Guess I'll be having lunch on Elgin Ave. today..... New sports venture to be announced Wednesday http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...cle_b820e238-67c9-11e3-bd60-0019bb30f31a.html The Tulsa Drillers have called a news conference for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday to announce a new sports venture for the city of Tulsa. Several local dignitaries are scheduled to speak. The press conference will be conducted in the Conference Center at ONEOK Field, 201 N. Elgin Ave.
Depends on whether they announce for 2014 or 2015. My guess is that a USL club will be announced for 2015 to play at OneOk Park. Doing it this early is a message to anyone trying to join the Lund's millionaire's club to buy an NASL team for Tulsa... somebody in OKC will need to hire extra housekeeping to clean up all those urine stains on the carpet in SOS offices today. A USL Pro club announced as "Tulsa Roughnecks FC" would not be a very popular idea among our hardcore fans who think the name has been dragged through the mud in the past. However, if the announcement is combined with a partnership with Sporting KC, things start getting interesting...
I think 'interesting' is the wrong word there. And serious question... what does this have to do with NASL?
There's a group trying to get the NASL in Tulsa led by Jeff Lund and directed by Brad Lund. I had a thirty minute meeting with Jeff a couple of weeks ago. Jeff & Brad want to use the Roughnecks name. Aaron Davidson wants any Tulsa group to use the Roughnecks name. So... this announcement will throw a wrench in things. Trying to decide whether to go to ONEOK Park this afternoon in my Roughnecks shirt and start booing. ***I think about 2/3's of our hardcore fans do NOT want the Roughnecks brought back at the D-3 level. I also think about 2/3's of our hardcore fans would be okay with the Roughnecks being brought back at the D-2 level (however, that 1/3 who don't want it are pretty vocal)***
Do we know for sure who has the rights to the Roughnecks name at this point? I'm with Prime. This USL vs. NASL crap is getting way too far out of hand, and in some places could seriously damage the game at the lower levels. OKC and Tulsa shouldn't be league battlegrounds. The only real losers in those situations will be the fans.
Last thing that was seen on the Tulsa Roughnecks name indicated it might now be in the hands of the marketing group that owns the new OKC USL team. Which, if true, could very well mean the Roughnecks name appears at this press conference today. And I am in full agreement on the NASL vs. USL stuff.
From twitter: Harold R. Kuntz @HaroldRKuntz3 4m Dalesandro says it is Tulsa Athletics goal to bring an MLS team to Tulsa. Also says Roughnecks group bringing USL PRO team is from OKC.
http://soccer.si.com/2013/12/18/mls-usl-pro-tulsa-nielsen-kansas-city-sacramento-oklahoma/ POSTED DECEMBER 18, 2013 Tulsa set to get USL Pro club as third-tier expansion continues to build steam BRIAN STRAUS, HOUSTON DYNAMO, L.A. GALAXY, MLS, ORLANDO CITY, PORTLAND TIMBERS, SAN JOSE EARTHQUAKES, USL BY BRIAN STRAUS On Wednesday afternoon, the United Soccer Leagues will announce the addition of a USL Pro club in Tulsa that will kick off in 2015.
gosh stop using this line! ownership is not realistic in Tulsa or OK City or anywhere that claims MLS is the goal. tired of them saying that is the goal.
Why not? Who, exactly, does this (saying MLS is your ultimate goal) hurt? From the Tulsa Athletics FB page... https://www.facebook.com/ttownsoccer Athletics nation- There will be an announcement today that in 2015 a group calling themselves the "Tulsa Roughnecks" will enter the picture in our town as a USL Pro team. I would like to make it clear where the Athletics stand on the matter. Firstly, the Roughnecks name is something that is very special to me personally. As a child I was one of many who was profoundly affected by the team coming to our city. Their presence here is the sole reason that I played soccer as a child, professionally, and is essentially the impetus to the forming of the Tulsa Athletics. Victor Moreland is like a father to me. I played for Steve Earle in my youth. I count Billy Caskey and Charlie Mitchell as friends. And like many, I've shared a cold beer with "the boomer" Alan Woodward. The Roughnecks name is sacred to me and to this city. That being said...The Tulsa Athletics want to bring an MLS franchise to Tulsa. We've been clear about that from the beginning. We are your team. Your support affirms that the love for the game still runs strong through the veins of Tulsa and is the sole reason why we work as hard as we do for this club. Today's announcement as interesting as it may seem, does not actually affect the way we'll approach anything. We're still going continue to improve our stadium, grow our fan base, and put a fantastic product on the field. I am a Tulsan. A proud one at that. If a group from Oklahoma City thinks that Athletics Nation is going to lay down and quit, then they have read myself and Tulsans all wrong. We made a commitment to you to bring top level soccer to Tulsa, and we will carrying on doing that. Like a former Roughneck just told me on the telephone, "Just because they're called the Roughnecks, doesn't make them the Roughnecks". Yours in soccer, Sonny Dalesandro Chairman Tulsa Athletics
Doesn't necessarily hurt anyone except for maybe themselves. I feel like any ownership will smack MLS bound on their new team in the hopes of getting more fans. When they fail to reach that point there the fans go. All speculation though
This is flat out pathetic. We have a successful NPSL club in this city and have an NASL club clearly engaged in putting a team here and yet again we get the idiots from USL jumping in. So lets count, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Tampa, OKC, Hamilton and now Tulsa, have I missed any? That doesn't count the fiasco around Rochester. Not a bad four year track record.
Not unlike Indy getting an MLS team. BTW.... for those of you who haven't been paying attention.... from Oct 2nd... http://www.tulsaworld.com/sportsext...cle_7e301e19-ba72-59d7-9bf9-54a73706b386.html
These idiots as you call them obtained the trademark http://www.trademarkia.com/tulsa-roughnecks-fc-86069516.html
They're still idiots, as has been posted the Tulsa fans don't want the name dragged through the mud so they won't get the Athletics fans onboard
Not a lot of people know about it, but they were also quietly engaged in trying to put a team in South Florida a few years back. But the success of the Strikers rebrand apparently caused someone with some level of functioning brain activity to pull the plug on it. They even had Ian Bishop lined up to coach the team.
Gotta go.... I'll take this as an invite.... Tulsa Events @Tulsa_Events Follow Conference at Oneok Field: sch.mp/ioQKi - RT @tulsaroughnecks News conference at OneOk Field today.... fb.me/17V2ouYnW 05:15 PM - 18 Dec 13