We can keep a thread here for both teams. The USL League 2 announcement for the Iowa Raptors was made today... The @IARaptorsFC made a huge announcement on Wednesday. The team will join @USLLeagueTwo in the spring of 2021. The team is playing several exhibition games, including 2 this weekend that you can watch live on @KCRG 9.2. pic.twitter.com/sDEF4l8Zmz— Josh Christensen (@JCSportsGuy) July 9, 2020 The Krause family will likely get Des Moines over the hump. The Menace have been a fantastic organization for years... "We will get it done.”While the target date for @USLProIowa has been been pushed back nine months to 2023, @Kyle_J_Krause remains as committed as ever to delivering a Championship club to Des Moines. https://t.co/e9ZfevPeaY— Ryan Madden (@Ry_Madden) May 9, 2020
Technically, it won't be the Menace. For some unknown reason, Krause is pushing forward with new branding on the USLC team. I am not sure, but it looks like he plans to keep the Menace in USL2 as well. With the new stadium going downtown, I am curious to see if he moves the Menace to a suburb or even Ames. Of course keeping them in a single stadium means more playing dates, but it also means fewer potential concert dates. The new stadium will present DM its first modern outdoor concert venue.
I have no idea how the funding will occur yet, but the project itself looks really ambitious and would redevelop what is, quite frankly, a major eyesore for the city of Des Moines. https://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/1144026