From the USL Press Release- "...will be owned and operated by a group of local investors led by architect Wayne Estopinal, with Orlando City also retaining an ownership share." Answers my question, though it does make me curious to just how much of a share Orlando is retaining, if that means they will have an input on how the club is run, and if they're going to funnel money into the team.
Well, it would certainly solve the problem of affiliation right off the bat. I would think you could do worse than learning some best practices from Orlando. And if they're going to be affiliated, you'd think/hope their technical people would have some say in the player side of it. It would make a lot of sense for MLS teams to select (and pay for) the coaching staffs at their affiliates (especially if they are startups and don't have, say, a Mike Anahauser already in place), to instill the organization's way of playing.
(BTW, if you're scoring at home - first, congratulations - this will be considered a continuation of the Orlando City franchise, while Phoenix FC was terminated and Arizona United is a new franchise. Just so the bookkeeping is straight. Wikipedia doesn't understand, but that's the deal.)
Trying to figure out how they will sandwich soccer pitch into this for optimal seating. http://www.bing.com/local?lid=YN873...ville+Slugger+Field+Louisville+KY&FORM=SNAPST
There are a few ways to do it, I think. That way (one goal basically along the first base line, the other in front of the left field wall), the way Arizona does it (one goal along the third base line, the other in front of the right field wall), or the way the Rowdies did it in 2010 (basically the way you see it above, but shifted farther out into the outfield so that you have very little infield dirt in one corner of the field). Back in the day, the Sting did it the second way:
I like the crest the way it is, but their having a logo contest. What do yall think and how would you do it?
Just curious, if the Orlando to Louisville move has already been announced on both MLS & USL web sites, what approval exactly do they need? A financial one or a feasible available stadium?
Apparently USL & MLS haven't agreed to extend the affiliation program past 2014. But everyone expects them to.
Oh I get it. As the other poster mentioned, it must be a formality. I don't think they care much about partnering much with the NASL as that league seems to aspire to be bigger than they really are but I don't see any reason on why MLS wouldn't want to use the (3rd tier) USL along with the (4th tier) PDL as a minor league/partnership.
It appears the badge may be redesigned after backlash. http://www.studio360.org/story/bad-design-makes-twitter-angry/
It's probably a formality. They essentially sold the Louisville-based minority owner their USL Pro license. Surely they would've gotten approval from the league before doing that. The one thing I find odd about all this is that, IIRC, this is the guy building the SSS for the University of Louisville. Unless they can't sell beer, I don't know why they didn't just put the team there. Slugger Field has the room to draw an international-size pitch, but it's still a baseball stadium with all the trimmings.
From way back in January- There's also some other posts mentioning the baseball stadium is in a better location and some issues with the University.
Granted, I've spent about 48 hours in Louisville (ran a half-marathon, so I got a decent feel for the city), but the University is about 3 miles south of downtown, and the areas in between aren't the nicest. The baseball stadium is right downtown, and very close to a stretch of bars (Fourth Street Live!), so there would be a pre- and post-game meeting place for fans. From a pure, watching-the-match standpoint, the UofL soccer stadium is obviously preferable. Taking all of the extracurriculars into account, however, I think they're making the right decision by playing at the baseball stadium.
Yeah, I see your point, the baseball stadium is a downtown location. And I've been through Louisville as well (went to Churchill Downs during a road trip back from Cincinnati; got chased out by a tornado warning, races canceled for the day), and I saw where the University and PJCS are. Thinking back, the baseball stadium may be preferable location-wise.