Elk Grove would be such a tragic, misguided move, itd make FC Dallas location look genius in comparison
NASL broke away from USL a couple of years back, so there's no chance they'll ever get together, unless the owners of USL give up, and the guys who run USL retire, or die. It's a mess. So that's off the table. My ultimate fantasy is that MLS buys the other league, or there is some sort of merger such that all of professional soccer is under the MLS umbrella. But again, we need for some folks to retire, or die before this is even remotely possible. (And probably one of those needs to be Gerber, because he has next to no vision at all.) GO QUAKES!!! - Mark
It's the cost. Most PDL/NPSL ownerships can't afford to move up. The San Diego Flash of the NPSL looked into moving to NASL but after they met with Downs they came away cowed due to the buy in cost and operation costs NASL is now required to adhere to according to USSF.
Two problems. One Raley is a baseball park so it'll always be deficient for soccer. Two, it's a private baseball park built primarily for baseball. Since USL is a summer league they'd have to spend a fair amount of money converting it back and forth all summer long that neither team would want to pay for. It works for a one off with a top level league like MLS, but not for a full time partnership. Thought that's what Chivas USA was for?
Do you know why do they need all this money to enter? I mean does the NASL/USSF require an MLS like expansion fee? Just curious....
NASL requires a buy in fee. But USSF and NASL require the owners to be worth a certain amount now and to put a certain amount in escrow. Which is why you've seen so little expansion in NASL and USL Pro since the whole blow up a few years ago. Remember we used to get several new USL1 and USL2 teams back in the day. The new rules while severely limiting expansion, are there to make sure those that do come in can stay in. And even then it hasn't worked 100% with teams like Minnesota Stars scrambling to find new owners and the LA Blues on the verge of folding.
LA is a big place but with two MLS teams, is there really room for 3rd tier squad? I mean sooner or later the Blues were or are bound to fold or move. I think Santa Barbara would be a good spot...
Nah, they've had committed ownership since say one. That's why, for San Jose, shedding the notion is a long shot. We have not had committed ownership until 2008. Even then, one can argue the commitment was fleeting until Kaval was hired...
Only by those not paying attention to the world. I think there's definitely room for a third tier squad. But it needed to be placed in a better location. The Blues are playing too close to the two existing squads and yet in an area not all that accessible straddling LA and the IE. They needed to either embrace being in the heart of Orange County, being up in Ventura, or best of all would have been to play in the Inland Empire where they would have had an area 3/4 the side of the Bay Area all to themselves.
I doubt the levels of play are all the much different between the USL Pro and the NASL. They have the same types of college all stars and I mean there aren't any superstars so I never understood how one could be 2nd and the other could be 3rd tier. It makes no sense. I wish they would all just work together instead of apart. With a nation this size, we need more regional leagues not national ones......
Alioto let Lew make stupid, fan insulting comments... I haven't heard a peep from Lew since they hired Dave...
So why have we not heard from Lew? (I have a friend in corporate PR, believe me, these dogs need to be wagged, they sometime have no clue how their statements get interpreted).
He's been busy with the A's situation and the Quakes new stadium and the regular mess of his corporate/real estate empire. He was a vocal presence at council meetings to get the stadium approved. What would he come out and talk about now?
I've been compiling a short list of team names for Sacramento, but I'm interested what others are thinking or ideas. It sounds like the team is taking input for names and will be letting the community help decide what they will be called. I intend to submit suggestions. If anyone has suggestions, it would be great to hear some.
Sacramento Grisslies, Sacramento Bears. and heir kits should be white and red just like California's flag
He was busy with the Quakes staduim before. The last time he made a statement about the team/fans he attributed the massive turnout at Stanford Stadium to fireworks... He does not have anything more to say because he's got a good team running things now. Just about everything that we have seen regarding the stadium has flown in the face of his declarations about his stadium vision in the first couple years... Field level suites, more than 15k capacity, club seating... Was the practice faculty before or after Alioto?
Bears would be better... Here's what I found hunting for a definition of Grisslies: http://m.urbandictionary.com/#define?term=grissly
someone sugested "Gold" to be their name, but as a California resident for the last 20+ years, I just don't see it. Then again, I won't be surprised if the come out with a name like Sacramento Pride, Stompers, Fire or something that doesn't have relation to Sacramento or to California
There is already an NPSL team in Sacramento called the Gold. Maybe River City FC. River City United. Sacramento Capitals. Sacramento Miners. Just some random things off the top of my head.