I would be cautious about another team in Portland, but that 15k waiting list is an intriguing prospect. I would still rather see a team in Las Vegas, San Diego, and maybe even Oakland first, at least when it comes to the West Coast.
ya, it would be really interesting though - because again, there is still a counter culture here in Portland that I think would latch on to another "option". Hence why this is related to Chicago.
Yeah....not for Spring season....and i'd prefer not going with a Fall launch if possible, which means Spring, 2018 is more likely. Lack of a venue agreement is causing the delay.
Peter, far be it from me to tell you how to do your job, but it strikes me that there are quite a number of people who have been mobilized in support of this team that could put a good deal of public pressure on whatever entity was making the decision if only we knew who it was.
There's only one thing that buys political pressure in Chicago and it's not the, what, 500-1000 people (max) in Chicago that have the NASL on their radar.
Peter Wilt discusses ChicagoNASL on Silverman on Sports... http://silvermanonsports.com/2016/0...-jews-in-sports-nba-finals-us-open-golf-more/
one thing I appreciate about the NASL is that you get the brand name cookies, not the store brand shoppers value (USL). No need to rush this, keep building excitement through FO news and supporters related events. However, if launch is 2018, I would expect that resources and knowledge will be built up along the way a la - an epic launch. It's gotta be big and has to be Chicago vs. Indy on opening day.
http://chicago.suntimes.com/sports/stings-nasl-championship-still-meaningful-35-years-later/ Great to be part of 1981 Chicago Sting @naslofficial Championship reunion @toyotapark w/Willy, Arno, Ingo, Dieter + pic.twitter.com/EdiE38mCpJ— peter wilt (@PeterWilt1) July 14, 2016
Looks like Chicago is on hold until 2018 having trouble locking down a venue it seems. http://www.empireofsoccer.com/potential-chicago-nasl-team-wont-launch-in-2017-52788/
Don't know. The Fire runs the place now, right? Look, they can't draw people to Bridgeview to watch actual international-level players now. You're going to get people to go there to watch the NASL? A ground share is out (not just because it's the NASL, but the NWSL team takes up some dates as well). The Fire would have to leave, which is not going to be any easier, given they would have to find a place to play (the difficulty of which is one reason they are where they are). Whoever runs the facility (be it the Fire or the village or Spectacor or whomever) could hardly make the numbers work with even a successful NASL club. There is no ready-made solution, else they would have found it by now.
It won't be Bridgeview. I don't think the village wants to do any more deals with Wilt and neither would the Fire.
Humorous that the king of snark doesn't see the sarcasm. My apologies. Good luck to Pete but I'll believe it when I see it.
One year is not going to matter. GET IT RIGHT, don't rush. Do we see USL coming into Chicago? No. As far as I can see, the Fire will be a hot mess for at least a few more years. Once a suitable venue has been selected, make 2017 a marketing year, similar to what SF Deltas are doing right now in 2016. They are going balls to the wall on community outreach and ticket sales while creating an exciting timeline up to the 2017 kick-off. Time is valuable, but it must be utilized correctly. If 2018 is the launch date, instead of 2017 - I expected the club to be bigger and better organized - if not, 2017 would have been an absolute waste.
The EoS article brings up another point, only San Fran is entering so far in 2017, and NASL is losing Minnesota. 12 is pretty far off 20 if that is their goal. I'll add that Rayo OKC is in a bad place right now to continue next year.
Bridgeview would jump for joy to fill more dates for their albatross of a stadium, no matter who was behind it. In fact, they'd probably even cut the NASL team a deal like they did with the Red Stars. However, there's no way that it makes sense from the Chicago NASL perspective. The only way a second division team can compete in the market is by going after a different demographic and Bridgeview does not do that.
And I would imagine the city of Chicago is not bending over backwards to strike a deal for Soldier Field. So they are back to where the Fire was in 2004: needing a place to play and finding existing ones challenging and building a new one even more so. There is no natural existing place (outside of SF) that ticks all the boxes. Or even most of them. I don't think. They have all been discussed years ago and found lacking. Now, would the lesser demands of a D2 team reduce the barriers the Fire faced? Maybe. But I still don't know that one of the (many) baseball stadiums or Dyche or Lane Tech or Benedetti-Wehrli works, either. Maybe Lisle, but parking and no beer (at last report, I left Lisle in 2007) could be deal breakers.