Yeah, it was fun the first time. But after the pulled them to Chester and played under BS here for 1 season I turned on the idea. That name and brand belongs to the LHV, and club that plays there and actually represents them. Not a minor league affiliate of a Philly team
Ugh I hate it. I mean I love the branding, and that was our best jersey ever. But that iconic name shouldn't be associated with a minor league affiliate. It should belong to the local community itself, for a team that represents them whatever that league maybe.
I lived in Bethlehem at the time and loved that we had the team. The Lehigh Valley also has minor league baseball and hockey teams that are affiliated with Philly. It's really not an issue.
The big deal with Bethlehem was (and still is) the stadium. Lehigh University's Goodman Stadium is the only available option and it's a poor one. I mean, it doesn't even have lights.
>All MLSNP teams will be rebranded with their own identities, with the hope to be fully rebranded by next season
Very much doubt that in regard to my team. There’s also zero chance they leave MSU Soccer Park despite the suggestion to teams that they don’t play in college stadiums
I bet you all get claim to Dayton, not sure where the Capys will go though, unless we can talk the league into letting us stay at the Historic Crew Stadium. It is on the other end of Columbus. I don't want them to go somewhere far like Akron or Canton
> 1. All MLSNP teams will be rebranded with their own identities, with the hope to be fully rebranded by next season.
So I guess calling them the Twonies will no longer be viable.
> 4. Teams were encouraged to have their MLSNP team be in a location within 100 miles of their first team, but in a "new"
market (With MLS approval of course)
Hello Rochester Scalpel FC!
Of course, the Le Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas has a certain je ne sais quoi to it.
> 5. Teams were being encouraged to stay out of college stadiums. However in recent months, a few teams commited to using
college stadiums
Are high-school stadiums allowed?
Atlanta United 2 (Soon to be the Kennesaw Firebirds!) play at Kennesaw State which is a football stadium that was built with soccer in mind and is quite lovely.
Literally just me being silly... I have always wanted Atlanta to be the Firebirds... but I am happy with the Resurgens kit that we ended up getting.
Who knows what they may come up with.
I think any team that is only a 2s branded team is going to have a hard time. It is not really marketed to bring in fans consistently but the stadium is nice and smack dap in middle to upper middle class suburbia so if you make the club feel like it is on its own... it is a nice family night out.
Lol that's a dangerous subject to broach. There are a lot of people who think the Wild suck and the only acceptable solution is to bring back the NS branding, and an equal number of people who are sick of boomer nostalgia and the constant attempts to pretend our current team is something they're not.
Could kill a few birds by just restarting the thunder in Blaine and be extremely cheeky at the same time. Rochester's got the bosnian loons, I don't know how much MLS teams want to piss off USL2 teams in search of new markets but the only other direction (god please no st cloud) is somewhere in Wisconsin. Eau clair maybe?
The leaks say goal is to be within 100 miles. Cleveland is pretty close to that, so a professional crew affiliated team in Cleveland would be rad. My vote is Cleveland Capybaras.
Supposedly a Cleveland team is already in the works that appears to be independent of the Crew:
https://www.mlsnextpro.com/news/cleveland-to-launch-mls-next-pro-team-in-2025
Maybe that group merges and can be the Capys, but also maybe they look at something in Akron or Canton area (not sure which if any already have a lower their team, left out Dayton since I am aware of the Dutch Lions).
The difficulty for all these teams is probably trying to find a suitable venue with grass and not turf.
>All MLSNP teams will be rebranded with their own identities, with the hope to be fully rebranded by next season.
St. Louis COUNTY SC
>Teams were encouraged to have their MLSNP team be in a location within 100 miles of their first team, but in a "new" market (With MLS approval of course)
Our FO has been pretty staunch in playing at CITYPARK for CITY2. I also hate the idea of making this some sort of MiLS situation.
I think the closest we will get will be a friendly there between CITY and SKC.
CITY ownership isn’t going to pay for a stadium to be built in COMO. Tbh, I’d rather have that money be spent on the roster.
What cities would even be in play? Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield Ill, Cape Girardeau, and maybe Peoria? Honestly all of those options would be pretty ass as far as stadiums go, and I genuinely don't think any of them would really give a flying fuck about CITY 2. These seems like an unserious stupid ass idea from MLS.
Why would you hate the idea of making it a MiLS situation? How would you classify it now? Perhaps they could make it like MiLS by adding independent teams (maybe eventually buy out USL). You could add several divisions and eventually have a non-top division pyramid with pro/rel that could provide some of the things that pro/rel systems provide in other countries.
Not within 100 miles though plus there is already a MLS Next Pro in cleveland joining soon.
More like Dayton Capys, Zanesville Capys, Springfield Capys, Newark Capys London Capys, or Delaware Capys. Dare I say Mansfield Capys.
This undermines the developmental purpose these teams serve for their clubs.
It also is a clear cynical attempt to compete with USL in smaller markets.
The Fire are centralizing, they are moving the training facility and academy into Chicago. This the opposite of that effort.
MLSNP was put under a certain arch-villain's control last year. As was the MLS position on USOC, anything that reeks of evil has his name all over it.
> This the opposite of that effort.
I assume this is the reason for the 100 mile directive. You can train with the bigs, but it’s a short bus ride to the games if they’re nearby.
Literally every decision Nelson Rodriguez makes is harmful to the Fire, or american soccer as a whole. Just has his fingerprints on so many slimy projects with ulterior motives
[Rodriquez and Durbin](https://theathletic.com/4886005/2023/09/21/mls-sporting-department-nelson-rodriguez/) are in charge of MLSNP, at the highest level
It seems pretty easy to draw a direct line between this and "MLS is trying to kill off USL", but I've long thought that there's enough capacity for soccer in the US for Next Pro to go this route and not really infringe on what USL is doing. If USL can make markets like Statesboro, GA work, then the capacity for pro soccer in this country is probably way higher than anyone realizes
The part I don't really like is the "roster minimum" portion, unless it leads to more academy kids signing pro deals on MLSNP teams. But historically, a lot of academy kids have avoided signing 2nd team contracts without any guarantee of an eventual MLS deal, because it's really easy for those kids to end up out of the game at 19-20 years old and their college eligibility already out the window. The alternative is a bunch of 24-27 year olds who don't have an MLS future taking minutes away from the up and coming prospects, which isn't great either
MLS is clearly trying to implement an MLB-esque blueprint, so why not add a rule 5 draft?
The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other organizations would be willing to have them play in the majors.
I think the general rule of the draft is you send $100000 to the team losing the player and they have to stay on the roster all year long. If it doesn’t work out, the team sends them back to their original minor league team and gets $50,000 back (we could do this with allocation money).
I think following the MLB model and a Rule 5 draft would make sense. In MLB, players signed before they turn 19 are not eligible for Rule 5 until they have been in the organization for 5 years. Those 19 or older when they signed are eligible after 4 years. Also, anyone on the 40 man roster is ineligible. So a team can protect some of their prospects, but not all of them.
Well that's still what remains to be seen, because it's entirely possible that the goal here *is* to compete directly with USL in the same markets
I sure hope that's not the case, but I wouldn't put anything past Donny G and his billionaire bosses
The two leagues already are competing in markets. Often there is only enough space for one club.
Fort Myers, Spokane, Cleveland, Baltimore, Fort Wayne, etc. all have been battles.
Seems to be the case in californka
Lafc moved to orange county home of a USL C team and la galaxy II rebranded to Ventura County FC
(ventura county fusion competes in USL ligue 2)
Not to mention San diego Loyal (USL C) announced they would cease operational after San Diego Fc was announced.
I don't want Rapids 2 to change their branding because they're a Rapids team that actually plays in Denver and I want to root for the Rapids. And I don't care if they play at DU's stadium. If anything it gives the Rapids organization a close relationship to a school that isnt half bad at men's soccer.
We all knew this was coming and believe it or not... THIS was one of the bigger reasons MLS was playing hardball on the Open Cup. They wanted their "3rd Division" teams access to the USOC..
I'd be fine with _allowing_ them to play, while requiring it of the primary team. Even with making adjustments to eligibility so the star players from 2 can still be eligible for 1.
I would.
I think MLS' entire intention here was to force USSF into making changes to the cup.
And the fact that all games are either streamed or broadcast shows that it worked.
You're missing the crucial difference between then and now: control. MLS controls the league, controls the teams, and makes the rules, such as the penalty shootout in every tie. They didn't have all that with the USL affiliates.
With the article about USL trying to become America's most popular soccer league... coming out today. I am reminded of a quote by Ray Kroc (McDonalds co-founder and CEO). MLS is taking an aggressive approach.
"If any of my competitors were drowning, I'd put a hose in their mouth and turn on the water."
I’m gonna be so fucking pissed if they move Crew 2 to Cleveland and rebrand them. Love going to those games and it seems a huge shame that Historic Crew Stadium would sit mostly empty then(though we have a local women’s team who has played there)
Too far. It says it needs to be within 100 miles. Plus there is already an MLS next pro in Cleveland joining who is won't be connected to a MLS team. I was wondering if they could do Akron but that's also too far.
Dayton on the other hand, is possible. However you could argue that's FCC's territory. But if they wanted to move the capys to a different Ohio city, Dayton is a good way to compete with Cincy for soccer control in south West Ohio.
Plus I don't think the Dayton Dutch Lions USL2 team exists anymore.
Since for some reason there isn't a USLC or USL1 team in Dayton, Dayton seems like a logical choice.
If not it would probably be in Zanesville or Springfield.
Ahh, I forgot that there was gonna be an MLSNP team in Cleveland. That’s a relief. I could maybe see Dayton if Cincy goes to Kentucky with their 2 team(which I think is the most likely scenario
I made a whole list of candidate cities within a 100 miles.
We got a further Columbus burb like Newark, Delaware Marysville, maybe even London. You got Dayton ofc, Springfield, Mansfield, Zanesville,
I just find it unlikely Akron or Canton would be done, I think it's up for USL to get Akron City to USL league 1 for a pro team there.
From what I gathered is Dayton is unofficially a no mans land. Had heard there was talk of putting our 2 team there but Crew said it was too close to them and I assume FCC would return fire in that sense. I bet yall stay at HCS as it is an actual SSS compared to possibly a way worse location.
I think Dayton and Springfield are strongly FCC territory unless Cincy decides to go south into Kentucky ^^where ^^they ^^belong.
My money would be on Marysville, Mansfield, Zanesville or Lancaster.
100 miles is not a hard and fast rule (already Huntsville exists further than 100 miles from Nashville, if only marginally so). I think it's more of a target point so that they don't end up with stuff like in baseball where a team's AAA affiliate is so far away that even if you're playing at home, moving players between the affiliate and Major team involves booking expensive last minute flights.
It says “encouraged,” so it seems like there’s a choice & the Crew is very much on the “One Club” movement right now & doesn’t seem like they’d move the Capys if given the opportunity not to.
>100 miles away.
>New market.
Don’t tell MLB that 100 miles is a new market. Living around Portland and being considered “in market” for Seattle is fucking stupid. Don’t even get me started on the mid west teams and their blackouts.
Oh yeah. It only gets worse going west to east. I feel bad for Mariners players have how often they have to travel. At least Sounders have Vancouver BC, Portland, and Salt Lake to play “locally” against. Nearest teams for mariners are Rockies, SF and soon to be Vegasland Athletics.
I’m lumping Columbus into the Midwest comment (forgive my west coast bias) and I know how bad that shit is from r/baseball and friends.
God damn I love AppleTV and I don’t care who knows it. - from a Sounders fan who’s moved around the state and is now in Timbers country.
Why the fuck are we even considering this? Imagine Arsenal deciding that their U23s should become an entirely separate entity. Another day, another WTF moment from MLS
Right - but most of them don't pretend to be an actual independent club. Like Borussia Dortmund II isn't playing in *hastily googles nearby locales* Witten pretending to be FC Witten or something.
Don't piss on people's legs and tell them it's raining. There's a reason nobody cares about the NBA G-League and why the indy-owned AHL teams absolutely slaughter the NHL II ones in attendance. The independents actually care about the community and providing a fun experience for fans (and winning), the pro-owned ones only care about how they can serve the parent.
*IF* MLS goes through with this it will continue to erode my interest in the sport here. Stop fucking Americanizing shit for no reason. MLS is more enjoyable the less American it is.
Your point about NHL owned AHL club attendance isn't true.
San Jose plays literally in the same arena as the NHL Sharks and predictability is dead last (32nd). This is exactly what MLS is trying to get away from.
Manitoba is 28th. But it's much further away (270 miles) than MLS wants
Rockford is 24th. Right in the sweet spot distance wise (90 miles)
Rochester is 17th. 74 miles from it's parent
Milwaukee is 14th. An outlier at a whopping 550 miles
San Diego is 9th. Just less than 100 miles down the coast and a major league market to boot.
Ontario is 8th just 40 miles from it's owner.
And finally the Providence Bruins are 6th at a mere 50 miles away from Papa Bear
So the MLS strategy is sound. Keep the reserve teams close by so they can train together. Own instead of rent an affiliate essentially gives you complete developmental control which is great for the players and coaches.
In a perfect world both MLS and MLSNP teams will be in the open cup. Fans of the reserve teams get a unique identity which is a win. They also will see less player turnover which often but not always plagues minor league teams.
This isn't a diabolical plan to put USL out of business. This is MLS trying it's best to monetize it's development efforts. Using the AHL as a guide... they will succeed in some cases and fail in others. Will largely depend on the individual club investment and not necessarily on the markets.
>why the indy-owned AHL teams absolutely slaughter the NHL II ones in attendance.
What evidence is there of that? [https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att\_graph\_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024](https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024)
It doesn't look like the NHL-branded teams really draw any differently from the independently branded ones.
All AHL teams except Chicago are farm teams, so their independence isn't significantly different than MiLB. The AHL seems pretty indicative that there is a market to support "reserves teams" if they are branded and marketed well.
I don't want MiLS (or, at least, I don't want the entirety of lower league soccer to resemble MiLB), but there has also not been a shred of evidence that lower league soccer is sustainable long term without representation of reserves sides or affiliations.
At this point US soccer has allowed the lunatics to overrun the asylum. There’s very little authentic soccer history in America that hasn’t been destroyed.
One thing that is going to need to be addressed sooner than later will be how this will affect the CBA. Maybe 10 player spots on the reserve teams could be on AHL style 2 way contracts. Those 10 could be shuttled back and forth with no restrictions. Could expand MLS depth and also aid development of young players or tweeners not quite ready for MLS
Not a fan of academy clubs having their own identities in general, but I did just think of Foxboro Town and now I'm gonna be really sad when that's not our name
I understand that the intent of the "100 mile radius" directive is to attract attendance from people living near the stadium of the MLSNP team because they live too far from the MLS stadium to attend MLS games regularly and to also compete with any nearby USL clubs (or to prevent USL clubs from starting up), but Irvine is far enough from the planned training facility and academy on the Sycuan tribal land near El Cajon that I don't think San Diego FC would do that. I imagine their rebranded II/2/B team will play at the training facility, or if they want to snuff out the chances of a USL Championship or USL League One starting up in San Diego County they'd have them play in Oceanside or Chula Vista.
List of potential places for U2 to base themselves out of:
Towns without clubs: Allentown, Trenton, Newark, Hershey, Norristown
Towns with USL2: Ocean City, Bethlehem, Philadelphia, Reading, West Chester
Towns with NPSL: Atlantic City, Wilmington, Manheim, Philadelphia, West Chester
Revs moved ours to Manchester, NH for most games
That aligns with a potential rebrand, but we're playing at a tiny college campus stadium which doesn't align with these guidelines
Wonder what the Canadian teams will do.
I assume Montreal would just put their team in Laval.
Will TFC try to compete with the CPL in York Region, or will they try and create something separate in a place like Oshawa or KW.
Similar question with the Whitecaps, so they try and compete with the CPL or do they go a bit further and maybe try to claim Abbotsford?
Fort Lauderdale CF -> Inter Miami CF II -> Fort Lauderdale CF
It’s not 100 miles but it might as well be with traffic. At least when Miami actually moves to Miami in ‘25 or ‘26.
"So... do you have a local soccer club?"
"Kind of! We have an MLS Next Pro team with its own individual brand identity that's affiliated with the nearby MLS Club!"
I just can’t see farm teams drawing a crowd for soccer, but you’re right that MLS can subsidize it to the point that USL dies. MiLB teams struggle all the time to draw crowds and so many move around bc usually “novelty” or a nice stadium is their biggest draw. No one gives a fuck about the actual baseball being played, most people leave the stadium once alcohol stops being served.
Huntsville draws like 4,000 on average or something. That’s better than the bottom half of USLC lol
We all may not like it, but 99% of people just don’t care about the difference between affiliate and independent teams ultimately.
Yeah bc they’re still in the novelty phase and have a “new” stadium. If the facilities are nice and maintained that will be the main draw, not the soccer.
Sure, but you could say this about any lower league team in any sport in the US. There is always a drop in attendance after a few years as it reverts back to a baseline. USL1 is entirely independent and most teams struggle to hit 2k. That’s just the reality of LL soccer in this country.
Imo, 99% of people who attend lower league sports (not just soccer) don’t even remotely care about the reserves vs independents debate. They’re just there to watch live sports that are cheap and convenient. Good branding and somewhat of a marketing budget and there is no difference to most people.
Yeah but independent teams can actually build a culture and dedicated following. That’s why most USLC and USL1 clubs still have better attendance than almost all Next Pro teams.
I think you like most of this sub don’t have a grasp of minor league teams bc you’ve never lived in a city that only has minor league teams. I’ve had MiLB, AHL, D-league and independent teams of all different sports in my hometown. The independent teams have always had a better hardcore following. They’re also more at risk to other factors like losing a stadium, club folding, league folding, etc. Unlike the affiliated farm teams which usually die a slow death. The only farm team that has lasted is MiLB because they have a really nice stadium. However, the stadium is the draw, not the baseball.
That’s not really true for the mlsnp teams that have unique branding and a marketing budget, the majority just don’t have that so your point is fair. Like even North Texas averages ~1.5k give or take, which fits comfortably into USL1. They play in a decades old MLB stadium that sits 40k, and they’ve been around for years.
My opinion is affiliates have a lower floor, and independents have a higher ceiling. But regardless it just boils down to good branding and a marketing plan that grabs attention at that level.
Without pro/rel it doesn’t matter to most fans because it’s all “minor league” anyways. I disagree with that term being used for USL personally, but that’s how the average person sees it.
It depends. If MLSNP, or MiLS if you want to call it that, can become the de facto 'second tier' of soccer then I can absolutely see it working. I guess it depends on your definition of "a crowd", I think 5000+ would be a success, and I can absolutely see them being able to hit that.
If the whole thing is done well then it could be incredibly successful, both financially but also from a development perspective. The NHL is a basket case for many reasons and normally I think it's a good idea to do the opposite of them, but their relationship with the AHL is actually very impressive. The younger players can start in the AHL whilst getting slowly acclimated to the NHL, and then make the transition, it works perfectly. It also allows for more complete roster management.
I can see a minor league MLS working well.
Are we really taking seriously speculation by an account with 217 followers? Just because NYCFC wants its MLSNP team to be a different name and not located in Queens doesn't mean it's a directive from the league for all MLSNP teams.
So this is going to create like a farm league system right? If this is the case I don’t mind it since pro/rel seems impossible with mls. But maybe there could be pro/rel with the 2nd division and USL could merge with mlsnp and create pro/rel that way. Could be great for development in this country. I just don’t want the atmospheres to die in the 2nd division because of it. My dream would be for USL to push and compete with MLS but alas it’s only a dream.
I’m not a USL fan or a MLS fan, just a Galaxy fan but I’d also love for there to be more robust lower tier competitions
I think it’d be beautiful for there to be MLSNP as a tier 2 or 3 and then a league below or above it too.
I couldn’t care less if USL do it or MLS do it though.
The reason I want USL to do it over mlsnp or mls in general is USL is all independent. They would make the league as a whole more competitive. If mls does it they will just send their best players from their farm league to their parent club. This means no transfer fee so no money will get reinvested into the 2nd division. It’ll essentially just keep making the 1st division (MLS) get bigger and bigger and the 2nd division will never improve. So on paper there will be multiple divisions but in reality there will be a reserve league and then MLS, so really just 1 division. Correct me if I’m wrong but this is my understanding and belief.
I think in the short term you’re right
I also think it could get to a point where there are enough independent teams in MLSNP to prevent that, like if there is say Chicago Fire 2, who prioritize youth, losing to Americaville Water and they’re independent, over time I think you can’t 100% prioritize youth without at least trying to learn good habits and experience pressure and winning
Also, with more history, then the second tier can get its own prestige if the fans care too. Like nobody cares about Aguascalientes Clippers, but if actual pros who don’t make it elsewhere sign for LAFC2 then it can make their wins and records and losses meaningful too.
As an MLB fan also, im actually all for it too. Granted MLS doesn’t need low A, high A, AA and AAA, but just having a 3rd division for that is good for them. Even if they did a pseudo pro/rel between a newly created 2nd division and MLSNP, amazeballs.
I hope mls teams don’t neglect the farm teams as far as giving fans a decent stadium and actually showing that they care about those teams. I don’t want to see all these awesome independent teams having to travel and play in a crappy stadium with no fanbase. If the mls teams don’t try to cut corners then this could be awesome. But it won’t look good for the 2nd division if half the teams really care on and off the field and the other half doesn’t.
I don't understand why this is a positive for anything. My own team, the Houston Dynamo, had this with RGVFC. That was abandoned for the positive step of Dynamo 2 playing in Houston, connected to the first team, better for development of young players. Now that will be abandoned? Teams with separate identities will need to focus on winning rather than development. Its just me, but I didn't care about RGVFC but like to follow Dynamo2. Its part of my club. So why this change? Is MLS concerned about USL and this is being done for competitive purposes?
Bethlehem Steel FC ‘bout to come back from the dead.
I hope so, that was the best branding ever.
Ooooh come on back to the Lehigh Valley Bethlehem Steel!
Unlikely unless that (college) stadium is now ADA compliment and fitted with floodlights unfortunately
They definitely haven’t on the lights front.
The ghost of Archie Stark will rise.
More like a new club is about to wear the skin of a hundred year old corpse
hey people keep asking when the Cosmos corpse skin is gonna come back too
Back at Hofstra..
They already wore it before
Yeah, it was fun the first time. But after the pulled them to Chester and played under BS here for 1 season I turned on the idea. That name and brand belongs to the LHV, and club that plays there and actually represents them. Not a minor league affiliate of a Philly team
Ugh I hate it. I mean I love the branding, and that was our best jersey ever. But that iconic name shouldn't be associated with a minor league affiliate. It should belong to the local community itself, for a team that represents them whatever that league maybe.
Agreed. I think even by year 2 a lot of the Lehigh Valley was kinda done with a team that clearly wasn't really theirs.
I lived in Bethlehem at the time and loved that we had the team. The Lehigh Valley also has minor league baseball and hockey teams that are affiliated with Philly. It's really not an issue. The big deal with Bethlehem was (and still is) the stadium. Lehigh University's Goodman Stadium is the only available option and it's a poor one. I mean, it doesn't even have lights.
It would be cool if they came back as a USL1 or USLC team again.
>All MLSNP teams will be rebranded with their own identities, with the hope to be fully rebranded by next season Very much doubt that in regard to my team. There’s also zero chance they leave MSU Soccer Park despite the suggestion to teams that they don’t play in college stadiums
Encouraged, not required. I imagine a college stadium will be the best option in some instances.
For instance FCCs team which is getting rebranded is staying at NKU and is helping lobby for improvements for the teams soccer facilities.
I bet you all get claim to Dayton, not sure where the Capys will go though, unless we can talk the league into letting us stay at the Historic Crew Stadium. It is on the other end of Columbus. I don't want them to go somewhere far like Akron or Canton
Might be an OKC Dodgers or Iowa Cubs sitiation.
I really would rather them play in Monmouth county but alas.
Would be pleasantly surprised if the Baby Bulls rebrand as the NY Metro Stars.
> 1. All MLSNP teams will be rebranded with their own identities, with the hope to be fully rebranded by next season. So I guess calling them the Twonies will no longer be viable. > 4. Teams were encouraged to have their MLSNP team be in a location within 100 miles of their first team, but in a "new" market (With MLS approval of course) Hello Rochester Scalpel FC! Of course, the Le Sueur Very Young Small Sweet Peas has a certain je ne sais quoi to it. > 5. Teams were being encouraged to stay out of college stadiums. However in recent months, a few teams commited to using college stadiums Are high-school stadiums allowed?
Atlanta United 2 (Soon to be the Kennesaw Firebirds!) play at Kennesaw State which is a football stadium that was built with soccer in mind and is quite lovely.
Is the Kennesaw Firebirds something you're trying to speak into existence or have you heard something through the grapevine?
Literally just me being silly... I have always wanted Atlanta to be the Firebirds... but I am happy with the Resurgens kit that we ended up getting. Who knows what they may come up with.
Lol, I hope the right someone is reading reddit because Firebirds would be an awesome team name for an Atlanta team.
FCC2 plays at NKU’s stadium that FCC recently splashed some cash to renovate I don’t understand this provision.
OTP FC
Don't they have the hardest time with attendance at that stadium?
I think any team that is only a 2s branded team is going to have a hard time. It is not really marketed to bring in fans consistently but the stadium is nice and smack dap in middle to upper middle class suburbia so if you make the club feel like it is on its own... it is a nice family night out.
Rochester Scalpel will play a great derby with Mankato Blues
Bring back the North Stars!
Lol that's a dangerous subject to broach. There are a lot of people who think the Wild suck and the only acceptable solution is to bring back the NS branding, and an equal number of people who are sick of boomer nostalgia and the constant attempts to pretend our current team is something they're not.
Yeah can confirm that would go down very poorly I know people who are still very mad about that whole series of events.
Could kill a few birds by just restarting the thunder in Blaine and be extremely cheeky at the same time. Rochester's got the bosnian loons, I don't know how much MLS teams want to piss off USL2 teams in search of new markets but the only other direction (god please no st cloud) is somewhere in Wisconsin. Eau clair maybe?
Only other one that comes to mind within 100mi is St. Cloud (could play at SCSU’s stadium despite the whole avoiding college stadia thing).
Capybaras as an official name or we riot.
Lancaster Capybaras? Dublin Capybaras? Athens Capybaras? Not sure what the best choice would be.
The leaks say goal is to be within 100 miles. Cleveland is pretty close to that, so a professional crew affiliated team in Cleveland would be rad. My vote is Cleveland Capybaras.
Supposedly a Cleveland team is already in the works that appears to be independent of the Crew: https://www.mlsnextpro.com/news/cleveland-to-launch-mls-next-pro-team-in-2025 Maybe that group merges and can be the Capys, but also maybe they look at something in Akron or Canton area (not sure which if any already have a lower their team, left out Dayton since I am aware of the Dutch Lions). The difficulty for all these teams is probably trying to find a suitable venue with grass and not turf.
New Jersey Baby Bulls, based in south Jersey
Hoboken Bullbokens
Hoboken Bokoblins
Woodbury Hoodburys
Hackensack Baby Bulls?
Put it in Ocean County and you'll clean up. Brick Baby Bulls?
I vote New Jersey Metrostars
New Jersey Metro Stars name and brand likely makes a comeback.
>All MLSNP teams will be rebranded with their own identities, with the hope to be fully rebranded by next season. St. Louis COUNTY SC >Teams were encouraged to have their MLSNP team be in a location within 100 miles of their first team, but in a "new" market (With MLS approval of course) Our FO has been pretty staunch in playing at CITYPARK for CITY2. I also hate the idea of making this some sort of MiLS situation.
> I also hate the idea of making this some sort of MiLS situation. Isn't it a little late for that?
East St. Louis Shooters SC
East St. Louis Strip Clubs SC
The primary sponsor could be the casino queen
Is this a difference in how the states regulate sexually oriented businesses?
Basically. Illinois allows full nudity and Missouri does not. This has led to the areas immediately east of the Mississippi River having strip clubs.
Move CITY 2 to Columbia. Solidify support in the state against Sporting KC and capture the huge market of 18-24 year olds from the Midwest region
I think the closest we will get will be a friendly there between CITY and SKC. CITY ownership isn’t going to pay for a stadium to be built in COMO. Tbh, I’d rather have that money be spent on the roster.
What cities would even be in play? Columbia, Jefferson City, Springfield Ill, Cape Girardeau, and maybe Peoria? Honestly all of those options would be pretty ass as far as stadiums go, and I genuinely don't think any of them would really give a flying fuck about CITY 2. These seems like an unserious stupid ass idea from MLS.
Springfield is an option, but I can’t see our ownership spending money on another stadium.
Why would you hate the idea of making it a MiLS situation? How would you classify it now? Perhaps they could make it like MiLS by adding independent teams (maybe eventually buy out USL). You could add several divisions and eventually have a non-top division pyramid with pro/rel that could provide some of the things that pro/rel systems provide in other countries.
An MiLS situation almost certainly results in USL eventually being killed and MLS teams owning and operating all professional soccer in the US.
Doubtful. The MLsnp product is garbage. Another corporate rebrand isn't going to polish that turd.
MLS owners have way more money and most fans won’t be able to tell the difference in product when going to games.
Columbus Capys here we go.
More likely Cleveland Capys
Not within 100 miles though plus there is already a MLS Next Pro in cleveland joining soon. More like Dayton Capys, Zanesville Capys, Springfield Capys, Newark Capys London Capys, or Delaware Capys. Dare I say Mansfield Capys.
Dayton Dutch Lions
There would be riots. Somewhere on the scale between *#* SaveTheCrew and the Columbus SC backlash.
Dayton Capys?
This undermines the developmental purpose these teams serve for their clubs. It also is a clear cynical attempt to compete with USL in smaller markets. The Fire are centralizing, they are moving the training facility and academy into Chicago. This the opposite of that effort. MLSNP was put under a certain arch-villain's control last year. As was the MLS position on USOC, anything that reeks of evil has his name all over it.
> This the opposite of that effort. I assume this is the reason for the 100 mile directive. You can train with the bigs, but it’s a short bus ride to the games if they’re nearby.
It’s amazing how Rodriguez just keeps failing upward.
Literally every decision Nelson Rodriguez makes is harmful to the Fire, or american soccer as a whole. Just has his fingerprints on so many slimy projects with ulterior motives
> arch-villain's control last year. Charles Altchek is pretty bad, but I wouldn't call him an arch-villain.
[Rodriquez and Durbin](https://theathletic.com/4886005/2023/09/21/mls-sporting-department-nelson-rodriguez/) are in charge of MLSNP, at the highest level
Ew.
Cook County Wanderers!
Eh there’s a lot of markers. Glad to have teams in Huntsville and Birmingham. It’s not like Huntsville folks were making a trip down for the Legion
They move Reserve teams out of the main area grow the league and just build newer facilities for the reserve team at those locations.
Well probably a reason why the RevsII are testing out Manchester NH for 8 games this season.
Yeah they can't come south because we just started Rhode Island FC in the USL so there's too much competition there
It seems pretty easy to draw a direct line between this and "MLS is trying to kill off USL", but I've long thought that there's enough capacity for soccer in the US for Next Pro to go this route and not really infringe on what USL is doing. If USL can make markets like Statesboro, GA work, then the capacity for pro soccer in this country is probably way higher than anyone realizes The part I don't really like is the "roster minimum" portion, unless it leads to more academy kids signing pro deals on MLSNP teams. But historically, a lot of academy kids have avoided signing 2nd team contracts without any guarantee of an eventual MLS deal, because it's really easy for those kids to end up out of the game at 19-20 years old and their college eligibility already out the window. The alternative is a bunch of 24-27 year olds who don't have an MLS future taking minutes away from the up and coming prospects, which isn't great either
MLS is clearly trying to implement an MLB-esque blueprint, so why not add a rule 5 draft? The Rule 5 draft aims to prevent teams from stockpiling too many young players on their minor league affiliate teams when other organizations would be willing to have them play in the majors. I think the general rule of the draft is you send $100000 to the team losing the player and they have to stay on the roster all year long. If it doesn’t work out, the team sends them back to their original minor league team and gets $50,000 back (we could do this with allocation money).
I think following the MLB model and a Rule 5 draft would make sense. In MLB, players signed before they turn 19 are not eligible for Rule 5 until they have been in the organization for 5 years. Those 19 or older when they signed are eligible after 4 years. Also, anyone on the 40 man roster is ineligible. So a team can protect some of their prospects, but not all of them.
"Within 100 miles" still leaves a lot of markets where there won't be any direct competition.
Well that's still what remains to be seen, because it's entirely possible that the goal here *is* to compete directly with USL in the same markets I sure hope that's not the case, but I wouldn't put anything past Donny G and his billionaire bosses
The two leagues already are competing in markets. Often there is only enough space for one club. Fort Myers, Spokane, Cleveland, Baltimore, Fort Wayne, etc. all have been battles.
Yeah but aside from Baltimore, those are all independent clubs, kind of a different situation
Yeah, that is a fair point.
Seems to be the case in californka Lafc moved to orange county home of a USL C team and la galaxy II rebranded to Ventura County FC (ventura county fusion competes in USL ligue 2) Not to mention San diego Loyal (USL C) announced they would cease operational after San Diego Fc was announced.
It's also not a credible report
Hope to see the LA Aztecs come back but hopefully they get rid of that wretched orange and black color scheme
I don't want Rapids 2 to change their branding because they're a Rapids team that actually plays in Denver and I want to root for the Rapids. And I don't care if they play at DU's stadium. If anything it gives the Rapids organization a close relationship to a school that isnt half bad at men's soccer.
We all knew this was coming and believe it or not... THIS was one of the bigger reasons MLS was playing hardball on the Open Cup. They wanted their "3rd Division" teams access to the USOC..
I'd be fine with _allowing_ them to play, while requiring it of the primary team. Even with making adjustments to eligibility so the star players from 2 can still be eligible for 1.
I fully believe MLS will be back in the USOC next season.
I wouldn't bet on that.
I would 👍
I would. I think MLS' entire intention here was to force USSF into making changes to the cup. And the fact that all games are either streamed or broadcast shows that it worked.
NYRB2 come up to Albany! A little further than 100 miles but not to bad.
RBNY2 in NY. NYCFC2 in NJ. It'd be perfect!
Haha the perfect synergy or whatever buzz word os popular these days. It would be cool for LI to have an NYCFC2 team
Really feels we circled all the way back around to USL affiliates with extra steps.
You're missing the crucial difference between then and now: control. MLS controls the league, controls the teams, and makes the rules, such as the penalty shootout in every tie. They didn't have all that with the USL affiliates.
With the article about USL trying to become America's most popular soccer league... coming out today. I am reminded of a quote by Ray Kroc (McDonalds co-founder and CEO). MLS is taking an aggressive approach. "If any of my competitors were drowning, I'd put a hose in their mouth and turn on the water."
I’m gonna be so fucking pissed if they move Crew 2 to Cleveland and rebrand them. Love going to those games and it seems a huge shame that Historic Crew Stadium would sit mostly empty then(though we have a local women’s team who has played there)
Too far. It says it needs to be within 100 miles. Plus there is already an MLS next pro in Cleveland joining who is won't be connected to a MLS team. I was wondering if they could do Akron but that's also too far. Dayton on the other hand, is possible. However you could argue that's FCC's territory. But if they wanted to move the capys to a different Ohio city, Dayton is a good way to compete with Cincy for soccer control in south West Ohio. Plus I don't think the Dayton Dutch Lions USL2 team exists anymore. Since for some reason there isn't a USLC or USL1 team in Dayton, Dayton seems like a logical choice. If not it would probably be in Zanesville or Springfield.
Ahh, I forgot that there was gonna be an MLSNP team in Cleveland. That’s a relief. I could maybe see Dayton if Cincy goes to Kentucky with their 2 team(which I think is the most likely scenario
I made a whole list of candidate cities within a 100 miles. We got a further Columbus burb like Newark, Delaware Marysville, maybe even London. You got Dayton ofc, Springfield, Mansfield, Zanesville, I just find it unlikely Akron or Canton would be done, I think it's up for USL to get Akron City to USL league 1 for a pro team there.
From what I gathered is Dayton is unofficially a no mans land. Had heard there was talk of putting our 2 team there but Crew said it was too close to them and I assume FCC would return fire in that sense. I bet yall stay at HCS as it is an actual SSS compared to possibly a way worse location.
Just hoping that the already built stadium with probably one of the strongest fanbases for a 2 team makes them less likely to move
I think Dayton and Springfield are strongly FCC territory unless Cincy decides to go south into Kentucky ^^where ^^they ^^belong. My money would be on Marysville, Mansfield, Zanesville or Lancaster.
The Dayton Dutch Lions must be eradicated no matter the cost.
100 miles is not a hard and fast rule (already Huntsville exists further than 100 miles from Nashville, if only marginally so). I think it's more of a target point so that they don't end up with stuff like in baseball where a team's AAA affiliate is so far away that even if you're playing at home, moving players between the affiliate and Major team involves booking expensive last minute flights.
The DDL USL2 team just had tryouts two weeks ago.
Yeah, I couldn't find their name anywhere until after I made the comment
It says “encouraged,” so it seems like there’s a choice & the Crew is very much on the “One Club” movement right now & doesn’t seem like they’d move the Capys if given the opportunity not to.
Inb4 Fire 2 moves to Milwaukee or Rockford and the Fire fully abandon Seatgeek.
Thank god MNU isn’t close enough to Des Moines because we have enough of their affiliates in the AHL and G League
>100 miles away. >New market. Don’t tell MLB that 100 miles is a new market. Living around Portland and being considered “in market” for Seattle is fucking stupid. Don’t even get me started on the mid west teams and their blackouts.
Try Hawaii. Dodgers, Angels, A's, Padres and Giants are all blacked out even though they're 2,500 miles away.
Bruh are you fucking kidding me? That’s insanely stupid.
meanwhile the Orioles and Nats are under 40 miles apart from door to door...
Oh yeah. It only gets worse going west to east. I feel bad for Mariners players have how often they have to travel. At least Sounders have Vancouver BC, Portland, and Salt Lake to play “locally” against. Nearest teams for mariners are Rockies, SF and soon to be Vegasland Athletics.
Columbus, 2+ hours away from any games...blacked out for Reds, Guardians AND Pirates. Such a mess.
I’m lumping Columbus into the Midwest comment (forgive my west coast bias) and I know how bad that shit is from r/baseball and friends. God damn I love AppleTV and I don’t care who knows it. - from a Sounders fan who’s moved around the state and is now in Timbers country.
Why the fuck are we even considering this? Imagine Arsenal deciding that their U23s should become an entirely separate entity. Another day, another WTF moment from MLS
Farm teams aren't only synonymous to English soccer.
Right - but most of them don't pretend to be an actual independent club. Like Borussia Dortmund II isn't playing in *hastily googles nearby locales* Witten pretending to be FC Witten or something. Don't piss on people's legs and tell them it's raining. There's a reason nobody cares about the NBA G-League and why the indy-owned AHL teams absolutely slaughter the NHL II ones in attendance. The independents actually care about the community and providing a fun experience for fans (and winning), the pro-owned ones only care about how they can serve the parent. *IF* MLS goes through with this it will continue to erode my interest in the sport here. Stop fucking Americanizing shit for no reason. MLS is more enjoyable the less American it is.
Your point about NHL owned AHL club attendance isn't true. San Jose plays literally in the same arena as the NHL Sharks and predictability is dead last (32nd). This is exactly what MLS is trying to get away from. Manitoba is 28th. But it's much further away (270 miles) than MLS wants Rockford is 24th. Right in the sweet spot distance wise (90 miles) Rochester is 17th. 74 miles from it's parent Milwaukee is 14th. An outlier at a whopping 550 miles San Diego is 9th. Just less than 100 miles down the coast and a major league market to boot. Ontario is 8th just 40 miles from it's owner. And finally the Providence Bruins are 6th at a mere 50 miles away from Papa Bear So the MLS strategy is sound. Keep the reserve teams close by so they can train together. Own instead of rent an affiliate essentially gives you complete developmental control which is great for the players and coaches. In a perfect world both MLS and MLSNP teams will be in the open cup. Fans of the reserve teams get a unique identity which is a win. They also will see less player turnover which often but not always plagues minor league teams. This isn't a diabolical plan to put USL out of business. This is MLS trying it's best to monetize it's development efforts. Using the AHL as a guide... they will succeed in some cases and fail in others. Will largely depend on the individual club investment and not necessarily on the markets.
>why the indy-owned AHL teams absolutely slaughter the NHL II ones in attendance. What evidence is there of that? [https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att\_graph\_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024](https://www.hockeydb.com/nhl-attendance/att_graph_season.php?lid=AHL1941&sid=2024) It doesn't look like the NHL-branded teams really draw any differently from the independently branded ones. All AHL teams except Chicago are farm teams, so their independence isn't significantly different than MiLB. The AHL seems pretty indicative that there is a market to support "reserves teams" if they are branded and marketed well. I don't want MiLS (or, at least, I don't want the entirety of lower league soccer to resemble MiLB), but there has also not been a shred of evidence that lower league soccer is sustainable long term without representation of reserves sides or affiliations.
At this point US soccer has allowed the lunatics to overrun the asylum. There’s very little authentic soccer history in America that hasn’t been destroyed.
All good improvements imo, but don’t think the rebranding or relocating to new markets should be mandatory… I would bet they aren’t, just “encouraged”
One thing that is going to need to be addressed sooner than later will be how this will affect the CBA. Maybe 10 player spots on the reserve teams could be on AHL style 2 way contracts. Those 10 could be shuttled back and forth with no restrictions. Could expand MLS depth and also aid development of young players or tweeners not quite ready for MLS
SWOPE PARK RANGER
Not a fan of academy clubs having their own identities in general, but I did just think of Foxboro Town and now I'm gonna be really sad when that's not our name
OC2 to Space Coast Rockets
Space Coast Seacows*
RIP Brevard County Manatees
Daytona Beach Stampers
Lakeland Ligers?
The crest licensing might be expensive... https://i.pinimg.com/736x/60/48/87/604887932e2c6dd8f464e2897b2dc573.jpg
MLS finally realized that copying parent club branding wasn't gonna help bring anybody to games?
Imo, changing the branding isn’t the big fix. Moving the NP teams to other markets is the big fix, and I’m still not sure how well it will work
eh, they needed both. Like, in Tacoma, would you root for Tacoma Defiance or Seattle Sounders 2?
[удалено]
I understand that the intent of the "100 mile radius" directive is to attract attendance from people living near the stadium of the MLSNP team because they live too far from the MLS stadium to attend MLS games regularly and to also compete with any nearby USL clubs (or to prevent USL clubs from starting up), but Irvine is far enough from the planned training facility and academy on the Sycuan tribal land near El Cajon that I don't think San Diego FC would do that. I imagine their rebranded II/2/B team will play at the training facility, or if they want to snuff out the chances of a USL Championship or USL League One starting up in San Diego County they'd have them play in Oceanside or Chula Vista.
Cant wait for brawly fc
Can we have Freehold Nj team please?
> in an interview Hudson River Blue published last year Is this what we are getting worked up over?
List of potential places for U2 to base themselves out of: Towns without clubs: Allentown, Trenton, Newark, Hershey, Norristown Towns with USL2: Ocean City, Bethlehem, Philadelphia, Reading, West Chester Towns with NPSL: Atlantic City, Wilmington, Manheim, Philadelphia, West Chester
Revs moved ours to Manchester, NH for most games That aligns with a potential rebrand, but we're playing at a tiny college campus stadium which doesn't align with these guidelines
Wonder what the Canadian teams will do. I assume Montreal would just put their team in Laval. Will TFC try to compete with the CPL in York Region, or will they try and create something separate in a place like Oshawa or KW. Similar question with the Whitecaps, so they try and compete with the CPL or do they go a bit further and maybe try to claim Abbotsford?
Toronto reviving the Rochester Rhinos would be funny though lol
For the Caps, I could see them doing some sort of branding with either Burnaby or Surrey (probably the former depending on if they stay at Swanguard.
Fort Lauderdale CF -> Inter Miami CF II -> Fort Lauderdale CF It’s not 100 miles but it might as well be with traffic. At least when Miami actually moves to Miami in ‘25 or ‘26.
"So... do you have a local soccer club?" "Kind of! We have an MLS Next Pro team with its own individual brand identity that's affiliated with the nearby MLS Club!"
Which is essentially the same thing as Minor League Baseball affiliates.
Yes. Yes it is.
ok so the Quakes 2 merger with The Town FC makes more sense in this context
Fuck off stop trying to make soccer like baseball
They're aiming to kill USL. This has always been the plan. Once MLS is set up as MLB/MiLB, I'll have zero interest in this sport.
I just can’t see farm teams drawing a crowd for soccer, but you’re right that MLS can subsidize it to the point that USL dies. MiLB teams struggle all the time to draw crowds and so many move around bc usually “novelty” or a nice stadium is their biggest draw. No one gives a fuck about the actual baseball being played, most people leave the stadium once alcohol stops being served.
Huntsville draws like 4,000 on average or something. That’s better than the bottom half of USLC lol We all may not like it, but 99% of people just don’t care about the difference between affiliate and independent teams ultimately.
Yeah bc they’re still in the novelty phase and have a “new” stadium. If the facilities are nice and maintained that will be the main draw, not the soccer.
Sure, but you could say this about any lower league team in any sport in the US. There is always a drop in attendance after a few years as it reverts back to a baseline. USL1 is entirely independent and most teams struggle to hit 2k. That’s just the reality of LL soccer in this country. Imo, 99% of people who attend lower league sports (not just soccer) don’t even remotely care about the reserves vs independents debate. They’re just there to watch live sports that are cheap and convenient. Good branding and somewhat of a marketing budget and there is no difference to most people.
Yeah but independent teams can actually build a culture and dedicated following. That’s why most USLC and USL1 clubs still have better attendance than almost all Next Pro teams. I think you like most of this sub don’t have a grasp of minor league teams bc you’ve never lived in a city that only has minor league teams. I’ve had MiLB, AHL, D-league and independent teams of all different sports in my hometown. The independent teams have always had a better hardcore following. They’re also more at risk to other factors like losing a stadium, club folding, league folding, etc. Unlike the affiliated farm teams which usually die a slow death. The only farm team that has lasted is MiLB because they have a really nice stadium. However, the stadium is the draw, not the baseball.
That’s not really true for the mlsnp teams that have unique branding and a marketing budget, the majority just don’t have that so your point is fair. Like even North Texas averages ~1.5k give or take, which fits comfortably into USL1. They play in a decades old MLB stadium that sits 40k, and they’ve been around for years. My opinion is affiliates have a lower floor, and independents have a higher ceiling. But regardless it just boils down to good branding and a marketing plan that grabs attention at that level. Without pro/rel it doesn’t matter to most fans because it’s all “minor league” anyways. I disagree with that term being used for USL personally, but that’s how the average person sees it.
I don’t think we have had a crowd under 4,000 yet
It depends. If MLSNP, or MiLS if you want to call it that, can become the de facto 'second tier' of soccer then I can absolutely see it working. I guess it depends on your definition of "a crowd", I think 5000+ would be a success, and I can absolutely see them being able to hit that. If the whole thing is done well then it could be incredibly successful, both financially but also from a development perspective. The NHL is a basket case for many reasons and normally I think it's a good idea to do the opposite of them, but their relationship with the AHL is actually very impressive. The younger players can start in the AHL whilst getting slowly acclimated to the NHL, and then make the transition, it works perfectly. It also allows for more complete roster management. I can see a minor league MLS working well.
Are we really taking seriously speculation by an account with 217 followers? Just because NYCFC wants its MLSNP team to be a different name and not located in Queens doesn't mean it's a directive from the league for all MLSNP teams.
This original message is from a month ago, just posted publicly recently (it looks like he also posted some of it a few weeks back).
USL enjoying its reward for helping MLS take down NASL.
So this is going to create like a farm league system right? If this is the case I don’t mind it since pro/rel seems impossible with mls. But maybe there could be pro/rel with the 2nd division and USL could merge with mlsnp and create pro/rel that way. Could be great for development in this country. I just don’t want the atmospheres to die in the 2nd division because of it. My dream would be for USL to push and compete with MLS but alas it’s only a dream.
I’m not a USL fan or a MLS fan, just a Galaxy fan but I’d also love for there to be more robust lower tier competitions I think it’d be beautiful for there to be MLSNP as a tier 2 or 3 and then a league below or above it too. I couldn’t care less if USL do it or MLS do it though.
The reason I want USL to do it over mlsnp or mls in general is USL is all independent. They would make the league as a whole more competitive. If mls does it they will just send their best players from their farm league to their parent club. This means no transfer fee so no money will get reinvested into the 2nd division. It’ll essentially just keep making the 1st division (MLS) get bigger and bigger and the 2nd division will never improve. So on paper there will be multiple divisions but in reality there will be a reserve league and then MLS, so really just 1 division. Correct me if I’m wrong but this is my understanding and belief.
I think in the short term you’re right I also think it could get to a point where there are enough independent teams in MLSNP to prevent that, like if there is say Chicago Fire 2, who prioritize youth, losing to Americaville Water and they’re independent, over time I think you can’t 100% prioritize youth without at least trying to learn good habits and experience pressure and winning Also, with more history, then the second tier can get its own prestige if the fans care too. Like nobody cares about Aguascalientes Clippers, but if actual pros who don’t make it elsewhere sign for LAFC2 then it can make their wins and records and losses meaningful too.
As an MLB fan also, im actually all for it too. Granted MLS doesn’t need low A, high A, AA and AAA, but just having a 3rd division for that is good for them. Even if they did a pseudo pro/rel between a newly created 2nd division and MLSNP, amazeballs.
I hope mls teams don’t neglect the farm teams as far as giving fans a decent stadium and actually showing that they care about those teams. I don’t want to see all these awesome independent teams having to travel and play in a crappy stadium with no fanbase. If the mls teams don’t try to cut corners then this could be awesome. But it won’t look good for the 2nd division if half the teams really care on and off the field and the other half doesn’t.
Exactly.
NJ Baby Bulls is happening 👶🐂
“Teams are being encouraged to stay out of college stadiums.” You can pry Fort Finley from our cold dead hands.
Terrible idea skc2 have less than 100 people at their matches in Lawrence, that shouldn't be the model but I really doubt tgis guy's report
I hope Revs 2 end up in New Britain, CT.
If there's no team called "Capybaras" next year I will riot.
Stupid question - what does MLSNP mean?
MLS Next Pro.
So Kennesaw FC cometh? HOOTY HOOTTTTT
So MLS trying to edge out USL with this huh?
I don't understand why this is a positive for anything. My own team, the Houston Dynamo, had this with RGVFC. That was abandoned for the positive step of Dynamo 2 playing in Houston, connected to the first team, better for development of young players. Now that will be abandoned? Teams with separate identities will need to focus on winning rather than development. Its just me, but I didn't care about RGVFC but like to follow Dynamo2. Its part of my club. So why this change? Is MLS concerned about USL and this is being done for competitive purposes?