Make sure to listen to www.UltrasAlive.com Monday, Feb.20th at 10pm. This week our guests will be NASL Commissioner David Downs and The Free Beer Movement's Dan Wiersema. Plus a lucky caller will win a 2012 NASL scarf. Win it before you can buy it. Call the show at (323) 927-1455.
Scorpions to Host Groundbreaking Ceremony for Scorpions Stadium– SanAntonioScorpions.com The future home of the Scorpions will also serve as a sports, entertainment and community venue. Join us for this monumental event. 2/29/2012 is the date... FC Edmonton to make stadium announcement in early March – the11.ca FC Edmonton fans will need to wait just a couple of more weeks before learning where the team will play its NASL home games in 2012. The team has confirmed that it is targeting the first week of March for a major announcement on its stadium plans for the upcoming season. Activity Abounds as the League Prepares for the ... - IMSoccer News “I think this scrimmage will help jump-start our preparations for North American Soccer League (NASL) competition in April.” Earlier this month FC Edmonton ... Ride Free to Minnesota Stars Metrodome Home Opener; Metro Transit ... -IMSoccer News The Minnesota Stars FC announced officially today that they have partnered with Metro Transit and all rides to and from the game will be provided free. Scorpions line up scrimmage in Frisco - San Antonio Express The San Antonio Scorpions continued to map out the team's preseason schedule, announcing that they will scrimmage against the US Under-23 men's national ... Is it me, or is the FO for the Silverbacks starting to resemble the Scorpions? First, it was the Owner's Challenge announced a few days ago and now the big business push. Not intending this to sound critical because I’m happy they’re doing something. All news from NASL.com below... Team to Hold 900 Meetings in 90 Days The Atlanta Silverbacks front office staff launched a new business development initiative on Wednesday, committing to 900 meetings over the next 90 days. The Silverbacks, who kick off their … Fort Lauderdale Strikers Sign Forward Nagime FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Feb. 15, 2012) – The Fort Lauderdale Strikers have signed forward Halili Nagime for the 2012 season. Terms of the contract were not… Rowdies Rush: 2012 Preseason Tour Set The Tampa Bay Rowdies today announced their 2012 Rowdies Rush Preseason Tour, which kicks off with an intra-squad scrimmage presented by Red Bull on Saturday, March 3 at Noon and hosted at Monroe…
Jason Garey of Carolina RailHawks talks about leaving Major League ... - The Independent Weekly The occasion for Garey's return, however, is to sign on as one of the newest members of the Carolina RailHawks. A Louisiana native, Garey has bucked ... Strikers announce preseason schedule - Sun-Sentinel (I know it's not new but I like to show local coverage of NASL teams) The Fort Lauderdale Strikers have announced their 2012 preseason schedule and sponsored event calendar leading up to the regular season opening match on ... Under Construction: The Gameday Experience – RowdiesSoccer.com Rowdies players are set to report to training camp in less than a week and preparations will begin on the field as the team looks to build on the momentum from last season's playoff berth. Off… Brian Shriver Acquired from Strikers – CarolinaRailhawks.com The Carolina RailHawks have acquired forward Brian Shriver from the Fort Lauderdale Strikers. The forward will be returning to the Triangle where he had an illustrious four-year career at the University of North Carolina. Shriver is a former member of the RailHawks U-23’s program led by Dewan Bader.
"Brian Shriver Acquired from Strikers" ... yeah right. More like Traffic said "lets move this piece over here". Unless of course, Carolina gave the Strikers a draft pick or a allocation for him.
Um, the teams' operations are independent even though the ownership is not. They're required to be, and I doubt USSF is granting the league a waiver on that part of the standards.
SoccerPrime, I had the same thought when I first saw the official news. I wasn't suprised due to the interview with Tim Robbie where he all but admitted Shriver was moving on. I didn't post this yesterday, but on the Strikers site there is additional info about the trade of Shriver. Strikers Sign Abe Thompson as Player and Assistant Coach It seems almost an afterthought, & it's buried at the bottom of the article..."Strikers forward Brian Shriver has been traded to the Carolina RailHawks. Shriver requested the trade in order to pursue opportunities outside of soccer near his alma mater at the University of North Carolina. In return, the Strikers received cash and future considerations from the RailHawks." So Shriver wanted to leave and they tried to get something back for him it seems - while "cash and future considerations" seems like a poor trade to me, it's at least better than nothing.
Shriver left the Strikers because he got accepted to UNC. Strikers try not to hold a player when the player wants to be elsewhere. Unfortunately we Strikers fans suffer. Shriver had a breakout season last year. He will be missed. Strikers are getting gutted by the Railhawks (Strikers North).
So maybe it is true the rumor that traffic may sell the strikers BTW is good that the teams can allow player do this, is not good to hold players against their will, and some cash is better than nothing, consider it a sell like many others that happen in soccer.
The "cash" thing is bothersome though. Hello! They have the same owner. Even if they have different budgets and are independent operations, it is still the same pocket the money is coming out of. It is Traffic's money. That said, there was nothing the Strikers could do. NASL soccer is not a career option for anyone given the wages, so Shriver is wise to improve his future outside of soccer.
I'm not so sure it's Traffic's money running the show in South Florida anymore. More and more it looks like Traffic is out down here and re-positioning themselves in Cary. Everything the Strikers have done this offseason has the feel of budget cutting. The idea's been proposed that the club saw what the Stars did last year on the smallest budget in the league, and they see it as something to try and emulate. Could be. Could also be Traffic really is out except in name, and Tim Robbie is trying to keep things running without Traffic's big bucks until he can pull in an investor of his own. Heck, could be a combo of the two, or couls be something else different altogether. One thing is plainly clear though, even if it's not being talked about openly - Traffic people and players are all moving out. No more Traffic guys in the front office, and most of their players are gone now too. So you tell me what that signals... Getting cash for Shriver makes a lot of sense if Traffic's money isn't what is driving the Strikers anymore....
WakeMed renews deal on stadium – Cary news Last year's uncertainty about RailHawks had put lease in question and cut town's income. The RailHawks soccer team's future in Cary was so uncertain last year that the brand and mascot were for sale on eBay. Even a sports conglomerate's purchase of the team didn't bring full stability - the new owner, Traffic Sports, signed only a 10-month sublease on Cary's WakeMed Soccer Park. Now the professional squad is making …
These articles are a few days old, but I like to post local coverage of the NASL teams. Scorpions lose first exhibition - San Antonio Express The San Antonio Scorpions, playing in their first preseason game, held the US Under-23 Men's National Team scoreless through one half before falling in ... Scorpions lose first ever game - Examiner.com
NASL Extends Agreement With Commisioner Downs - NASL.com MIAMI, Fla. February 28, 2012 – The North American Soccer League (NASL) announced today it has extended Commissioner Downs’ agreement for two years through the conclusion of ... You know, I never knew his contract was so short. I guess that makes sense & I'm glad they extended it. IMO the most interesting tidbits are: Ottawa joining in 2014, I knew they were joining but I thought 2013 was still a possibility He will focus on expansion and player development NASL BOG also unanimously approved the parameters for the upcoming wave of expansion teams to join the league for play in the 2013 and 2014 seasons. The league is currently in active discussions with prospective owners in over 20 markets.
They have to have 10 teams by next year and 8 of them have to be in the US per USSF's semi-new standards. So they need two US-based teams for 2013 and they should be announced sooner rather than later. That is, barring a waiver, of course.
And it would be pretty hard for USSF to say no, you'd think, given all the bending over backwards USSF did to try to keep WPS alive in 2012. It would be a lot easier, you'd think, to get that waiver for 2013 if they said, "Look, we've announced two more US-based teams, but it's not realistic for them to come in until 2014." But if they can't show substantial progress on two more US-based teams, that case gets a little bit harder to make. Not a deal-breaker by any means, but USSF put that escalator into the standards for a reason. But if the NASL is really having more than 20 "serious discussions," somebody's got to be willing to pull the trigger for 2014, don't you think?
My question is who are these markets. Either NASL is very good about keeping expansion secret or is this a smokescreen (not the transformer). [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEgznrFjjNk"]G1: Smokescreen (Just Call Me The Autobot Who Isn't There) - YouTube[/ame]
I'm sure it's the usual suspects, and they're in various stages of discussions. I had one prospective team owner tell me once that Aaron Davidson was a tremendous salesman and that after listening to his pitch, he was ready to sign up. (He didn't, and the guy is no longer actively seeking a soccer team because he didn't know what he was doing anyway.)
David Downs commisioner of NASL talks about Cosmos and are in discussions for expansion: 14:25 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/ultrasa...ltras-alive-36 Interesting article; Quote; "NY Cosmos would be the exception....................identified as the potential 20th for MLS.................if the Cosmos were to come up with a plan to play in the NASL for 2 or 3 years while they are building a stadium to MLS, then that would make sense and we are very much in discussions with them and very eager for them to join" This was from NASL Commissioner David Downes................so am assuming fairly accurate???? But that may be a route Cosmos could go to get established, while building for the MLS..........................however, if that is actually a route which is actively being discussed..................why scrap the U23 team?
If any expansion is to be done, it needs to be made sure that the owner is able to run the team and is fully committed. 20 markets is great, but if the ownership is weak and folds quickly, I'd rather not have the team over avoiding a waiver.
Vancouver Whitecaps Sign Former NASL MVP Etienne Barbara - SB Nation ... division of US soccer. In Vancouver, he'll be reuniting with Martin Rennie, who was his coach while he played for the RailHawks. Barbara won the NASL ... Vancouver Whitecaps FC acquire Maltese international striker ... - Goal.com Vancouver Whitecaps FC Add Striker Etienne Barbara - Oye! Times
And the Nominees are San Diego of California Detroit of Michigan Indianapolis of Indiana Nashville of Tennessee at least 4 of the rumored 20 markets talking with NASL http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2012/2/28/2831458/nasl-expansion-plans-20-teams
This is the closest thing i could find as a source and i'm going crazy with lack of cities being mentioned.