I can't believe the thread kept going, but just to update, my grandmother laughed at me when I mentioned them this year, and got out her old Jamie Harding jersey. XD She loved him.
During the demise of the Wings the NPSL used to refer to the ownership as "mom and pop". Whilst the Johnson (Johnston?) family kept them going for years it was an inevitable crash. They will be missed, I highly doubt anyone............ANYONE will bring them back.
Just some updated news from the facebook page, apparently the MISL commish (or some other bigwig, who cares really?) said that they were looking into various franchises in the midwest, including Wichita. Too late to say "don't get your hopes up". I kinda miss them. T_T Posted on Facebook Group: "From the MISL Commissioner, "...But with that said, the pipeline for expansion is strong, as we stay focused and true to our business model, which depends on aligned geographic expansion supporting our current teams. Locations such as Dallas, Wichita, St Louis, Detroit, NJ and a return to Philadelphia and Monterrey a...re all in the works as well as multiple locations in the West.""
I would like to see Wichita Wings back but i think its a long shot , Dallas i give better odds on if Laraza come back in the league . Kixx dont count on it the league has aready made a statement when your out your out it would be interesting to see what they do in 2011-12
I, too, miss the mighty Orange Army, or as I preferred to call them, the "Wing-A-Lings". Their enthusiasm for their team was infectious, and I have to admit there were some nights at Kemper Arena when they would out-cheer us Comets fans, even with their limited numbers. Very close rivalry between the two squads too, and interestingly enough, the Comets trailed in the overall head-to-head match-up until the very last time they played each other in the regular season in April, 1991, and the all-time series wound up Comets 32, Wings 31. If the current league thinks a team can succeed in an untried/untested market like Omaha with very little soccer history (and roughly the same size as Wichita), then considering Wichita's history and new arena, I say why not revive the Wings and see what happens? We'd gladly welcome back those balloon-popping crazies with orange hair who'd make the trip up I-35 to support their boys.
The league doesn't think anything. If you can write a check you can put a team wherever you want and you can start tomorrow if that's what you want. Indoor soccer leagues will screw anything that moves (so to speak).
I like all this growth in the west, but before it can happen we need more teams on the east coast. The Blast are in a land of their own. New Jersey would be a cool team to bring back, Pennsylvania could support two teams (Philly and/or Harrisburg), Washington D.C., and even Virginia would be cool places to build teams. Then the MISL can start attracting more western teams, thats how the growth should happen.
What growth is that? I mean I guess if this was 1800 Omaha and Kansas City would be considered west. Still I don't see how those isolated examples rise up to "all this".
Syd: We all know you're describing the PASL business model - as long as you have a 300-seat indoor soccer facility (or a garage) AND can write a check, then you can join the league.
Why? Yes there need to be more teams on the East coast to make it easier on Baltimore, but why push that over potentially attracting more teams that would be a lot closer to the other current teams in the league. Currently with the way teams are laid out, a team in a places like Wichita and Des Moines would be good for a league like the MISL, it cuts down on travel for the majority of the teams.
You could have two teams in the U.S., one on the west coast and one on the east coast, you could also have two teams in Canada and two teams in Mexico. You could spread them out as far as you want, but its not beneficial for the league. Each team should have one to two close rivals (distance wise).
Actually it does. You said Kansas City and Omaha would be considered west in the 1800's. But look, Milwaukee is Baltimore's closest rival distance-wise and that's just sad. To back up growth on the west, you need a few east coast teams.
Ok, I see what you're saying Syd. If the PASL ever expands to the East Coast, and I have another team to support, maybe I'll start listening better.
Well we do have more teams in the Eastern Time Zone than the MISL. but I don't see why you would take a shot at the PASL just because you said something that didn't make sense. I'm not knocking the MISL when I call you out on something that isn't right.
A lot of things don't make since like the oldest and most successful team not having a nearby rival to play and the PASL declaring themselves a "professional" league.
Don't jizz yourselves guys, but... http://articles.kwch.com/2011-02-24/wichita-wings_28629486 HELL. FREAKIN. YES.
One of the positives is knowing months in advance the name and location of next season's expansion team. It is nice to see the league out in front of change.
Well, it looks like they won't be using the Wings name after all, whatever the hold up, I'm not sure. I'm hearing that the team is going to be named the Kinboutwillis.
I'm hoping that's a joke about the name cause I looked it up and you wrote the same thing about an ABA franchise that was gonna be named that on OurSportsCentral. In other news... Milwaukee LOVES the Blast!!! www.blastbasketball.com lmao