweath united.png

    for those of you that doesn't want to click on the link above I decided to post them
     
  11. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Derby City Mashers
    Louisville Lads
    Louisville FC (Futbol Club?!)
    Louisville Elite
    Derby City Sternwheelers
    Commonwealth United

    I like the Mashers and United logos, but using a nickname for the city name is kinda silly. "Louisville Mashers", "Louisville United" or even "Kentucky United" might look better.

    The Lads logo is corny, but in a good way; could have a similar appeal to the classic Rowdies logo.

    The LFC logo is stupid on so many levels; for instance, having the colonial star circle doesn't make sense for a state that wasn't one of the original colonies. Maybe I just don't get it...

    Sternwheelers is a decent logo, but the name feels a bit unwieldy.

    Elite feels a bit euro-snobby.
     
  12. m vann

    m vann Moderator
    Staff Member

    Colorado Rapids, Celtic FC, & Louisville City
    Sep 10, 2002
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    [​IMG]

    A variation of the city's seal would make a fantastic crest for the club, IMO. If the long rumored USL-Pro team comes to fruition I hope to goodness the club's name and crest makes a real connection to the city and the state. I think it's a must to win over the masses. Kentuckians are very proud of their state and rich history. I may not live in KY but the state will always be "home" for me. Luckily, Louisville has many historic and iconic connections to draw from when choosing a name and crest. A connection to the KY Derby (and horse racing in general), the Bourbon distilleries, the Ohio River, the Bluegrass / Commonwealth moniker, the famous Steamboats, the historic KY Colonels, and the Railroads should all be considered.

    I have always been partial to Derby City. In fact, I love to see Derby City S.C. with a nickname of Colonels. Derby City, obviously, pays homage to the city's nickname and the KY Derby while Colonels is a perfect representation of the state. For those who don't know a KY Colonel it's the highest title of honor one can receive from the Commonwealth of KY. It's a really, really big deal to be commissioned as a Colonel. They are synonymous with strength, character, leadership, and a dedication to the welfare of others. You must have a devotion to fellowman, state, and country alike. You want a club to have the same impact in the community and Colonels perfectly represents that idea.
     
  13. oneeyedfool

    oneeyedfool Member+

    Nov 17, 2012
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I like this plan and suggest Kentucky FC with the nickname of Colonels and this crest:

    [​IMG]
     
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  14. m vann

    m vann Moderator
    Staff Member

    Colorado Rapids, Celtic FC, & Louisville City
    Sep 10, 2002
    Denver, CO
    Club:
    Celtic FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Too Funny :rolleyes:
     
  15. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What about FC Kentucky, with The Colonels as a nickname? Then they can be FCK 'The Colonels.'

    In seriousness, as a former resident of the area, Derby City SC would be wicked sweet, and the colors have to be bluegrass and white. Bluegrass for the state, white for the steeples of Churchill Downs. Going with Red or Blue has the potential to alienate UK and UofL people, even though this team won't be related to the colleges. Just the way it is down there. Not to mention the dark green will be completely original in the USL Pro
     
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  16. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Is there an actual fledgling Louisville-centric supporters group? And not just, say, an AO chapter?
     
  17. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  18. xbhaskarx

    xbhaskarx Member+

    San Jose Earthquakes
    United States
    Feb 13, 2010
    NorCal
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    How does a supporters group for a not-yet-in-existance USL Pro team have a far better designed crest than USL Pro itself, and every team in USL Pro aside from the Sacramento Republic and maybe OKC Energy / Charleston Battery?
     
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  19. davidrpaige

    davidrpaige Member

    May 17, 2008
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    Ask the Sons of Ben. (Aka they have been a better organization then the club they support. Frankly, without the SoBs, there would be no Union)
     
  20. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiight.

    Because no one would have ever thought of putting a team in the country's sixth-largest metro area had it not been pointed out to them by a bunch of people in scarves.

    This "power of the supporters group" meme plays well among the scarf-and-beer set, but without millionaire owners and tax breaks, there would be no Union. SoBs or no SoBs.
     
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  21. davidrpaige

    davidrpaige Member

    May 17, 2008
    Washington, DC
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Germany
    That is a dumb comment, of course it takes millionaires owners, tax breaks, and sucking up public funds to actually build a professional team. What I do give the SoBs credit for is quelling the fears of yet another soccer failure in Philadelphia. Phily has failed teams stacked like cordwood out in the "Defunct Team Graveyard."
    • Philadelphia Hibernian
    • Philadelphia Field Club (which was actually Bethlehem Steel relocating to Phily for a season before moving back to Bethlehem)
    • Philadelphia FC/Celtic
    • Philadelphia Nationals (from the ASL II, which is currently their longest surviving outdoor club in Phily history)
    • Philadelphia Ukrainians
    • Philadelphia Spartans
    • Philadelphia Atoms
    • Philadelphia Fury
    I'm sure I've missed some teams. Those are just the outdoor teams, not even touching the Indoor League teams. It is the last 3 teams, the most recent in history outside of the Union, that is the most disturbing. Modern era teams that lasted, on average, only a couple seasons with awful fan support.

    There was that bid in 2001 to get a team in Trenton to serve the Phily area, but no real ownership group was clamoring to get a team in Phily proper. Even in the MLS desperation time around 2004/5 (when they seemed to be giving out toasters to any new ownership group wanting to join) was there a bid from Phily. Why would there be? Philadelphia had a long history of not supporting soccer, so why would anyone go down that path? Of course MLS would have liked to have a team in Phily, it is the #4 media market in the US, but I'm sure they were weary of bad history Phily had towards soccer.

    I will give credit to the SoB that if they did not exist, and advocated MLS the way they did, then there would not have been a Philadelphia Union because no ownership group would have had the confidence in the Philadelphia market to take that chance. For once, being loud and obnoxious Phily fans worked in favor of the SoB! I know you'll argue with me on this, but as I see the series of events:
    No Sons of Ben = No Ownership group willing to risk the Philadelphia soccer market = No Philadelphia Union
     
  22. mikehurst21

    mikehurst21 Member

    Oklahoma City Energy FC
    United States
    Nov 6, 2013
    Moore Oklahoma
    Club:
    --other--
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    how did this turn into a philly union thread
     
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  23. thomas19064

    thomas19064 Member+

    Apr 29, 2008
    Delco
    Club:
    Philadelphia Union
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I posted this in another thread a few weeks ago... but it applies here too, and I say this as a Sons of Ben Member:


    if Sugarman, Chester, and everything else didn't work out I'm pretty sure Garber would of gone on a NYCFC/Atlanta/Miami-esque crusade to get a team placed in Philadelphia due to the simple fact that it's one of the biggest markets in the country, from a metro standpoint and even more from a media standpoint...

    Philly eventually would of got a team weather of the Sons of Ben being around or not.... SoB's just made it an easier to sell to an ownership group and get the process rolling earlier on and expedite things a bit... instead of 2010 maybe the Union would of joined a bit later...

    If Sugarman and Co. didn't get the thing off the ground I don't think the SoBs would of just faded away though... the Sons of Ben would still exist (albeit in smaller numbers) and continue to be lobbying for a team.... but a fan movement can only do so much.



    In short, and existing supporters group in Louisville is nice, and helps a tad, but it isn't a game changer and is one of the less important factors when it comes to getting a team.
     
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  24. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My guess is we started talking about supporters being involved in Louisville ownership and it turned into how much power do supporters clubs really have.

    I hope that Estopinal is able to get a ownership group together soon, regardless of their background.

    Oh and DOOP!
     
  25. ArsenalMetro

    ArsenalMetro Member+

    United States
    Aug 5, 2008
    Chicago, IL
    Club:
    Arsenal FC
    I was in Louisville last weekend for a half marathon. Decent city, saw a lot of Euro jerseys while I was walking around, as well as a Houston Dynamo shirt, which surprised me. Hope that bodes well for the market.
     

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