Another article on the subject with a war of words in the comments section : http://www.soccerbyives.net/2013/07/oklahoma-awarded-expansion.html So many hilariously uninformed comments!
So Ottawa Fury is apparently continueing with a PDL team and is also joining NASL next season with their new D2 team, why does D3 USL Pro have a problem with OKC doing the same?
USL Pro is having a Picard moment... "Not again. The line must be drawn here! This far, no further! And *I* will make them pay for what they've done!"
Wait, a soccer blog's comment section that's full of stupid people? Unpossible. (Especially that one.)
A) Because Ottawa is in a different country, province with different legal distinctions. I doubt USL would have the appetite to hire Canadian lawyers and go to a Canadian court to decide what would be a Canadian issue. B) Remember the vital point that the CSA has pledged not to sanction USL-PRO. It has made it clear that USL-PRO isn't welcome in Canada at the moment, as the country is looking to follow the Easton Report, which is an all-domestic based Div. 3. C) So, even if USL bothered to go to Canadian court and win, what would they get? Roadblocked by the CSA, who will refuse to sanction an Ottawa USL-PRO team. USL-PRO is in a lose-lose situation with Canada. It is a major advantage NASL has, as the Easton Report didn't touch it and the CSA has given it carte blanche to operate in Canada.
No idea, but I do know that the Ottawa Fury signed their contract with USL way back in 2005, maybe then franchise agreements did not have the covenant not to compete clause
Hold up a sec.....another poster with actual credentials in the business joins in? I'm not sure I like these improvements in the level of discourse here. Where's that WSW lite guy when you need him?
This one was funny TimbersGary says: July 2, 2013 at 1:14 PM They should just build a fancy stadium and move the Sounders to OKC.
Yup. Which may be happening sooner or later.... Read today's Tulsa World print edition on pg B-2 or click here... https://www.bigsoccer.com/community/...ishful-thinking.1876682/page-30#post-28148132 BTW, you missed a great game last night. Great game and crowd, especially for a Tuesday night...
"Certainly, we'll accelerate the process to get in there," Holt said. "Tulsa is absolutely a priority expansion market; what a great rivalry that would be between those two organizations. Both markets can absolutely support professional soccer at the highest ultimately, certainly at the USL Pro level from the outset." Yeah....but.....If its SUCH a priority, and can support professional soccer at the highest level....WHY didn't Little Funk and the boys put their team THERE?!? I KNOW Tulsa can support it, I just have NO idea why they INSIST on putting their team in OKC, instead of Tulsa which would already have a stadium in place. It doesn't add up at all
The impression I get is that Funk Jr had an agreement with USL Pro that either pre-dates Lund wanting USL Pro or... USL Pro chose Funk's group over Lund's group for whatever reason (not sure what that would be but Funk Jr claims his family lost $6mil over the better part of a decade in which the Blazers were drawing 8k to 9k per game). Brad Lund had to understand what he was signing when he started his PDL club. If he was serious about getting an NASL team in OKC, I'd think the NASL brass would have recommended he avoid setting up shop in PDL in the first place. And I'm pretty sure that Tim Holt and USL brass would've made it clear at the time Brad signed up for PDL that they'd be none too pleased if he tried to simultaneously own an NASL team and a PDL club and would enforce any agreement signed by Mr. Lund. In 2002-2003, MLS wanted Brad Lund to do a feasibility study similar to what they required of Tulsa; Brad balked and repeatedly implied he shouldn't have to do so due to the success of the OKC Blazers hockey team. MLS wanted OKC to have a season ticket drive similar to what they required of Tulsa; Brad Lund decided not to do so because all those CHL hockey fans in OKC would naturally become season ticket holders for an MLS team. Drawing a crowd of 9,300 for Lund's 2003 MLS exhibition game in Edmond versus the 14,000 we had in Tulsa the following week didn't stop Lund from pontificating OKC's superiority to MLS and anyone else who'd listen to him... If anybody from OKC had interest in being part of a USL Pro or NASL team in Tulsa, it should have been Brad Lund, not Bob Funk Jr. Funk Jr has no real ties to Tulsa other than to promote occasional PBR (Pro Bull Riding) events that come here. Brad Lund, however, spent a significant portion of his life in Tulsa, worked for the NASL Roughnecks when he was a kid, and has an uncle (Jeff Lund) who was CEO of the Tulsa Oilers CHL organization for the better part of the last two decades.
Then they apparently know even less about running a team than I thought. I remember the first year the Blazers were in town they broke even for the entire season by Thanksgiving. Every thing after that was profit. So HOW exactly did the Funks proceed to lose that much money after they took over the team? And if that is their track record, then what in the hell gives ANYBODY the impression that they will be ANY better running a soccer team?!?
After reading the Courthouse News article it's starting to make more sense. Apparently, Brad Lund DID want to move up to the USL-PRO, It is looking now like USL was not exactly forthcoming with his group. If they DID in fact make a previous arrangement with Funk it doesn't seem like this was expressed to Lund and his group. According to the lawsuit, Tim Holt did NOT tell Lund and his group this. They state the USL expressed to them that they were now 'partners', and 'not to worry' It also says that they reached out to NASL only AFTER it was clear that USL had made a deal with Funk and his group.
"'partners', and 'not to worry'" = "as long as you don't try to get an NASL team, everything is peachy"
So USL screwed over the Lund group in the first place. Who knows how this ends in court, but I definitely think USL screwed themselves in the long run by picking Funk Jr. as their guy in OKC.
So the Oklahoma City franchise is not allowed to compete against USL in the Oklahoma region, but USL is allowed to sell a expansion franchise to another Oklahoma group ?
That is a very interesting point. You can't on one hand demand another league 'back off' and then when they don't, threaten to sue. When that doesn't work, simply doing the same thing.....kind of like 'getting your retaliation in first'.......isn't a widely accepted legal strategy.
I guess the issue is with the PDL OKC team, PDL belongs to USL just like USLPRO, I guess that is what their case is going to be, I still don't see any chance of them winning, worst case, the PDL team just moves to NPSL to clar the way for the NASL team.
uh......yeah?..... So they want to compete with themselves, but dont want anyone else to. Got it? Good