You'd figured an Andrew Haines team would find themselves in trouble sooner or later... http://archcitysports.com/2015/11/18/trouble-brewing-for-the-ambush/
Great facts in the article, though I estimated the attendance for the first home game @ 4,000. It is fair to ask about all of this litigation. A follow up article was just posted by Arch City Sports - the Ambush are described as not happy about the original article. Will the owner answer these questions? http://archcitysports.com/category/soccer/st-louis-ambush/
I have been a season ticket holder of the Ambush since they started (again) in 2013. I have always had positive dealings with their owner (Andrew Haines) and others in the front office. That said, it is totally fair for a reporter to report facts about current litigation and tax issues proven by public sources. I don't know any more than any other fan about these problems but I agree that the owners should answer questions about these issues. It does not seem like a wise PR strategy to lambaste the website and refuse to be interviewed.
I have no problem with there being an article that paints a team in a negative light as long as it is factual. However, in the second article, it states, "I only said that I can’t censor my writers by taking down their articles simply because somebody doesn’t like them or wants info out there. That First Amendment thing, ya know?" Actually, it's not a "First Amendment thing." The First Amendment only applies to the government setting up restrictions on free speech and free press. Sorry that the social studies teacher in me came out.
Oh, of course Brian Roth wanted it taken down. He lives in a very small bubble surrounded by large pins and perpetually swings from denial to petulance. That said, it was a pretty sloppy piece that was poorly researched and completely unsupported.
I catch myself doing that on Facebook all the time, and I get every version of "Uh-uh" you can imagine. Then I wonder why I don't' self-censor myself.
Agreed, as long as the facts are there, I am ok with it. The editor did admit in a comment that more fans came late, so their estimate of attendance in their article was too low. The home game started at 430pm due to an NHL game happening in Saint Louis that same night (different Arena). The opinions expressed about the quality of the roster are always debatable in any sport. However, the facts about the litigation issues were sourced and clearly stated. Hopefully some answers from the team or owner will come soon.
He didn't have any facts about the litigation other than what is public record. We don't know anything about the cases and the writer didn't bother to ask anyone.
The author attempted to get comments from Andrew, the owner, and got no response. I don't know if the Department of Revenue or the other companies involved would have provided comments but I agree that it would have been a good idea for the author to at least make the effort to get their input. The onus really falls on the owner (or high ranking employee) to give some sort of coherent response (at least to say they are addressing the litigation in court, how it is being resolved, etc.)- the owners have a right to 'remain silent' but not sure it is good public relations. Maybe since the website that broke the story is not a 'major publisher' (though has some number of sports fan followers), they are hoping that the story won't be noticed? Not sure. No one, least of all me, is nominating this local sports website for a Pulitzer Prize, but I do appreciate that they called attention to these issues. I am willing to give the Ambush ownership 'benefit of the doubt' but it is a bit harder to do that if they don't provide any response. As a local fan and season ticket holder of the team, it raises questions. If there are any updates to the story, I will post them on this thread.
http://www.stlouisambush.com/news/st-louis-ambush-name-aaron-wag The Ambush have named Aaron Wagner as a team executive. Wagner also manages the Karidis group, which is said to own sports teams in Greece. The group has recently registered as an LLC in Missouri. As Detective Kenda would say - my, my, my.
Still waiting for the "skilled" ones to show themselves. That said, asking anyone to take down an article because it is not flattering to you is amateur hour. And instead of pointing out what was factually incorrect, doing the passive/aggressive "what's the use, you have an issue with us, obviously" is even more so. It's a poorly written blog (as many are) that gets little exposure outside of a small coeterie of people, few of whom are likely ticket buyers to begin with. Ignoring it would have been the way to go, or making someone available for an interview to put forth the team's perspctive.
Honestly, if Haines flips this to "the Karidis group" and it gains the MASL a financially stable ownership and the team improves and sticks around, then good for Andrew. In his past life, Haines would run the team like crap and sell a product that had no chance. He made effort with the Ambush, and he (re)created a product that could do well in St Louis. There is no reason St Louis couldn't end up being the Baltimore of the mid-west as far as indoor soccer goes. Maybe MASL (or Ed Hales new league) could use Haines to create respectable teams and gain interest from rich guys/groups that wouldn't typically get interested in indoor soccer. Maybe it was his calling lol
Haines said he has known Ward for a couple years, so Ward should know the true state of the business. Pure speculation but Ward looks like he is an owner-in-waiting. Ward is probably getting time to find other investors so he can take over after this season. If Haines has built a good soccer operation & passes it along in good condition to new owners, that is a success. The 0-5 start is frustrating, but the team is operating and selling tickets. Indoor soccer has a lot of nostalgia in Saint Louis - we hope it continues (as long as a league exists). I hope these litigation issues are being resolved, whether of not they want to discuss it.
I don't know what else could have been expected from a start to the season with 2 games against The Comets, 2 against the Mustangs and 1 against Milwaukee....that's a brutal start to the season. Sadly the front end of their schedule didn't do them any favors.
I agree with Bill Parcells - you are what your won/loss record says you are. The Ambush deserve to be 0-5. No one to blame but themselves. The Ambush have been missing a few scorers to injury for various amounts of time (Moojen & Dowell, most notably) but even so, the Ambush gave away the two games against Chicago with poor shooting, dumb penalties, and defensive lapses (such as a goal allowed in the opener due to a botched line change). Chicago is decent but the Ambush have at least equal talent. The Ambush had many missed shots in their home game against the Comets & failed to take a big lead. Predictably, the Comets scored enough late in the game to pull it out. That could have easily been 3 wins. The road game at the Comets was a blowout & the Milwaukee loss was a dumpster fire (only scored 2 goals the entire game). Injuries are no excuse either - plenty of talent was still available. Talent does not matter if it can't perform as a team and be sharp enough to close out wins late in games (e.g., go up by 3 or 4 goals in the 4th quarter and be able to dominate ball possession & hold leads). While the occasional fans/group tickets may not care too much, attendance by regular fans is likely to suffer if the losing continues. Not good. I hope it turns around.
Haines' record as an indoor soccer owner: 13-53. That's barely above Columbus Invaders/ Chicago Power / Canton Invaders At The End territory.
Ambush just announced that Head Coach Daryl Doran & Assistant Coach were fired today. No name of new head coach yet. http://www.stlouisambush.com/news/ambush-part-ways-with-doran-sm
Per Haines on twitter: Shooting a video to be released this afternoon!!! Stay tuned Per Ambush: We will be announcing our new head coach this afternoon...stay tuned! My WAG on who they're going to name: Kim Roentved
Tony Glavin introduced as new head coach of the Ambush. He has owned and managed a PDL team (the Lions) in the St. Louis area for many years. Good choice.
Glavin coached the Dayton Dynamo to the NPSL Finals in 1990/91, only to lose to the Chicago Power. I hope his appointment can help boost attendance especially since he has been coaching the Lions and has been involved heavily in the local youth soccer scene for many years. He's a good guy.
I would have thought if anyone were bulletproof, it would be Daryl in St. Louis, but the run the last two years virtually made this a certainty. Unfortunate. I guess Art Kramer wasn't interested in moving from Milwaukee? Glavin's career record, by the way, is 35-63 (.357), and no, he wasn't the coach of the Dynamo in the 1990-91 NPSL finals. He was fired January 7, 1991 with a 7-10 record. Jorge Montoya was the interim for 9 games, and it was John Dolinsky who coached the Dynamo to a 10-4 record to end the season and in the playoffs.
I stand corrected--1990 was a couple of lifetimes ago for me. I remember Dayton was in the finals two seasons in a row (which seemed remarkable to me); I remember Tony started as coach for that second run, but I was in/out of the USA alot at that time and it was difficult for me to keep up during the era before the internet really got big.
Dayton WAS in the finals in 1990 and 1991. Rick Schweizer took them to the finals in 1990 (where they lost to Canton in four). Schweizer, incidentally, was the final coach of the ill-fated New York Kick the following year (going 0-10) and then returned to Dayton in 1991-92 but was fired on January 9, 1992 with a 4-12 record. At which point he was replaced by....dramatic pause...John Dolinsky, who had resigned the summer after taking the Dynamo to the 1991 finals. And Dolinsky resigned three weeks later. The NPSL was fun times.