Aside from San Diego and orange county, there are two other cities in California I don't understand why the NASL doesn't try and push for teams. San Diego and orange county I understand why because of the market size with equals potential more $ for TV and sponsors. But the problem with both is you have direct competition with the USL and two MLS teams in one market and now a competitive race to land teams with the other with the same two leagues. I say cut your losses and focus on one but also start to develop a chance to place a team in Bakersfield and Fresno. Now Fresno is supposedly on the list for usl team but there's still a chance to get a NASL in first and Bakersfield is a untouched place from any major sporting teams except two minor leagues. 1 hockey 1 baseball. Just a thought for more west cost teams, as is usl is beating nasl to the punch on expansion into mid major markets. Baltimore just announced today as being a strong bid for usl. Hopefully usl can target other states such as, new mexico, Idaho, Wyoming and one of the Dakotas to start closing the gap between costs
Does the NASL have interested owners in those markets? "Pushing" for a team might work if the league can find someone but all the pushing in world won't work if no one steps up. New Mexico, Idaho, Wyoming, the Dakotas??? I don't know if you really meant USL or NASL. Either might accept teams from those states but it would take owners willing to lose a lot of money. The population density in those states is pretty low to support pro teams in popular sports, let alone soccer.
Details. Fresno has had a PDL team that has drawn well (tickets were free for a few years, I do not believe that is the case anymore). I think Bakersfield may have had a PDL team at one point, but they have had only California League baseball and ECHL hockey in recent years, to my knowledge. I just have never understood why some folks' idea of due diligence is "I have heard of this market before and they don't currently have a team, therefore they should have a team." Also, except for NYCFC, leagues do not normally target markets and attempt to shake investors loose from the local trees. They put teams where investors express interest, assuming they tick a sufficient number of boxes. But perhaps among the 40 or so groups who were interested in NASL expansion teams, per Bill Peterson, were groups from Fresno and Bakersfield. Because, God knows, more NASL teams playing in baseball stadiums sounds like we're onto a winner.
The NASL targeting a market and finding investors is pretty much how they got the San Francisco Deltas, but that's probably not a repeatable case. Bakersfield lost its Class A baseball team after last season, as the Cal League contracted by two teams. An independent league team is starting up in the antiquated WWII-era ballpark. Metro population is 850,000, probably too small for the NASL's ambition, if it still has ambition. It does have a very old 20,000-seat football stadium at Bakersfield (Junior) College.
I have never understood why you don't realize we are just a bunch of fans on a public forum. The only person who posts here who actually does what you want people to do is Peter Wilt, and it keeps him busy enough that he only posts like once a year.
Oh, I realize it. I simply have never understood why many choose to remain at the level of "just a bunch of fans" when it comes to thought processes. This is not just "a public forum." It's a community. One that is better when people are thoughtful. Some of us have seen a million threads that begin "What about (insert market here)? Why don't they have a team?" You can learn a lot from a lot of people who have insight and common sense and who don't just throw stuff against the wall. But you choose not to. THAT's what I don't get.
Evan Ream reported in June/July timeframe that there was another group aside from the Fuego PDL team that wanted to come in and put a USL team in Fresno. Apparently USL wanted the Fuego to decide if they were moving up within six months or they might sell the rights to this group. Ream hasn't had an update since then.
Wyoming, ND and SD each have total populations of less than 900K (Wyoming barely has over 500k in the state). Total populations of the entire state. That is smaller than most metro areas that have NASL or many USL teams. Not. Going. to. happen. Idaho could support a USL team in Boise, I think it actually has been talked about as a possibility elsewhere.
In defense of Kenn, I love to go to the mall and scream at kids that Santa Claus is not real and that you are stupid for believing your parents lies. It is fun, I recommend it.
Well it looks like Fresno is off the table for NASL unless they'd want to go head to head with USL in a small market.
San Fran ? One of the questions I get asked from people up here in the NW is why do they call it THE CITY , they think it's weird just THE CITY .
I think we've had this conversation before but it is not unusual. People in greater New York City often refer to "The City" and mean Manhattan. In Chicago, people say "The City" when they want to exclude the suburbs. I'm sure it is true other places.
https://www.socceramerica.com/article/73342/nasl-expands-to-southern-california.html?edition=17196 The eight-team NASL has announced a new club for the 2018 season that will be based in Orange County in Southern California. The team’s majority owner will be Pete Capriotti, the owner of Cotti Foods, which operates 177 Taco Bell, Wendy’s and Pieology restaurants nationwide. The club, which has signed a letter of intent to play games at 10,000-seat Titan Stadium on the campus of Cal State-Fullerton
Looks like NASL lined up a replacement for Deltas once they inevitably fail. Good for them to think ahead.
Ah I wouldn't read too much into it. Here's the official logo for just the expansion not necessarily the team. If anything it looks like they have a logo for the expansion into California as a whole project. Makes me wonder if more than San Diego for 2018 is in the pipeline. Oakland maybe?