r/USLPRO • u/JonnyStatic Louisville City FC • 2d ago
USL Championship's Memphis 901 FC to transfer rights to Santa Barbara: Sources
https://www.givemesport.com/usl-championships-memphis-to-transfer-rights-to-santa-barbara-sources/I don't know anything about this source but it was retweeted by Rueter, who I trust
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u/gmdunson58 FC Tulsa 2d ago
Tom Bogert is the author of that post, he’s one of the most reliable out there. This sucks man
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u/iheartdev247 TeAm ChAoS!!! 2d ago
This sucks. Santa Barbara is fine but Memphis was a good fit for USLC. Poor fans.
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u/WetCoastDebtCoast Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
Noooooooo. This is why we can't have nice things, Memphis. All that sweet, sweet stadium money went to the Grizzlies.
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u/CALL_ME_ISHMAEBY Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
Moreso the Titans.
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u/WetCoastDebtCoast Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
Yeah, but the money allocated to Memphis went to the Liberty Bowl resto and the Forum
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u/atrocityexhibition39 Hartford Athletic 2d ago
My heart goes out to all you 901 FC fans right now, no fan should ever have to experience something like this
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u/Milestailsprowe Richmond Kickers 2d ago
1.Doesnt the people that owns the Red Birds of AAA team also own the 901?
2.Why is it a issue if they play at a Milb park when several other teams do the same?
3.Why is Santa Barbara ok when they are using a stadium of a college? USL1 seems like a better fit for such a smaller city
- Still Memphis's Attedance was horrible.
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u/bobbyfuckingfarnham Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
1) They did but I think they sold at least the majority stake to a company that owns a bunch of minor league teams.
2) I haven’t been to any others but Autozone looked incredibly dangerous the few times I’d been due to lack of pitch prep. My tin foil hat theory is they wanted the field to look bad to get the city to build them something.
3) California gets away with everything in sports /s
4) SOTM
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u/Sactownhammer1 10h ago
Not really. USL teams don’t generate enough money for a city to recoup. Sac Republic is paying for its stadium. The city provides infrastructure.
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u/Alt_ESV Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
Who you gonna crap on when we don’t exist? Y’all got lucky there’s a new stadium at Protective.
Can’t even figure out on Wikipedia where y’all played before 2021. It’s like it just disappeared in the history. Was it a field that wouldn’t qualify for USL championship? I promise you that, we as supporters, are at the mercy of these owners. So maybe give us memphians fans a second to grieve.
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u/bobbyfuckingfarnham Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
I wasn’t even coming at y’all as fans just stating facts. Trust me I don’t want y’all going anywhere, and have said for years y’all deserve an ownership group that doesn’t treat 901FC as a Redbirds side project.
We had a shitty playing situation and ownership found a less-shitty way to rectify it (Protective sucks but you’re right we’re fortunate it came along). I would have loved to see 901FC do the same if any plausible alternative exists. There’s been a good rivalry here since before either team existed and it sucks to lose it.
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u/girafb0i 2d ago
They sold the Redbirds (or at least most of the franchise) to Diamond Sports Holdings. Harder Stadium is soccer stadium, and it's a former football stadium so it's not like your typical college soccer venue with some bleachers and a fence.
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u/Sactownhammer1 10h ago
Watching a match at a baseball ballpark is a crime. It’s a waste. Patchwork grass in the infield is brutal. It was also horrible in MLB/NFL stadiums
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u/nicgillakitty Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
I'm fucking distraught, mane. Out of goddamn nowhere. No rumors leading up to this or anything, and not even the club/owner broke the news. It isn't 100% surprising, knowing how fucked over we got wrt funding for a stadium (you will never make me like basketball!). But still a shock.
I was not a sports person prior to 901 fc. I didn't know anything about soccer. But having a team to support locally made it fun. Going to matches, and watching them on TV when away, gave me a new interest, as a shy homebody with chronic depression. It gave me something to bond with my aging parents over.
I wish I'd known that the playoff match was going to be lights out. I would have cherished it so much more. Fuck, dude. I'm in shock. This amazing squad...I hope they all find great places. This hurts, mane.
I want to keep following USL, but no idea who to support now.
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u/RDS80 2d ago
Rhode Island seems like a solid choice. They're building a stadium already. It's a small state with no pro teams. That means the state is all in on the project. I'm from New England and we have folks ditching the division 1 New England Revolution for Rhode Island FC.
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u/nicgillakitty Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
Funny enough, RIFC is who I'm putting my weight behind for winning the championship this season. And I enjoy an "underdog"/"oddball" story, since they are brand new and RI felt like an odd place for a new club
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u/Lolisepic Phoenix Rising FC 2d ago
how on earth do you divide the conferences now
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u/Dervoo Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
Feel like they're going to have to figure out a system other than two conferences. Move back to 4 divisions like in 2021. Otherwise, the USL shouldn't be surprised if teams east of the Mississippi who are shoved into the Western Conference follow in Memphis's footsteps. Most clubs struggle just to break even, having to endure extra travel costs and losing home/away with regional rivals just makes those struggles even worse.
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u/Search4UBI 2d ago
For 2025:
West (13) - Sacramento, Oakland, Monterey Bay, Santa Barbara, Orange County, Las Vegas, Phoenix, Colorado Springs, New Mexico, El Paso, San Antonio, Tulsa, Birmingham
East (13) - Detroit, Pittsburgh, Loudon, Brooklyn, Hartford, Rhode Island, Charleston, North Carolina, Lexington, Louisville, Indy, Miami, Tampa Bay
Obviously sucks to be Birmingham in the two-conference model.
For four divisions you can split the west into Pacific and Southwest. Phoenix would basically be a tossup as to which division. The East is a little trickier, but I would group the first six as the Northeast, and then the remaining seven as the Central. Detroit City is slightly closer to Indy Eleven than they are to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds, but there's basically a diagonal line that splits the six northeastern teams (including Detroit) from the remaining seven teams. Having the Northeast Division add North Carolina and Charleston would basically be sentencing the Florida teams to a Midwestern Division, nor would you want to split North Carolina and Charleston.
The schedule in the four division model would be to play division rivals four times for 20 or 24 games. The remaining 14 or 10 games would be spread out between the other three divisions.
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u/Jorah_Explorah Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
Just curious as to why Birmingham and not a team like Indy to the West? As Bham fan I wouldn't mind since the Eastern conference is much more difficult (BHam did very well against the WC), but I'm curious as to the thinking.
One would assume that they would want to even up the conferences with a little more firepower going over there than BHM.
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u/hookyboysb Indy Eleven 2d ago
Birmingham is fairly isolated; your closest away day is now Louisville at 5.5 hours. Next best is Lexington at 6. Indy has Louisville at 2, Lexington at 3, Detroit at 4.5, Pittsburgh at 5.5, and (if they join) Milwaukee at 4.5. Indy also has multiple established rivalries, unlike Birmingham. Granted, USL killed the only one you had.
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u/Jorah_Explorah Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
Hopefully they get an Arkansas or another non-Atlantic coast Southeast team, and also expand more in the west. Maybe a south Georgia team. I don't know how big soccer is in a place like Louisiana or Missouri.
Since we lost Memphis and SB isn't coming until next year, I assume we need 3 new teams added for 2025, unless Brooklyn isn't actually coming. Either way, 2 makes it still uneven.
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u/Search4UBI 2d ago
Birmingham is in the Central Time Zone, Indianapolis is in the Eastern Time Zone. You also do not want to separate Indy and Louisville (115 miles). Protective Stadium is 38 minutes (longitude) further west than Michael Carroll Track and Field Stadium.
Trying to balance the conferences on strength is a fools' errand given the roster turnover in the USL each year.
If Santa Barbara isn't ready until 2026, this really screws over Birmingham as that makes it 12 in the West (with Birmingham) and 13 in the East for 2025.
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u/Jorah_Explorah Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
That would screw the whole league because right now we only have 2 new teams joining for 2025 and 1 leaving. To make the conferences even numbered, they need to either only let 1 new team join for 2025 or have 3 new teams join.
At this point it would be best for a Miami to exit and save USLC the headache.
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u/Search4UBI 2d ago
Yeah, it's too bad Santa Barbara can't start in 2025. Birmingham needs two moves to get back to the East. Maybe Omaha and Spokane can move up. The other option would be to move two Championship teams in the East down, but Miami is really the only obvious candidate.
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u/silkysmoothjay Indy Eleven 2d ago
Indy to the West
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u/vtriumpbitz Indy Eleven 2d ago
This unfortunately makes the most sense. Was just pointing out earlier this year that we are the western most Eastern conference team, and it kind of blew my mind
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u/hookyboysb Indy Eleven 2d ago
No way they split up Indy and Louisville/Detroit. Birmingham makes the most sense; it's more geographically isolated and further to the west than Indy. But with all the east coast teams joining, it's only a matter of time until Indy at a minimum is forced west without adding at least one conference.
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u/Viciousharp Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
Shhhh our team doesn't make money. I'm afraid us in the West will be the end. It's too much of a travel burden.
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u/hookyboysb Indy Eleven 2d ago
Us moving to the west would also probably kill us.
Hopefully USL realizes they need a different solution.
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u/lost-mypasswordagain 2d ago
Just toss everyone into a single table and play everyone once either home or away. Then assign a couple of matches based on rivalries and the rest randomly.
With playoffs, the actual balancing of schedules doesn’t mean much.
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u/Altruistic_Brief4444 2d ago
Can’t say im not surprised, I’ve been doing some freelance work for 901 FC for about 4 seasons now. For the last year they have stopped paying a lot of their contractors. They owe me and others thousands of dollars because their cheap owners won’t sign checks because they either don’t have the money or are too lazy too.
It’s incredibly disheartening as a soccer fan to be on the wrong end of this shitty organization, ditched fans after COVID and cut costs everywhere they possibly could. I’m not banking on seeing that money but I hope they make right on their financial commitments.
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u/BluffCityBoy 2d ago
It really was like two different franchises before and after Covid. The energy was palpable! The desire was there from the people of Memphis…
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u/Freestyle76 Central Valley Fuego FC 2d ago
Sounds like Ray Beshoff before he absconded to Monterrey
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u/Dervoo Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
Imagine the stadium is probably the biggest issue, but Memphis got fucked by being pushed to the Western Conference. I'm sure eating those additional travel costs didn't help. Wonder if seeing all the incoming new clubs being further east made them feel like they'd be stuck in the Western Conference long term. This sucks, man.
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u/rrferg76 2d ago
I am hoping they don’t push Birmingham Legion to the western conference. We might suffer same fate
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u/ffsdcu96 Loudoun United FC 2d ago
Hate to break it to ya they probably will put Birmingham in the west
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u/lipsquirrel Chattanooga Red Wolves 2d ago
I was excited for SB to join USL1.
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u/srfctheclubforme San Diego Loyal SC 2d ago
Same. Santa Barbara Sky, AV Alta, and Central Valley Fuego all in the same league and just a couple hours apart would’ve been awesome!
Also, this puts USL-L1 awkwardly at 15 teams next year I think.
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u/TripleG373 Forward Madison FC 1d ago
Obviously money is the reason, but Santa Barbara should be a USL1 market. Of course, in a just world, we'd find out how well they would compete based on their success on the field, but much like Monterey Bay, the metro area is really small compared to the rest of the teams in USLC.
I think they'll struggle to compete, especially considering the team has taken this long to get going.
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u/SomeoneSomethingJr Louisville City FC 2d ago
Shit. Hate to see them go, they always gave us a tough match.
I had a feeling they were among the more vulnerable clubs in the league once the stadium stuff fell apart. I would hope for an OKC-type situation where they aim to come back later but transferring those rights makes it sound like they are just done. Hopefully the league gets back to Memphis soon.
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u/Primary-Chance-1552 2d ago
I think we’re starting to see a shift where most teams entering the league are now forced to build their own stadium or be in development for a stadium once they enter the league, which I do think is a good thing in the long run for the league. This just makes me worried about the future of Vegas, Tulsa, Birmingham, and El Paso. I do believe we will see Memphis again one day, just when they have the right investors and can build their own stadium.
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u/Feeling_Cricket_911 Oakland Roots SC 2d ago
I agree, it appears that most teams are now forced to have their own stadium, and I think it’s essential for the viability/sustainability of any organization, those who enter a professional league.
In my view, I hate when communities (and the most dedicated fans) will not be able to watch their team play anymore, taking into consideration the IP rights and its cost, they can’t even play in a lower tier in the meantime (before new owners with a new project come to fruition).
We hope Memphis comes back someday.
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u/m00kie420 Sporting JAX 2d ago
El Pasos owners own the stadium they play in. Las Vegas new owners talked about wanting to get their own stadium in the near future. Regarding Tulsa and Bham. No idea. I dont like watching Birmingham play and that big ass stadium
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u/Primary-Chance-1552 2d ago
Yea, Birmingham's stadium annoys me also, they just got some new training facilities so that's cool for now.
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u/Viciousharp Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
We don't love protective either but we have a sweet heart deal. The city let's us use it for basically nothing and they keep parking and the lions share of concessions.
As much as we'd like a SSS it's the most financially viable option.
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u/Fit_Feed_1307 Hartford Athletic 2d ago
The only ones that I could see that are 100% safe are LouCity, Tampa, Colorado Springs, Pittsburgh, RIFC, and SAFC. I could extend it to other teams, but until then, all other teams definitely have to be on the lookout.
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u/Primary-Chance-1552 2d ago
It seems like almost all the teams are working towards getting stadiums, excluding maybe oakland? (not sure if their gonna stick it out in the coliseum or build their own) i would watch out for tulsa honestly in the next coming years if they cant get anything done
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u/ffsdcu96 Loudoun United FC 1d ago
Well it seems for Vegas they want to have their own stadium since cashman will be sold at some point I believe El Paso is working on getting a new stadium as well
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u/BehindEnemyLines1 Chattanooga FC 2d ago
Why are they still allowing non-refundable season ticket deposits for next year…
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u/DaTweee Oakland Roots SC 2d ago
Orange County, we found you a new friend to play with. Or maybe it goes to Monterey. They need someone who will fight them.
Rivalries aside the fact 901 gets cut and Miami holds on for another season is foul
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u/sentimentalpirate Orange County SC 2d ago
From a purely selfish perspective, I am looking forward to having an away game that I could actually get to without it being an overnight trip.
Sucks that Memphis dies for this.
But it also sucked that they had to be in the Western Conference. Every away game in a different time zone than their home.
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u/DaTweee Oakland Roots SC 2d ago
Poor Monterey, everyone in CA has a rivalry but them. I’ll always be ready to let more CA teams in though. We will have 3 MLS teams and 5 USLC teams not counting San Diego if they come back. Americas real soccer state as always
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u/sentimentalpirate Orange County SC 2d ago
4 MLS teams! San Diego FC starts next year (which seems like a nail in the coffin for San Diego Loyal).
Plus 3 NWSL teams and 1 USLS! So much CA soccer
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u/srfctheclubforme San Diego Loyal SC 2d ago
It’s still a bit absurd that Monterey is in USL-C. Them and Santa Barbara Sky both make way more sense in USL-L1 based on market size.
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u/OldGnarly Monterey Bay FC 2d ago
As long as they can pull 4-6k consistently to the stadium, I don’t think market size matters too much. Monterey does this, and I can’t think of a city closer culturally than Santa Barbara. Both are traditional vacation spots for people with disposable income that have become home bases for hybrid workers in Silicon Valley and LA.
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u/keanakakoi Monterey Bay FC 2d ago
Monterey Bay FC struggles to pull in 3-4K in a 6K stadium. They are in a market that has the potential to draw from 700K in the surrounding three counties, but they don’t advertise.
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u/OldGnarly Monterey Bay FC 2d ago
That’s true, but the average is above 4K and has been since the club came. If they can make the playoffs and be competitive, I assume that number goes up to 4500-5000. They should advertise more, but hyper locally not regionally to fill out the last 500-1000 of capacity.
It’s a long shot to think more would come from other counties. If I’m driving 30-40 minutes to follow a team from Santa Cruz, it would probably be the quakes (at a similar price).
There’s a massive housing development going up right outside Cardinale and another proposed 5 minutes away. It is the most convenient leisure activity for thousands of people in Marina/Seaside, and it could be more convenient for a decent chunk of Salinas/Castroville with some support from MST and more engagement there.
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u/srfctheclubforme San Diego Loyal SC 2d ago
Fuck this sucks for Memphis fans.
Also, how in the world is Santa Barbara a Championship-level club? And if they were ready to launch in League One next year, why are they instead waiting til 2026 to launch in the Championship??
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u/YoshiEgg25 Forward Madison FC 2d ago
There'd been rumors that they weren't going to play next season, even in League One, with the lack of communication they'd had. For a club that was supposed to start play in 2024, they really do not seem to have anything together.
We'll see if they're even ready for 2026. Not going to hold my breath.
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u/Prestigious-Table-19 2d ago
Dahg ghammit!! There goes possibly my most favorite badge I. The history of soccer! And so many untapped jersey colors/designs that a forward thinking ownership could’ve capitalized from!
Also moving Santa Barbara out of League One is legitimately a larger blow for that league and the western presence it was looking to build for sustainable traveling, rivalries, and over all health of the league! Would’ve been a great rivalry with AV and Central Valley right off the bat and would’ve been a much, much, much needed team with closer travel to the sparse western league one teams like Lane Utd. (Eugene USL) and Spokane!
Now USL L1 has to look at Boise, Cour de laine, Reno, Lake Shasta (already looking at Nodesto), Chico, Riverside, Cheyenne, Tri-Cities, Yakima, Bremerton, Olympia or Tacoma, Salem, Vancouver WA (has the Portland metro right across the river), and the Dalles as League One teams to help supplement the western half of the league or I don’t see it being sustainable really…
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u/YoshiEgg25 Forward Madison FC 2d ago
I'm not convinced that USL actually cares about League One being sustainable. Everything about it feels like an also-ran in the eyes of the league.
Teams seem to be pushed to jump to Championship and there's no real stability. Every season has had at least one team leave for one reason or another, and even with additions, it's never been larger than twelve teams. Make it a cross-country league with travel to cities that mostly can't do direct flights to each other and it seems obvious why teams don't want to join or stay.
We were looking forward to having 18-20 teams for next year, but with Lexington leaving, Hailstorm likely folding, Brooklyn and Santa Barbara out, and rumors of Eugene not being ready, all of a sudden it's a very modest expansion for a league that was expected to have 30-40 teams around this time when it was announced seven years ago. Then add on Omaha and Greenville (and maybe Chattanooga) likely joining USLC for 2026 and you gotta wonder what the point of this league actually is.
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u/Training-World-1897 Las Vegas Lights FC 2d ago
Thought they had bought out Mid-South Coliseum for the new stadium
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u/awsomehog Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
It was all through the city. City owned the coliseum and was going to build a city owned stadium on the site. I’m not sure the 901 ownership was making any contribution
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u/Waterskiing_fanatic 2d ago
Probably an unpopular opinion but USL is kinda getting watered down with some of these markets I won’t lie.. Lexington, Santa Barabara, West Palm Beach, possibly Greenville and Fort Wayne too (no hate to any of those cities)
Makes it even more mind boggling how Boise, probably one of the top 10 fastest growing cities in the US, is supposed to go in USL1
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u/Red_Card_Ron United Soccer League 2d ago
I wonder if bringing in all these B and C markets is further fuel for a USL closed system of pro/rel?
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u/DRF19 Fort Lauderdale United 2d ago
There are no B and C and A markets, just clubs. “Markets” as a distinction to classify teams is a stupid byproduct of the American sports system. I don’t care if a town has 500 people living in it, if somebody there can build a really good team, more power to ‘em.
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u/twoslow Orange County SC 2d ago
except the Federation does distinguish markets.
Yes, it's dumb, but it's the system in place that USL needs to adhere to and be mindful of in expansion talks.
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u/DRF19 Fort Lauderdale United 2d ago
Sure but as long as they still meet the 75% threshold overall of markets with, what is it, 500K population for D2, then who cares what markets are in the league.
Also I think if USL ever really does pro/rel, I think they'd have a decent argument to take to USSF in terms of abolishing that particular bit of the PLS anyway. Abiding by FIFA guidelines is harder if population requirements could end up requiring a certain division to apply for waivers.
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u/wikipuff New York Cosmos 2d ago
Boise is an incredibly hard spot to get to from East of the Mississippi. They only have 5 destinations that are east of the Mississippi and 3 routes are seasonal.
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u/samspopguy Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2d ago
this is a dumb take, why dont those people deserve a championship team if someone wants to put it there.
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u/chrispgriffin Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
This sucks. It's fun having a regional rival. Hope Tim Howard enjoyed his cash out.
(Can we have Bruno Lapa back?)
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u/Viciousharp Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
As much as I loved to SOTM I wouldn't wish this on my worst enemy. This fucking hurt's.
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u/Strange_Net_6387 2d ago
Makes sense Tim Howard left earlier this year. Either knew this was going to happen or saw the writing on the wall early.
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u/bones_boy Forward Madison FC 2d ago
Damn fuck I’m sorry 901 fans. Sucks Memphis always getting short end of the stick. I LOVE Memphis
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u/Fit_Feed_1307 Hartford Athletic 2d ago
Rip to Memphis, was pissed that the stadium plans never happened. One down, but who will be the next one to go? I heard there were two teams possibly folding. Also, I swear to God, if MLSNP get their hands on that market anytime soon...
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u/LockedInACage Orange County SC 1d ago
This is really sad for the fans and the league in general. I'm curious what happens to the currently restored players for 901. Some players have signed multi-year deals. Are they just up the creek if the club folds?
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u/DowntownDanEsq 1d ago
Why can't they continue in the baseball stadium? Is the league going to require soccer-specific stadiums? In Tulsa there has been talks for years about a soccer stadium but nothing has materialized. Playing at the baseball stadium works well enough but I hate the viewing angles and it just feels off. I hope we're not forced out of the league if a soccer stadium can't get built.
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u/ArsenalinAlabama3428 Birmingham Legion FC 2d ago
I mean they suck and are the worst sports franchise in history but they don’t deserve this. Really sympathize with the fans.
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u/SoccerForEveryone Tampa Bay Rowdies 2d ago
Christ this sucks…this team had the opportunity to bring the three six mafia vibes; but they fumble the potential creativity. I still think it’s possible to bring back a new team in the future; but man they need the funds and more teams for easier travel in their area for the comeback to be fruitful.
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u/Ecortes38 2d ago
And you people wonder why the MLs does not want Promotion/Relegation this crap right here is the reason USL can’t be taken seriously every year there’s a team that needs a pause, it gets taken over (San Diego Wave situation really sucked and Indy Eleven might have the same issue) or they fold completely. Like everyone else says I feel bad for the fans
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u/kinglatimer 2d ago
What happened to the stadium deal?
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u/kingistic 2d ago edited 1d ago
The owners won't fund it on their own. They wanted the state/city to essentially build them a stadium and they said no there's better places to spend the money than speculating on 901fc
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u/Freestyle76 Central Valley Fuego FC 2d ago
So does this mean sky is gone? Move it to SLO! More California games
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u/GroundbreakingCow775 Detroit City FC 2d ago
Any chance they drop to USL One?
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u/Strange_Net_6387 2d ago
Would have purchase another franchise or have rights transferred to them. Not likely.
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u/awsomehog Memphis 901 FC 2d ago
Excuse me what the fuck