NPSL coming to Cleveland

Has anyone heard anything about a NPSL team in Cleveland?

Nope, I haven't heard a thing. I'm guessing you have?

From what I heard, outdoor soccer in CLE was dead. Well, it's not if you count the Internationals, but they're a joke...

Somebody had mentioned that there was interest of bringing a team back to Cleveland.

Ive never been to a Internationals PDL match. I heard they were a joke also.

I wonder if people would support a NPSL team if it were done right.

I think people would. I mean, we had good crowds in USL2. Look at how Chattanooga does in NPSL. If a Cleveland NPSL team is run right, I bet they could match CCS attendance numbers.

I guess in Chattanooga they were getting up to 4000 people a game. I would love to see a team in Cleveland.

Not sure who is behind it, but there's a facebook group to bring pro outdoor soccer back to Cleveland.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=153077274704441

They also have a quick survey

http://www.zoomerang.com/Survey/WEB22B4JMT52UL

Just checked it out, I hope they can do it. I will tell all my freinds to join the group, we need to support these guys.

Well, so far it's you two.
What the eff is NPSL?

It's an amateur league, without the age restrictions of PDL teams. It's recognized as the 4th division, alongside PDL.

I doubt it, I think they're focusing only on the charity they run.

But that's just my guess.

Heres the problem with the USL and its there own fault for being greedy.

When the internationals bought the PDL franchise in Cleveland, Internationals wanted to have rights from Cleveland to Canton and east to west of town. They also bought city rights to other major cities in the USA.


If your a potential owner that wants any kind of USL franchise in those territiories, you have to go to the USL and they have to contact the Internationals. At that point Intenationals will grant permission, like they did to the Stars or they will sell you a that territory for big bucks.

Stars had plans to put a pdl teal mens and womens team in akron/canton but the Internationals did not allow it.


My guess is that this group approached the USL and were told that Internationals were willing to sell them teritory close to Clevelad area that they had rights to. If they did not want to pay the money to the Internationals than the USL comes back with cities like Toledo, Sandusky and so on that dont belong to Internationals.


The whole thing with the USL is a joke, Internationals have a monoply and my guess would be that is why they went NPSL.

So you're saying that CI let those Dutch guys buy into Dayton only to see them self-promote to USL2, W-League and build a Dutch influenced academy system?

Not necessarily, unless the Internationals owned the PDL rights for the Dayton area.

The Internationals, however, do own the PDL rights for Cleveland and Akron, so they stopped the City Stars from operating as a PDL franchise.

Something has to be happening, this is on the facebook group:

As far as I know The internationals territoty ends somewhere around Mansfeild.

Sounds good. I'd like to have something to watch other than Inter (Seriously, I was desperate enough to go to one of their matches this year - $12 [for 2 tickets] and 2 hours of my life I won't get back).

Goodness. I feel for you!

Internationals own territory containing almost all of NE Ohio: both sides of Cleveland, down to west of Mansfield, over to Youngstown on the east, and below Canton to the South.

NPSL is a good thing. Doesn't involve USL and you still get clubs owned by the NY Red Bulls and the Chicago Fire. The Arizona NPSL franchise even plays preseason matches against MLS clubs.

No one is going to bring the City Stars back as a USL-2 team; that interest has definitely died.

Ed, you used to work for the City Stars right? What do you know about potential ownership groups for this team?

I know absolutely nothing about the potential ownership groups for this new team. I learned some stuff after the fact about the guy who was interested in buying the City Stars and from what I heard, it's more of a good thing that he didn't get the team.

All I can figure out is that this new group is interested in bring a NPSL team to the CLE.

I'm not sure how this is possible considering that the team is non-existent now. There isn't much that could be worse than that.

I hope we can get a outdoor team. I would love to see it played on a soccer feild (no grid iron lines). Where could they play any ideas?

Ed I was able to check out the link you posted. Looks intereting.

From what I heard about how the guy wanted to run the team, it wouldn't have lasted long anyway.

So it seems that USL had good reason to reject the sale.