MLS in ATL is expected to be announced today! For those of us who can't make the trip on a Wednesday,(Seriously? This couldn't have waited till the weekend when more of us could make it?) I hope those that do make it out will use this thread to keep us up to date with pics and video of the event! I'll be there with all of you in spirit! MLS in ATL finally!
Woo!!!! I agree,.. I'm in the process of moving closer to Atlanta, but currently am 3 hrs away. Almost unreal... I'm now 28. Since the inception of the league, I have dreamed about a MLS club. Honestly, I felt that it would never come, but I am so excited that I finally will be able to say I have a team to support. I don't think people understand how big this is just for the sport in the country. For those of us in the south, we have only had the USMNT as a team that we can culturally identify with, and had been forced to choose another club to support. I look forward to the generation of kids who will grow up idolizing their favorite player on the Atlanta team and strive to be talented enough to join the academy and hopefully one day the senior squad. This is not only a good day for Atlanta, but it is a great day for those of us in the south and which will be good for the whole nation!!!!
Hear you so much right now. A bit less excited because I'm a bit farther away than three hours, but I've been waiting since the 90s to have a reason to give a damn about any MLS team in particular
Being from southwest GA, soccer was never popular and I grew up playing the big three sports. I didn't start following soccer until 2010 (WC) and have since loved the game. I've searched for a team to follow, but no team felt completely right to me in MLS. (although I follow Blackburn and the Silverbacks). I'm so excited about finally getting a team to identify with. I think, if we market well enough, we could have something special.
That's the thing... This should not just be Atlanta's team... This should be the team of the south... Atlanta Wanderers might be a good USL affiliate/reserve team where the team may play in Chattanooga, Columbus, Savannah, Macon, Montgomery, Birmingham, Asheville, Greenville, Columbia, Augusta, Athens, Knoxville, Mobile, Tuscaloosa, etc... That would be an excellent way to spread this team around and expand our market. Another idea, and I'm all about exploiting the youth teams, is to allow them to hold "jamborees" where the youth team holds weekend camps or a summer camp in different parts of the state. Not only could that be a way to get some revenue by signing up, it would also increase visibility. For example, on one weekend hold a camp in Macon for 50 bucks a pop, send word to all the local youth teams and including all the surrounding areas (from Warner Robins, Perry, Dublin, Milledgeville, Lake Oconee, Americus, Thomaston, Forsyth, and Griffin), and set up a booth for season tickets, merchandise, etc... Not only might it be a way to scout talent, and get some extra revenue... But I guarantee you that those kids from some small little town like Americus would greatly appreciate it and become fans for life. And if we plan on being a self sustaining product, it would be helpful to be mindful that it is very common for kids to have grown up in small towns to later move in the Atlanta area for college and their early careers.
This times 100. Do what you can to market to the entire region. Set up your minor league affiliates in neighboring states. Find a way to get one in Birmingham and one in Nashville. Cross market like crazy and watch it grow. Bring in a full allotment of DPs. Get one from USMNT and one from El Tri and find the next Valeri or Diaz for #3. Make alliances with Concorde Fire and set your academy up in a way that isn't adversarial to them. Brand alliance your team to big youth clubs throughout the south. Make it us vs the rest of the country. Without calling it SEC FC, take that mentality.
I love how Blank is playing around in the announcement. Seems like he has a sense of humor. I like that in an owner.
Chills!!!!! 1. Definitely seems like Uncle Arthur is ready and committed to putting a WINNING team on the field. 2. Our feedback will be important to Uncle Arthur as we prepare for 2017. Any graphic designers want to get a picture of Uncle Arthur wants you!...to support Atlanta MLS? 3. Love that there will be no football lines! 4. Seems like there will be a major focus on youth development! But my feed was splotchy... what were the three? 5. I think we should keep the colors... but we definitely need to start a vote for the team name. If we want to narrow it down, I'd say Atlanta Legion, Atlanta Locomotive, Atlanta Phoenix, Atlanta Firebirds, Atlanta Olympic are the top five.
Alright, I waited until after the announcement, but here's what I propose given that Blank said he wants the name to come from the fans.... Instead of creating a poll on bigsoccer, we conduct the name tournament on the terminus legion web page. That'll give the naming a little more meaning and purpose. -We create a 16 name tournament. -So, there will be four stages. -For each stage, voting lasts for THREE weeks. So, we should have the name finalized in TWELVE WEEKS. -For the first two weeks, we have a preliminary stage. so, technically there are five stages, but this is just to finalize the contenders. -After the team name is agreed upon, we can agree on how it should be designed... AKA Locomotive Atlanta or Atlanta Locomotive -Below, are the team names that i believe should automatically be considered. 1. Locomotive 2. Legion 3. Phoenix 4. Firebirds 5. Olympic Some recommendations for discussion of team names: -Crossroads -Apollo -Atlas -Vanguard -Empire -Chiefs -Alliance -Athletic -International -Resurgens -Resurgence -Generals -Kings -Centennial -Rising