Catch all thread for D3 rumors and announcements. First "official" one I've heard is Tormenta FC to explore D3. http://www.usld3.com/news_article/show/789481?referrer_id=3067503
Statesboro is a really small market at 71k metro and 30k city. With USL D3 having 150k+ in their standards, it seems a bit of a reach. That being said, they were rather well attended last year for a PDL team. I've got attendance numbers for 6 of their 7 home games and they averaged 2,083.
Those would be excellent numbers for a PDL team. I have had much more trouble finding PDL numbers in recent years than in the past. That said, the last PDL team to try and turn pro was the Dayton Dutch Lions. It didn't go well. Nor have most times amateur teams have attempted to go pro.
Austin Aztex were after DDL. It went even worse for Austin. At least DDL stayed in USL for more than 1 season.
It's gotten pretty barren but I've found some teams will announce on their twitter feeds. For posterity, if you'd like to add to your compendium of attendances: May 21 vs Carolina Dynamo - 3105 June 3 vs Peachtree City MOBA - 2761 June 11 vs SC United Bantams - 2076 June 23 vs Southern West Virginia King's Warriors - 1213 June 25 vs West Virginia Chaos - ? July 7 vs Tri-Cities Otters - 1136 July 9 vs Charlotte Eagles - 2207
Oh, I know. I have made it a point to inquire via Twitter for PDL and NPSL crowds and have had decent success. Thanks for those others.
To be fair, technically Austin is on hiatus....whether they actually take the field again is another story. But they did not fold outright, the flood at House Field and subsequent move to city football stadiums was rough on finances and they were no longer down town, which hurt attendance. Hopefully they can iron out their details and come back. Who knows, this D3 league could be their ticket to return.
Yeah, Austin is "on hiatus" the way Elvis is taking a break from touring. And the stadium was open for high school football by Labor Day of that same year. The idea that it was unplayable the next season is a canard.
Dayton said the same thing, they didn't announce a full-time move to PDL. They announced a "hiatus." At least Dayton has continuously operated, Austin has nothing with the club...again.
Yep, it is sad that Austin just went dark. The most recent news was that they were sitting out 2017 and might return in 2018, but the owner said "no stadium, no team" or something like that. I am honestly not sure what he is expecting, it is not like the city is going to finance a stadium for them.
No team is being forced to move down. Self-relegation is the only way they will move. At least for a few years since there is no immediately plan for pro-rel.
On July 25, Nipun Chopra posted: "So, it's July. At what point do we start questioning whether USLd3 will make it to 8 teams, in order to debut in 2019? Insiders keep telling me that they are on track. My best guess - they WILL launch - but, at least 3/4 teams will be 'relegated' MLS2 teams." Maybe not "officially relegated" in the pro/rel sense, but I think the USL might pressure/insist/demand that some of the low attendance/poor facility teams take the journey to d3. (TorontoFC II took the hint.) SPR comes to mind with their strange stadium saga this year (and last). NYRBII might also get a memo. Tucson is out on an island by itself; maybe LAGalaxyII would make a nice travel partner? Those would be the 4 lowest attended USL2 teams. Nipun has good inside sources.
USL has stated they would not force a team to move to D3. Doesn't mean they haven't changed their minds though and are doing behind the scenes. Orlando is supposed to be just about ready to announce that "B" will be in D3 next year, so we will see what other teams, if any, move down. Who knows there may be some PDL teams moving up. Des Moines may be one.
They say they will launch with 10, so no need for that yet. Their stated goal of 24 teams by year three seems ambitious, though.
This seems very unlikely when DC United and the USL just unveiled a new MLS2 team, Loudoun United, as a full USL team. It strains belief that they would announce that on July 18 while at the same time planning to demote all of the MLS2 teams.
I think at the end of the year party the USL officers will use the Sounders 2 move to Tacoma as a case study: their attendance has risen from 1100 to 3400 and had almost 4800 last week. They will have nice things to say about Atlanta2, averaging 3000 in their 1st year at the suburban baseball stadium and had 3600 last week. They will urge all the other MLS2 teams to follow their leads. And SPR will sit in the back of the room with their arms folded giving them the stink eye. USL wants to build up their league. SKC wants to build up their players. Two different sets of priorities. SPR should hold their matches at the new training facility and go D3. (...or they could go back to Swope Park...)
There have always been conflicting priorities. Mostly among fans. MLS teams obviously want their "2" teams to develop players. To a lesser extent, they may be brand extensions. It is still too early to tell if the idea of using a USL team as a proving ground is cost-effective or not. Many MLS technical staffs obviously believe so. Others found it to not be worth the effort. Fans have suddenly got this idea that optics are the most important thing. There's no more war. The war is over.
I don’t know if it is a “war”. But I think there is “tension”. I’ve read where USL wants to become one of the stronger d2’s worldwide (or “the strongest”, which is pretty ambitious but that’s why you set goals to stretch yourself). Step 1: qualify for USSF d2 status. So LAGII gets out the erector set and puts more bleachers around the running track to get up to the magical 5,000 number...that even fewer people are sitting in (average attendance last year: 1200; this year: 1000). But their stadium qualifies according to d2 standards. Step 2: if USL is serious about its stated goal as a d2 league (and knowing that they are soon going to lose “good optics” teams like Cincinnati and Nashville...and maybe Sacramento?), having 700 people watching NYRBII at Montclair State or 900 people watching SPR at a 20,000 seat venue isn’t helpful. It’s harmful to the long-range goal. When USL brought in the MLS2’s, USL was looking to survive. With the collapse of NASL, their survival is assured. So now they seek to grow towards their long-range goals. And that’s where I think the tension builds with some of the MLS2’s. As an example: the strangeness regarding SPR’s stadium situation last year and this year. Possibly Toronto2’s move to d3, or OrlandoB’s rumored re-emergence in d3. Maybe it played a part in what happened with Montreal2 and Vancouver2. The Sounders2 move to the Tacoma baseball park. Or Houston’s relationship to RGV. Just speculation on my part. But it seems to explain some things.
Never said they were in "survival mode." Just don't believe any US soccer league (or club) is ever really "safe." MLS franchises lose millions yearly. USL franchises are probably the same, just scaled back. NASL lost millions. Add into the USL woes, they have lost some of their bigger fanbases almost every time MLS expands (Orlando, Seattle, Portland, Vancouver, Montreal, Cincinnati, Nashville). They fill those with North Carolina, Indianapolis, Birmingham, El Paso, ABQ, Hartford, Austin (failed twice before), a few MLS 2/B sides. They've had 6 franchises fold since 2015. That's not exactly "safe" zone.