El Paso Indios USA

[Deveron]

Has anyone heard anything about the Indios?

[pcrow]

They are not coming back...Owners lost a lot last year, and their pro teams gained promotion.

[Deveron]

Promoted to ... PDL, USL-2, USL-1 or what?

[keem-o-sabi]

The pro team is in Mexico and from what I understood their pro team is also affiliated with Pachuca. So it is a very good program. That's too bad that they aren't coming back. I don't know how any of the team's in the Southwest play in the league, the travel costs are way too much.

[pcrow]

I don't know how any of the team's in the Southwest play in the league, the travel costs are way too much.

No doubt. Thats probably why teams fold every year in that conference, while every other conference grows. i think it will be small this year. san diego moved back into the sw conference, which might drive a team or two that was planning on playing out. 4 team conference? you can only survive in that conference if you have a RICH owner who does not mind losing (a lot) of money year, after year; someone who doesn't even consider the idea of their team being financially sound.

teams in the region who have folded, in the last couple of years, from my count:

kickers
crimson
arizona
las vegas
salt lake
indios
banat storm
sd pumitas
nevada
tuscon
idaho

sj frogs went pdl.
i feel like i might be missing some, as well. but that is a lot of turnover, especially when the league has been taking off in other regions...which all play 10-12 game seasons (opposed to 14-20) and only travel well within driving distance. no traveling across half the country. denver and san diego being in the same division seems to me like queen city and milwaukee playing each other.

[pcrow]

i checked, and colorado to san diego is farther than milwaukee to queen city.

my guess is that one road trip in the southwest is more miles than the entire regular season travels of teams in other divisions.

[amancalledmikey]

If NPSL get pro-active in the region, as they did in the East, they could raise a few teams, surely? SW needs to be around 3 or 4 conferences, not 1.

[Deveron]

... san diego moved back into the sw conference, which might drive a team or two that was planning on playing out. 4 team conference? you can only survive in that conference if you have a RICH owner who does not mind losing (a lot) of money year, after year; someone who doesn't even consider the idea of their team being financially sound...


So who is for sure in the conference?

Colorado ISL Predators
So Cal (San Diego) Fusion
Albuquerque Asylum FC
Colorado Rush

[pcrow]

for sure...phoenix, albuquerque, san diego and denver...i guess.

rush is upset that their budget went way up when the crimson and indios dropped and san diego came in. i know some people (obviously...check my posts) w/ the indoor world, and it sounds like they are planning on throwing their stock in there, put a team in the new pro arena soccer league.

[pcrow]

If NPSL get pro-active in the region, as they did in the East, they could raise a few teams, surely? SW needs to be around 3 or 4 conferences, not 1.

No doubt. Crimson/sahuaros/banat storm/pumitas/kickers/indios/vegas would all play again + the rush and 2 LA teams that wanted to play. travel costs are 90% of the cost in that division. you could have a mountain division w/ colorado (4-5 teams) and new mexico/indios. then arizona/vegas/so cal (5-7 teams) would be a conference and the sw would be good to go. especially if you could get nevada/idaho/salt lake back, which would be a division right there too.

i have no idea what the problem in the sw is. they are the ones that started the league and they are the ones that drop like flies. pretty soon none of them will be around, except the asylum and san diego...who would then probably enter a 'west' conference and drive a lot of the north teams out.

every other region seems to have figured it out. especially all the new conferences. they are the ones that the league can build themselves on.

[Deveron]

for sure...phoenix, albuquerque, san diego and denver...i guess.

rush is upset that their budget went way up when the crimson and indios dropped and san diego came in. i know some people (obviously...check my posts) w/ the indoor world, and it sounds like they are planning on throwing their stock in there, put a team in the new pro arena soccer league.


I thought I heard that Phoenix was out. That would be great if they were still in. I am part of the Predators; and we sure would like to know what is going on.

Point me to your posts about the Rush...I am intrigued.

[pcrow]

i have not heard anything about phoenix. from all i heard they were in, but things happen in this league all the time without people knowing what is going on, exactly.

i haven't posted much about the rush...my last post is about all i know...

[keem-o-sabi]

I wish I could help out west in trying to get teams into the league. I know we are actively seeking groups here in the Northeast, but our travel costs are no where near as much (although ours in Buffalo and Maine do have a quite a bit of travel compared to the rest of the conference).

You look at that list of teams that aren't in the league anymore and it's astounding, they were almost all good sides and it's really too bad out there. I have no idea how the teams are sought out west, I know here we are all trying to get more teams in and recommending it to groups and seeking out others.

[pcrow]

if you want to help, pressure the league. there are ownership groups here that want to come in but cant because of the travel costs. the sw conference is controlled by a couple of people that have a ton of money and dont seem to care about losing it. the league needs to step in...to not have san diego in the california conference is out of control.

and it is in your self interest to pressure the league, the more established the league is throughout the nation, the better for you.

[keem-o-sabi]

I do hear you, but again I'm not out there, so I can't gauge how serious people are about joining the league. I heard that there were a lot of teams coming into the Southwest conference (Phoenix, Arizona, Colorado Rush, and possibly a couple more which to me is a lot). I'm not too familiar though with the politics, etc that goes on out there. As soon as I can get more teams around Queen City I'll try to help get teams out west. To be honest, my priority is getting our team to have closer opponents so we don't have to make 13 hour road trips any longer. We are currently working in trying to get teams in Toronto and Hamilton Ontario and a couple more places in Canada as well as in Erie, Watertown, Syracuse, Albany, Scranton/Wilkesbarre, Pittsburgh, Columbus and Cleveland. So once my yeomen's work is completed there I will shift my focus to helping out in the west.

States that should have teams by doing a quick search on google (mind you I'm not too familiar with the distances out west, so some of these could be suburbs of each other, and am not spending a ton of time on this at this exact moment)

Arizona
1) Phoenix
2) Tucson
3) Mesa
4) Glendale
5) Chandler
6) Scotsdale
7) Gilbert
8) Tempe
9) Peoria
10) Yuma

New Mexico
1) Albuquerque
2) Las Cruces
3) Santa Fe
4) Rio Rancho

Utah
1) Salt Lake
2) West Valley
3) Provo
4) West Jordan
5) Sandy
6) Orem
7) Ogden
8) Layton
9) St. George

Colorado
1) Denver
2) Colorado Springs
3) Aurora
4) Lakewood
5) Fort Collins
6) Thornton
7) Westminster
8) Arvada
9) Pueblo
10) Boulder

Texas
1) El Paso
2) Lubock
3) Amarillo
4) Midland
5) Odessa

Again trying to find people in these area's wanting is a task. I don't know the youth scene out there which in the East is helping to establish the new clubs somewhat (although it's about 50/50 to how the new clubs are starting, some just have men's teams). But these are the cities the league and hopefully you guys that want to help us out should be looking for. Help us spread the word, we want to make this a better league (believe me, it's very difficult and can't change things overnight without help). But hell out of all those cities, there should be 5-8 more teams that would be interested in coming in the next couple years.

Also your quote about them not caring about losing money, they do care. They care a lot actually and those teams in the SW complained about the travel costs the most. Not one of them loved it and were looking forward to having a group closer together.