Major League Soccer

[dombalis]

All the talk about David Beckham recently, it was inevitable that this come up. In an area with such a strong youth program, it stands to reason that the fanbase could potentially support a successful MLS team. There was a study by BizJournals.com posted by trisoccerfan that certainly makes the whole idea look pretty feasable.

http://trisoccerfan.blogspot.com/2006/02/c...t-mls-team.html

My post here is kind of a two-parter:

1. Would MLS do well in Raleigh?

2. If we were to get a team, should we expand SAS, or build elsewhere? If you prefer the latter, which location would you prefer?

[Jones_]

All the talk about David Beckham recently, it was inevitable that this come up. In an area with such a strong youth program could potentially support a successful MLS team. There was a study by BizJournals.com posted by trisoccerfan that certainly makes the whole idea look pretty feasable.

http://trisoccerfan.blogspot.com/2006/02/c...t-mls-team.html

My post here is kind of a two-parter:

1. Would MLS do well in Raleigh?

2. If we were to get a team, should we expand SAS, or build elsewhere? If you prefer the latter, which location would you prefer?

[DanRNC]

MLS is most likely only going to succeed in large markets and even there its tenuous. My answer is "no".

[dombalis]

I'd say the answer really depends on how the MLS does as a whole. There are definately plenty of fans in the area, and our Latino community is growing by leaps and bounds. Our Latino community could end up being a strength for us. However, the reality remains that Beckham can only carry the league so far. If the product on the field improves as much as MLS hopes it does, then it would work. If not, though, Dan is going to be right. I think a reasonable expectation for MLS over the next 10 years is for it to reach the same popularity level as the NHL. If this happens, and it becomes a true "major league", then it would be a big hit in the Triangle. Time will tell. I say that it's at least worth a look...

[ncwebguy]

MLS should not be in a rush to add too many teams the way the NASL did. They are adding Toronto FC this year, bringing the number of teams up to 13. I hope the "Beckham rule" adds interest to all clubs, not just the Galaxy.

Wiki's MLS expansion and contraction section lists a lot of other cities as potential expansion cities, and MLS's expansion plans are likely to add three teams through 2010. The next four seasons could give the area a chance to decide if it is ready to go to the top level in five years or so.

According to wikipedia's American Soccer Pyramid entry:

Economic-based promotion to MLS can be considered should a club meet MLS requirements, namely to have a purpose-built stadium, an owner willing to foot the costs of competing in MLS, and acceptance of the league's various sponsorship deals. So far, no club has shown interest in meeting all of MLS criteria.

[drewpiece]

Okay, I'm sorry to get off topic... but what idiot thought up the name "Railhawks?"

[wjarrettc]

Okay, I'm sorry to get off topic... but what idiot thought up the name "Railhawks?"

[Subway Scoundrel]

Let's see how the railhawks do. I plan on buying season tickets so I plan on going to some games. It will be interesting.

As a person who follows the Premiership League, I am not sure how big Becks and Posh will be. I think they will fizzle somewhat in LA after a first big push. LA media eats it young and not less they start having lesbian affairs or caught running naked through the street max out on crank will they become a big thing in LA for a long time. Too many stars, too many egos.

Not sure if you all keep up with all the Becks hoopla over the last 5 years but if you multiply Michael Jordan by 5 in his heyday, that is how big Becks is but a lot of is the English media in a soccer mad part of the world. As the headline reads "Becks ate Cheerios for Breakfast"

Becks and Posh thrive on the media so I guess LA is the place but if you don't have talent, you are played a fool (Paris anyone). But sometimes a fool pays great dividends.

He has to have a marketing strategy coming over here.

Overall, I think it is good for MLS. I just hope they Becks and Posh don't screw it up by crashing and burning Hollywood style.

[Subway Scoundrel]

That actually would be me. Nice to meet you too.

http://trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=255

I got two free season tickets for life to watch them play. Jealous?

[wjarrettc]

I actually like the name !!!!!

[drewpiece]

That actually would be me. Nice to meet you too.

http://trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=255

I got two free season tickets for life to watch them play. Jealous?

[ncwebguy]

(Trying to move this back here from the St. Aug's/Shaw football stadium thread...)

You know, my understanding is that in the original site plan for Capital Soccer Park (the name before SAS bought the naming rights) showed an additional 20-25k seat stadium on the lower end of the property where a couple of the rec fields are now. But I can't see us having both a 25k and 7.5k seater on the same park.

[DanRNC]

I have heard a rumor that women's pro soccer may be coming back as well to the area.

[wjarrettc]

(Trying to move this back here from the St. Aug's/Shaw football stadium thread...)

How far south does the Soccer park's land go? If it could get a driveway southward to Cary Town Blvd., the complex would have the access to I-40 that East Chatam does not provide.

It would be ideal to build a new pitch in addition to the existing... The new stadium could be the home turf for an MLS club that doesn't want to share with high school touranments, etc. The existing (non-skyboxed) stadium would host the high school, preliminary rounds of college cups, the W continue to use the existing field.

This is all years away, but is good to think about it now vs. using the space for something else. What does all this mean for the soccer complex in north Raleigh off Durant?

As for the name, something "united" would have been good to bring together an often fragmented area -- in cities raleigh/cary/durham/chapel hill/wake forest/clayton/whatever and universities nc state/unc/duke/nc central/shaw. DC United and <city> FC would be lazy copies.

Something avaition themed would have been good, in reference to the Wright brothers and RDU airport being the center of the traingle. The railhawks is good as a reference to this, but I hope they don't share a similar fate with the WLAF's R-D Skyhawks. They lost every game and folded.

[pack-man]

MLS is a looong way from coming to this area. It has to stand the test of time in major markets first. MLS is very fragile and could fold any year now. So far, it looks as if they are staying a float (wealthy owners who don't mind losing money). This market size would be a true test to the league, therefore, it would be a long way off if it would be considered at all. The 2nd tier team would really have to sell well.

[wjarrettc]

MLS is very fragile and could fold any year now.

[cityboi]

Winston-Salem was the first city in the state to activly seek major league soccer that proposal fell through. but there has been mention of a possible soccer stadium for major league soccer to be built between Greensboro and Winston-Salem in the proposed "Heart of the Triad Development" The stadium would be part of a professional sports complex that could include a new golf course for Greensboro's PGA event "Wyndham Championship". So I see a potential battle brewing between the Triad and Triangle for major league soccer. but that will be a long time away.

[wjarrettc]

Winston-Salem was the first city in the state to activly seek major league soccer that proposal fell through. but there has been mention of a possible soccer stadium for major league soccer to be built between Greensboro and Winston-Salem in the proposed "Heart of the Triad Development" The stadium would be part of a professional sports complex that could include a new golf course for Greensboro's PGA event "Wyndham Championship". So I see a potential battle brewing between the Triad and Triangle for major league soccer. but that will be a long time away.

[cityboi]

Honestly, I think MLS could work in any of the three major metropolitan areas but there are two key ingredients that one must have to make it work. (1) An ownership group with the money to invest and (2) a soccer-specific stadium or concrete plans on how to get to one shortly.

W-S has come the closest of any of the three areas but I honestly think that NC in general is pretty low on the radar screen for MLS. It's too bad too since the Carolinas contribute so many players to the MLS. Just off the top of my head I can think of at least 8 players that went in this year's MLS draft that played at Carolina colleges. Here's a quite extensive list of Carolina players playing in MLS at the moment...

http://trisoccerfan.com/nucleus/index.php?itemid=514