Professional Soccer in St. Louis

beer city · PostSep 13, 2013#6762013-09-13T15:58+00:00

Breakdown of known candidates from Sports Business Daily - Orlando is pretty much a slam dunk - STL is not even listed -

http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Jour ... -City.aspx

The fact that Sac-Town and OKC are listed here but we are not just frustrates me.

dredger · PostSep 13, 2013#6772013-09-13T19:31+00:00

I believe it comes down to one man at end of day, Stan K. He has the money, the English league soccer team, and a NFL team with a stadium coming. I honestly believe MLS won't entertain St. Louis until Stan K picks up the phone.

beer city · PostSep 13, 2013#6782013-09-13T23:31+00:00

Andrew Haines of the new Ambush indoor team and Tony Glavin of the St. Louis Lions look to establish an USL team in St. Louis - USL is the defacto "second division" to MLS.

If it happens - they will play at Lindenwood temporarily

http://www.soccermadeinstlouis.com/Socc ... on_it.html

DogtownBnR · PostSep 16, 2013#6792013-09-16T13:25+00:00

Here are a couple of links on the potential for the US Men's National Soccer Team playing the Bosnian National Soccer Team in March 2014 in St. Louis.

I'd assume they'd have to do it at the Dome. Busch would be too risky in March. I'd prefer it be at Busch, but you never know. You could get snow or 80's. Just look at the last few St. Patrick's days. From summer to spring to winter, we get it all. Anyhow, this would be a great event for STL for a multitude of reasons. The large Bosnian community would turn out in masses, not to mention the rest of STL's soccer community. Second, this again, showcases STL and our ability to support soccer here. National soccer pundits have definitely taken notice, after the other 2 friendlies. This friendly would get a lot of press, being so close to the World Cup in 2014. I'd assume this will be a tune-up and we'll see a lot of the big name US players here. Then again, it could be 2nd tier players trying to make their case for being on the roster. I'd like to have my starters in top form, if I were Jurgen Klinsmann. In any event, a USMNT game here would be awesome!

http://prosoccertalk.nbcsports.com/2013 ... world-cup/

http://www.bigsoccerbosnia.com/20/post/ ... louis.html

gone corporate · PostSep 16, 2013#6802013-09-16T18:36+00:00

Atlanta couldn't keep a pro hockey team; what makes them think they can support soccer?

Also, the prospective franchisees better look to host their team in the new Georgia Dome, because I can't imagine many fans returning to games played in the ATL Summer outdoors that isn't Braves baseball.

beer city · PostSep 17, 2013#6812013-09-17T22:33+00:00

gone corporate wrote:Atlanta couldn't keep a pro hockey team; what makes them think they can support soccer?

Also, the prospective franchisees better look to host their team in the new Georgia Dome, because I can't imagine many fans returning to games played in the ATL Summer outdoors that isn't Braves baseball.

As stated earlier there is also an excellent chance that they will go to Miami, where they have failed in the past - As you know being in business the perception of the hot spots in Georgia and Florida is really positive and its been that way for 25 years now - hot population growth - its a numbers game - past failures are considered marketing failures, not market failures - there is a chance - it pretty much begins and ends with Stan - who is playing his cards close to his vest - there are no rumors at all about MLS in StL - its disheartening

Here is a pretty good breakdown

http://www.sportingnews.com/soccer/stor ... ando-miami

Money quote from the article:

"That is, after all, the big fear when considering a three-team power move into a region MLS has already failed in before. There are, after all, markets with more history, like St. Louis, that would seem to be safer bets.

It isn’t about safe bets, or history, with MLS. It’s about dollars, and finding deep-pocketed ownership groups with the financial muscle to not just buy an MLS expansion franchise, but also fund a team to succeed in a league where teams are spending more and more each year."

On the cool rumor front -

International friendly - Bosnia v Argentina - in November - wait and see - Lionel Messi - huge Bosnian population - it would probably sell out the dome - thereby StL would surpass in 3 games - Chivas USA attendance for the year -

Bonus!

Here is Ashley Cole of Chelsea and English national team getting reamed by some chick on Wash Ave

Made the Daily Fail, cant tell is Ashley is being a jerk -or- just got a hold of the wrong hoosier chick - who obviously has no idea that he is an international star

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... pping.html

roger wyoming II · PostSep 17, 2013#6822013-09-17T22:54+00:00

beer city wrote: On the cool rumor front -

International friendly - Bosnia v Argentina - in November - wait and see - Lionel Messi - huge Bosnian population - it would probably sell out the dome - thereby StL would surpass in 3 games - Chivas USA attendance for the year -

sweet!

beer city wrote: Bonus!

Here is Ashley Cole of Chelsea and English national team getting reamed by some chick on Wash Ave

Made the Daily Fail, cant tell is Ashley is being a jerk -or- just got a hold of the wrong hoosier chick - who obviously has no idea that he is an international star

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... pping.html

I for one am very glad he was not beaten and raped right there on Washington Avenue as the stiffed bartender wanted!

dweebe · PostSep 17, 2013#6832013-09-17T23:03+00:00

beer city wrote:Bonus!

Here is Ashley Cole of Chelsea and English national team getting reamed by some chick on Wash Ave

Made the Daily Fail, cant tell is Ashley is being a jerk -or- just got a hold of the wrong hoosier chick - who obviously has no idea that he is an international star

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/ar ... pping.html

Stay classy St. Louis.

DogtownBnR · PostSep 19, 2013#6842013-09-19T14:38+00:00

^^^

https://www.facebook.com/stlbosnian

Looks like it is not official or contract signed,but it is a possibility. Messi and Argentina could be coming on 11/19/13. That works out perfect, because the Rams have a bye week.
Hopefully, it happens. How cool would this be to see Messi and Ronaldo, in STL in the same year. Soccer is really picking up momentum.

I was at Lindenwood Park the other night and all 4 goals were being used by different groups of people, playing soccer games or messing around. I know it is a small sample size, but soccer is making a serious comeback here. Immigrants have played a huge role in that. Bosnians, Mexicans..etc...

PostOct 15, 2013#6852013-10-15T20:22+00:00

http://www.goal.com/en/news/755/europe/ ... cup-finals

This bodes well for the USMNT vs. Bosnia game rumored to be taking place in March 2014.

rawest1 · PostNov 08, 2013#6862013-11-08T19:20+00:00

Anyone have a clue how ticket sales have been for Argentina v. Bosnia?

PostNov 11, 2013#6872013-11-11T13:42+00:00

Well, regardless of how sales are going, this will certainly not help:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24900001

Apparently Argentina's star player Lionel Messi is out for about 2 months (hamstring). Bummer for Argentina, FC Barcelona and the game in St. Louis.

dmelsh · PostNov 12, 2013#6882013-11-12T20:27+00:00

My group, The St. Louligans, were featured in RFT. Nice article about us. If you're into soccer / local grassroots movements check it out. A good local group trying to bring change.

RFT Article on St. Louligans

chaifetz10 · PostNov 19, 2013#6892013-11-19T02:45+00:00

Any update on how the game went tonight?

mattonarsenal · PostNov 19, 2013#6902013-11-19T18:47+00:00

^ I am a novice to live soccer and can't compare it to the other two big games recently.

Here are some impressions...

The huge Bosnian turnout made it feel like something special, something I haven't seen at a Cardinals, Rams or Blues game even in the playoffs. Made me want to be a part of that, and go to a meaningful USMNT game. Or a professional game in Europe.

Watching a big time soccer game in person is much more exciting than on TV. Little plays get big cheers and the fans can see things coming well ahead of things actually happening (shot or goal), so it is more intense.

Glad I went, but if Messi had been their it would have been over the top.

There were clearly a ton of people in from out of town.

Not sure what the reaction was to the flares and smoke bombs (media, etc.), but it was pretty cool and made for a more European football experience.

Even with how rowdy the Bosnian fans seemed to be, it was generally jovial (even after the game), and I did't not see any problems inside or outside (unless the flares and smoke bombs count). My 6-year old thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

DogtownBnR · PostNov 19, 2013#6912013-11-19T19:41+00:00

Does this game hurt or help our chances of landing the rumored US vs. Bosnia friendly in March? I think the fact that 30K+ plus showed up in the freezing cold, to see a 'Messi-less' Argentina play Bosnia, tells us that the US-Bosnia match would be a HUGE draw, assuming we do not get a mid-March snow.

Anyone heard how solid this rumor is and if the US will indeed, come to St. Louis and play Bosnia this spring/late winter? Considering the fact that you can almost sell out with local Bosnians, this is a no-brainer. I'd rather it be at Busch, but the Dome will likely need to be the venue, to accommodate the likely sell-out, 65K + that would show up. The USMNT has it's own following, with groups like the American outlaws. Throw in all of those people into the mix and you have a complete sell-out, blowing the attendance of the other 3 games, out of the water, IMO. Hope it happens this March!

PS_ Both announcers from BEin Network (televised the Bosnia/Argentina match), touted St. Louis as a great soccer town, VERY deserving of an MLS team. They said specifically, 'I know the league (MLS) is looking to expand in Miami, but St. Louis has got to be on the short list. This is a great soccer town and only a very disputable second, to New Jersey" (paraphrasing). I hope MLS takes notice and looks at STL as a real expansion option, assuming we can get a willing owner (Stan) and a venue (Near Union Station). Imagine the sports mecca that Downtown STL could be with Busch, The Dome, a soccer venue and a new NFL stadium. One can only hope!!!

jstriebel · PostNov 19, 2013#6922013-11-19T20:39+00:00

I have no inside information, but just based on everything that's been out there, I think the US-Bosnia match is beyond the rumor stages. It hasn't been formally announced, but my impression is it's happening. I can't imagine last night would have done anything but encourage the people behind it to make sure they finalize the plan.

dweebe · PostNov 20, 2013#6932013-11-20T17:29+00:00

MLS awards 21st team to Orlando.

http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/16217 ... am?cc=5901

gone corporate · PostNov 20, 2013#6942013-11-20T18:11+00:00

What STL Needs for MLS:
1. STL-based owner. Stan's name has been mentioned, but I've heard privately of others not mentioned here beforehand. Sure as hell there are no names to mention, but there's been some serious vetting by MLS of local(s) for some time.
2. New stadium. The Edward Jones Dome wouldn't work for a long-term facility. Maybe the Dome could work for a year or two as the new stadium is built.
3. A proposal that beats out the other markets competing for MLS teams. That STL has hosted 3 international soccer games so far this year, including the last one outside in November, speaks very well to our perception as a viable candidate.

My hope: New dual-use stadium for the Rams and STL's MLS team within the next 5 years, proximate to Downtown.

dweebe · PostNov 20, 2013#6952013-11-20T18:29+00:00

gone corporate wrote:What STL Needs for MLS:
1. STL-based owner. Stan's name has been mentioned, but I've heard privately of others not mentioned here beforehand. Sure as hell there are no names to mention, but there's been some serious vetting by MLS of local(s) for some time.
2. New stadium. The Edward Jones Dome wouldn't work for a long-term facility. Maybe the Dome could work for a year or two as the new stadium is built.
3. A proposal that beats out the other markets competing for MLS teams. That STL has hosted 3 international soccer games so far this year, including the last one outside in November, speaks very well to our perception as a viable candidate.

My hope: New dual-use stadium for the Rams and STL's MLS team within the next 5 years, proximate to Downtown.

All good points. But they're giving Orlando a team with a new stadium still in the planning stages.

STLEnginerd · PostNov 20, 2013#6962013-11-20T22:02+00:00

What STL Needs for MLS

4. A successful USL or NASL Team that demonstrates fan support for a locally based team. These Exibition games are a start but when you are looking at a whole season of soccer will the city support it. For the record I think it would.

A new MLS soccer team needs to be able to reliably draw ~15k per game or it will be considered a failure. I'd like to see a a USL or NASL club be founded in or relocate to St. Louis build strong local support and in 5-10 years bid to move up to MLS. It can't be coincidence that alot of the other cities prominantly featured as potential host of the next MLS expansion team (Dayton, Atlanta...) have locally based USL teams which I assume get strong fan support.

I predict a USL team will be announced in 2014 to be established in St. Louis to replace the hole left by Orlando City. Get them out of St. Peters. (they talked about playing at Lindenwood but it'd be better if they could play at SLU IMHO) build a permanent home for them in South City close to the Hill, Bevo, or somewhere in between.

jstriebel · PostNov 20, 2013#6972013-11-20T22:37+00:00

One issue with the USL/NASL team. It doesn't have the ring of an MLS team, and there are a lot of soccer fans (I'm not far removed from this), who wouldn't recognize that a USL/NASL team is of a significant caliber and our first step to getting an MLS team.

There are some cities where minor league teams won't work because they're big leagues or bust. I'm not sure that's the case here, but I think it's a factor. If STL gets a USL/NASL team, part of the marketing needs to be that this is the first step in getting the real deal.

STLEnginerd · PostNov 21, 2013#6982013-11-21T00:03+00:00

There are some cities where minor league teams won't work because they're big leagues or bust.

If that's the case for St. Louis then I guess we just aren't big enough soccer fans.

I think St. Louis supports the River City Rascals fairly well. St. Charles even manages to support a minor league hockey team (STC Chill), there is the also the Gateway Grizzlies in IL. Plus the Ambush who are admittedly the top of Indoor Soccer divisions but its not exactly a huge spectator sport yet.

Big league or bust has meant mostly bust for the last decade. Cooper in Collinsville should have been looking to form a minor league club instead of an MLS franchise. We might be in Orlando's position today.

The only danger I see is Orlando was the affiliate of Sporting KC. Most of the affiliate teams are associated with cities in close proximity. DC/Richmond, Philadelphia/Harrisburg, NY/Rochester. It would smart mightily to be the division 2 affiliate team of KC. It also makes the USL scenario for STL look all the more likely. I need to get that in my predictions for 2014 list.

jstriebel · PostNov 21, 2013#6992013-11-21T00:10+00:00

I think the reason it works in the other sports is because we already have the major league equivalent of those sports. There aren't many die-hard fans of the Rascals or the Chill, but we like baseball and we like hockey, and those games are fun when we can't make it out (be it distance, money, or something else) to see the Cardinals or the Blues.

I think St. Louis soccer is in a weird place. Because I think people are big enough soccer fans, but you still want to root for a meaningful team. Cooper actually did bring about a minor league team in AC St. Louis (albeit at a lower division). It wasn't profitable.

There is a huge core of soccer fans here and a huge core of people interested in soccer here, not to mention a ton of sports fans that will jump on to a meaningful team that represents their city. But I do think it's important to establish that meaning.

Getting a minor league team that could turn into an MLS team may be the ticket. I'm not sure.

I also could be entirely off-base here. I don't exactly have studies to back me up.

STLEnginerd · PostNov 21, 2013#7002013-11-21T01:03+00:00

Oh yeah AC St. Louis. Touche.

Still other factors likely played a large role in that teams failure. Particularly that every team has to establish fan support and so they needed a few years to develop that. the financial crisis was still near its peak for the entirety of of the teams existance so thats got to make it tough. And lets not forget they built the stadium in Fenton behind a torn down Chrysler plant, so that can't help much.

You could be right too. But i suspect the MLS won't gamble on St. Louis unless it can demonstrate a sustainable fan base and exhibition games aren't going to do that. So big or bust in my mind means bust.

Professional Soccer in St. Louis

Choose Display Mode