Oakland & San Francisco-Bay Area (non-Earthquakes) pro soccer.

Well, to be fair, it's not actually a "rule" per se, more like "decorum".

 

I guess the sign should say "MLS Next Pro"...

 

Here is more important news…

 

Back in the day, I’d be chased around the house with a wooden spoon.

A real one not the spoon the Quakes won last year!

 

Got an email from SF City FC, an existing tenant in Kezar. They’re hoping get the SF Supervisors to nix the handover of the venue to the Golden City interlopers.

 

Are SF City FC going to pay for the over $10 million in renovations to Kezar stadium if they convince the SF Supervisors to "nix the handover" to the GCSC "interlopers"?

https://sfist.com/2025/05/09/sf-is-getting-a-new-pro-soccer-team-and-theyll-play-at-kezar-stadium/

According to that announcement from Lurie’s office, the new team ownership will put “a minimum of $10 million in capital improvements at Kezar Stadium, with further investments planned.” That means a new natural grass field and irrigation system, new seats with backrests, a sound system, pro venue-style concession stands, and even a dazzling LED scoreboard.

That’s going to be paid for by the team’s co-founders Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, whom the Chronicle describes as “Bay Area finance executives and San Francisco soccer dads who both played collegiately.”

Major League Soccer executive vice president Charles Altchek added in Lurie’s press release, “We are excited to work with GCFC on their plan to bring an independent team to San Francisco. Bringing professional soccer to this iconic city aligns with our mission to expand the reach of the game and foster a vibrant soccer culture in communities across North America."

This will not interfere with the other uses of Kezar stadium, and you’ll still be able to run that track which will generally remain open to the public. Kezar will still serve as the home team football venue for Mission High School and Sacred Heart Cathedral, and they’ll still have the Turkey Day Game high school championship there. It will just be a better stadium with a kick-ass scoreboard.​

 

I thought that last SF team that folded made $$M of renovations to Kezar?? Did that not happen, or are way more renovations needed?

I already forgot the name of that team.

 

SF Deltas made lots of promises (eg "drones will deliver your food and drinks") but I don't know how much they actually spent on renovating Kezar given they only played there for one season before they along with the rest of NASL disbanded.

 

They installed stadium seats salvaged from Candlestick Park, so it's no longer all benches. Don't know if they did anything else that lasted.

 

This whole thing sounds kinda lame, especially the part where they schmoozed their way to getting signoffs from Daniel Lurie and Bilal Mahmood probably because they are just part of a friends-of-friends circle who see each other at the Bohemian Club or something. And for what - a Next Pro team which will very much be "minor league" in perpetuity? If anything I'd like to see some actual rich people make a run at adding a 2nd MLS franchise to the Bay Area, otherwise leave the community-run clubs alone.

 

How is paying $10 million to upgrade a stadium not leaving community-run clubs alone?

 

They invested about 1 million dollars into Kezar Stadium. Also included upgraded lighting and locker rooms.

https://www.soccerbayarea.com/2016/...s-kezar-stadium-thanks-to-deltas-soccer-team/

 

My thoughts: San Francisco deserves a world-class pro soccer team. Instead, it’s getting another lower division league team that will struggle to succeed.

Opinion: San Francisco’s latest ‘professional soccer team’ hasn’t learned from past club mistakes

 

SF City most likely won't be able to play anymore at the stadium because of the construction, GCFC's tenancy, and the equal-use requirements for any other team that wants to play there.

 

I agree with this but no one is talking about putting a top division (MLS or USL D1) team in SF, so any team (GCSC, SF City, some USL Championship team) would be lower division... It's not like a top division team could really even play in a stadium with a track though, so they would have to find a location other than Kezar. For SF that would probably mean spending like $500 million on a new soccer stadium. Which if any of the many billionaires in the area wants to do, let them. But as of now it seems like $10 million for Kezar renovations is the best it's going to get. Even if the team struggles to succeed, the renovations will remain.

Oh interesting, because the sfist article says "This will not interfere with the other uses of Kezar stadium"... I assumed that included SF City. I don't see why two soccer teams couldn't both play there, maybe I'm not understanding something. If they would just have to find a temporary venue during construction that wouldn't be too bad...

 

https://beyondthe90.substack.com/p/kartiks-notebook-mls-next-pro-back

Last week, MLS Next Pro expanded to San Francisco via Golden City Football Club (GCFC). While the last effort to place a pro club in the city was that of NASL’s comical San Francisco Deltas (yes they won the league title but were also perhaps the most arrogantly over-hyped yet naively pathetic operation business-wise I have ever seen in the sport at the pro level) a side that was great on the pitch but whose embarrassing way of doing business portended the collapse of the entire league.

The addition of GGFC followed closely on the heels of an impressive announcement including a huge capital investment in Western Michigan. Involved in that group in Grand Rapids is Dan Devos, the type of impressive ownership name that seems to be attracted to MLS and not USL. So perhaps when it is all said and done, MLS Next Pro is back in the game.​

 

It doesn't sound like SF City would be prevented from using the stadium, it sounds like they fear the competition? Welcome to capitalism.

SF Chronicle: San Francisco City FC at risk of being kicked out of Kezar Stadium by expansion MLS Next team Golden City Football Club

“There is precedent of MLS clubs dropping out of nowhere and killing smaller clubs with a fan base,” he said, pointing to cases in cities like Nashville, Austin and San Diego.

The renovations at Kezar Stadium will be funded by Golden City FC’s ownership group, led by Bay Area finance executives Geoff Oltmans and Marc Rohrer, the latter of whom played professionally in Germany.

Blackley said the timing threatens to derail recent momentum for San Francisco City FC, which draws around 1,000 fans per game.

Concerns include reduced access to fields, disruption to player development and the potential loss of sponsors — particularly as another club with a similar name and matching color scheme enters the scene.

“It creates even more confusion for the common San Franciscan,” Blackley said.

 

Matching color scheme? Can they at least not make that the same? This reminds me a little bit of The Roots / The Town. Is there really a need for 2 sub-D1 clubs in the east bay? Wouldn’t it be better if they pooled resources and fan bases? Cam we all get along?

 

You can see how much they're reaching when they complain about matching color schemes...

GCFC hasn't finalized their branding, all they have his this at the moment, labeled "interim logo"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_City_FC

Wow I can't believe Golden City FC is using the color gold... that is in the SF flag

This is the SF City crest:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Francisco_City_FC

 

It's pretty bad

This is a wake up call MB that crest is far too forgettable https://t.co/cggdaRwgA8

— I Hate Your Club (@IHate_Your_Club) May 27, 2025

 

Club Statement: Oakland Roots SC Make Coaching Change - Oakland Roots SC

 

Oakland Roots SC Name Benny Feilhaber as Head Coach

Coach Feilhaber is ready for bidness. 😤#OaklandFirstAlways pic.twitter.com/yETMYNvVwO

— Oakland Roots (@oaklandrootssc) June 3, 2025

Things are not going well for the Roots hopefully Benny can turn it around

 

First thing he should probably do is play in their center midfield.

There was a guy from The Town that subbed in last night and I didn't know who the heck he was. It was Ariel Mbumba. I googled him, and he's a congolese guy who played for the Quakes academy long enough for a cup of coffee 10 years ago, then some other academies, including De Anza Force, then 3 years for the Roots, Columbus Crew 2, and Spokane "Velocity". Anyway, 3 years, 34 appearances with the Roots, and he's a last minute / desperation due to injury sub for The Town? Been a few years since he played for the Roots, but it makes me wonder - are they really getting good enough players or is it the coach?

 

Roots are 12/10 in branding / design / merchandise and -2/10 in anything actually soccer related