========= Then back to my original question, who gains by USL attempting to put a team in this market?
I mean, if USL gains an expansion fee no one feels great about that answer, but that's the truth. If it's successful, the USL gains knowledge on how to build something within a MLS market, if it fails, maybe it prepares them better the next time, or convinces them not to try. It's not like FC Dallas is just unreal in the market or that the market isn't big enough for multiple teams. If the location works because the city wants to be a "partner" in building the right facility then so be it.
Frisco and Garland are about 20 miles apart. Frisco is in Denton County (pop 1,007,703) and Collin County (1,195,359) while Garland is mostly in Dallas County (2,606,358). Tarrant County (2,182,947) borders all three. The USL1 team, Texoma, is going to play in Sherman which is part of Grayson County (146,907) which borders both Denton and Collin to the north. There are several other smaller but growing counties near both places and honestly Garland is probably easier to reach for people in places like Plano.
----------------- Any rumor of stadium site? Garland does have multiple stops on a light rail line, something Frisco doesn't and may never get. Cotton Bowl still has been transit with a light line stop at the front door.
Rev's supporter here but I'd like to say that my interest in USL has increased, especially since I have a great USL organization just a little further down the road from me at RIFC. I went to 3 of their matches last season and was quite impressed at the way things were run and the passion of their supporters. I am also very keen to check out their brand new 10k stadium, which will open next season. It's interesting to me as I believe the USL and their tiers of leagues could eventually morph into a Pro-Rel system and that whole infrastructure may put pressure on MLS to accelerate their own improvement curve. I'm not suggesting that I'm for Pro-Rel in MLS, only, I think it would be good to try it out in the USL space, as USL appears to me to be more audacious and willing to try things. I also think it's fascinating and great that grassroots soccer appears to be happening all across this country, and in Canada. So cool that we appear to be heading towards a country that has big teams and many smaller teams, just like in the UK! Who knows? We may have the potential to someday dwarf other countries in terms of grassroots soccer.
================ Agree ! While I have been to every MLS stadium except for Austin and Miami ( and many cities twice as I see old stadiums first and come back later for the new ones) , I am adding more and more USL stops on my travels. Rhode Island's project looks really cool. Yeh, it's too bad we will never have 3-4-5 unified divisions of pro soccer under one roof/league, but it is fun to see what some lower division teams are up to. Not every MLS team/stadium have the only fans in this country.
Well said! And as I said before, it's so cool to me that I have an MLS team and a USL Championship team so close by. Both are 35-45 minutes from my house!
---------- I was trying to find a weekend this year where the REV's and Rhode Island were playing on separate days as I wanted to see the new Rhode Island Stadium. (Plus I was trying to work in a Red Sox game). Rhode Islands stadium puts it in Louisville Stadium class. Well done.