Tim Holt http://usllive.com/usl/console.jsp?catid=0&id=722 Steve Donner http://usllive.com/usl/console.jsp?catid=0&id=723
Interesting hearing the first of Steve Donner's remarks, about wanting to go to a "league with a fiscally-responsible business model" as opposed to "just a fun experiment".
I like how Donner said "if we knew soccer would be so popular here, we would have started a soccer team first not lacrosse". I am sure that made all the Titan fans happy. LOL
I doubt they either paid attention or cared. Besides, they already had the lacrosse team to move to Orlando. Rosenbach and Donner are newcomers to the area, remember.
That comment doesn't make any sense, coming from an owner/operator of a USL club. I mean, it's a great business model if you happen to own the USL (ie it's great for NuRock). It's just not a great business model if you own a USL club. You pay a huge fee to USL and have no say in how it is spent (what part of it that is actually spent) in how the USL is run. I guess the guy just likes writing checks.
Finally found you Soccer Prime, as I know you are originally from Orlando and it's my second home. Do you honestly believe Donner is going to do a better job with this new team than what he did for both the Rhinos & AHL Americans? I want Orlando to do well, but I don't trust him to be honest.
He did well with them for a long time. Things didn't start going south until 2006, between unfriendly leases for his indoor teams and the construction of the Rhinos' stadium. Titans sources have told me Donner says it wasn't his fault, that the real blame lays elsewhere in the former Rochester ownership group and he was the scapegoat. As I said in the "questionable owner" thread, Donner is not the primary owner this time. I would still trust his sports management expertise. The same one that brought credibility to the Tampa Bay Lightning, and the MLS-era Open Cup to the Rhinos.
I do not doubt that Donner is a genius when it comes to marketing and getting in touch with the team supporters. I guess I just don't trust him to be in charge of the money. And I think I will question any promises or expectations he might lay at the fans feet for awhile. On a side note, I noticed the Titams are pulling in 7-8,000 a game at the O-Rena. Is that good enough for NLL to make it there? Is that a lot higher than what they were doing in NY? Seems like the 2 teams (Titans and new Orlando soccer team) are connected, so you have to watch what happens there.
The average of the first three games is almost 8,000. It's 2-3k more than the Titans did in '08 and '09 in New York. One of the things Donner cited in the move to Orlando is the far lower operating costs compared to the arenas in NYC. I want to see how the attendance is on Friday when they come home. If they sell out the lower bowl, it will be a very good sign.
