South Jersey MLS: News and Media Thread

[SoccerPrime]

Good find. Besides Williamson making the Revs squad this year, I note that Jeremy Ashe, a local player from Cinnaminson, NJ, made Chicago's squad:

http://www.mlsnet.com/MLS/players/bio.jsp?team=chf&player=ashe_j

Further, the back-up goalkeeper for Rochester in their Open Cup match recently was Patrick Hannigan, who recently finished his senior year at Temple. I wonder if there are any other local players, besides Albright, Olsen, et al, who are on MLS squads or overseas who may be flying under the radar.
Besides these you mean?
http://www.phillysoccer.com/photo.htm

[Sundevil9]

Besides these you mean?
http://www.phillysoccer.com/photo.htm


Ethan, if you're going to put former MLS players, I think you should also include Peter Vermes, Delran NJ and Steve Rammel, Woodbury NJ.

Especially since they seem to be in the coaching ranks now.

[SoccerPrime]

Ethan, if you're going to put former MLS players, I think you should also include Peter Vermes, Delran NJ and Steve Rammel, Woodbury NJ.

Especially since they seem to be in the coaching ranks now.
Well "former" is used loosely. It wasn't my intention to put retired players out there, but the webpage says "former" if I don't know where they are now.

Do you know if any of the "formers" are actually retired? I can change the webpage accordingly.
Thanks

[Adam Zebrowski]

dcajedi, the article points out the negative aspects of glassboro, and it might be well intentioned, but i'd prefer to have a team, anywhere, than not have a team....

[n4100]

Ok, I'm out of town right now, but I need to speak up. Cannon is good people and all he did was state his opinion.

Second, Matt, I don't know how you figure the stadium is 5 minutes across the bridge. Its not 5 minutes from either the BF or the WW, in fact its over 20 from each bridge. As to whether I'd want it there or in the northern suburbs, I'd take those in a heartbeat as Rowan will be close to an hour's drive for me from where I live in NE Philly (on a good day it takes me 15 minutes to get to I-95).

I hate to admit it, though I'll attend matches, I too think this is more of a get a team in the market, rather than get the right fit with the market.

[Cannon]

Thanks, Nick. :)

I wasn't trying to attack NJ or anything like that...just stating my opinion that the Rowan plan won't work. I'm worried that if Philly gets a team under this plan it will fail in a few years and then we'll be without a team for quite awhile not because Philly can't support a MLS team but because this particular plan was a bad idea. A stadium in another state, without the proper infrastructure in place, and far from areas that it expects to draw a significant part of its fanbase from...doesn't sound like a great plan to me.

I don't pretend to have a ready alternative (my addressbook is remarkably light on billionaires wishing to give Philly a MLS team:D ) but that doesn't make the Rowan plan a good idea.

[Z010 Union]

I'll take the heat from Cannon for a second, and try to sound diplomatic.

His point is that "the Delaware" and the name "Jersey" are likely to repel far more fans than they attract. Sure SJ will have their first pro team, but as much as the Jersey guys want it, that's at least how much the rest of us don't.

I will be happy to have any team in this market now though and will support them no matter where they are placed...G'Boro is a lot closer than RFK...and being from Philly I can't cheer for the Metro Playoff Failures.

Those close to this project have gotten a little touchy recently (including my own Chicken Little impression).

Sit back take a breath and hope for good news.

[SoccerPrime]

I agree that I personally might have gone rough on Cannon (his post here I believe), I still hold strong that its important to read some of the other posts before jumping into a discussion, just as I believe the reporter did.

Glassboro infrastructure is not an issue. Route 55 is a major highway that is part of I-295 and the 76. It leads almost to the door stop of the proposed stadium. Yes, its a peach orchard now, but most proposed stadiums are fallow or a parking lot before they are built. Both the township, borough and Rowan have big plans to increase road capacity and accessibilty. Remember infrastructure is what RSL is fighting for in Utah ($35 million worth). Every sports team needs it built when they develop a stadium.

As for the "will the fans come" question, its legit. But I think Glassboro is very accessible to many in the lower parts of Philly and DelCo and Chester. Its also (obviously) super-accessible to people in S. Jersey and Delware.
Will ppl in Bucks and MontCo come? Well I guess we'll see.

I think some of the Glassboro-doubters (no offense) don't seem to get, is that Milestone is a big company thats into development. Rowan has almost 300 acres to play with. They want in on that. MLS is just a nice piece of it. So Milestone is going to do this and we hope they realize the struggles of not actually being in Philly (I think so, their CEO is from Philly). Who plays with millions without doing market research?

So the question remains then, since Milestone is going build a team/stadium in Glassboro, what are you (The Philly-resident fan) going to do?

Ignore it? Travel even further to RB or DC games? Hope they fold so that the real Philly MLS team starts playing at the Linc?

Answer these questions honestly. I think you might see us "pro-Glassboro" ppl's POV.

Hope that makes sense.

[Adam Zebrowski]

my view it's the hard core fans, like those posting here, who see merit or lack of merit in a name or loaction...

1989, how many showed up at franklin field for the usmnt friendly....

the youth soccer scene in southeast pa is enormous, as is the scene in south jersey...

it's all about get the right networking links to bring in the kiddies...

it's think having a core base of 5,000 or so is a realistic goal...

that's the season ticket guys...

getting the next 10,000 to make the franchise feasible can be done, given the soccer base....

if it takes you an hour to commute each way, you might make 2-3 matches per year, compared to a 30 minute commute, where 5-6 could occur....

if you're committed to being a soccer fan, an extra 30 minute commute might limit your attendance...

milestone should conduct some commuting elasticity study to understand the affect of location has on their market...

perhaps they've done it already??

[Sundevil9]

This discussion has gotten far too civil for Big Soccer.:D

[Cannon]

I think some of the Glassboro-doubters (no offense) don't seem to get, is that Milestone is a big company thats into development. Rowan has almost 300 acres to play with. They want in on that. MLS is just a nice piece of it. So Milestone is going to do this and we hope they realize the struggles of not actually being in Philly (I think so, their CEO is from Philly). Who plays with millions without doing market research?This part seems far off target to me. It isn't like we haven't seen others spend millions on a poor plan especially when it comes to getting a sports franchise. I shouldn't need to go through the long history of failed teams to prove that to you. The fact that Milestone is willing to commit those funds shouldn't even be part of this discussion for that reason in my opinion.
So the question remains then, since Milestone is going build a team/stadium in Glassboro, what are you (The Philly-resident fan) going to do? Ignore it? Travel even further to RB or DC games? Hope they fold so that the real Philly MLS team starts playing at the Linc?I think you are asking the wrong questions here. Sure the diehard soccer fans are willing to travel pretty far to attend the games. I have no doubt that many of them will go to Rowan with the team. That isn't the issue to me. The issue is the amount of regular fans, families, potential fans, etc that will make the trek. I also have serious doubts that the fans from Philly and the north/west suburbs will ever see a team in/moving to Jersey (possibly with a Jersey identity) as their team in the first place. The team will need to grow over the seasons to survive. The location change and travel issues give the Rowan-plan serious challenges to overcome in addition to those normally faced by new teams.

[SoccerPrime]

Let me just be blunt then, since my other approach seems to be not working here.

Milestone/Rowan are going to do this regardless if you/we want it or not.

So the question remains, what will you do?

Once Milestone builds in Glassboro, you can forget a SSS near downtown (for at least 20 years).

Of course we all have opinions if casual downtown Philly fans will attend or not, but how does that effect if you go or not?

Thanks for posting and we hope you become a regular here on the Philly forum.

[Cannon]

Let me just be blunt then, since my other approach seems to be not working here.

Milestone/Rowan are going to do this regardless if you/we want it or not.

So the question remains, what will you do? No problem with being blunt...so what will I do? The same thing I always do...post on BigSoccer with the knowledge that nothing I say here has any effect on what happens in the real world. I'll also continue to hope that those who do have the power to determine what happens aren't being as foolish as they appear. Of course, we're all hoping that you're right on this issue. None of us want a Philly MLS club to fail.Once Milestone builds in Glassboro, you can forget a SSS near downtown (for at least 20 years).Exactly why this could be a bad deal for those who want a MLS team in Philly for decades to come.Of course we all have opinions if casual downtown Philly fans will attend or not, but how does that effect if you go or not?It doesn't effect whether I'll go or not at this point. I'm currently living in DC (getting my phd) so it will be a few years before the location of any Philly team effects me directly on a regular basis. I'll obviously support the team (as long as they have a Philly identity and none of the Jersey names are used...as a Flyers fan the concept of supporting any Jersey team...well, it just isn't going to happen) but since I'll almost certainly be moving to the North/West suburbs when I get back to Philly you can see why the location is still an important issue for me.

Anyway, I'll let this discussion drop since you seem to have a problem with discussing the pros/cons of the Rowan plan and since neither of us can prove that we're right with the (lack of) data available now. Fair enough?

[DennisM]

I happened to find myself on 55 yesterday at 5 PM. Not much traffic at all even going southwards. 42 is running a lot better than it used to. I'm tired of Philadelphia people putting us down in South Jersey. The trend has been for the new stadiums to be in the suburbs anyway. Take Chicago or Dallas. So I don't see why Philly fans would object to this. It's about time we in the region support something new and exciting in our sporting world. The infrastructure may not be there just yet but I don't see it being a problem in the future. I remember the first home game for the Charge. It was a zoo on Lancaster Avenue. But as more and more games were being played, traffic became better. Also I recall that the attendence for the Charge went up in the WUSA's last season as well. The stadium as being off of 55 is a great idea. It's not that bad as far as traffic is. Also it would be good for our image since 55 is a pretty road unlike the Turnpike. More good PR for NJ is also a goal for me. Also I think it's important for them to have a NJ name not only for PR reasons but for the idiocy of the names that have been given to professional sports teams in the past who play in NJ but who don't have NJ in their names. South Jersey FC works even more since South Jersey is a region on the whole which has been overlooked far too long by fellow South Jerseyans and the general population of the region as well. Excluding the Shore part of South Jersey, of course.

[DennisM]

Also if you look at it, traffic also will be likely to come from the Shore on the weekend starting in July or August for sure. Maybe not 50 percent but a substantial number and therefore, traffic should be less of an issue then. I can't wait for this to happen.

[MasterShake29]

None of us want a Philly MLS club to fail.Exactly why this could be a bad deal for those who want a MLS team in Philly for decades to come.It doesn't effect whether I'll go or not at this point. I'm currently living in DC (getting my phd) so it will be a few years before the location of any Philly team effects me directly on a regular basis. I'll obviously support the team (as long as they have a Philly identity and none of the Jersey names are used...as a Flyers fan the concept of supporting any Jersey team...well, it just isn't going to happen) but since I'll almost certainly be moving to the North/West suburbs when I get back to Philly you can see why the location is still an important issue for me.

Anyway, I'll let this discussion drop since you seem to have a problem with discussing the pros/cons of the Rowan plan and since neither of us can prove that we're right with the (lack of) data available now. Fair enough?

The pro of the Rowan plan is that there is a plan. It's that simple really.

As someone who hates Philadelphia sports teams, I understand where you're coming from on the name thing.

Here's how to look at it. You don't root against New Jersey teams, you root against teams named "New Jersey" that play in North Jersey. That's a big difference. I think "New Jersey" is a bad name for a sports team for the same reason "Pennsylvania" is.

You don't root against South Jersey teams, especially seeing as there aren't any at the moment. South Jersey != North Jersey [!= meaning not equal].

Just convince yourself of the above and you're all good.

[Kung Fu Hamster]

The pro of the Rowan plan is that there is a plan. It's that simple really.

As someone who hates Philadelphia sports teams, I understand where you're coming from on the name thing.

Here's how to look at it. You don't root against New Jersey teams, you root against teams named "New Jersey" that play in North Jersey. That's a big difference. I think "New Jersey" is a bad name for a sports team for the same reason "Pennsylvania" is.

You don't root against South Jersey teams, especially seeing as there aren't any at the moment. South Jersey != North Jersey [!= meaning not equal].

Just convince yourself of the above and you're all good.

We could copy a baseball strategy and name the team "Philadelphia [Team Nickname] of New Jersey."

At this point I just want a local MLS team, period.

[Rowdies4ever]

It's great that you're writing letters to the editor and getting them published in support of the team, and advocating naming the team after where it will play.

I'm afraid though that most people will get to the "FC South Jersey" part and think soccer people are weird.Really? That theory hasn't hurt FC Dallas in the slightest. "Football Club South Jersey" doesn't work very well in English.That's because "FC South Jersey" is not an abbreviation for "Football Club South Jersey", it's an abbreviation for "The Football Club of South Jersey". If people chose to split the difference and say "Football Club South Jersey", that's their call. New Jersey Atlantic is bad because naming a team New Jersey is almost like naming a team Pennsylvania.
Careful, there are some Pennsylvania Stoner fans on this board.

You could borrow from Aqua Teen Hungerforce and call the club "South Jersey Shore".:D

Seriously, what is wrong with composite names that include more than one locality? This is done all the time in soccer. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for instance.
South Jersey Atlantic is ok.
I see no reason not to aim for a name that encompases the entire region. Why not Philadelphia-South Jersey FC? Any Philly people who are put off by the inclusion of the name Jersey, or any Jersey people who are put off by the inclusion of the name Philadelphia, need to get over it already.

Philadelphia-South Jersey FC: nice, simple, descriptive and to the point. PSJ for short.

[MasterShake29]

Really? That theory hasn't hurt FC Dallas in the slightest.That's because "FC South Jersey" is not an abbreviation for "Football Club South Jersey", it's an abbreviation for "The Football Club of South Jersey". If people chose to split the difference and say "Football Club South Jersey", that's their call.Careful, there are some Pennsylvania Stoner fans on this board.

FC Dallas officially stands for "Futbol Club Dallas". That's stupid.

You could borrow from Aqua Teen Hungerforce and call the club "South Jersey Shore".:D

That's not the worst idea I've heard. :)

Seriously, what is wrong with composite names that include more than one locality? This is done all the time in soccer. Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) for instance.
I see no reason not to aim for a name that encompases the entire region. Why not Philadelphia-South Jersey FC? Any Philly people who are put off by the inclusion of the name Jersey, or any Jersey people who are put off by the inclusion of the name Philadelphia, need to get over it already.

"Philadelphia - South Jersey" is too damn long, and it will get abbreviated to "Philadelphia". The MetroStars tried "New York/New Jersey" for a bit and no one liked it.

[DennisM]

Yeah, I agree. It is too long. South Jersey Sandstorm sounds good to me too. Of course, the best name would be the New Jersey Devils since the Devil is from South Jersey...As for a more inclusive name, I like the Delaware Valley Strikers.