USL General Expansion Discussion --- 2015 Fortune and Glory Version

Discussion in 'USL Expansion' started by sawillis, Feb 20, 2015.

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  1. sawillis

    sawillis Member

    Apr 24, 2007
    Smyrna, TN
    With the news that the league has a goal to jump to 40 and my shear enjoyment of the last wishful thinking thread I was hoping we could do it again. Please feel free to add some wishful thinking along with info that comes down the pike.

    Cities that I am hopeful some movement on a possible USL franchise are Nashville, New Orleans and Birmingham. On the nashville front I work at a TV station here in town and we will hopefully start digging into potential USL movement in the coming weeks. Greer Stadium could be fairly easily configured for soccer and if someone ended up there it would be the only occupant. Some money would be needed to update some areas of the stadium, but it is doable.
     
  2. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Based on noise made by the league and the team, it would seem like a good bet that Fresno is in next year
     
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  3. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Why would you think that?
     
  4. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    sawillis repped this.
  5. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I wouldn't be suprised to see 3 conferences next year as well ... possibly 3 10 team conferences ... but who knows. Hopefully we start seeing some announcements of new ownership groups (MLS 2 teams don't need the lead up time, but new groups seem to be better with some build up time).
     
  6. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    @Blando13 What do you think the odds are of Sporting really jumping on the wagon to get things done at Kemper and turn it into a soccer hub with their USL team as main tenant? Really hope Sporting announces their own USL team next year, somewhere in the Metro
     
  7. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Unfortunately, I think SKC will be one of the last ones to get a USL 2 team. I'd rather them get a PDL team next year playing at Swope.

    I also think it would be a situation where they play at Swope with the Championship Field being somewhat "expanded" to fit that stadium need.
     
  8. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Fresno would, presumably, have to start charging for tickets (if they have not yet stopped the sponsorship practice).

    Also, please remember: USL intends to be D2 in 2017*. Someone moving up from the PDL to USL has to now consider being D2-compliant, not just D3 compliant. (Even if USL does not, in fact, get D2 sanctioning in 2017, that is the plan and anyone thinking of making the leap into the pros - as few have done successfully - will have to have that in their minds as well.)




    *Intends. We all know anything can happen between now and then.
     
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  9. sawillis

    sawillis Member

    Apr 24, 2007
    Smyrna, TN
    Blando13 repped this.
  10. Bisquick_in_da_MGM

    Jul 26, 2013
    Club:
    Atlanta
    Birmingham!!!!!!!!
     
  11. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Salvadanish and Blando13 repped this.
  12. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Would take the American game back to one of its roots, surely.

    boston_to_play_providence_more.jpg

    Just missing those pesky details of an investor and suchlike.
     
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  13. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  14. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    My guess is that there is about 2 more years of repairs to Civic Stadium before Lane United can move up to USL (pro).
     
  15. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Hard to tell. If all they really need to do is replace the roof, it might not take that long, especially with the building being structurally sound. Guess their big decision will be if they want to do everything, like the Kidsports building, before moving up. If they go in phases, then who knows?
     
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  16. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
  17. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    So the Rams are effectively NE Rev's U23 PDL team, and in the future may become their Rev's USL team, effectively ending their affiliation with Rhochester.

    Do any of the teams that currently have their own USL teams still have a U23 PDL level of team?
     
  18. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I believe NYRB, DC, Portland and Orlando all do. Probably more.
     
  19. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Well, Portland may, and NYRB sounds like it will too. I don't consider DC or Orlando to have their "own" USL teams. Orlando may have influence on Louisville, but I don't think it's the same ... it's not like Louisville is moving up a bunch of Orlando Academy players like a lot of the others are (and should be doing).

    Seattle may be another one ... and I am not sure about Vancouver either.
     
  20. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    It sounds like wishful thinking from the Rams. The only way a minor league pro team could exist in this market is with MLS backing in the form of a "Revs 2". And there's every reason to think that the Revs have no interest in pursuing that right now. The Rams are pretty invisible around here and I'd imagine would bleed money like crazy if they attempted to go pro.

    Last season Montreal, Chicago, Orlando, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, and San Jose put teams in the PDL. NYRB and DC were in the NPSL. Montreal and Vancouver are shutting down their teams in 2015 and NYRB may be as well (not sure - they were supposedly hopping to the PDL but Wiki doesn't list it).

    I don't think having USL and PDL teams are mutually exclusive. In fact, the sorts of players who would play for each are pretty different. USL reserve teams are a real stepping stone between the U18s and MLS. Pros and pre-college amateurs are allowed to make cameos. PDL is a summer sideshow for college players. You can park your ex-academy players currently in college in the PDL, give them games and keep tabs on them, and perhaps invite some others to help scouting efforts for upcoming drafts. But there's really not all that much value in having a U23 PDL team, which is why most teams don't bother or invest much effort.
     
  21. Blando13

    Blando13 Member+

    Dec 4, 2013
    Lee's Summit, MO
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Thanks for the info!

    The value in the U23 PDL team is if you have a group of ex academy players in college who are selecting college for the education and hoping to still have a professional career after graduation. USL team is valuable if you have a bunch of talented players that are comfortable putting an education on the back burner (or possibly trying to go a different path towards a degree by taking a smaller course load while playing professional sports). I just wondered if there were MLS academies that had enough of both to justify having both teams. Ideally there is enough talent to justify it at some point in time.
     
  22. Balerion

    Balerion Member+

    Aug 5, 2006
    Roslindale, MA
    Nat'l Team:
    United States

    I agree there's some value in a PDL team, but it's quite limited. It's just 14 games over a few months. And most good college players will play elsewhere in the PDL anyway even if their MLS organization doesn't field a team. How much value is really being added? A little scouting, control over the way the team plays - it's not a whole lot.
     
  23. kenntomasch

    kenntomasch Member+

    Sep 2, 1999
    Out West
    Club:
    FC Tampa Bay Rowdies
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I am a historian. We dig for stuff.

    And the value of the PDL is more than just the 14 games (at a high level). It's also the training and the environment you can provide to players who (at some point) may fall under MLS' next set of Calvinball player acquisition rules.

    Good college players play in the PDL, but a lot of them would probably just as soon stay close to campus or to home in the summer rather than pack up and head to Thunder Bay or some place.

    A PDL team is also not a great expense. The data is - necessarily - limited on the actual effectiveness of these teams, because the sample size is so small. But the data is also sketchy on the cost/benefit ratio of academies. Everybody says you have to have them and they're going to pay off, but no one can actually yet point to how the equation actually works.
     
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  24. SoccerPrime

    SoccerPrime Moderator
    Staff Member

    All of them
    Apr 14, 2003
    Club:
    Real Salt Lake
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    I misunderstood the question then. I thought you were asking which MLS teams still have PDL teams. My apologies.
     
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  25. Sporting Real

    Sporting Real Member+

    Jun 29, 2011
    Kansas City
    Club:
    Sporting Kansas City
    Nat'l Team:
    United States
    Got to rep that bit of writing for the Calvin and Hobbes reference
     

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