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What a freaking horse **** call. When I was playing soccer growing up I swear you could break someone's legs as long as you got the ball first, rules on tackling seem a bit different now.

(07-20-2016 12:25 PM)#41 Wrote:  

(07-20-2016 12:00 PM)BearcatMan Wrote:  

(07-20-2016 11:47 AM)#41 Wrote:  Will I get tarred and feathered on this side of the board if I admit that there's a *tiny* part of me that'll be sad if UC makes the B12 and expands Nippert?

I've kinda fallen in love with the idea of Nippert as a soccer venue and with the idea of, maybe, an MLS team calling Nippert home -- but that won't work if they add capacity and all the empty seats kill the environment.

I'm fairly certain the add would be "up" so it wouldn't really affect the environment to me since we already have a pretty much empty upper deck.

The amount of upper-deck unsold is pretty small right now. You double it in size, and it starts to create that cavernous environment that seems noticeably empty.

I've been to DC United Games -- a giant, empty upper deck just kills the mood IMO.

Who knows what attendance would be if they were MLS. Also, I kind of like being able to put those huge banners on the empty seats. Looks pretty cool to me.

Huge win over 1st place Louisville tonight. 2-0 victory for the good guys. So this year's Dirty River Derby ended with a 1-1-1 record. Aw shucks, a tie! Wrong! The tiebreaker is goals scored which FCC had 4 to LCFCs 3. FCC has its first regular season hardware ever. AND they take the 3 points and move closer to the top of the standings. And to top it off, another 20k showed up in this awful heat.

Three matches in 7 days -- FCC drew 71+K.

That's just unfathomable for a 3rd division side.

(07-24-2016 01:11 AM)#41 Wrote:  Three matches in 7 days -- FCC drew 71+K.

That's just unfathomable for a 3rd division side.

The best part of that Nippert would be sitting empty during the summer. It is being utilized and UC is being seen in a positive light due to the success of FC Cincinnati. I went to the Wednesday and Saturday games. A lot of fans are not UC alum or students to hearing them talk about campus and Nippert and how impressed they are is nice.

Butthurt Louisville fan. ...Showing a picture of the sunny side of nippert and omitting the shady packed side from his photo . Lol

@cameojoe @usl @fccincinnati @SacRepublicFC @LouCoopers seriously guys, don't believe these rounded way up numbers. https://t.co/w2PUSrjqYi

I don't claim to know what the MLS targets when considering expansion candidates. But it would really surprise me if attendance/interest is not the most important factor, followed closely by ownership's financial status. I understand they'd like every team to have its own stadium but how many other leagues/teams have been very successful sharing a venue.

Have there been any more recent articles about MLS expansion?

There are allegedly going to be expansion meetings happening this week in advance of the All Star Game -- I'm sure a few nuggets will leak out, as there are a ton of cities waiting on a limited amount of slots.

(07-24-2016 02:23 PM)#41 Wrote:  There are allegedly going to be expansion meetings happening this week in advance of the All Star Game -- I'm sure a few nuggets will leak out, as there are a ton of cities waiting on a limited amount of slots.

Nice thanks for the info.

Just in case MLS demands a stadium for FC Cincy.

http://local12.com/news/local/photos-sho...s-facility

(07-30-2016 09:24 AM)BeerCat Wrote:  Just in case MLS demands a stadium for FC Cincy.

http://local12.com/news/local/photos-sho...s-facility

I'm failing to see the connection with that article

(07-30-2016 09:34 AM)Racinejake Wrote:  

(07-30-2016 09:24 AM)BeerCat Wrote:  Just in case MLS demands a stadium for FC Cincy.

http://local12.com/news/local/photos-sho...s-facility

I'm failing to see the connection with that article

Bulldoze that worthless building and put the stadium there. Boom.

FC Cincinnati getting taken seriously in Chicago:

Quote:MLS COULD EXPAND IN THE MIDWEST AND HOW THAT AFFECTS THE FIRE
By Dan Santaromita July 29, 2016 3:12 PM

There aren’t many notable traditions in Major League Soccer yet.

So many things are frequently changing in the league, which is currently in its 20th season, that not much can be counted on year after year.

However, one of the smaller things that is newsworthy each season is commissioner Don Garber’s on-air halftime interview during the MLS All-Star Game. For hardcore fans of the league it’s must-see TV and in some years might even be more interesting than the game itself.

Expansion, one of the seemingly evergreen hot topics in the league, always seems to come up and Garber usually has some good details to offer. During halftime of yesterday’s All-Star Game in San Jose, Garber teased more than he informed when asked about expansion, but there was still some useful information.

Atlanta is all set and ready to go for 2017 and Garber said they have 31,000 season-ticket deposits. Garber said a second team, which is all but assured to be Minnesota, will also join in 2017 with a formal announcement in “a couple weeks.” Los Angeles FC and David Beckham’s Miami team, which appears to be in limbo at the moment, are next in line.

After that, it’s anyone’s guess beyond the fact that Garber has previously said the league is working to add an additional four teams to reach 28. At this point even Garber doesn’t know which cities will get those teams, but he said there’s a lot of interest.

“I can’t tell you when that’s going to be,” Garber said during the interview on ESPN. “We’re going to be careful to ensure we manage the technical aspects of expansion, but a lot of interest. Probably a dozen cities for those last four spots.”

A dozen cities seems high and perhaps Garber is posturing to increase the competition for those expansion openings, but there are plenty of cities that on the surface would appear to be good for MLS.

From a local perspective, or more appropriately, a regional perspective, it makes one wonder how many of those cities are in the Midwest and could become geographical rivals for the Chicago Fire.

The region as a whole doesn’t have many teams in MLS. Chicago is joined by Kansas City and Columbus, with Minneapolis-St. Paul soon to join. The problem is Kansas City and Minneapolis, and to some extent Columbus, are the geographical edges of the region. There are plenty of Midwestern cities that are both closer and have more ties with Chicago in other sports that don’t have MLS teams.

Looking at the candidates

St. Louis: This is an obvious pick in the rivalry category for the Fire and jumped up the MLS list once the Rams left. The city has rich soccer history, a fairly successful minor league team (the Fire's United Soccer League affiliate, Saint Louis FC, is averaging nearly 5,000 fans per game to put it towards the top of the league attendance chart) and just two other sports teams to compete for mindshare and media attention.

Detroit: There hadn’t been much talk about Detroit joining MLS until Tom Gores (Pistons owner) and Dan Gilbert (Cleveland Cavaliers owner) announced they are working on getting a team into Detroit. Detroit City FC is a semi-pro that team that has built a dedicated following. There’s preexisting Chicago-Detroit rivalries in every other sport with Bulls-Pistons and Blackhawks-Red Wings the standouts.

Cincinnati: A year ago Cincinnati would have been an afterthought, but since FC Cincinnati has joined the USL things have changed. The expansion club is averaging a league-best 16,750 fans per game and recently drew just over 35,000 for a friendly against Premier League club Crystal Palace. There’s nothing minor league about those numbers.

Indianapolis: Indy Eleven, which the Fire beat in penalty kicks in this year’s U.S. Open Cup, led the North American Soccer League in attendance in 2014 and 2015 and sit only behind Minnesota this season. The fan interest and the numbers are there for a minor league team, but the question is if the investment is also there to move into MLS.

How this affects the Fire

MLS continues to market rivalries via sponsored “rivalry weeks” and the same few matchups seem to headline. Seattle-Portland, the new New York derby, LA-San Jose and to a lesser extent Dallas-Houston. The Fire don’t have anything that approaches these games.

The Columbus Crew are probably the Fire’s biggest rival and that’s not reaching the top tier of big matchups in the league. St. Louis, Detroit or Indianapolis could provide a marquee game on the schedule.

“The growth of the league is phenomenal,” Fire general manager Nelson Rodriguez said back in May when asked about Midwest expansion. “We will be excited to go into those markets because we know we’ll be met with fans who will be inclined to hate Chicago because Chicago is a great sports town. Because we carry with us the tradition of six trophies in our cabinet and we also carry with us the reputation of Chicago sports in general. I’m looking forward to it. I think it’s a wonderful thing.”

From the players’ perspective, they won’t complain about their being more jobs in the league, but they also look forward to the bigger spectacles.

“Any rivalry game brings a lot of fan interest, a lot of high-intensity games,” said Fire midfielder Michael Stephens, who grew up in the Chicago area. “You see New York City-New York Red Bull this weekend was a good one so they’re always good.

“There’s been some talk about St. Louis as well so that could be a little rivalry. We got the Cardinals and Cubs going on already so that could be nice. Any more teams is good for the players.”

Like Stephens, Eric Gehrig is a Chicago native and a big fan of Chicago sports. Gehrig also believes it would be good for both the Fire and the league to see more teams in the region.

“You think about the markets, maybe St. Louis,” Gehrig said. “A lot of ties there with Chicago and Detroit obviously. Michigan has got a healthy crop of young talent. I think as the years pass soccer is going to keep getting bigger and bigger and any time you can add more teams and more rivalries to the Midwest it will be good.”

FCC tied the Charleston Battery 1-1 yesterday.

Louisville City lost yesterday which helps close the gap between the two. A win and 3 points would have been better yesterday, as LCFC doesn't lose often.

Interesting...

Quote:Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber will visit Cincinnati at the end of November, a move that has set off speculation that the city's minor league team could become a major league team.

The Enquirer learned about the Nov. 29 visit after seeing mention of it on Mayor John Cranley's upcoming schedule. Cranley is set to give Garber a driving tour of the city from 1:30 p.m. to 3 p.m. that day.

FC General Manager Jeff Berding confirmed the visit. A public event will also be held that day, during which the commissioner will talk about his vision for the MLS. Fans and supporters will be able to ask questions.

"Cincinnati is a city on the rise and so is soccer," Berding said. "We've created an environment for a professional soccer team to be successful."

Berding said he'll seize the opportunity to show Garber "first-hand the great things happening in the city, things that enabled is to have incredible inaugural season."

"FC Cincinnati has done a fantastic job of putting a high-quality product on the field, filling Nippert Stadium with record-setting crowds, and adding to the vibrancy of our city," Cranley said. "We are lucky to have FC Cincinnati and MLS would be lucky to have them too."

Earlier this year, Major League Soccer announced it would add four new teams. A meeting is set for November after which Garber is expected to announce how the league will proceed.

In June, Berding went to San Jose for the 2016 MLS All-Star Game and United Soccer League board meeting, a trip billed as the first steps to make Futbol Club Cincinnati a reality.

FC Cincinnati launched this year and has exceeded expectations: The team made the playoffs; has had record-breaking attendance drawing more than 300,000 fans; a high profile game with England's Crystal Palace and garnered the kind of morning-after-the-game water cooler chatter usually reserved for the Reds and Bengals.

MLS opened the 2016 season with 20 teams but announced this year its intent to eventually expand to 28. The vacancies are already filling up.

Atlanta United FC and Los Angeles FC are set to come online in 2017 and 2018, respectively. Minnesota United FC is scheduled for a 2018 MLS launch and former international soccer star David Beckham's project to bring MLS to the city of Miami is considered a virtual lock for an expansion slot.

Those four expansion projects would fill MLS out to 24 teams.

Reporter Patrick Brennan contributed to this report.

Awesome news.

The MLS commissioner's vision for Cincinnati will require a check for $100-200 million.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies of the NASL just announced they are moving over to the USL. The Ottawa Fury seem to be not far behind. And with rumors that most every other NASL club has had discussions with the USL, there might not be an NASL in 2-3 years.

Would love for the Indy Eleven to eventually make the jump as well, another regional matchup against an independent club would be great.

Is the USL growing too fast? Do the independents and the "2"s break off and form seperate divisions under a USL umbrella? Was the NASL model doomed from the start? Is no NASL a good or a bad thing? Just some thoughts.

Looks like Harkes is out as HC. Crazy. 2 days before their first preseason game.

(02-17-2017 07:43 PM)Kco17 Wrote:  Looks like Harkes is out as HC. Crazy. 2 days before their first preseason game.

I saw this. What's up with that?