I'm beginning to doubt an Orlando Announcement tonight. The Orlando City social media has been too quite. This is highly unlike them. They always tease about "major" announcements. So, I'm thinking, expansion might get mentioned tonight but no specifics. Then the week of the USWNTvBrazil match the worst keep secret will be revealed.
It's a smart move. Hit the largest audience in your backyard filled with plenty of people unaware of the NWSL in a pregame/halftime special announcement versus the complete opposite side of the country and a tv audience that is already well aware of what is going on.
According to Caitlin Murray: Based on web domain registration, it looks like Orlando City SC has possibly lined up #NWSL team Orlando Pride and #USL team Orlando City B.— Caitlin Murray (@caitlinmurr) October 6, 2015
Just the Mane Land keeping up with all we know and don't know so far: http://www.themaneland.com/2015/10/10/9464011/keeping-up-with-the-orlando-city-nwsl-rumor-mill Side note: I'm interested that the poll at the bottom about the team name already has nearly 250 responses. If a fan article can get 250 responses without anything official being said by the MLS team owners, I wonder how that would compare to how Canetti got over 1000 responses when officially just putting feelers out about the to-be-Dash.
At this point I would be shocked if Morgan isn't going to play for Orlando City.. she sure is making the rounds in Orlando soccer circles. Look who dropped by campus yesterday...👋 @alexmorgan13! #ChargeOn pic.twitter.com/jRexN8YVPd— UCF Women's Soccer (@UCF_WSoccer) October 13, 2015
I'm interested by this development: OCSC has put its USL B team out on the coast as opposed to in Orlando itself. All talk has continued to suggest the NWSL team will still share a stadium with the MLS team, which makes me happy to see that at least someone is treating NWSL > USL in terms of central/satellite splits.
While I would like to believe they are putting the NWSL > USL, I think its mostly just smart marketing. Financial concerns aside, why would a fan pay to see USL when they can see MLS instead? So it make sense to move the USL team to a different location. The NWSL is sufficiently different from MLS that they can exists in the same market.
That's true, it's definitely a marketing decision - but my point was more that the NWSL team shouldn't be/wasn't viewed as a "satellite" club while the USL team can. They could have sent the NWSL team elsewhere as well - it's still part of the OCSC brand so it could have helped reach - but from a marketing perspective it was more important to show the team on (locational) equal footing with the MLS team.
Okay, in addition to the website registration Murray first reported a couple weeks ago, it now seems like "Orlando Pride" was trademarked last week: http://www.themaneland.com/2015/10/15/9536173/lion-links-10-15-15 http://tsdr.uspto.gov/#caseNumber=86780273&caseType=SERIAL_NO&searchType=statusSearch Of course, it could be that Orlando-based Come Out With Pride has heard the OCSC NWSL rumblings and is protecting their existing brand identity... Another reason I prefer "Orlando Roar". X-D
So how do you feel about the name? Personally I'm not a fan of it, or many of the current NWSL team names. Pride, Dash, Flash, Reign, Spirit. These type of singular abstract team names were popular in the 90s but they went out of fashion later. I'm not sure why they got fashionable in women's soccer now.
I personally love abstract name than some variation of FC/SC/United or after an animal. Also, the name "Pride" in this instance is not abstract.
I agree, Pride is not abstract and although it's singular it refers to a group of individuals. And, it's partly a play on words. I think it's very creative.
"Thorns" is very good, and fits Portland on many levels. "Reign" is hilarious, the best pun in all of sports. It's a Seattle thing. "Pride" will inspire our collective-nouns nous (gnus?). A pod (of whales), a clowder (of cats), a coven (of witches), a murder (of crows). And when the Reign alight at yer box top ... a siege (of cranes). Hmm ... a mumble of Minions a scowl of angry birds a wawa of Peanuts parents a stickle of selfie-chasers Orlando could go the Lion King musical route. I would pay to have them chase me around at halftime with a spatula.
Ah, so it's Pride as in pride of lions? That aspect is cooler than what I thought. Kind of like Crew. What's the pun with Reign and Seattle? Is it something to do with Shawn Kemp?
I think most assume that they would like it to coincide with the USWNT game in Orlando. I expect an announcement next week, personally. Wouldn't be surprised if it is Wednesday/Thursday.