Well can't say I didn't see that coming but there was always hope. Thats really sad. Last season was special for those of us in the 1906. We made new friends and did massive liver damage on a weekly basis. Oh well no time to dwell on it we got the Quakes to get going on and this season will be epic. That said I am going to miss those cold ass night at Kezar with the 1906.
By the was the story os slightly misleading, there was a potentiel owner but USL denied his business plan. SO we had a chance there for awhile.
that's too bad. I really saw you guys turning into a Timbers type fan base. What happens to the franchise itself? Is it gone completely? Or can it still be sold to someone else (cough, sacramento, cough)
Here are some facts to clear up: 1) We had an investor group who were willing to pony up a $500,000 performance bond as a good faith gurantee that they will honor the 2008 season. 2) The business plan submitted by the investment group was denied by the league. No official reason has been given. 3) Corporate sponsors were already lined up for the 2008 season. 4) The investment group had flights booked for the Florida GM conference. SO WHAT WENT WRONG???? To be honest, I am not to sure. At first they seemed to want a franchise in SF, but when the Sounders announced that they will return to the USL in 2008, we seem to have lost our importance. Does that have anything to do with it, or is it just a coincidence? Or maybe the league is gunshy from the Virginia Beach incident and a year of Pieterman. All I know is that there have been no return on my emails or calls since last week. ~Your Friendly Neighborhood Bruiser...
Its too bad the Victory won't be around after it seemed we had found a white knight to save the team at the last minute. Hopefully something will happen and the Victory will return but like Alexi said we still have the Seals in '08!
No doubt. The Seals showed up to every Vics game, it would only be right that we do the same for them. Besides, they had been representing SF for years now. That alone is enough for me to show up at Negroesco Field.
Well, there's the Quakes, and obviously the Seals to continue the Bay Area fix. Negosco looks very appealing right now.
Personally, I think USL gave up on a pro soccer in the Bay area once San Jose was announced to return to MLS.
Personally, I think the writing was on the wall with the Victory a long time ago, and it's Alaves who gave up, not USL.
Once it was apparent that Alvares and/or Pieterman were running a circus, USL just wanted to wash their hands of that MLS market.
I think it was apparent that the Victory were a circus long before Wolff announced that the market would be an MLS market in 2008.
Yeah. Alaves and Pieterman are the only ones who deserve blame for this. Sure the USL's interest in the market probably waned after Wolff brought MLS back to the region, but the Victory were already headed for disaster by the time that happened. By mid-year it had all gone to hell.
That sucks. We had a blast coming down to SF for the Timbers/Victory game last summer, and were all hoping you guys would manage to stick around at least another year. SF is a great city and the 1906'ers we met were all class. At least I had one trip to Kezar Stadium and Kezar Pub, both great spots. Cheers, and good luck.
Great. What am I going to do now on those summer weekend when the A's aren't in town and the Quakes are playing in Santa Clara? How are the Seals games compared to the Vics games?
Seals games are a blast and a great bunch of guys running that show. I alsways enjoy Seals games and there should a pretty good 1906 group out there supporting our only local team.
doktordan, One of the biggest selling points of the PDL in general is that you get to see some of the future players of either USL-1 and even MLS before they go pro. If you went to the Victory games, there were not only some ex-Seals players such as Luis Aguilar and Matt Fitzgerald, but some of our rival players like Josh Hansen and Eric Reed. Kamani Hill played against us in 2006. You never know who might be the next player to make the jump to the pro's. Chris Rodd who played with the Seals the last couple of years just signed to play in Norway and Victor Cortez who started with the Seals U-20 before making the jump to PDL just toured with the US National team U-20 in Argentina where he started two of the three games including against current U-20 champions Argentina. While the level of play may not be that of USL-1 and we are under no pretensions that it is, the biggest reward for going to the Seals games will be the people that you are going to meet. Most of us our earthquakes fans and even season ticket holders before the team moved. But there is no way I would have ever gotten to meet Benfiquista, Sully, Calispurs, Delle Alpi, Brusier, QuakePaola, LeoCal, Wellington, Hawkeye, Akexi, and a whole lot of others if it weren't for the Seals. If I can't encorage you to come and watch the Seals play because of the level of soccer the league is in, I do hope that I can encourage you to come out and meet an incredible bunch of people who are as passionate about their soccer as you are and whom you will one day have the pleasure of calling them your friends. Speaking for myself, that has been the most rewarding thing about working with the Seals the last two years and makes me want to work even harder so that everyone can feel as good about the Seals as I do, either as a fan, volunteer, investor, or friend ...
Unfortunately, not too many people see that as a selling point, based on PDL attendance figures. And that, boys and girls, is what it really is all about at the end of the day. I've been to the World Cup. I was at US 2 Mexico 0 in Columbus when we froze our asses off. I've met Pele, stood and chanted for 90 minutes at an MLS Cup, been to a PDL Championship game, broadcasted men's and women's games, indoor games and outdoor games, and nothing has been cooler about being a soccer fan than the people I've gotten to meet through the game - my brothers and sisters in soccer. Mes amis footballeurs.
I think the people who give the Seals a chance and attend their games have a lot of fun. They havent been too successful the past 2 years so seeing some of their opponents is a better deal. The victory are coming back in 2009?
At the end of the day, that's all we are asking for is for people to come out, have fun, and support their local soccer team. We haven't been the best team in our division but we haven't been the worst either. If people come to our games with unrealistic expecations about the level of soccer they are going to see, then yes, they will be dissapointed. We are fully aware of our place in the hierarchy of American soccer. So when you see players like Chris Rodd go on to sign pro in Norway or Victor Cortez playing with the US national team U-20's, there is some satisfaction in that. All we can ask is for people to come with an open mind with the idea of having fun. The people you will meet will be worth the price of admission so to speak. In the process, you get to help a local soccer team not only survive, but hopefully become better ingrained in the community. Cheers to all the fans that came out in 2007 and all the new friends we all got to meet. We look forward to making some new friends in 2008 as well, so if you are ever free a Saturday or Sunday afternoon during the PDL season, we hope you come out to one of our games and give us a chance to make you a part of the Seals family.
I think you have a great attitude about the Seals. I think the General Manager, Simpson, should maybe have the Seals play in the east bay, south bay, and other areas to give the team exposure. It would be very successful to have clubs like Ballistic or Mustang or Navato host games, and have all the club's members come out. The Quakes will be great for soccer in the bay area, but I think the Seals can become more personable and give more exposure to great players like Cortez, Rodd, Frei, Sassano, and other bay area players who have played for the Seals. Watching those players is worth a couple of dollars along with others like the England boys, etc.
Seals seem to be a great organization. I remember when we were forming Queen City out here in Buffalo and they were forming in SF we would email each other some idea's. Good luck this year seals!