Even if they don't have a solid ownership group what teams have they type of support that the NASL would like to have? Charleston Battery Orlando City Rochester Rhinos Richmond Kickers Chattanooga FC Any others? Defunct Austin Aztex
Wilmngton has double what Richmond does. The kickers are a mostly on field success. The rest of USL is near 1000 to 2000 or worse.
Have you seen the attendance numbers for Orlando City? I don't think anyone in Central Florida is setting their sights on the NASL.
I was curious and did the numbers... the Hammerheads are drawing an average of 3768 per game this year, but there is no way they would ever move to the NASL. Charleston has shown a decidedly anti-NASL bias, the Kickers seem comfortable where they are, and I doubt Chattanooga would want to turn pro as they are very successful without the added costs of pro players and travel to places like Edmonton, Minneapolis/St. Paul or San Antonio. Maybe Orlando City could be enticed with the promise of two in-state rivals, but I doubt it. Your best bet is Rochester.
The Lions might disagree, but I think NASL would be a good fit for Orlando for a few years before they move to MLS. Rochester seems like less of a sure thing. Has the Rhinos attendance improved much since the start of the season? What's happening there?
I think kenn.com has some of the Rhino's attendance for the year but stops after 4 home games with an average of 4,296. This I believe is down from last year which was 6,464. This continues the downward trend in Rochester's attendance. Even though their attendance is falling it would place the Rhinos in 3rd if they were in the NASL this year.
I've said from the beginning that Richmond has zero ambition. They like where they are: Division 3. And that's sad. If they actually showed some initiative, I think they could easily draw twice as much as they do. Steve Donner kinda bristles whenever I mention NASL to him. I think he's definitely a staunch USL guy. And that's sad, because as good as they're doing, Orlando City would do even better with the in-state rivalries.
