This is all about USL having to prove they are moving forward and meeting D2 standards. Waivers were given with timetables, and there has to be proof that they are being met. The "USL and MLS2 teams" are causing great rifts stuff is completely overstated, because that makes a much better story. Have their been concerns....sure. Gee, guess what? They are being addressed as USL's stability has grown. Typical growth of an entity. What's happening here is everything NASL can't do, has promised year after tear, and what NISA is still only projecting. Yawn.
They can try, but first and foremost they need owners with money. Without that they can plan howver they want to, but it won't get them far. Then those owners have to be competent, market, and commit to selling the team. Seems common sense enough.....in the past few have done it. Without liquid owners it's all wheel spinning. Look at Indy. Great crowds but an owner who clearly does not have the ability to handle D2 by the looks of it. Says it all. Crowds, leagues are all secondary. Ownership.....first and foremost.
Detroit can't even afford NASL. It is a great story but way overblown in the grand scheme of things. Unless they can add a large investor they are staying where they are. It's really that simple. Detroit was always going to be an MLS expansion target because of market size. They just needed capitalized investors to step up. Don't get me wrong....Detroit FC is a great story, but just like the "rift between USL and MLS2 clubs", simply blown way out of proportion. Don't get hits on your articles or get enough followers if it is to bland or honest unfortunately. I hope you don't think their proposed move to NASL has anything to do with them and their ability to do it. It doesn't.
I would rather see Detroit in the USL with the remaining NASL clubs. I could easily see 48 teams in the USL with 4 x 12 team conferences with a split after 22 games where the top 6 fight for playoffs in one last round of games and the bottom 6 fight against relegation into a DIV 3 made up of the strongest NPSL/PDL teams who could go part time. I guess I have high hopes but if all the div 2 teams worked together it would be better for soccer in this country.
Many of us have thought that way for a long time, but the fractured, and new successful nature of the sport has changed things. It seems possible that this could happen in the near future, were even a few years ago it was business as usual....everyone with their own selfish agendas, knowing better than everyone else. No matter what, Detroit FC needs more investors to move up somewhere. At this point I am not certain the creators of the club want new investors. There story is a great soccer, community, local guys come good angle....they are pure, anti big business, blah, blah, blah....papers eat that up, which is why they recieve all of that press. It's very possible other groups try and start a USL team if Detroit MLS fails, as it's a big city and FC doesn't seem to want to. In several years they may not even be a story anymore TBH.
Reading Tea Leaves: Nipun Chopra broke the news yesterday that Albuquerque is moving up from PDL to USL in 2019. He also referenced a Central Division for the USL. He tweeted, "Left this out of the story, but if the cities being told to me are accurate, the purported central conference is being populated very nicely." His SocTakes.com article states, "Albuquerque’s application was discussed, along with 4-5 other teams, at the recently concluded USL Winter summit." He links to and quotes an article from this summer in the Oklahoma City newspaper. USL commissioner Jake Edwards told the reporter, “We will have a couple of new markets coming into the league in 2019 that will I think make a three-conference model a certainty.” The article mentions Omaha in the speculation about this new Central Division. It reports, "there is a scenario involving one of the Major League Soccer 2 clubs relocating to Omaha in place of an expansion franchise." (Hello SPR ???) Nipun says in his tweet, "Will continue to try to confirm identities of those other teams w/ multiple sources before vacation next week." I'll be following closely. PS. Several weeks ago I was visiting the USL website and looked at their list of vendors. I saw a company that sells a retractable pitchers mound: the mound is raised and lowered by hydraulics (Louisville used one last year). I thought to myself, "I'll bet Gary Green is going to buy one of those and the new Omaha USL will play at Werner Park where his AAA baseball team plays."
More reading Tea Leaves: from today's news- "The City of Omaha will build an artificial turf field atop the current regulation-size grass soccer field at Tranquility Park this summer. Someday, he said, the field could host larger groups — even a semiprofessional team. The City Council on Tuesday voted 7-0 to approve a $718,000 contract to build the field. About 90 percent of the project will be covered by fees paid by the Nebraska State Soccer Association. The rest will come from parks bonds." http://www.omaha.com/news/metro/wit...cle_d4e3cb7c-add6-54a3-a78b-dcc465725ecb.html In the video clip that accompanies the article, the local state senator has filed a bill that would allow "turn back taxes" to be collected for sports facilities that have 12 or more sports fields (Tranquility has 17). That mechanism has been used to build several arenas in Omaha. So...is the ground work being laid for a SSS at Tranquility? Tranquility Park is rather far north & west in the metropolitan area. But I-680 nearby makes it very easy to get to. Creighton Univ (which is downtown or far east in the metro) started their soccer team at Tranquility. Bellevue University (which is southeast) used it for years. Maybe it's nothing. But the state senator seemed very tight-lipped in the interview. They also interviewed the director for Sporting Omaha FC. His answers seemed unconvincing "...the new field helps to avoid rainouts..." ??? I think something is going on... PDL? D3?
Finally - Omaha Unveiled as USL League One’s Newest Club (from the USL news release The USL announced today it had awarded a League One franchise to Alliance Omaha Soccer Holdings, the first new market to join League One for the 2020 season. The club will be coached by former University of Nebraska Omaha Head Coach Jay Mims. The new team will play at Werner Park (a AAA baseball park), which is undergoing a variety of stadium improvements to support the addition of a second team and sport. The team will have its own staff and be led under the leadership of President and GM Martie Cordaro. The organization also announced the hiring of Matthew Homonoff as its Chief Operating Officer. Homonoff comes to Omaha from Des Moines, Iowa where he was one of the top General Managers in USL League Two for the Des Moines Menace. Werner Park will undergo construction beginning in the Fall of 2019 to ready the stadium for soccer. The stadium upgrades, being funded by Sarpy County, will include additional locker rooms, field enhancements, and offices for the organization’s new soccer staff. Renderings of the new field layout are available. Learn more at omahaprosoccer.com. https://www.uslleagueone.com/news_article/show/1017377
hmmm.... did this have something to do with that ? 2 weeks ago the Bugeaters FC, a semipro team that began last year in Lincoln NE in the UPSL and is moving to the Great Plains Premier League, announced that they would be playing their home games this year at Creighton's Morrison Stadium. Did the fear of losing hardcore soccer fans to the (much cooler) downtown location that finally push the (suburban) USL project over the finish line? This USL Omaha announcement sure took a looong time to get done. https://www.omaha.com/sports/blogs/...cle_ce01e3d6-1169-5684-99c2-e196bc99b591.html
More info about the Omaha USL1 team: -Begins play next season (March 2020), -Is owned by Gary Green (from New York) and other local investors, -Will be run by the AAA baseball organization that Green owns: the Omaha Storm Chasers, -Will play at Werner Park (AAA baseball park, far southwest suburbs of metro Omaha), -The dirt will be covered with grass, -Field will be laid out along the first base line, -The county will spend $2.2 million making modifications (new locker rooms, retractable pitchers mound, offices), -The team will pay back those costs through higher rent payments, -Creighton’s downtown Morrison stadium was considered but could not accommodate their schedule, -Has been told that might cost some of the urban millennial fans but says the suburbs are filled with young families, -Fans will take part in naming the team, choosing colors, and logos through town halls and online polls, -Has hired a coach with deep connections to the area (assistant at Creighton, founder of Univ Nebr. Omaha’s men’s soccer team), -Has hired a former exec of the Des Moines Menace PDL organization as C.O.O., -Trying to arrange matches with Mexican teams but having nothing to announce yet (10% of metro Omaha is Hispanic), If the crowds are good will consider moving up to USLChampionship in a few years. https://www.omaha.com/sports/local-...cle_fe99e9cb-7dbe-5cee-8817-626b4124945f.html
The day a pro team worries about what an amateur, erstwhile UPSL club does or doesn't do will be the first time.
This is curious: the Omaha newspaper ran an editorial supporting the new USL-1 team ??!! Usually they run editorials for tax issues, proposed laws, political candidates. It strikes me as way out of proportion for the arrival a 3rd division soccer team. That's really out of character for the Omaha World Herald. I wonder how that happened? Who made the phone call to get that done? Somebody with clout. https://www.omaha.com/opinion/edito...cle_d04ec2d8-9159-59ad-9724-006bf0f13785.html BTW: Nipun Chopra was interviewed today for a local radio show about USL-1. Podcast is here: http://owh.backbonebroadcast.com/owh_mp3/POD20190507154908.mp3 At the 8 minute mark he plugs the Bugeaters FC and later admits to wearing a Bugeater hat during the interview. (When owner Gary Green was interviewed at last week's presser, he was on the defensive about the team not being downtown at the beautiful SSS. He pleaded with soccer fans to give the suburban baseball park a try. I don't think he fears the UPSL team, but it's on his mind.)
Last night (May 13), almost 6500 at the class A Nebraska high school state final at Morrison Stadium. Creighton Prep took on Omaha South (again). South wins on PK's. https://www.omaha.com/neprepzone/so...cle_946d11c5-c6e8-5d25-8666-29b699b0400d.html
Great interview by Nipun Chopra in Soctakes of Omaha owner Gary Green. https://www.soctakes.com/2019/05/22/gary-green-omaha-usl-league-one/ Confirms that he wanted to have a partnership with Sporting KC, but they didn't (which helps explain the 2 year delay finalizing the team). He gives his rationale for going USL-League One rather than USL-Championship (the USL-C's desire for only SSS in the future). He references the AAA baseball team isn't drawing a lot of millennials or Latinos; so a soccer team is a good way to get them to the stadium (and sell them expensive beer and hotdogs). For me this article strengthens my belief that even though there was at least 1 other serious group interested in bringing a professional team to Omaha, no one could realistically challenge Gary Green's AAA baseball organization, sweet stadium deal, or deep pockets. I would have loved to be in USL-C and play Tulsa, OKC, Colo Springs, & KC. But if Gary Green does his job and the local fans do theirs, who knows where we might be in a few years? Bottom line, in 10 months Omaha will finally have a team of our own. PS. I suppose this thread has runs its course, from "Omaha USL ?" to "Omaha USL-1 !!" Question for moderators: will USL-1 get a separate forum in the future?
I just noticed when this thread began: Sept. 2009. Gee, I only have a few months to prepare for its 10th birthday. I'll go to Hy-Vee and get a cake. That's a very Omaha thing to do. It took a decade to get a pro team to Omaha. For some reason, that makes me feel sad. I think I'll re-read this thread tonight and relive the hopes and dreams of the past 10 years.
I was looking at USL- League One clips on youtube and found the press conference announcing the new Omaha team. It has some interesting details about how this came together.
Much like most of the decent stuff in Omaha, it was a Des Moines thing first At least you beat us to the punch on getting a pro team, despite our 25 year head start with the Menace. I keep hoping Kum & Go figures it out so that we can get that sweet road trip rivalry going.
I just really noticed how terrible the Swope Park Rangers are this season in every sense of the word. They have just 1 win in 11 matches. The USL-C website places them 35 out of 36 teams in their power rankings list. And that's the good news. SPR's attendance is dead last, averaging 349 in 6 matches- a decline of 60% from last year. They are 44th out of 46 pro teams, just 100 ahead of TFCII & OCB in the USL-1. Playing at Children's Mercy in front of 18,000 empty seats isn't working. SPR should go to USL-1, go back to the nice pitch at Swope Soccer Village, and start over. With Madison WI, KC and Omaha in the neighborhood, we really need Des Moines to add more fuel to the fire. Those four would make a nice little backyard brawl (some Big 10 rivalry could seep into OMA, DSM, Mad Town, and Lansing MI; always makes things a little more interesting.)
That would be a kick ass grouping. Knowing how KC and Menace fans travel, road games would be a blast too.
Until a SSS is built in walking distance of Court Ave., I propose that the Menace work an arrangement with the Iowa Cubs and the City of DSM to use Principal Park. On a nice night, it's one of the most beautiful places to catch a game (when the rivers are behaving). If Omaha's (actually Papillion's) Werner Park can host the beautiful game (one local blogger calls Werner Park- "The Trailer Park"), certainly there is a way for it to work at Principal. You could orient the pitch along the 3rd base line. The Cub Club would be packed. Should I start a petition at Change.Org?
aetraxx7, Now that this Omaha USL Expansion thread has runs its course, how about starting a Des Moines USL Expansion thread? Do you think that the Menace moving to Drake Stadium from Valley Stadium was signalling something about the future of the Menace? Are they getting good crowds at Drake or did they leave their base of support in West Des Moines? (I can't tell from youtube videos.) There are nice pubs and bars in Dogtown, but Drake Stadium is thin on ambiance. Maybe it's just step one on their march to downtown?
I haven't had a chance to catch a game since they moved to Drake, but there are a lot of people that avoid the Drake neighborhood like the plague due to the crime. Then again, there is a heavy police presence during events and they are in the process of upgrading from campus security to campus police... Having graduated from Drake, I'll agree that the stadium leaves much to be desired. The seating is awful. The sight lines are terrible (even for football). The iconic blue track is distracting. Everything about Drake Stadium is outdated from its configuration/seating to its track-first focus. Knowing Krause, I firmly believe that there is some sort of plan to bring the Menace to the downtown, East Village, or Capitol areas. There are not many options near downtown except a few clean up sites off of south MLK. The MLK corridor near the East Village and Capitol offer a lot more potential and still relatively close to downtown and bars/restaurants. I'm not sure that there is anything anywhere near walking distance to Court Ave though. Most of that land is developed or hosts historic buildings that are not going anywhere. However, I know that when the weather is halfway decent, a good chunk of people will walk from Court Ave all the way to Wells Fargo Arena before and after Barnstormers, Wild, and Wolves games.
I went to the Bugeaters FC match on Sunday. I'll put this here since it is related to soccer in Omaha. The BFC were founded last year in Lincoln NE and moved to Omaha and beautiful Morrison Stadium on the campus of Creighton Univ. BFC played in the USPL last year. Next year they will be a founding member of the Great Plains Premier League (which is being developed by the Gulf Coast Premier League). This year they are playing schedule of mostly NPSL & USL2 teams from neighboring states. The roster is made of players from local colleges. It was very good soccer. I'm guessing about 300 attended (on the same night as the USMNT v Curacao). Tonight's match ended as a 1 -1 draw with the Des Moines Wanderers. The reason I put it here is that I wonder if the front office of BFC moved to downtown Omaha to try and create a "Detroit City FC" type following. And with time, maybe they could capitalizing on the pubs and clubs of the Old Market area. However, I saw a lot of suburban soccer families bringing their children. I think when USL1 goes to Werner Park in the suburbs, these folks would be less likely to come downtown. The county is going to create an "entertainment district" in the cornfields around Werner Park. That would create bars and restaurants around a central plaza bordering the ball park. That will make coming to matches at Werner even more attractive. (And make the dream of being the next Detroit City FC less likely.) https://ballparkdigest.com/2019/06/06/werner-park-area-entertainment-district-pitched/
Way off topic for the USL, but is the GCPL/GPPL a U-23 PDL/NASL-type league or is it truly an open adult (males of all ages) amateur/semi-pro league? I looked at the league's website, but some sections appear very out of date.