USL Pro expansion news, rumor and wishful thinking.

Discussion in 'USL Expansion' started by ButlerBob, Jan 2, 2012.

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  1. Bluesfan

    Bluesfan Member+

    DC United
    Aug 12, 2000
    Tampa
    Club:
    DC United
    Nat'l Team:
    Scotland
    I couldn't get past this from Tim Holt "the Los Angeles Blues having already developed a successful presence in Southern California"

    They are setting the bar pretty low for being successful.

    Also, listening to Darth Vader breathing in the background was very distracting.
     
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  2. mike4066

    mike4066 Member+

    Jun 30, 2007
    Chula Vista, CA
    Club:
    Fulham FC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    They have to say that...they can't say "We like USL Pro but are just using them to get to the big show..etc"

    Like many have said previously, the current dynamics of the US sports playing field dictates everyone wanting to be in the top tier.
     
  3. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Did this new USL Pro Sacramento group talk about getting to MLS eventually? Thought it was separate Elk Grove group that was all MLS happy.
     
  4. CShine

    CShine Member

    Dec 13, 2009
    Huntsville, AL
    Club:
    Rocket City United
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It's a recurring theme in the press conference video I embedded on the previous page. They pointed to the teams that made their way from USL to MLS and said the intent for this club is to follow in those footsteps.
     
  5. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    But not everyone can be. I just find it interesting that almost no one talked about this even 10 years ago, and now it's all they talk about, as if they can't possibly be relevant otherwise.
     
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  6. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hmmm... Well good luck with that I guess. Looks like the Elk Grove guys are just going straight to meetings with MLS without a minor league team first.
     
  7. AmeriSnob

    AmeriSnob Member+

    Jan 23, 2010
    Queens
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    What if...we merged the two ideas?

    [​IMG]
     
  8. oneeyedfool

    oneeyedfool Member+

    Nov 17, 2012
    Club:
    New York Cosmos
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I thought Tuscon was happening for 2014. Did that fizzle or just omitted?
     
  9. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Elk Grove were gov't types trying to sell the Sac area to MLS or something. This group in Sac are the Triple A baseball guys starting a new soccer franchise. I am sure at some point their paths will merge/collide but for now they are probably barely aware of each other.
     
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  10. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    To my knowledge, Tucson has never put a timetable on their pro aspirations. As an existing club, they wouldn't need the same length of time to go from PDL to pro as a new club would need to go from initial press conference to pro.

    Austin has made no secret of their pro intentions, so it's entirely possible you could see some combination of Austin, Tucson, Phoenix, LA and Sacramento in 2014. (Of course, it's exactly as possible one or more of those clubs could not be around in 2014, but the bleeding may have slowed a bit).
     
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  11. QuietType

    QuietType Member+

    Jun 6, 2009
    Sacramento, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Yeah, it's a separate group. This team is being put together by the same ownership as the Rivercats. The delusional fantasy of an MLS team in Elk Grove is driven by that city's mayor and had past (not sure if current) support from former speaker of the Assembly Fabian Nunez. That is such a laughable pipe dream from people who have no idea what MLS is like today and what modern clubs are doing and what level of stature this league has risen too. These guys are out of touch and still think MLS is a barely-alive, struggling league desperate for attendance and teams. Elk Grove is a terrible location for a whole host of reasons.
     
  12. bullsear

    bullsear Member

    Feb 17, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Weren't at least some of these Aztex owners also minority owners of the USL-1 club at one point? I would think they'd have a pretty sour taste in my mouth from their last experience with the league. No support, no marketing, etc, leaving them to do it all with no direction and on a shoestring budget--to the point they had their supporters group picking up trash after games.

    But an awful lot of that could have been Phil, I suppose.
     
  13. Macsen

    Macsen Moderator
    Staff Member

    Nov 5, 2007
    Orlando
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I believe the head of the club was a minority owner of the original Aztex, yes.
     
  14. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Aren't they in the PDL at the moment? Under the USL umbrella?

    Whose fault would a shoestring budget be - USL's or the club's? How much marketing should people in Tampa do for a franchise in Austin? Who's better equipped to market a club in Austin - people in Austin or people in Tampa?
     
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  15. VioletCrown

    VioletCrown Member+

    FC Dallas
    United States
    Aug 30, 2000
    Austin, Texas
    Club:
    Austin Aztex
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Just to confirm -- Kenn said what I was thinking. I only listed the ones that were confirmed, not the ones that might also go up. Yes, Tucson has made noise about it, and have a pretty good situation building there.

    And Austin has also said they're looking toward it, but it won't be 2013. Deciding about 2014 will depend on how 2013 goes as well as many other factors. Among them the Circuit of the Americas floating the idea of building a soccer stadium out at the new F1 track that was inaugurated a few weekends ago. But don't get too excited. I'm just mentioning that as an example of many unsettled factors that weigh into whether Austin will go pro in '14.

    And even if there were five western teams in '14 that included all of the above, there's still a lot of distance between teams. The west has a basic geographic disadvantage that the east doesn't have. The east can function as a bus league, which makes things a lot cheaper. Even with the five teams listed above, it's still not a bus league. And therefore a borderline financially viable situation.

    Unless some sort of agreement can be made with MLS reserves. Even then, it still wouldn't be a bus league for most games. But there would be opportunities for using buses, and that would help.
     
  16. VioletCrown

    VioletCrown Member+

    FC Dallas
    United States
    Aug 30, 2000
    Austin, Texas
    Club:
    Austin Aztex
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    One of the current owners was a minority owner under Phil. He was also one of the owners of the Lightning (PDL) before Phil came in and created the Aztex. He has managed to maintain a very good relationship with the USL and the NASL through all the Phil Rawlins fiasco, and, to my eye, has only the best in mind for soccer in Austin.

    We're back in the USL because it was the only realistic place to play once he started the team up again. NASL was way out of his reach financially, and the NPSL is not a high enough quality.

    We're happy to pick up trash after the game. It's how minor league soccer survives on a realistic budget -- getting help from volunteers.
     
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  17. bullsear

    bullsear Member

    Feb 17, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Right. But "support" was listed first in my post, and it would include an awful lot--from legal counsel, to best practices, to sales training, to general league promotion. These are supposedly what teams' annual franchising fees go to pay for, and the teams themselves get very little in return, aside from the names and address of teams they can play against.

    USL has very low league standards, as they've shown time and again. This allows clubs to use their budgets as they see fit, but it also means they're not benefiting from their relationship to the league FO, who should be passing on years of experience about what works, what doesn't, and how to best allocate funds.
     
  18. JBG - Bribe Taker

    Mar 17, 2000
    Mt. Pleasant, SC
    Club:
    Charleston
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Exactly what are you basing this statement on? Cause when I read what the league does during it's AGM, those are some of the seminars they hold. Although I haven't seen an agenda for this year's AGM, here is an excerpt from last year's agenda:

    "After the two-day new franchise training, the AGM moves into high gear with the Kickoff Social Thursday evening at the Hyatt and will get down to business on Friday with a full day of league meetings and special seminars. Executives and coaches from USL’s teams will have the opportunity to participate in seminars regarding sponsorships and ticket sales, game presentation, international affiliations, communications and social media, international club affiliations, player registration, insurance, etc."

    But for me, more than these classroom meetings, what the league offers is a bunch of teams with a lot of years of experience, 3 having 20 years of experience each. Want to know what works & how to run a club? Pick up the phone, it's that easy (although, admittedly, running a lower level pro soccer club in the US is NOT easy.....)
     
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  19. bullsear

    bullsear Member

    Feb 17, 2009
    Club:
    Newcastle United FC
    Well put. To be honest, I was simply restating arguments I had heard made by a few people in the know during the TOA/USL split. So it's pretty one-sided. Though I think that the turnover in the league supports that state of affairs somewhat, this could be just as much on the teams and their owners.
     
  20. fsufiji

    fsufiji Member

    Apr 6, 2010
    Auburndale FL
    Club:
    Orlando City SC
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  21. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Ooh, burn, Anonymous Internet Guy With Inside Info!
     
  22. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Be calm Kenn. You do have a Yellow after all.
     
  23. AndyMead

    AndyMead Homo Sapien

    Nov 2, 1999
    Seat 12A
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    They have to say it. I don't blame them one bit. You want the Sacramento Bee (or whatever the paper is called) to cover your minor league sports team announcement, you've got to thrown a little sizzle.

    I'm amazed at the shock on BigSoccer whenever some obvious bit of press conference PR turns out to just be marketing spin. It's not like everyone needs to be jaded and cynical, but a bit of critical thinking goes a long way.

    I plan to play in the PGA Senior Tour when I reach the minimum age. There, I said it. Doesn't mean it's not true. Doesn't mean it's going to happen, either.
     
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  24. athletics68

    athletics68 Member+

    Dec 12, 2006
    San Diego & San Jose
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Not surprised in that they do it. More surprised that they expect anyone to take it seriously at this point. And to be fair to USL/NASL teams they're not the only ones who do it. Teams as far down as the NPSL and PDL use the USL/NASL/MLS in a similar manner despite the fact it becomes even more laughable the further down the pyramid you go.
     
  25. QuietType

    QuietType Member+

    Jun 6, 2009
    Sacramento, CA
    Club:
    San Jose Earthquakes
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

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