New PDL Team Coming to Brandon -- With Tampa USL Pro Team to Follow
I'm sure a lot of you have heard about this by now, but I've been really busy and haven't had a chance to make it on this site as often as I used to.
There is supposed a be a press conference tomorrow about a partnership between VisionPro Sports and the Brandon Flames unveiling plans for a PDL team in 2012 and a USL Pro team that would possibly play at USF's new stadium in 2013.
Share your thoughts!
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Paul Peluso on -
I'm thrilled that there will be a PDL team in my backyard, but hope the USL Pro thing gets squashed. That would be way too confusing to have two pro teams in the area and I believe it could possibly kill pro soccer here. The PDL thing though, I think could be great. That team wouldn't be in competition with the Rowdies and could actually be a place future Rowdies develop and those no longer with the team latch on.
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Permalink Reply by Whitestar Warriors on -
I'm posting this comment a Strikers fan made but articulates it better than me and I agree 100%
A few things. First, this reeks of nothing more than a petty move on the part of USL to shoehorn a team into the TB market(where the league is based if I remember correctly) in an effort to sink or at least somewhat disrupt FCTB and the NASL. It makes no sense. Yes, FCTB is currently in St. Pete and not Tampa, but to think that a D3 team could realistically compete with a D2 team that happens to be the Rowdies(sort of) is asinine. Kinda like forming D3 teams in the biggest MLS markets like NYC and LA, or preaching a “regional” league but having a division with Los Angeles and 4 teams from the Caribbean.
Second, hopefully at the minimum this forces FCTB to really make a push to get the Rowdies trademark. That is key to them being able to successfully market on either side of the Bay IMO.
And third, this is directed at soccer fans in the whole Bay Area. Suck it up and drive to Al Lang! No it’s not an ideal setup for soccer, for now. Hopefully the clowns clinging to some kind of hope to keep baseball going on that site give up and let the Rowdies convert it to a full time soccer facility. With a MLB facility a few blocks away and dozens of FSL/Spring Training facilities within 100 miles, there is no reason to keep that place for baseball. Yes, I get it was a historical place. So was the Orange Bowl. It’s lived past it’s usefulness. At least let it have new life as a soccer facility, let some new history be made there.
I’d kill for that kind of downtown atmosphere at a stadium down here in South Florida. The location is BEAUTIFUL. They just need some seats on the far sideline and on the right field end line at first, nothing more than what Vancouver had at Swangard, some bleachers with tents. If they ever want to get more serious, possibly MLS, they could turn that place into a fabulous SSS, just like Portland did.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Arnold on
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Well said!
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Permalink Reply by Charles Cole on -
We'll see what happens tomorrow, but if they do go through with establishing a USLpro team in Tampa then yeah it could be bad for everyone. I personally assume that Tim Holt and USLpro would be just fine with a struggling USL team in Tampa as long as FCTB, and by association the NASL, also struggled.
Only time will tell if VisionPro will take it more seriously than other USL expansions have, they seem willing to spend alot of money. Or rather, their proposed operation will require a ton of money, so we'll see.
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Permalink Reply by Steve Holler on -
I've been up down and sideways on this over at IMS, but I'll repeat it here:
If this news makes Nestor & Co. get their act together? Wonderful. I'm tired of hearing about sponsors feeling jilted by bad business practices, tired of having to rationalize silly moves. If you're going to use the green and gold and call on the history of the Rowdies, stop half-assing it. Get your trademark. And if they expect the fanbase to keep trekking out to Al Lang for years and years, they're going to be disappointed. Hopefully this triggers the fight or flight in them, and they fight to not just survive, but grow.
Of course, this could also go the other way. Shrinking to a corner of the market in an effort to cut overhead by reducing the rent paid for a stadium is all well and good as a two year survival measure. The problem is when you rely on that as your entire business plan, and someone decides to come by and gobble everything else up. If this new group is as well-funded and well-organized as they claim to be, the current actions of the FO won't lead to any kind of success. They need to come out swinging.
At the very least, VSI took over an established youth academy and is giving it a huge injection of cash and infrastructure, along with a host of European players that will be coming over for clinics. That Super-20 team and the PDL team will be a sight to see. As much as I hate Brandon (it's where dreams go to die), I'll trek out to see that PDL team play.
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Permalink Reply by Charles Cole on
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agree completely. It is time to take off the kiddie gloves demand that FCTB get its act together. The Rowdies heritage in Tampa Bay means way too much to have it soiled. If this ownership group is serious about making soccer work, and to honor that heritage, time to put their money where their collective mouth is.
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Permalink Reply by Charles Cole on
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Latest bit of news on the situation:
http://www.tampabay.com/sports/soccer/united-soccer-leagues-brings-...
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Permalink Reply by Paul Peluso on
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Yeah, it makes sense that USL is trying to make it "Hillsborough County's team" and using that as an excuse to say their mission is different. I wonder what the name of the team will be. If the USL and VSI could somehow get the Rowdies trademark, I would say that would really hurt things for pro soccer here.
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Permalink Reply by Francis Novoa on -
I think this whole thing is a bad idea.
If this PDL team was affiliated with FCTB, i'd be all for it. I mean, why put another (2) more soccer teams in the Tampa Bay when we already have one, and that said team is fighting for fans, money and attendance. It will kill FCTB IMO. (3) Lower tier soccer teams in the Tampa Bay all within 40 miles of each other? Why?
That being said, it's soccer and I will check it out these teams for sure. But I still feel they are doing more harm than good. VSI should be helping FCTB put a bigger footprint in the Tampa Bay area.
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Permalink Reply by Charles Cole on
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This definitely runs the risk of doing more harm than good, no question about it.
unfortunately though (well depending on your own views obviously), there is also the chance that they could come in and do a fantastic job, attract a decent fan base and really put a hurt on FCTB.
We just can't know until we start to see them operating.
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Permalink Reply by Whitestar Warriors on
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Ok I did alot of thinking and the timing is disturbing: First where was USL when the Mutiny folded? How come they didn't want a team in Tampa then? Second for me USL is one of the worst organizations they build hope in markets then they destroy the markets. To me it seems obvious they want to fracture the structure of FCTB because FCTB is the only threat to Orlando's MLS bid. Third they probably will dismantle the team and move like they did in Austin, leaving Tampa with no pro team. Fourth after they go after FCTB they will probably put a team in Miami to try and dismantle FTL. Why don't they have another pro team in Orlando hell they had 3 teams in Puerto Rico.
The only person that saw thru all of this was Nestor that's why they broke away from USL and now USL is out for vengeance.
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Permalink Reply by jw7 on -
I hope they both get to play against each other in the 2013 US Open Cup... :) The Tampa Derby will be a fun and well publicized game for the D2 NASL team!
The USL teams operate on a much lower budget, that is the basis of their whole "new" business plan. When they get a good star player the fans all like then FC Tampa will easily take them up to the higher league because the player will not have to even move locations.
I could put together a pretty good marketing champaign on why a team that plays in an international North American D2 league against teams from all over North America, and with players from all over the world is a better team to watch then a over glorified "pro" team for D3 players now too old for the PDL...
*Another dumb move motivated only by the need for revenge by the USL owners. A league with a long history that starts teams in stupid areas (that then fail quickly) just to collect their start up fees. They have a history of engaging in and battling little wars they create all by themselves.
The USL are the soccer brother-in laws nobody really likes but are forced to eat christmas dinner with every year.
Bring it on USL.
Your top two teams this year were in the D2 league last year, the other USL Pro teams were all a step below (their records prove that) and will fall further behind as the best D3 players leave D3 to move up to D2. As time goes on it will become clear to all aspiring players that the NASL is the league that players can move directly up and into the top MLS league. USL Pro D3 league does not have that type of influence and never will again. The best players (not in MLS) will pick NASL first and not a lower paid and smaller budgeted USL Pro regional team.
The publicity of this little Tampa soccer war may benefit all soccer teams in Florida (especially the ones that survive the battle which will historically not be the poorly funded, poorly paid, and youth oriented USL league team).
Time will show what the USL Pro league really is - The limited use D3 league in North America for part time/low paid "pro" soccer players hoping to move up into another league as quickly as possible where they can get national exposure and move on with their pro soccer career.
Not a brillant long term move for the USL, but then again that is what they do best: Plan for the short term, motivated by revenge! This will just prove why the NASL teams left to go on their own in the first place because the USL has a history of starting stupid teams in markets that can't support the team with under funded/inexperienced managed teams that fail quickly.
© 2012 Created by Charles Cole.
