Take a pic from a short list of whom you like to see with an A-League team. If your chocies are not up there, feel free to post them.
The forum restricts the number of choices that I could have put on the poll. I stuck to some which could provide rivalries of some sorts. I didn't include cities from Florida because of what happened with MLS. Also considering the failure of the Miami Freedom in the A-League years before.
I voted for Edmonton. I think they could do something really special, if only Calgary were to stay up in the A-League. Ideally, I would say a Philly or a St. Louis. I think St. Louis would be the best. St. Louis has huge soccer support from all levels.. The only thing that is missing is professional soccer. It's time people embrace A-League soccer, because the quality isn't as poor as it was.. Of course buffalo.. But right now with the troubles the Rhinos are having getting PTP, I don't think Frank DuRoss would allow it. If A-League grows in size, than maybe. If PTP doesn't get built, then by all means, move them to Buffalo. I am sure the state will pay for everything if it is in buffalo. (That's a truthful statement, but at the same time a joke for Rochester people)
Calgary is staying up in the A-League and is building for the long-term. They have brough in a good number of players to bolster the team. The problems for Edmonton is the lack of a suitable stadia and an owenership group. A team in Buffalo might help push for the stadium in Rochester. This could help build a Rochester-Buffalo-Toronto rivalry.
I have to disagree with this. I think this was a big missed opportunity for the A-league. Thay should have gone into the Florida markets and tried to capture some of the fan base that the Mutiny and Fusion had built. However small the fan base may have been, I'm sure it was good by A-league standards. They also should have made MLS an offer for the naming rights of these two franchises and tried to build some sort of continuity.
Re: Re: Possible A-League franchises Being in Tampa, I disagree. The last thing Mutiny and Fusion fans needed was a thrown together effort. Both cities need ownership and Tampa needs a stadium. Those things take time. And as for keeping the MLS names, I don't think MLS would sell.
I also think that we should put A-league teams in Miami and Tampa Bay. I also agree that St. Louis and Philly would be great choices. I heard that harrisburgh PA might be getting a team? If they did that would be great for shorter road trips by Pittsburgh fans. I really do hope the A-league expands!
No Hershey used to have a team. I dont know what happened though. THey made it to the A league final had great attendence then just left. does anyone know what happened
No Need to Expand Let's face it, the league has plenty of teams that are barely surviving. If anything there should be a movement to get rid of struggling franchises like Indiana and El Paso before it considers moving into new markets. By consolidating the league, you will get rid of some of the lesser players making it more competitive, entertaining and fiscally solid.
Now that you mention it, I do remember some stories about the Hershey team being disestablished. I was in Hershey in the summer 2001. Unfortunately there was no home game during our stay, but the team seemed to get pretty good press coverage. The seemed to have a fairly nice stadium right outside of Hershey Park and they were well advertised in some of the Hershey tourist brochures. I wonder what went wrong. I know Hershey did well last year. John Bush was the goalkeeper for Hampton Roads in 2000. When they folded for a year, he went to Hershey in '01 and played great. I think that's the year they went to the final four. This year he's backup keeper for the Columbus Crew and had had some terrrific games, at least the ones I've seen.
Re: No Need to Expand I think this year the A-league games I've seen have been more entertaining than MLS. I don't think contraction worked that well for MLS. Personally, I'm tired of watching the same teams over and over again. I used to be a big MLS fan, but now I won't go out of my way to watch games. Over the last week, I've watched 2 extremely dull 0-0 ties between DC and Chicago. I'm sure I'll get a lot of heat from people telling me about exciting 0-0 draws, but these were not. Watching MLS this year, has been like having an 8-plex theater with the same movies showing every week. I think sooner or later MLS will have to consider playing some meaningful interleague games with the A-league. It would give every MLS fan a little more variety than they get now. Certainly, the novelty of having MLS teams come to A-league cities would generate good crowds (if the games were promoted, unlike the mid-week Open cup games). Then the better A-league teams should be merged into MLS to establish a good 16-18 team league.
Hershey Chocolate decided that the 5-year plan they had was a failure, not noting the growth in attendance the last year. It was a complete bottom line decision. Harrisburg is trying to get into the game; success apparently depends on a park (on an island, IIRC) being prepared for a team by a certain date. Last I heard, this seemed possible, but no follow-up word. Frankly, IMO, for the A-League to work, it needs less large markets (or some creative placement or marketing scheme heretofore unrealized) and more markets like Rochester and Des Moines and the like, where an A-League team simply doesn't get lost in the crowd. I suspect, in this vein, that the A-League needs more teams, leading to less travel, which leads to the schedule problem many of you are complaining about. It's not like the A-League is profitable under current circumstances.
Re: No Need to Expand Since when is El Paso a struggling franchise? They are in the top half in the league attendance wise.
El Paso's been around for like 12 years. Given the volatility of the A-League and USL in general, that's pretty darn stable.
Maybe not El Paso but... ...it doesn't do the league much good when they drawl 850 in Indiana or less than 1,000 in Cincinatti. I think Paul makes a good point about travel being a factor is scheduling, etc and that is why El Paso would be on my chopping list. It is not near any of the other teams. El Paso might be in better financial shape than say ownerless Vancouver, but I would hate to see Kramerhead disappear!
Long standing teams like El Paso don't deserve to be chopped, and Vancouver has been around since 1986, something that Portland cant lay claim to. But it takes the arrogance of the fans of a second year team to start telling long standing clubs that they should be axed.
Second year and still a better fan base than some teams that have been around since 1986. The fact is we are on your side Krammerhead. Vancouver is good for the league and a good rivalry for both Portland and Seattle. I would hope even you would agree with that!
You take out an established team, you only scare away those who might want to become invovled in the league. Franchises that have been around that long are the stability that the league needs. Atlanta has poor attendance but has a stable owner. You want to chop them as well. How about going back to the old APSL with two separate leagues.
Portland does not have a better fan base than Vancouver. They simply have a skewed higher attendance figure because on Thursdays people show up for $1 beer. Simple as that. Anyway tune into FSW tonight, should be a fun night at Swangard.
Those that would otherwise fold. As for El Paso not having any teams close by, having Utah Blitzz move up would help them out there. Would be good to have another team in Texas move up or form. Maybe in Austin or San Antonio. I know Austin had a team in D3 for a while, not sure what happened to them.
What's your point? Portland only gets people to the games because of cheap beer? Whatever works I guess. Sounds like a good promotion to me, maybe you'all should try a imular promotion in Vancouver. One still has to buy a ticket though which is all that matters. Beer is cheaper at the store though and the $1 beer will only be offered 6 times this season. In the states beer can be purchased almost anywhere unlike canada where you have to go to a beer store. I don't drink beer by the way and I go to all the games.