Would Hounds fans be opposed to Pittsburgh affiliating with an MLS team (i.e. Crew)? Seems to be working well with Orlando and KC, DC andRichmond, and a few others. Rumors are there will be 10 or more formal affiliations next year. Some MLS clubs will also be starting their own reserve teams to compete full time in USL. Would you prefer to have a roster be 100% your own players or would you welcome 5-7 players being "sent down" to you from an MLS side? If you would support the arrangement, would that have an effect on which MLS team you follow? Would you then become more of a fan of the MLS side if some of their players had played for your club? Who would you prefer Hounds affiliate with?
I don't live in the are any more. But if I owned a team, I would take the players. That's 5 - 7 better players you probably wouldn't of had. And on top of that, that's 5 - 7 players that I don't have to pay. Look at the impact that both USL Pro teams had from the players they received. It looked like a pretty good result for both clubs.
Not that Crew has that kind of depth, but look what Dom Dwyer just did for Orlando. Surely Pittburgh would love to have MLS caliber players sent to them to help win trophies.
http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/artic...unds-great-place-send-our-players-develop-hou Your Riverhounds just struck a deal with the Dynamo.
The Dynamo-Pittsburgh deal doesn't make sense, geographically at least but I guess it's only a little worse than Orlando-KC, and Portland- Sacramento, but Richmond-DC and NE-Rochester make a lot more sense to me. Either way, and not to seem like I'm just bashing on USL, but the USL-Pro is firmly establishing itself as bottom tier-feeder league. Orlando will be gone next year, and the turnover is getting pretty sad. The larger city markets can't seem to succeed (L.A., Tampa, Phoenix) and league is now accepting MLS reserve teams. While USL seems content to remain in markets like Rochester, Charleston, Dayton, Wilmington, etc . . . (and that's probably their best approach), NASL continues to exist in bigger markets and grab up markets like Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Oklahoma City, and New York City. I just think USL needs to change that tagline that they are the best league outside of MLS, as it's proving to be quit untrue. I had no dog in this fight (Prior to Jax getting a club), but I know there was quite the battle on the boards the last couple of years as to which league was better. I supported the Rowdies and Orlando City equally . . . But to those who want to try to continue that fight, here's what I have to say about that. Crossover, Slam Dunk, Game Over. P.S. Yes, I know OKC is getting the energy in the USL. Seems like a "reaction" to losing the bid for the statium they competed with the NASL team for, and a bit underhanded to rush the launch to '14 instead of '15 like the NASL side. My guess is that the rushed team will be about as successful as Tampa and Phoenix's rushed bid, and furthermore it will split the town and be bad for both teams, both leagues, and soccer in general in that market.
I now have a new team to follow when the Dynamo aren't playing. Let's make this a high quality mutualistic situation here. Go Dynamo-Hounds!!
Not trying to be rude but what the hell has the NASL done? Its not like their teams are better than the the USL teams. I bet the top 5 USL would beat the top 5 NASL. just my opinion. Now its time for the NASL trolls to come defend their amazing league that is world class. Glad to see Pittsburgh getting it together. BTW love the new stadium.
Please keep your NASL fanboy crap on the other side of the fence where it belongs. Good affiliiation for the Hounds (geography doesn't matter in these situations), and it appears that they bigger ambitions going forward. Best of luck to them.
Don't shoot the messenger . . . The NASL is continuing to aggressively pursue "Major League" markets, while USL-Pro seems content to be in farm league towns and accept reserve league teams. Maybe today the performance on the field is similar (I watched Orlando City beat the Rowdies THREE times during last year's preseason), but the gap will begin to widen. Orlando City is an exception and I do not expect this parity to last much longer. It was in the news today that the Cosmos might sign Raul (although it could also be argued that they are an exception to the rule as well). Regardless, call me a "Fan Boy" in five years. I even prefaced in my previous comment that I have supported both Orlando and Tampa Bay equally so I had no dog in this fight.
I wish that the Crew had affiliated with the Riverhounds. Yes it's a bit farther away than Dayton, but the Riverhounds seem to be more professionally run than DDL?
Let's take the USL NASL cat fight elsewhere and keep this about the Hounds alright? It's going to be interesting to see who gets sent to the Hounds and the impact they'll have. The Hounds signed a lot of top talent this off season. There could be some real dog fights for starting XI spots this season. Players pushing each other is going to benefit both clubs.
I'd venture to say that geography DOES matter. These affiliations help MLS teams out big time. Saves the clubs a ton of money. With an affiliate FAR away, that's just additional costs for the club to take on. I imagine Houston could look elsewhere if there's a new club that is in closer proximity (whenever a contract were to run up). I think it also helps with branding. Not many people in Pittsburgh will partake in what Houston has to offer at its home facility. They may see some additional bumps in apparel sales, but I'm not sure how much. Teams want to ensure those within their market can be provided for. The teams also want to make sure the market is worth it (maybe why no team has partnered with Phoenix?).
I've created an MLS Fantasy League for us Pittsburgh folk. Register here: Simply use this link and you'll be added automatically after you've entered the game:http://fantasy.mlssoccer.com/my-leagues/1421/join/?autojoin-code=8272-1421. You shouldn't need the league code, but just in case here it is: 8272-1421
OK - it's time to pack up the loan reserves and ship them to balmy Pittsburgh. We need to get them settled. Once the group is ready, Jason and Tuffy can make their last couple sigings. Also, we need more warm weather so the boys can get outside and game fit - something that was clearly lacking in the UVA scrimmage last week. Indoor training is good for the off season, but it's critical to get outside, especially with only 2 1/2 weeks before the opener agains a team that'been playing matches since February.
I'm surprised how long it's taking to get anyone from Houston. We're starting to hear of other team's loans but not a peep for the Hounds.
It's not "long" by any means. Columbus announced theirs today. Heck, there are still USL Pro teams signing players.
Or teams that have no signed players at all: http://odfcnews.com/2014/03/12/phoenix-fc-ownership-sources/
Well when they were down in Houston a couple weeks ago we were told they already knew who 2 of the players were that they'd be getting. Figured if they knew that early something would've been said, or at least leaked. With the MLS season now underway and the USL season fast approaching we're (the supporters) are getting antsy.
Per the Steel Army's interview with coach Evans they know who the 4 players are and they should be arriving on Sunday or Monday. He also mentioned we might get a 5th player but they're still discussing it.