Pro Soccer Returning to St. Louis in 2015 http://blogs.riverfronttimes.com/dailyrft/2014/05/pro_soccer_returning_to_st_louis_in_2015.php USL PRO announces 2015 expansion to soccer hotbed St. Louis http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...nounces-2015-expansion-soccer-hotbed-st-louis St. Louis finally back on the professional soccer map http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2014/05/02/st-louis-finally-back-on-the-professional-soccer-map/ Kavanaugh brings professional soccer to St. Louis http://www.bizjournals.com/stlouis/...h-brings-professional-soccer-to-st-louis.html Another try for outdoor soccer in St. Louis http://www.stltoday.com/sports/socc...cle_c2cfe670-bca4-52a6-9e30-2201b1252874.html
Huge sigh of relief here. SLSG running an MLS-affiliated team playing at the Soccer Park is almost a best-possible-case scenario. (Hermann Stadium would have made it perfect, but whatever, I'm not complaining.) A lawsuit-dodging huckster from the murky depths of arena football running a team playing in Cottleville was a worst-possible-case scenario. Dodged a bullet there.
Did you actually read the story? I'm thinking not. Because you would have seen quotes like these: "There are several hundred million reasons why there is no MLS team in St. Louis now, or perhaps ever...." "...the city is well off the MLS radar screen for expansion..." "...St. Louis soccer fans eager for a rapid climb into MLS probably need to get real, as Kavanaugh has, and accept the benefits of having a minor-league team." You probably also don't know that the same author (one of the two or three most knowledgeable people alive about St. Louis soccer past and present) wrote a piece a couple of months ago called "St. Louis Unfit for Current Round of MLS Expansion". I think maybe you need to straighten out the cart and the horse yourself before you comment, kemosabe.
Perhaps the creators of Soccer in StL should re-label their articles. Because stating this is some how a 1st step to get MLS is exactly what that article's title says, regardless of its content.
The title doesn't "state" anything. It asks a question that is obviously on a lot of people's minds, and then the article answers it. Far from being "hackneyed", it's just about the only honest piece about the issue I've ever read, from any city.
Why would they team up with the Magic? They have already built a pretty good youth / academy program. Or did I miss something indicating they were looking to start a USL Pro team. Although the Magic already have a some type of relationship with PSG. + Back to the thread, I think it's great that St. Louis is getting a team. And the combination of a top youth club and someone with money seems like a good combination. They have a ready made youth program / academy set up.
StL joins USL because they didn't want to lose millions and feels USL is fiscally responsible... http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/home/807648.html
wow their anticipating 5,000 per game. Thats pretty ambitious for usl pro. we've lucked out here in OKC with 2 straight sell outs so it can be done good luck St.Louis. Looking forward to have you in the league cuts down on travel for the Energy and provides for another possible rival
You're saying adding a team reduces travel costs? I'm also tired of hearing they're aiming for MLS. How do they expect the fans to get excited over USL Pro if they start with talks about the big league?
As I recall, the USL wants to split into 3 conferences, so the more teams in each conference, the less you have to travel out of conference to play a decent number of games. So yes, in this case, a St Louis team would help reduce travel cost for a Central Conference
And for St. Louis. whose DII team averaged just over half that last time out. Attendance is not a matter of luck.
The Oklahoma City Energy fc has sold out both of their home games ( both with the threat of severe weather the month of may in Oklahoma keeps a lot of people on pins and needles especially in the Moore area) and both were loses combine that with the whole NASL thing yeah I would say that there was a bit of luck involved. I don't think it was all luck though
Interesting that St Louis sees USL as the fiscally responsible option. That could start coming into play in future expansion for all parties
I know you're the attendance guy, but you may want to look at that again. St. Louis averaged 4000 the first three games. It was then that Athletica was folded and everyone knew AC was doomed. It was then that attendance plummeted. We have no idea what attendance would have been with a sound team that people thought would be around the next year. Additionally, Kavanaugh stated they only need 2500 to make money. That's certainly doable. I don't know if they will average 5000, but I certainly see them averaging 3500 which would put them in the upper 1/4 of the league.
Hence why I quoted it, mostly because I don't believe it. USL might have the benefit of MLS involvement now, but their track record for vetting potential ownership groups is laughable. Maybe they have turned a corner.
I'm betting the financial part will have more to do with 'Am I competing with bigger money ownership groups like the Cosmos and MNU for players,' not ownership vetting
Nothing says, "We refuse to even give any thought whatsoever to a team name" like "City + FC." http://uslpro.uslsoccer.com/scripts/runisa.dll?M2:gp::72013+L3/Display+E+NDX+NDX+814123
at least it didn't take as long as it did for Colorado Springs and Tulsa to announce their names. Tulsa could have announced sooner than they did because it was already trademarked