(04-14-2014 02:10 AM)FAUAEPi Wrote: (04-09-2014 07:11 PM)chrisattsu Wrote: I wish MLS would grant a team to San Antonio (or Austin). The NASL is alright, but I'd like a local MLS team that I could support. FCD is too far away, and Houston well Houston.
Keep supporting the Scorpions if you can! They've had some good teams over there and deserve the support. Not to mention they're a very serious candidate to be next in line for expansion, so if you help fill up that stadium, it'll only strengthen the case for MLS in SA.
Agreed, I will keep supporting the Scorpions. The things that seem to be holding them back compared to others is the money, stadium location, and other Texas markets. We averaged 6800 per game last season (which was second in the league behind only Cosmos).
Hartman (the owner) has an awesome idea. Soccer for a Cause. He's a millionaire who built an amusement park for special needs people. The profits from the Scorpions go back to improving this idea. The problem is that it doesn't jive with the Major league pro-sports model. The speculation is that someone like Spurs Sports and Entertainment (Spurs, WNBA Silver Stars, AHL Rampage) would have to get involved.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/07/08/sports....html?_r=0
Stadium location-
We have an a nice new stadium in a part of town that easily accessible and ready for expansion as soon as demand dictates it. The problem is that it is not in the city center and people seem to think that is a big deal. The Alamodome is downtown and great for tourist draw but is too large and would need work.
Other Texas Markets-
MLS has shown they want new markets with Atlanta, Orlando, and Miami coming online. FCD and Dynamo is already in place and so it is expected that people in Austin or San Antonio can follow those teams if they dont have their own. Speaking of Austin, MLS leadership met with key people in both Austin and San Antonio earlier this year. Both teams would like to have the team (and keep the other from getting it). Austin has a metro area of 1.8 Million while San Antonio is 2.2 Million.
Austin could provide money, "hip factor", and presumably a downtown stadium. The problems are the unknown of a new franchise compared to the successful one currently in San Antonio and 800lb Gorilla (UTexas athletics). The city gets crazy in the fall with UT football, ACL Music Fest, and The American Grand Prix.
San Antonio has a team, good fan support, and a new stadium. However, the big money question still lingers. The question is if you do expand to this part of Texas, which market do you focus on. Both cities are growing together and will travel (Austinites go to Spurs games, San Antonians go events in Austin) but you would have better attendance numbers if you focused it in one city rather than trying to put it in the middle.