11/30/11: "Orlando City adds Kraze to the mix"

OS link: http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/sports_soccerblog/2011/11/orlando-city-adds-kraze-to-the-mix.html

OC now hold control over the former CF Kraze, 2004 PDL champs. The new entity is called "Orlando City U23s."

IMO, sounds like OC have made a few more of the right moves to build the foundation from which to grow into a full-blown MLS club, in this case a fully organized developmental/reserve squad.

Interesting times ahead. Hopefully this will mean more than 100 people in the seats for our PDL games from now on.

I was wondering when this would happen.
Is this a requirement for MLS teams to have an development team?
If so, I guess this is one more piece for OCSC's MLS bid.

No, every pro team has reserves:


http://www.examiner.com/soccer-in-na...ay-as-reserves

Yeah, but that's a partnership between a D2 club and a PDL club.
Orlando City bought into the Kraze.

Shame we never heard real details about Orlando's meeting with MLS. Interesting that this happened, though. Let's see what Orlando does this in 2012.

I have a feeling that the PDL team will go to USLPro in 2013 and OCS will go to NASL in 2013.

Ok...

Or maybe the PDL team will be NASL and OCSC will stay in ULSPro?

You do know that Davidson is in talks with 4 ownership groups for expansion in 2013. I hope Orlando is one of them, but it seems some are content with being in D3.

Orlando already has an NDA with MLS.

That's not to say we don't have one of the (alleged) NDAs with NASL (and until he names names, that's what they are: alleged), but that's Rawlins' priority.

a couple of teams in MLS have PDL teams ... Chicago Fire PDL is a vestige from the olden days when the teams didn't really have "reserves" team/games and that was considered "progressive".

Portland still has a PDL team left over from their time as a D2 team where the PDL team was like a psuedo-reserve team for them, they sent a few young D2 players to the PDL team.

but having a PDL team in MLS is pretty much useless. none of the players on the team can be signed directly by the club like kids out of the team's youth academies can. and with MLS bringing back the reserve teams/leagues there is almost no reason to have one because with such a short season there is no real need to send out young players to the PDL team to get games.

but for a D2.5 team like Orlando it might be a good tool to scout young players and get young players some PT.

http://www.seminolechronicle.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2011/11/30/4ed64a000eacf

Gotcha.
So, basically its good practice for having a well structured soccer club.

I was looking up(wikipedia) the timeline for the Portland Timbers, not that it means anything towards OCSC's situation, but:
Merritt Paulson wants MLS - 2007
Portland U-23's founded - 2008
Joined PDL - 2009
Portland awarded MLS - 3/20/09
1st PDL game - 5/9/09

That's right Rawlins said 3-5 years so you will have to wait and see, if they stay a top of the league and attendance grows it's great, but if the team starts to stink and attendance dips, well then you never know.

Remember at this time Miami MLS Barca bid was way ahead of Orlando at this point.

WSW, I don't recall much about this Miam MLS Barca bid anymore. What I do remember is that they never had a team. OCSC has a team so I'm just looking for some clarification of your point. How is this true?

Sorry, I really am not being critical or mean spirited here. I just don't know what you're talking about.

Did Philadelphia have a team?

http://soccerlens.com/barcelonas-bid-for-miami-mls-franchise/13931/

http://www.goal.com/en-us/news/1110...72/barcelona-announce-miami-mls-expansion-bid

I'm just saying their was way more coverage and hoopla over Miami bid and look what happened.

Their was like 6 ownership groups bidding for a MLS team.

I live in reality. I know the future is uncertain. I will support my team at whatever level they are at.

I barely remember the Barca bid. So I googled it; you know what the first three stories were?
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/writers/soccer_america/03/04/mls.barca/index.html
dated Mar. 4, 2009
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/soccer/02/20/barca.mls/
dated Feb. 20, 2009
http://futbolinsider.wordpress.com/2008/10/15/barca-confirms-mls-miami-bid/ dated Oct. 15, 2008
So their bid crashed and failed within 5 months. The media got a big woody because it was FC Barcelona coming to America.
Sometimes slow and steady wins the race.

That's the point it was a "formal" bid. Orlando hasn't sent a formal bid just a NDA like the other ownership groups had, you are right slow and steady is better.

Yeah, I meant to edit the 'bought' into 'acquired'.

So, I assume they'll change kits too?

Thanks for the clarification. I wasn't following your point earlier.

As a further addition, Orlando City has folded the Florida Soccer Alliance into the organization, turning it into their youth club. The Orlando City organization is now a completely unified soccer development organization with boys and girls youth teams affiliated with the Super-Y League, PDL team, and USL Pro team.

They will also move their training from Deltona to the Seminole Soccer Complex in West Sanford.

i think its a good idea for Orlando City to do this. they now have the largest youth soccer club in the SE US after their controlling stake with CFK and FSA. the amount of talent they can funnel in will be phenomenal, and I'm not talking just the PDL, the youth ranks they have from U9 up will mean they can get these kids before anyone else. Good business model if you ask me. just need the infrastructure now, and bring the cost down for these youth players to actually play but that is another thing...