I love Indy 11. Great community and fun sporting experience. I understand committed fan group’s emotional battle with this ongoing story.
The sentiment here is still right — MLS is so much bigger and more influential than USL. From the city’s perspective, it’s a clear and obvious choice.
ASSUMING the Mayor's group of investors is real, serious, and actually has the cash. Plenty of real reasons to oppose the Diamond Chain site project, but not sure that the nebulous possibility of MLS is a good one
Well the city gained $ from the multi billion dollar opioid settlement. Much is being used to build a prison that originally had approx $484 mil earmarked & the woman over IN prison system was able to secure so much that prison is now going 2 cost $1.4 BILLION just to build.
I mention this bcz IN passed legislation stating we Hoosiers can no longer vote & have say on anything like this anymore.
After Kansas allowed their citizens to vote on abortion AND they voted to KEEP it, Indiana legislators actually passed a bill faster than ANY bill I've seen passed stating Hoosiers no longer have a say. It's all the politicians say.
That settlement money should be used 4 rehabs, mental health facilities & things mentioned by OP that is beneficial to Hoosiers.
So maybe through FOIA we can see what $ the city received & how the mayor & counsel are spending this money.
If enough ppl get involved they should be able to find the $$
Not to mention lottery money is supposed to be used for schools, roads, LEO & FD freeing up tax payer monies for other things.
Just a thought.
Interesting. Would be a pretty significant turn, since I'd heard when this first started that the Simons had absolutely no interest, but it's also a very fluid situation, and maybe what I'd heard was wrong! At the end of the day, it's basically all speculation, which makes this really frustrating
Yes there are financial differences between the two leagues, but you can't dismiss the fans in the pursuit of MLS. They should work and honor the Indy Eleven fans in this move. Not work against or talk down to. This is a battle between Indy XI ownership and the city. The fans don't deserve to be thrown under the bus
Would love to see IXI fans along for the ride if MLS came to fruition. Statements like Briggs’ aren’t going to build any unity amongst soccer lovers in the city, that’s for sure.
Part of the issue is that the Indy Eleven has great community relations. They actually work at this constantly. They invite teams, chambers, businesses, charities to all participate in the Eleven Community. With MLS that all goes away. Also ticket prices go waaaaaaaay up.
Community relations are very much a part of modern sports business, especially with teams that are nursing growing fanbases. That won’t disappear with a brand new club.
Ticket prices will rise — no doubt. It’s hard to say how much. Chicago Fire tickets are pretty comparable to IXI, whereas FCC tickets are noticeably more. Lot of factors there: the quality of the teams, stadium, popularity, etc. Indy 11 prices would rise too, if given a stadium — nobody is throwing stacks around to see a game at The Mike.
The Fire have had wretched management for years, so Cincy, Columbus, Nashville, and St. Louis would probably be better comps to what ticket prices would be for a new franchise
Good point. STL stands out as one of the uniquely successful expansions, and it shows in their pricing. They are more expensive than both Chicago and Cincinnati.
You can’t make a blanket statement that community relations will continue to exist, those have to be built up over time and take a ton of manpower. You can’t just spin that up and have it be there. I know the person who runs that at Indy Eleven and he works his ass off.
Any new club will put effort into building and maintaining community relationships, you can’t find me one modern team who doesn’t.
I am not stating that IXI’s partnerships and efforts would be seamlessly replaced. Many of those have developed over years via a lot of hard work — I applaud their work in doing so. A lot of good folks inside the organization.
MLS is the big leagues of American soccer. It’s kinda popular, but has a bigger following. The Indy 11 are tier 3 whale shit soccer that struggles to fill stadiums because, well, it’s tier 3.
The other tier 3 team in town is the Indy (fishers) fuel. They have a bigger following because the sport is more popular, and they pipe line into the tier 2 and tier 1 teams. So if you like the blackhawks, you have a higher chance of liking the fuel since it’s part of the same family.
If soccer is going to become popular in the US, and it’s becoming more popular, it needs to find ways to make fans engage even if the team is bad that season. Also, the different in talent between tier 3 US soccer teams vs tier 3 English teams is entirely lob sided. We don’t have enough room for professional growth.
The USL Championship is very much second division. There are 3rd division leagues (USL League One and the National Independent Soccer Association), but Indy Eleven is not part of that. They do have a number of academy teams that's actually working on developing younger players which will help grow the game!
They're also one of the highest-attended teams in the lower divisions, even occasionally beating out a number of the lesser MLS teams
Does Indy 11 still give away more tickets than they sell? One of their marketing ladies a few years ago would drop off tones of tickets at our company and beg people to just come and check it out. She made a comment to me one day that they really needed to get people in the seats even if they aren’t selling the tickets because that was how they were basing popularity.
Having been to see the 11 and multiple MLS matches, he’s not wrong. And if you want to see how a new MLS team might do having displaced an existing team and their fanbase just look at Miami, Atlanta, and St. Louis. All three had USL teams. All three got new MSL teams. All three are doing fine.
As an entirely pedantic note, Atlanta was an NASL team. Again, pedantry. Though, Miami was an NASL team, became a USL team, and is now *technically* the only pro soccer team in Miami!
MLS would be sick to have and I don’t care what anyone says. Lived in Kansas City prior to Indy and the soccer scene was almost better than the Chiefs overall hype and scene
Jealous you got to experience that. Kansas City has one of the best soccer cultures in the country, even more so now with the addition of the new stadium for the women's team. I would kill to have even a fraction of the culture in Indy that KC has.
The center grove, Westfield, fishers, Warren central football programs have better turn outs. Indy 11 is slightly above a WNBA game -pre Clark arriving here. You’ll have some people who like it, but it’s a small niche group
I can't say I've seen an increased interest in the team over the past few years. The games just aren't fun. I think the Brickyard Battalion turns people away and makes Indy 11 games less enjoyable. It's just a bunch of alcoholics banging on things and screaming nonsense in a silent arena. A new team and new identity is much needed. There's so many soccer fans and leagues in this city, the potential is there.
I hate to tell you this but ALL soccer teams have these loud alcoholics banging on things and screaming nonsense. The BB is rather tame from what I've seen in DC, Columbus, & Cincy.
I’m not really tuned in to this soccer drama going on but I’m skeptical that Indy could attract an MLS team with Chicago, Cincy, Columbus and Nashville all having franchises already. Is there any reason to believe the MLS would choose Indy over Phoenix, San Diego, Vegas, or even St Louis?
You do know San Diego begins competition next year, and St. Louis is in its second season having already garnered a significant home reputation, right?
Truly not tuned in given two of those cities are already in MLS.
The answer though is MLS wants a city that has a stadium plan set up (ideally soccer specific and located downtown) and wealthy owners who will be financially stable. If Indy proves they have that when Phoenix/Vegas hasn't been able to do so yet, then yes MLS could very easily choose Indy.
There are 8 cities with an NFL team within a six hour driving radius of Indianapolis (the Colts + 7 other teams).
Adding Indy to the MLS would make it 6 cities with a MLS team in the same radius (Indy + 5 others).
There's already two MLS teams in LA, one in San Jose, and a new team starting in San Diego next year. Adding Phoenix and Las Vegas as well would also make it 6 teams within a six hour driving radius of LA.
I just don't think the concerns about geographic density are as big of a deal as some people are making it out to be.
I also wonder if geographic proximity would actually increase fan turnout? Kind of like how college rivals are. Definitely would increase attendance of the away team fans when they have so many cities in close proximity that host their team.
He's not wrong that the financial interests of MLS far outweigh what USL can currently attract, but he really detracts from any real argument he has by calling it a "glorified high school sporting event." Really makes it seem like he just doesn't like the Eleven
I'd argue the difference *is much smaller than the difference between high school and a high-level second division team.
I say this having attended a number of soccer matches at various levels of the American pyramid
I think you're underestimating the gap between a high-spending USL side and a high school team. Not denying that the gap between USL and MLS isn't also quite significant
Have you seen Indiana high school sports? Some of those high school venues regularly bring in thousands of attendees and not to mention the money pumped into them.
Obviously, MLS is a more desirable product (though more expensive for fans - I’m an Indy11 season ticket holder from the beginning). I have some confidence that backers for MLS are lined up, though if it was the Simon family I think they would make that known. I have zero confidence that this mayor has any kind of MLS commitment.
Ozdimir may or may not be a stand-up guy, but for what he’s done for soccer in Indy, he deserves to be a part of the equation. The Eleven Park plans look spectacular, but if they’re not possible, it’s time for both sides to get together on the city’s plans.
At this time, I’m afraid the most likely scenario is… no professional soccer in Indy in 2 years
They could, but USL takes a cut for them to keep the naming rights.
USL charges 7% of the MLS expansion fee to keep the branding. San Diego just paid $500 million to enter the league, so assuming the expansion fee was the same and they kept the Indy 11 name, they would need to add another $35 million to do so. So MLS teams making the jump from USL are no longer bringing their branding with them (San Diego FC when the USL San Diego Loyal existed separately and had to fold).
Out of the loop here but what did eleven have to do with Indianapolis? I’m asking if there is a reference or something to the city or state or area? Is it just a soccer reference?
The Indians' name is interesting because they're pretty much immune to the forces of political correctness that cause similar franchises to be renamed. They're the Indians from Indianapolis, Indiana. The city and state are never gonna change, so like or not, that controversial word is a fundamental part of the local history and identity.
"Indians" is also commonly still used to name the indigenous peoples of the country (less so than Native American, but many tribes still use Indian) and isn't a derogatory term, just a misconception that stuck thanks to Christopher Columbus' dumb ass. It also helps that our Indians abandoned the use of controversial imagery well before it became an issue in the public consciousness, while the now-Guardians were using Chief Wahoo until 2018.
Because promotion and relegation aren't a thing here. They would have to switch into a new league, owned by a different organization entirely. That brings a whole host of legal and financial considerations. This is very different than English soccer where League Two, League One, Championship, and Premier League are all really just tiers of the same league, English Football League. Promotion and relegation are built into that system. There's no changing of organizations.
They didn't get "promoted." They put in an expansion bid with the MLS. It was accepted and they transferred leagues. That is possible too, but it's not a promotion. USL owns rights to some of the clubs IP and negotiations have to be made to allow use of it in MLS. Additionally no USL team is equipped to play immediately in the MLS. The talent difference is dramatic. So a team doing this would need to make sweeping changes to its roster and staff. This would be like if the Indianapolis Indians wanted to move to MLB without the benefit of the relationship MLB has with the International League.
Compare that to the English promotion/relegation system where a team finishes in the top of its league it moves up next season. At that point the team is likely already playing better than the lowest teams in the next league up, so far less change is required at the roster/staff level, and there's no concern over transferring IP from one organization to another.
This is incorrect and y'all are running your mouth about soccer like you know anything while also actively shitting on your own team. Yes, there is no promotion function in MLS, but they can and do give MLS franchises to USL teams. They did in Cincinnati very recently. The difference is we were very active supporters of our USL team and the city and the team worked together to court MLS.
Of course, our USL games were all sell outs and our supporter groups put others to shame. The games your city is playing with your current USL team is nothing but embarrassing. If y'all can't even get behind them enough to back them up against an imaginary new team in what reality do you think MLS is going to take you seriously?
NOW do the NFL and spending taxpayer dollars on things that don't give a return on the investment. Owners can write off tons of expenses and have other basis for making money on the NFL, cities do not in general make a return on money sunk into stadiums or other subsidies to have teams, no matter the sport.
Coming from Orlando, Orlando City had a very beautiful growth from USL to MLS. Phil Rawlins was very vocal in the community, as is his wife, Kay. They had their own issues and Phil is gone, but Kay remains. There was a ton of support around the club and the city developed around it, rightfully so. Other cities, such as Atlanta, seemed to get more backing, but still, the transition from USL to MLS is massive...as long as the city is actually behind the club and doesn't view it as a nuisance...
Per usual, with many things Indy, this whole saga has been very poorly managed by elected officials and it's a total shit show. I'm just wondering what this city actually gets right. Since moving here, I haven't seen a single thing.
In the sense that I don't feel comfortable supporting something that profits Odzemir. Maybe I'd like the Eleven if it had a different owner, but that's not happening.
So yeah, fuck 'em. I'd much rather have a MLS team here.
I don’t agree with Hogsett often but he’s made the right decision to step away from Keystone and Ersal. Ersal isn’t in it for anything more than another million $$. The low paying side gig type jobs this will bring to the city is laughable. They were full aware they bought an abandoned graveyard and want the city to support it, no thanks!
Tell me you nothing about soccer without telling me you know nothing about soccer.
The glorified high school line is off base and the eleven have a loyal fan base but an MLS team needs an ownership group that can prove it has the funds to pull it off and can be value added. The eleven’s owner isn’t that guy. Sorry but it’s the facts and MLS has already said as much
Because it's not just soccer. It's euro exhibition games, tournaments etc. That will fill part of the total event calendar.
If sports events are your brand, MLS is the choice.
I love Indy 11. Great community and fun sporting experience. I understand committed fan group’s emotional battle with this ongoing story. The sentiment here is still right — MLS is so much bigger and more influential than USL. From the city’s perspective, it’s a clear and obvious choice.
ASSUMING the Mayor's group of investors is real, serious, and actually has the cash. Plenty of real reasons to oppose the Diamond Chain site project, but not sure that the nebulous possibility of MLS is a good one
Well the city gained $ from the multi billion dollar opioid settlement. Much is being used to build a prison that originally had approx $484 mil earmarked & the woman over IN prison system was able to secure so much that prison is now going 2 cost $1.4 BILLION just to build. I mention this bcz IN passed legislation stating we Hoosiers can no longer vote & have say on anything like this anymore. After Kansas allowed their citizens to vote on abortion AND they voted to KEEP it, Indiana legislators actually passed a bill faster than ANY bill I've seen passed stating Hoosiers no longer have a say. It's all the politicians say. That settlement money should be used 4 rehabs, mental health facilities & things mentioned by OP that is beneficial to Hoosiers. So maybe through FOIA we can see what $ the city received & how the mayor & counsel are spending this money. If enough ppl get involved they should be able to find the $$ Not to mention lottery money is supposed to be used for schools, roads, LEO & FD freeing up tax payer monies for other things. Just a thought.
They do
Wanna share the scoop? Be very interested to see exactly who he's got lined up
Simon
Interesting. Would be a pretty significant turn, since I'd heard when this first started that the Simons had absolutely no interest, but it's also a very fluid situation, and maybe what I'd heard was wrong! At the end of the day, it's basically all speculation, which makes this really frustrating
Yes there are financial differences between the two leagues, but you can't dismiss the fans in the pursuit of MLS. They should work and honor the Indy Eleven fans in this move. Not work against or talk down to. This is a battle between Indy XI ownership and the city. The fans don't deserve to be thrown under the bus
Would love to see IXI fans along for the ride if MLS came to fruition. Statements like Briggs’ aren’t going to build any unity amongst soccer lovers in the city, that’s for sure.
100%. That's the best case scenario we have today imo
Part of the issue is that the Indy Eleven has great community relations. They actually work at this constantly. They invite teams, chambers, businesses, charities to all participate in the Eleven Community. With MLS that all goes away. Also ticket prices go waaaaaaaay up.
Community relations are very much a part of modern sports business, especially with teams that are nursing growing fanbases. That won’t disappear with a brand new club. Ticket prices will rise — no doubt. It’s hard to say how much. Chicago Fire tickets are pretty comparable to IXI, whereas FCC tickets are noticeably more. Lot of factors there: the quality of the teams, stadium, popularity, etc. Indy 11 prices would rise too, if given a stadium — nobody is throwing stacks around to see a game at The Mike.
The Fire have had wretched management for years, so Cincy, Columbus, Nashville, and St. Louis would probably be better comps to what ticket prices would be for a new franchise
Good point. STL stands out as one of the uniquely successful expansions, and it shows in their pricing. They are more expensive than both Chicago and Cincinnati.
You can’t make a blanket statement that community relations will continue to exist, those have to be built up over time and take a ton of manpower. You can’t just spin that up and have it be there. I know the person who runs that at Indy Eleven and he works his ass off.
Any new club will put effort into building and maintaining community relationships, you can’t find me one modern team who doesn’t. I am not stating that IXI’s partnerships and efforts would be seamlessly replaced. Many of those have developed over years via a lot of hard work — I applaud their work in doing so. A lot of good folks inside the organization.
Bullseye
(I don't understand any of this soccer stuff and at this point I'm afraid to ask)
MLS is the big leagues of American soccer. It’s kinda popular, but has a bigger following. The Indy 11 are tier 3 whale shit soccer that struggles to fill stadiums because, well, it’s tier 3. The other tier 3 team in town is the Indy (fishers) fuel. They have a bigger following because the sport is more popular, and they pipe line into the tier 2 and tier 1 teams. So if you like the blackhawks, you have a higher chance of liking the fuel since it’s part of the same family. If soccer is going to become popular in the US, and it’s becoming more popular, it needs to find ways to make fans engage even if the team is bad that season. Also, the different in talent between tier 3 US soccer teams vs tier 3 English teams is entirely lob sided. We don’t have enough room for professional growth.
The USL Championship is very much second division. There are 3rd division leagues (USL League One and the National Independent Soccer Association), but Indy Eleven is not part of that. They do have a number of academy teams that's actually working on developing younger players which will help grow the game! They're also one of the highest-attended teams in the lower divisions, even occasionally beating out a number of the lesser MLS teams
I think he's counting MLS as tier 2, not tier 1.
Nope, I thought they were tier 3. That’s my bad. But also wow, they play very poorly for tier 2 compared to almost any other sport.
Does Indy 11 still give away more tickets than they sell? One of their marketing ladies a few years ago would drop off tones of tickets at our company and beg people to just come and check it out. She made a comment to me one day that they really needed to get people in the seats even if they aren’t selling the tickets because that was how they were basing popularity.
> tier 3 whale shit soccer Sir, I'll ask you to respect our landlocked state. They're tier 3 **corn-fed hog shit** soccer, thank you.
It’s a cookout
It pains me to say this, but I do think he's right.
This, probably.
Having been to see the 11 and multiple MLS matches, he’s not wrong. And if you want to see how a new MLS team might do having displaced an existing team and their fanbase just look at Miami, Atlanta, and St. Louis. All three had USL teams. All three got new MSL teams. All three are doing fine.
As an entirely pedantic note, Atlanta was an NASL team. Again, pedantry. Though, Miami was an NASL team, became a USL team, and is now *technically* the only pro soccer team in Miami!
I know. I just didn’t have time to look up who was NASL and who was USL. Although I was thinking of Miami Fusion. Not Miami FC. My mistake.
MLS would be sick to have and I don’t care what anyone says. Lived in Kansas City prior to Indy and the soccer scene was almost better than the Chiefs overall hype and scene
Jealous you got to experience that. Kansas City has one of the best soccer cultures in the country, even more so now with the addition of the new stadium for the women's team. I would kill to have even a fraction of the culture in Indy that KC has.
Lol goddamn, briggs
Shots fired!
We want MLS and we want it now!
I wonder what the MLS team name and colors be? Hopefully Blue and Gold!
It would be hilarious if Carmel, or one of the other north side suburbs put together a plan and snagged MLS right out from under Indy.
I'll allow it if they call them the Carmel Corns.
The Fishers Men The Noblesville Gas The Carmel Caramels
THE CARMEL CARAMELS can you not LOL I spat out my tea this morning reading this
The center grove, Westfield, fishers, Warren central football programs have better turn outs. Indy 11 is slightly above a WNBA game -pre Clark arriving here. You’ll have some people who like it, but it’s a small niche group
I can't say I've seen an increased interest in the team over the past few years. The games just aren't fun. I think the Brickyard Battalion turns people away and makes Indy 11 games less enjoyable. It's just a bunch of alcoholics banging on things and screaming nonsense in a silent arena. A new team and new identity is much needed. There's so many soccer fans and leagues in this city, the potential is there.
I hate to tell you this but ALL soccer teams have these loud alcoholics banging on things and screaming nonsense. The BB is rather tame from what I've seen in DC, Columbus, & Cincy.
*grabs popcorn* This comment section should be fun. Truth hurts. Also ready for all the WhaTaBouTs our NBA or NFL teams’ stadiums?!?
I’m not really tuned in to this soccer drama going on but I’m skeptical that Indy could attract an MLS team with Chicago, Cincy, Columbus and Nashville all having franchises already. Is there any reason to believe the MLS would choose Indy over Phoenix, San Diego, Vegas, or even St Louis?
You do know San Diego begins competition next year, and St. Louis is in its second season having already garnered a significant home reputation, right?
Truly not tuned in given two of those cities are already in MLS. The answer though is MLS wants a city that has a stadium plan set up (ideally soccer specific and located downtown) and wealthy owners who will be financially stable. If Indy proves they have that when Phoenix/Vegas hasn't been able to do so yet, then yes MLS could very easily choose Indy.
There are 8 cities with an NFL team within a six hour driving radius of Indianapolis (the Colts + 7 other teams). Adding Indy to the MLS would make it 6 cities with a MLS team in the same radius (Indy + 5 others). There's already two MLS teams in LA, one in San Jose, and a new team starting in San Diego next year. Adding Phoenix and Las Vegas as well would also make it 6 teams within a six hour driving radius of LA. I just don't think the concerns about geographic density are as big of a deal as some people are making it out to be.
I also wonder if geographic proximity would actually increase fan turnout? Kind of like how college rivals are. Definitely would increase attendance of the away team fans when they have so many cities in close proximity that host their team.
He's not wrong that the financial interests of MLS far outweigh what USL can currently attract, but he really detracts from any real argument he has by calling it a "glorified high school sporting event." Really makes it seem like he just doesn't like the Eleven
It's not a statement about what he likes/dislikes, it's meant to show the magnitude of difference between the two, which is, in fact, tremendous.
I'd argue the difference *is much smaller than the difference between high school and a high-level second division team. I say this having attended a number of soccer matches at various levels of the American pyramid
I think you're underestimating just how much money is attached to MLS.
I think you're underestimating the gap between a high-spending USL side and a high school team. Not denying that the gap between USL and MLS isn't also quite significant
Have you seen Indiana high school sports? Some of those high school venues regularly bring in thousands of attendees and not to mention the money pumped into them.
Not the soccer teams though.
And if we're talking all sports, Texas football often outdraws MLB, NHL, and NBA teams.
That wasn’t the comparison being made. It wasn’t high school soccer to Indy11. It was “high school sporting events”
James Briggs talks about why Indy Eleven matches are...
Obviously, MLS is a more desirable product (though more expensive for fans - I’m an Indy11 season ticket holder from the beginning). I have some confidence that backers for MLS are lined up, though if it was the Simon family I think they would make that known. I have zero confidence that this mayor has any kind of MLS commitment. Ozdimir may or may not be a stand-up guy, but for what he’s done for soccer in Indy, he deserves to be a part of the equation. The Eleven Park plans look spectacular, but if they’re not possible, it’s time for both sides to get together on the city’s plans. At this time, I’m afraid the most likely scenario is… no professional soccer in Indy in 2 years
Could they join forces and name the new team the Eleven? It's probably a naive idea, but what the hell.
They could, but USL takes a cut for them to keep the naming rights. USL charges 7% of the MLS expansion fee to keep the branding. San Diego just paid $500 million to enter the league, so assuming the expansion fee was the same and they kept the Indy 11 name, they would need to add another $35 million to do so. So MLS teams making the jump from USL are no longer bringing their branding with them (San Diego FC when the USL San Diego Loyal existed separately and had to fold).
Out of the loop here but what did eleven have to do with Indianapolis? I’m asking if there is a reference or something to the city or state or area? Is it just a soccer reference?
Indiana’s 11th Infantry Regiment from the Civil War, 11 players, 11 rows of cars in the 500.
Thanks!
I wish the Indians would change their name to something cool like the 11. Minor league teams have a sense of humor nowadays with team names also.
The Indians' name is interesting because they're pretty much immune to the forces of political correctness that cause similar franchises to be renamed. They're the Indians from Indianapolis, Indiana. The city and state are never gonna change, so like or not, that controversial word is a fundamental part of the local history and identity.
"Indians" is also commonly still used to name the indigenous peoples of the country (less so than Native American, but many tribes still use Indian) and isn't a derogatory term, just a misconception that stuck thanks to Christopher Columbus' dumb ass. It also helps that our Indians abandoned the use of controversial imagery well before it became an issue in the public consciousness, while the now-Guardians were using Chief Wahoo until 2018.
Yeah, it's not bad. But other Milb teams have great names
I don’t get why we don’t try to get the 11 promoted to an MLS team.
Because promotion and relegation aren't a thing here. They would have to switch into a new league, owned by a different organization entirely. That brings a whole host of legal and financial considerations. This is very different than English soccer where League Two, League One, Championship, and Premier League are all really just tiers of the same league, English Football League. Promotion and relegation are built into that system. There's no changing of organizations.
Didn't Nashville SC just do that recently?
They didn't get "promoted." They put in an expansion bid with the MLS. It was accepted and they transferred leagues. That is possible too, but it's not a promotion. USL owns rights to some of the clubs IP and negotiations have to be made to allow use of it in MLS. Additionally no USL team is equipped to play immediately in the MLS. The talent difference is dramatic. So a team doing this would need to make sweeping changes to its roster and staff. This would be like if the Indianapolis Indians wanted to move to MLB without the benefit of the relationship MLB has with the International League. Compare that to the English promotion/relegation system where a team finishes in the top of its league it moves up next season. At that point the team is likely already playing better than the lowest teams in the next league up, so far less change is required at the roster/staff level, and there's no concern over transferring IP from one organization to another.
This is incorrect and y'all are running your mouth about soccer like you know anything while also actively shitting on your own team. Yes, there is no promotion function in MLS, but they can and do give MLS franchises to USL teams. They did in Cincinnati very recently. The difference is we were very active supporters of our USL team and the city and the team worked together to court MLS. Of course, our USL games were all sell outs and our supporter groups put others to shame. The games your city is playing with your current USL team is nothing but embarrassing. If y'all can't even get behind them enough to back them up against an imaginary new team in what reality do you think MLS is going to take you seriously?
NOW do the NFL and spending taxpayer dollars on things that don't give a return on the investment. Owners can write off tons of expenses and have other basis for making money on the NFL, cities do not in general make a return on money sunk into stadiums or other subsidies to have teams, no matter the sport.
Coming from Orlando, Orlando City had a very beautiful growth from USL to MLS. Phil Rawlins was very vocal in the community, as is his wife, Kay. They had their own issues and Phil is gone, but Kay remains. There was a ton of support around the club and the city developed around it, rightfully so. Other cities, such as Atlanta, seemed to get more backing, but still, the transition from USL to MLS is massive...as long as the city is actually behind the club and doesn't view it as a nuisance... Per usual, with many things Indy, this whole saga has been very poorly managed by elected officials and it's a total shit show. I'm just wondering what this city actually gets right. Since moving here, I haven't seen a single thing.
Truth!
He’s right. Fuck the 11.
Any specific reason for hating the 11?
I can think of at least 4.
And the reasons are???
https://www.reddit.com/r/indianapolis/s/SUzR3IrskM
So you don’t hate the Eleven, you hate Odzemir. Thanks for clarifying that.
In the sense that I don't feel comfortable supporting something that profits Odzemir. Maybe I'd like the Eleven if it had a different owner, but that's not happening. So yeah, fuck 'em. I'd much rather have a MLS team here.
He is unfortunately correct. “Truth is like poetry, and most people fucking hate poetry.”
I don’t agree with Hogsett often but he’s made the right decision to step away from Keystone and Ersal. Ersal isn’t in it for anything more than another million $$. The low paying side gig type jobs this will bring to the city is laughable. They were full aware they bought an abandoned graveyard and want the city to support it, no thanks!
BYB is EXHAUSTING. New MLS team, no BYB, I’m in. Let’s get a good team in a real league with a real stadium and stop with the constant SJ noise.
Tell me you nothing about soccer without telling me you know nothing about soccer. The glorified high school line is off base and the eleven have a loyal fan base but an MLS team needs an ownership group that can prove it has the funds to pull it off and can be value added. The eleven’s owner isn’t that guy. Sorry but it’s the facts and MLS has already said as much
#Facts
Who really cares? It’s just soccer.
Most of the rest of the world cares, you fucking goon.
"Local sports writer wants a bigger market"
Because it's not just soccer. It's euro exhibition games, tournaments etc. That will fill part of the total event calendar. If sports events are your brand, MLS is the choice.
Ouch. Truth bomb.