NASL Files Federal Antitrust Lawsuit Against US Soccer

I'd be hesitant to put another team in Florida. Fickle fans, crazy weather.

 

Kenn, don't the current Rowdies own the NASL club's IP? I thought that's why they were FC Tampa Bay for their first season.

FWIW: my introduction to soccer was when two NASL Rowdies players held a clinic at my elementary school in Orlando in the 1970s. I've had a soft spot for them ever since.

 

Looking at the recent death of the Quakes original NASL founder, Milan Mandaric, most Bay Area soccer fans will have never knew about the sport if it wasn't for him.

The memories and experiences myself and many other families had in those days were the best times of our lives.

Former player and GM Johnny Moore once said, he is certain the NHL's SJ Sharks and especially the MLS team will have never existed if it wasn’t for the original Quakes and I believe it.

Milan created an everlasting legacy.

May he Rest in Peace!

Pompey fans, ex-players and Redknapp give Milan Mandaric tribute

 

I will never understand people who think states are the appropriate geographic entity for these judgments. I just won’t.

 

"Crazy weather" does kind of cover the whole state. I grew up next door to the panhandle, and it's very similar up there to what's down in Miami. (It's not crazy to the locals, but the instant rainstorms and blazing heat/sauna are often not super great for watching other people play sports outside.)

I also can't think of a place in Florida except Gainesville where the fans are well known for their loyalty and for showing up consistently in large crowds. Daytona for NASCAR maybe, but that's once a year. Lots of teams in Florida have plenty of fans when the team is good, and crickets when the team is bad (see, e.g., the Marlins, Jaguars, Hurricanes, and Rays).

 

No, less power to them. American soccer has too many crooks/grifters/weirdos who insist that their delusions are more authentic than our actual existing reality, and too many niche fans ready to validate their nonsense.

 

And every time one of these fly-by-night operations inevitably falls apart, it feeds said niche fans' persecution complex and USSF/Garber conspiracy theories.

 

What has this person created and who is willing to watch and fund it?

 

Bring back the Colorado caribous and the tassles

 

Loved Jomo Sono!

 

Silicon Valley venture capitalists will be all over it. The people who raised $120 million for a $300 juice extractor that was less effective that a gentle squeeze with your hands.

 

The Rays are averaging 9,713.

 

They're currently playing in a stadium with a capacity of 11K.....

 

If the Yankees were operated like the Rays have been operated for the last 30 years, they would be drawing flies as well. Even though they have had some decent teams at times, they've played in the absolute worst stadium in the history of baseball until their major upgrade this year, and they basically never re-signed any of their star players.

You really can't use the Rays as a judgement on how an MLS team would operate in the same market.

 

I mean, yes, it's absolutely a bad thing when grifters find an audience. MLM schemes and patent medicines certainly have people willing to buy, but that doesn't ennoble them and I don't wish the people behind these scams good luck. Quite the opposite!

 

At least there he’s talking about the market and not arbitrary state boundaries. Nobody argued that LAFC would fail because San Jose is a terrible market. Precourt didn’t care about Dallas’ market strength.

 

San Jose isn't a terrible market.

As a matter of fact, since 1974, Northern California and the entire SF South Bay area was always at the forefront of being among the best soccer markets for both youth and pros.

The problem is not the market it’s the horrible ownership or John Fisher.

 

And they can't sell that out...

 

Carlos Meditieri forever!

I lived half a mile or so from Aquinas stadium, where they played in their heyday.

 

I see Meditieri online frequently and he still looks good.

 

Does it meet D1 standards. I think we should complain to the US Baseball Federation?

 

I, too, believe that there's room for "nostalgic", American-style sports team brands amongst the clubs of professional soccer in the United States and Canada.

Why? Because, when it comes to the traditions that govern the naming of pro soccer teams worldwide, said traditions include the so-called "American" convention of combining a place-name with a nickname. Soccer... football... futbol... calcio... is a GLOBAL sports phenomenon. Said globe includes the United States of America and Canada. As such, the "American" franchise naming convention is as legitimate a part of soccer's branding traditions as any other. Therefore, I see no reason to believe that pro soccer in this country is suddenly going to abandon place-name/nickname combos completely. Nor should it.

The professional soccer leagues operating in the United States and Canada are likely to remain a leagues marked by multiple franchise branding traditions for the foreseeable future: "American",.. "International/Euro"... even corporate. There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Frankly, the variety makes for a less staid, more colorful and creative landscape.

My only concern would be if long-time clubs were to begin jettisoning existing identities solely to ape whatever branding style happened to be trending at a given time. Similarly, as new teams enter professional soccer in cities that had longstanding traditions in previous American and Canadian soccer leagues, I would hope they'd give consideration to reviving/maintaining identities from said leagues as the likes of the Seattle Sounders, Portland Timbers, and Vancouver Whitecaps have done.

Beyond that, I ask only that club ownership / leadership involve supporters in the branding process through surveys, focus groups, public meetings, etc. Their voices should be heard.

At the end of the day, branding variety can be a plus.

 

Since the Houston Dynamo name was announced and the MetroStars became the Red Bulls, both in March 2006, the only somewhat "American-style" name introduced in MLS, not counting long-established names that originated in other leagues, is Philadelphia Union. I say "somewhat" because the name follows many "Union" clubs around the worlds and is also very similar in concept to "United". It's clear that MLS has become quite set in its ways in its approach to choosing names. Inter is the most creative new name of the last 15 years.