So Peterson has thrown out San Fran, LA, Orange County and San Diego as the possible expansion locations by end of the year. Is he just throwing out market names or are there actual ownership groups interested. I can't find info on any ownership groups in any of those markets. I'm particularly interested in seeing if anyone has any info on the Orange County bid? We have the USL Blues here and I support them the best I can but it is on level with Dayton. Shoe string budget with very little infrastructure and zero ability to market. Its hard to see the club being able to truly compete in this new era of the USL.
Well now would be the time to "strike" since MLS is down to 1 team. But I am not sure NASL's interest is legitimate.
It would not be their interest I doubt, rather I would question whether the potential owner is legitimate.
with the team starting in the fall 2015 season. http://www.indyweek.com/sports/arch...soccer-league-poised-to-announce-la-expansion Trying to get the Pacific time zones, even if it means starting mid-season again.
This probably should go in the expansion forum, but "starting the fall of 2015" oh shit, another Cosmos type coming in half way into the season. Lets see if this is more than just smoke by the league.
Neil does his homework, so, yeah. Fall 2015? That means there would be a split season again in 2015, with 11 teams in the spring and 12 in the fall? 10 game spring season (one better than this year!) and 22-game fall season? (Also, he references the Aztecs name, obliquely, so we have to start that whole thing again.)
As long as they don't call themselves LA then try to play in Orange County. As much as some people dislike it Aztecs would be the smartest move in regards to marketing. The Nostalgia is annoying but it is what it is. Hopefully no one tries to bring back California Surf or Orange County Zodiacs.
Aztecs is a good name, but do we have to go over again that nobody gave a rat's ass about the Aztecs the first time around, except for 1979?
Is it more about making $$$ off the old trademarks or getting quality clubs in NASL. They already sell T-shirts for the LA Aztecs Philadelphia Atoms Chicago Sting and more I don't it's a coincidence they are doing it.
First off, they who are selling t-shirts isn't the NASL. Secondly, it can't be a huge market. The potential upside of t-shirts for long-dead soccer brands is, I'm sorry, just not that large. Nostalgia is worth only so much. We have enough problems selling t-shirts for teams that actually exist today. I have a Chicago Sting t-shirt. But I would venture a guess there ain't thousands of other people who do. This NASL is in a retrogasm mode and tries, when possible, to act as if it's that NASL in an attempt to cultivate history and gravitas it does not currently possess on the basis of its own accomplishments. But selling t-shirts, no, sorry, Classic Ink and Throwback Max ain't making that much off those brands.
Putting a team in LA would be a risky move obviously with the Galaxy as competition so playing in a stadium a good distance away from Stub Hub would be a must. I would think they would also capitalize on the use of the Los Angelas name over OC. Aztecs would be a good fit for the name. Maybe the 10K Titan Stadium would be a good location with its distance from Carson - LA Blues played there and couldn't draw many but that may be more because of their organization/marketing or lack of it but it seemed like it was a good facility with a nice field and broadcasting setup.
Aztecs in East LA ( http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Weingart_Stadium ) playing the Mexican card in a more general way that just for Chivas fans. Use Mexican national team colors and sign a few former Mexican national team stars past their prime like Blanco. Probably could draw 8k if Chivas could draw 8k.
Goat Parade weighing in: http://www.thegoatparade.com/2014/1...l-team-coming-to-los-angeles-aztecs-fall-2015
I can. If the owners can do it right and find a niche group of supporters, they will do just fine drawing crowds upward of 10k. LA is massive and sprawling, this club could end up being a good distance from LAFC and LAG, giving them an opportunity to draw fans who don't want to make a long trek for a night of Football. Obviously, it's much easier said than done, but it can certainly be done. Not sure how much I believe this report though. For all we know Peterson may even be over hyping the leagues positions to his own officials.
I doubt Peterson would overhype to the BOD... It's like cutting his own throat. Especially considering NASL already has two lameduck franchises and a zombie in Atlanta. Any Franchise announcement they make going forward should be legitimate... Keep in mind this is all still rumor.
When Jacksonville was announced (and OKC and Virginia too, for that matter), the NASL wouldn't let them launch the next year; they said that they didn't want to rush teams into the league. I wonder why LA is getting the rush...
I don't think Cuauhtemoc Blanco even qualifies as "past his prime" at this point. We're edging into "who is not deceased" territory. Seriously. If a US team tries to get significant minutes out of him, I'm pretty sure he may end up leaving a patella on the field.
I think it's got to be that they're hoping to fill the void left between Chivas' closure and LAFC's start-up. I can't imagine another explanation. But then I can't actually imagine why an LA team seems like a good idea. They already have the Galaxy, Galaxy 2, OC Blues, and the incoming LAFC (and certainly LAFC 2 not long after). Just where do they expect to "fit" into that market?