"Was" Director of Youth Development for Chivas USA. Is not currently. I don't think we will see anything about an LAFC connection this season. LAFC has a lot more important things to focus on currently.
Definitely an upgrade or what it replaced. I'd actually say this is their best effort to date. They've come a long way from this...
LAFC? Zero. Although if anyone took over the CUSA Academy it would be LAFC. Hence why I can sorta/fantasy see a possible mythological link. PS LA2 is a USL club.
Bah. LA2 was shorthand for the new LA club before it was LAFC. The Galaxy can complain all they want but their little friends will always be LAG2.
LAFC trying to take over OC Blues? Speaking of strong ownership groups and Southern California, LAFC is expected to start its USL affiliate in the near future. Efforts are being made to merge that yet-to-be-realized club with the existing Orange County Blues FC. OCB holds the USL rights in Orange County, but LAFC possesses more than a modicum of clout. With big egos involved on both sides, successfully merging the clubs could tricky. StP spoke briefly with OC Blues FC Operations Manager Marcia Bonillia, who professed to have no knowledge of a potential merger with LAFC. http://scratchingthepitch.com/2016/04/06/nashville-to-be-part-of-next-wave-of-usl-expansion/
Watching the game versus T2. Maybe 100 people in the stands. So, so sad. I really wonder what the problem is down there. Is it truly a bad market or just bad management of the team? They are deep in OC. Far enough from Stubhub that you would think they could get a decent crowd?
Glad to hear my country man, Trevin Caesar opened his Orange County Blues account with a game-winning goal against Portland Timbers. I wish Orange County all the best for the season. Trevin's goals are archived here http://www.socawarriors.net/forum/index.php?topic=63031.0 .
2016 LH USOC May 11 in Ventura, CA Ventura County Fusion (PDL) 2 LA Wolves FC (CA) 1 Angel Espana and Albert Ruiz scored in the first 26 minutes and the Fusion then held on to set up a date at home against the the Orange County Blues.
well...hold the phone: http://thecup.us/2016/05/12/la-wolv...er-us-open-cup-loss-to-ventura-county-fusion/ LA Wolves to file protest over US Open Cup loss to Ventura County Fusion May 12, 2016 If the Fusion are disqualified, the Wolves would host the USL’s Orange County Blues in Round 2 on May 18.
L.A. Wolves FC Protest Upheld; Team Advances to Second Round Ventura County Fusion was ruled to have used an ineligible player in First Round http://www.ussoccer.com/stories/201...dvances-to-second-round#.VzZe_fCRZBU.facebook
http://sbisoccer.com/2016/08/usl-su...-for-homophobic-slurs-targeting-robbie-rogers The United Soccer League has announced punishment stemming from an August 20th incident involving Robbie Rogers during his rehab match with the LA Galaxy II against the Orange County Blues. Midfielder Richard Chaplow has been suspended two matches and fined an undisclosed amount for his use of abusive and offensive language towards Rogers in the last 15 minutes of the match between the two USL teams on August 20th
http://www.socceramerica.com/articl...-owner-takes-over-oc-blues.html?edition=16104 A new stadium is just part of the grand plan for new Orange County Blues FC owner James Keston. His purchase of the team, effective immediately, was announced Thursday. Former owner Ali Mansouri, who started an amateur team, Los Angeles Blues, in 1998 and obtained USL membership in 2010, will retain a minority interest. Financial terms and other details of the transactions have not been released.
While googling to figure out who this guy was I found an article linking him and his very wealthy father to buying a MLS franchise in 2007. Might be a big improvement for the Blues.
The league may have "outgrown" Mansouri but I think it's sort of disrespectful to label him a "lowerl-level" owner. Guy was the lone western conference team for years and extended himself qute a bit to maintain the club he founded. The fact Mansouri is staying on as a minority owner bodes well I think.
That's fair, apologies. He certainly has resources and lost a lot of them in pursuit of this. But it was very clear someone with the ability to direct those resources in a more robust manner was necessary. Perhaps the new group is it. They never did really have a plan to sell tickets. They had Dave Snuggs there for an hour and a half. They had a youth soccer guy as their GM. They had trouble settling on a venue. They could not market. Their coaching situation was chaotic. But there's no questioning that the Mansouris had the bucks. So that was an unfair characterization on my part.
Appreciate the words. I'm not a blues rep or fan even, but I think that anyone who does what they can to contribute to the growth of the professional infrastructure here should be lauded. The struggles the Blues have gone through are well documented, but the fact is, they've been a constant presence in an ecosystem that is constantly recycling teams. The various professional teams/leagues around the country are all going to go through growing pains, particularly since so many teams are built by people who are just soccer fans, not true sports/business professionals. But as long as there is growth, as a soccer fan myself, I'm happy.
I thought this was an interesting read. The team has undergone a pretty robust overhaul since the ownership change. I hope to see more from them going forward: https://www.soccernation.com/orange...motivation-systems-and-goals-for-2017-season/
https://www.socceramerica.com/artic...sets-record-at-toyota-park.html?edition=17655 USL Orange County SC drew a sellout crowd of 4,963 for the official opening of Champions Soccer Stadium in Irvine on Friday night, a 1-1 tie with Phoenix.
Wow, good for them. That's a big turn around from a couple years ago when the purpose of their existence given their sometimes three digit crowds was being questioned.
Look I'm rooting for the team to do well, but this was offensive. I was at the game, the official capacity of the stadium is about 2,500. With the field level seats they added it might be as high as 2,750. So there were 2,200 people sitting on the grass berm? At best there were 200. I snapped a few pictures of the berm within a few minutes of them announcing that number just to prove I wasn't insane. I am a believer in counting tickets sold not tickets used, so if they had announced 3,000 I would have gone along with it. This is like announcing the Galaxy have 45,000 at the Stubhub Center. The ONLY way, besides just making numbers up, I can think of to justify 4,963 is if they game 2,000 tickets for the grass berm to groups like the AYSO, not expecting them to use them, and are counting tickets distributed not tickets sold. I know MLS has/does play that game to inflate their numbers. But I have never seen team announce an attendance almost double the actual capacity of the stadium, especially when its clear the stadium is not on an overflow standing room capacity.