Are we going to become a DIII club? Did anyone else read this article from mls-rumors? http://www.mls-rumors.net/10413/201...nership-standards-for-professional-divisions/
The new standards call for a whopping 750 thousand dollar bond which must be paid by each team 120 days in advance of the season. A figure that may have even some of the richer owners in the league reeling. Another standard will be soccer specific stadiums. The new standard will require all teams in D2 to be playing in SSS’s within 5 years. US Soccer is also calling for the net worth of the majority owner of each team to be worth $20 million. This more than anything is a sticking point that could eliminate a number of existing teams. The Puerto Rico Islanders are just one of those teams. Per IMS
would Soccer Park and/or where the Lions play qualify as Soccer Specific Stadiums? Or do they expect MLS-quality stadiums for division 2 teams?
I'm all for setting standards for ownership for D2, don't want to see teams falling apart after 1 season. But it seems like this could be a bit more than some teams are willing or able handle. Are there eight teams in D2 now (excluding Vancouver, Portland, and Montreal) who could swing that much money AND a SSS? Want to price out weak ownership that's fine by me, but what good does that do when you end up with a 6 team, non-FIFA sanctioned league?
It depends on how USSF defines SSS, but I figure most D2, including St Louis, play in SSS. Austin, CPB, and Tampa don't, but St. Louis, Carolina, Minnesota, Miami, Rochester, Puerto Rico, and Montreal do. I'm not including Vancouver and Portland as both are gone at the end of the season.
Also note that Brian's report says 'SSS within 5 years.' So that doesn't eliminate Austin, CPB or Tampa, unless they decide that that isn't possible. What would eliminate teams much faster is the $750k bond and the $20m primary owner. CPB would be silly to try it (IMHO) and should move back down. As far as St. Louis goes, if Cooper felt like he had enough money for MLS, he should be able to cover the money requirements for D2. So of all the teams that aren't moving to MLS, St. Louis is one of the few that should be able to, right now, cover the three requirements that have been mentioned so far.
Yup...but wait! 1) I really am bad at googling...it's rather annoying...I know there's so much internets I'll never see. 2) This makes conversation on the board.
That's the million dollar question. That's where promotion and relegation falls short in the states in my estimation. With stadiums costing what they do, I don't see St. Louis Metro building a 15K seater for a DIV II team... Although St. Charles built a 10K arena....
As much as I would love it, there will NEVER be promotion/relegation in the American game. Its a foreign concept to the American sports model and no owner is going to pay a franchise fee with the possibility that his/her team will be bumped down to a lower league. Also, no existing top flight team is going to approve any proposal that will potentially de-value his/her investment. The quicker we give up on this dream and move on to problems we can actually solve, the better.
The only way I can see this working is that when promoted, you have a 5 year commitment to the top tier league....or if we have ALL foreign owners. I think it was put best by saying that D2 should become MLS2 and be a reserve league like NFLe was. Allow each MLS team 6 spots for assignment, then people the rest of the league with other players and there you go. If the MLS wants to call up a non-contracted player, pay a transfer fee to the MLS2 team.
I think having a SSS would be the only requirement since you own the property and fixtures. AB Soccer Park could easily be expanded with more metal bleachers to add a few thousand more seats. I think Seattle and Vancouver both played in <10,000 seat stadiums before moving up. \ Even newly promoted Blackpool in the EPL only has a 12,000 seat stadium which they are expanding with bleachers for their first season in the premiership.
But can/will CPB go down to DIII? CPB jumped in feet first with NASL and completely torqued off USL.. Will USL take them back? Will CPB want to go back to USL? Or will they just shut the operation down? On the stadium issue, how likely is it that a SSS will be built in Tampa, Austin, or Baltimore in the next 5 years though? You said in another thread that you didn't think it was likely in Austin, right? I doubt USSF is going to let them into D2 unless they at least have a plan to get a SSS.
I don't think they're worried about seating capacity. Soccer Park is a SSS and is fine for D2. This rule seems to be directed at teams with pitcher's mounds or American football lines on the field.
I was watching Canadian Football a couple weeks back, and in Saskatchewan they had soccer lines on the field... What soccer team plays in Regina, SK in a football stadium?!
You're right capacity is not the issue. They understand that longevity depends on the ability to make a profit and by owning your own stadium you have a much better chance & quicker road to breaking even or being profitable...parking, concessions, etc. That's why Charleston has been one of the more stable teams in the lower leagues.
I'm not going to get all worked up over the possibility of us moving down until I see a link a little more substantial than MLS Rumors. I'd just assume get all my sports information from the Onion than that piece of crap site!
good point, but self relegation is something that could happen now that USSF has put up the new standards and we have no idea where Cooper stands anymore.
I'm just taking things as they come. If we're in DIII, as long as my season ticket price goes down...I'm cool.
Last I remember, St. Louis Lions has rights to USL1. As there's not likely to be a USL1 any time in the near or far future, I wonder whether they'd fight AC joining the USL Pro League next year? Just further speculation/thoughts. I'm starting to think that, once everything settles out, AC will be in the D2 NASL next season.