Yep, got that email this morning but have been too busy at work to post it. I don't know if I'll be able to get to the event tomorrow. I kind of hope someone shows up with a big #SaveTheCrew sign for Don.
Quoting someone else from another site but I agree: "I've completely turned on MLS. After this Columbus fiasco, I don't believe a word they say anymore, and I'm sick of their triumphalist growth narrative. Let's see how well they do when they are no longer able to distract us / make a quick buck by creating new teams (there are already arguably too many). They did good work over the last 20 years rebuilding the sport in the USA - but now they've gotten greedy."
Can't say that I disagree too much with the sentiment. I've been following the ordeal over in the Crew forum and it's pretty lousy how the Columbus community and supporters are getting screwed by that POS owner and by the league. But the fact is this happens in the other leagues too. Ask the fans of any team that had their team taken away. It's the unfortunate result of the franchise-based leagues we have instead of clubs that are more community-based. That having been said, I'd rather have a first division team than not. This will be the first time I've had a top division local team to support since 1983 when the Fort Lauderdale Strikers moved away.
Congrats to Nashville. Love seeing the south be successful at soccer. Please come up with an original name! Outlaws? Olympic?
John Ingram, who is the majority owner of the new MLS team, is also the owner of a new USL team starting in 2018. Not sure but I presume that team name will move to MLS just as other lower division teams have moved up. Its name? Nashville SC. Sigh.
And I'm fine with that. Yeah, it's not an American (city) (nickname) naming convention like in every other sport and there are critics that hate all of the FC/SC's or Citys or Uniteds, but I don't care. NSC is better than just about any "cool" name anyone is going to come up with. Although, if they do go with a new name, something based on Nashville being the "Athens of the South" would be novel. Olympic would be okay but probably confuse people into thinking that Nashville has hosted an Olympic Games.
Congrats to Nashville assuming all reports are true but, what exactly has the soccer/football community in Nashville done to prove they will support the team besides bending over to fund a stadium for the owners? Even Charlotte had high attendance for international games (higher iirc) but the local support is not so much. I really thought Raleigh or Tampa was going to secure the SE spot next to MIA but, I expected this round to go to Sacto and Cincy considering how well they have supported their current teams. Also, will Nashville keep the blue and yellow scheme for the move to the majors?
The formula for Nashville's bid, which went from late entry dark horse to first across the finish, was fairly simple. Investors with deep pockets, an approved stadium plan and the current status of Nashville as the "it" city. That last one I put along side MLS's desperate desire to get Miami in for the same reason. I do feel a bit sorry for other markets with more of a track record supporting teams at lower levels. But as long as major league sports are a closed market, there will be winners and losers determined on factors other than apparent merit. If I am completely honest, I do have questions about whether this will work here. But then again, I never thought Atlanta would work either, although it has just been one season and time will tell. And there were plenty of detractors who swore the NHL would fail here. So "c'est la vie", say the old folks, it goes to show you never can tell. And I hope they keep the color scheme. If I were a betting man I bet they will. It works for Nashville as they are the colors of the city flag and also those of the Predators.
Tennessee Trinity is kind of cool... combining the three regions of TN and a symbol of unity. Doubt it would happen, but better than the same old, same old boring traditions.
Eh, I think I would rather it be Nashville than Tennessee. Besides, part of the reason MLS wants to be here is because of the city and its cachet, not necessarily the state.
I agree. Most likely it’ll be Nashville SC, which is as vanilla as can be, but seems like the way the league wants to grow... that said, they could always adopt something like that for a nickname. Outlaws (music)...Music City Outlaws?? Tennessee Trinity (unity of the state) Olympians (Parthenon) Owls (Athens of the South, Athena)...Music City Owls?? Generals, Brigadiers (Francis Nash)...Blue Brigadiers Overmountain Men Just throwing stuff out there
I don't dislike Owls. Kinda unique in pro sports. It'd never happen, but it's not bad. And yeah the SC/FC thing is bland but so what? How many people get excited about a team because of a name? Besides, there have been quite a few horrible team names in the history of American soccer. I'll take vanilla. Besides, it's the finest of the flavors.
Speaking as a Nashville native and decades-long soccer fan, I don’t think many people 15 years ago expected the explosive growth of the city, both in size and profile.
Back when I worked with the Metros, Lynn Agee, one of the owners, used to talk about when Nashville would get an MLS franchise. He was sure of it. I thought the idea was crazy, but there I was at the announcement today.
Lynn had some pretty grandiose ideas (I remember the drawing of Third National Stadium in the Metros’ program in 1998 or so). And having been among a couple dozen spectators at some A-League games at Ezell Park way back when, I’m surprised that he could see a path to get a Nashville team to MLS. But I’m proud, and glad to have a second team to support besides the horrible, underachieving original MLS side I have stuck with all these years.
I just hope Nashville does things right and we see a real rivalry between Nashville and Atlanta. To be honest, to me this feels like a second team to support, although Atlanta is #1 to me, compared to Orlando, which is a team I can love to hate.
Good job Nashville! Just curious, will the team be called the Rouges? Just as long as they won’t call them another FC or United....
Rouges? Why would they use the French word for Red? Or are you referring to "Rogues" as in the Memphis Rogues? No way a team in Nashville uses a Memphis name.
I loved the Memphis Rouges! I’ll never forget when they and Tony Field beat the mighty New York Cosmos!
OK. Keep spelling "Rogue" as "Rouge". And think that Nashville would use a team name from Memphis which is 200 miles away (when people in Nashville notice that it exists.) Whatever works for you.