Florida Superthread

[Mad Hattah]

Ran across this as I was checking out UCF's web site. Plans are in the works for an on campus 40,000 seat stadium. Looks nice. Probably about 15,000 too big for MLS but who knows. It would be great to have an MLS team south of DC and east of Dallas...

Here's the links to some renderings.

http://www.stadium.ucf.edu/PDF%20Files/UCF_02.pdf

http://www.stadium.ucf.edu/PDF%20Files/UCF_03.pdf

And yes, I realize as with all potential expansion sites, if Orlando had an investor with enough money MLS would be there... nice stadium nonetheless.

[capitalist]

Orlando would be a great place for an MLS team.

MLS needs a couple of teams in Florida.

An Orlando - Miami rivalry would be awesome.

[dmike]

no thx...its a football stadium

[suppitty]

ACtually this is bad news for any hope of MLS in Orlando. Now, the state won't be willing to fund another stadium in the area. Had never really considered Orlando as a possible destination for MLS anyway (USL, yes).

[scaryice]

Most misleading headline of the day, congratulations.

[Mad Hattah]

no thx...its a football stadium

yeah, you're in LA. you have a nice SSS. i live in a soccer blackhole. if there was a team willing to play there i'd go.

as for the state ponying up money, i don't think that'd be in the cards regardless... the Marlins couldn't get any.

i know there's not a ground swell for MLS but I'd thought I'd post the picks anyway.

plus maybe a USMNT match could be played there? i can dream.

[Mad Hattah]

Most misleading headline of the day, congratulations.

yeah, it was. but it got you to read it right? :p

[Rowray]

i live in a soccer blackhole. if there was a team willing to play there i'd go.
Isn't Monticello near Tallahassee? You'd be a season ticket holder to a team over 3 hours away?

[petersoccer]

no thx...its a football stadium

It would be a great Soccer Stadium. Dont know why they cant share it with Football. this is a very narrow mindset.

[Mad Hattah]

Isn't Monticello near Tallahassee? You'd be a season ticket holder to a team over 3 hours away?

Monticello is 30 minutes east of Tallahassee.

And yes I would be. I am a season ticket holder of the Jags (2 1/2 hr drive) so a few more minutes for a soccer team wouldn't be too bad.

but of course it's all baseless speculation... :(

[Rowray]

Monticello is 30 minutes east of Tallahassee.

And yes I would be. I am a season ticket holder of the Jags (2 1/2 hr drive) so a few more minutes for a soccer team wouldn't be too bad.

but of course it's all baseless speculation... :(
Wow, good for you. That's a hardcore fan.

[dmike]

It would be a great Soccer Stadium. Dont know why they cant share it with Football. this is a very narrow mindset.

are ........ you .......... serious ???

have you ever watched a Revs home game?? A Wiz homegame??? Metro homegame??? I don't care if the facility is new. Im totally against this cause the City of Orlando will NOT pony up more $$ for a SSS. So evntually a potential franchise in Orlando would be no better than having the Quakes stay in SanJose.

[Udinese]

are ........ you .......... serious ???

have you ever watched a Revs home game?? A Wiz homegame??? Metro homegame??? I don't care if the facility is new. Im totally against this cause the City of Orlando will NOT pony up more $$ for a SSS. So evntually a potential franchise in Orlando would be no better than having the Quakes stay in SanJose.

I dont know what your issue is. That stadium is just fine. The HDC is used for more than soccer.

[denver_mugwamp]

I dont know what your issue is. That stadium is just fine. The HDC is used for more than soccer.

Yes, it's great stadium. But I seriously doubt if any MLS team is going to be created in or moved to any city where the soccer team doesn't have complete control of the stadium situation. There might be an exception to this in the case of a Salt Lake City or Houston, but that's only until the new team has time to build its own place. Trying to play soccer in a gridiron stadium really turns into a bummer in the fall with scheduling problems. It sucks to have to play too many games on Wednesdays.

I met a really friendly sheriff one time hitchhiking through Monticello. Said it was a cold night and offered me a cell until morning. If I hadn't been holding, I would have taken him up on it. I opted for the bus.

[dmike]

I dont know what your issue is. That stadium is just fine. The HDC is used for more than soccer.

Its main purpose was for soccer..... if AEG uses it for anything else then thats their business.

[Mad Hattah]

I met a really friendly sheriff one time hitchhiking through Monticello. Said it was a cold night and offered me a cell until morning. If I hadn't been holding, I would have taken him up on it. I opted for the bus.

i think that makes two of us here on the BS boards who have been to Monticello. Very nice and friendly town, that story sounds about right... :D

i agree it wouldn't be ideal... but MLS has to make a push south... they're leaving out one of the fastest growing areas in the US...

[SoccerPrime]

I live in Orlando and I know for a fact that there is some considerations to a possible MLS tenant for this stadium project.
Here are some of the facts:
-Built by private funds by UCF alumni, no state/government (not good for MLS IMHO)
-Won't be built until 2007 season
-UCF already promising nearby residents that only half a dozen college football games will ever be played there (seems like they are missing the boat for other revenue streams)
-Will leave UCF's current venue, the Citrus Bowl, completely empty except for occasional events.
-I have emailed UCF and they told me they have no plans of having soccer played there, in any form. :(

[Mad Hattah]

well that information kinda sucks no doesn't it?

isn't the citrus bowl an absolute crap hole? i don't know much about it except what i saw driving by it on the highway. it looks like its in need of some renovations. i wonder how many people that things holds. (time to do a bit of research)

if they're going to be desperate for tenants come 2007 i wonder if an MLS franchise could secure an advantageous stadium lease...

[Mad Hattah]

Citrus Bowl holds 70,188 people, far from ideal... :(

http://www.worldstadiums.com/stadium_pictures/north_america/united_states/florida/orlando_citrus.shtml

[SoccerPrime]

Citrus Bowl holds about 70,000
http://64.225.93.97/citrusbowl
Remember it was used for the World Cup in 1994, so its not "that" bad for soccer.
Capacity is the real problem, its too big.

I guess in some fantasy world, MLS and/or some wonderful investor could lease the Citrus Bowl until UCF let them use the new football stadium or a SSS was built.
:D
HAHAHAHAHA!