I just wanted to catch your opinions on if a soccer team could survive in the state of michigan outside of detriot..... lets say Midland or Frankenmuth even though Frankenmuth is a very very small town.... so's Midland for that matter. I'm talking about a USL-2 team or even a NASL team..... just some banter is all
Well, the Duggans started the Bucks up in Saginaw then moved it to metro Detroit. Various teams have come and gone in western Michigan. If we're just jabbering, then I'd say that Mount Pleasant might be a good place for a USL2/PDL team of some sort. There's not much sports competition in central Michigan, CMU would be a good location for a joint stadium and driving distance from both Chicago and Detroit
I think PDL, if run the right way, could survive in most mid-sized Michigan Cities. IE - Kzoo, Grand Rapids, Lansing, Mt. Pleasant, Saginaw/Bay City/Midland area, Ann Arbor. Really wherever there is a large college population along with a regular population base I think PDL could stand a chance. Surprise place to put a PDL team would be Marquette. None of the three UP universities (Lake State, Northern and Tech) have mens soccer as a Varsity program, so putting a PDL team up there could possibly allow for the development of those sports in the UP. And just to let you know, both Tech and Northern have Women's Soccer so it isn't a climate thing. Again PDL is so touch and go, it has to be done right or you stand no chance. USL-2 would work in Grand Rapids if marketed right, even possibly Lansing or Kalamazoo, maybe Saginaw. USL-1 might work in Grand Rapids. But I think Detroit is the only place where a USL-1/NASL or MLS team would actually do well right now.