MLS will announce Charlotte as the 30th team on December 17 in CLT
- Thread starter varsaku
- Start date
PCSPounder
Stadium Groupie
Considering what Vegas and Phoenix have done at USL Championship level, and even given the efforts in the Triangle in regards to NCFC and NC Courage (NWSL)...
...not cool.
$325 million. It's about that and essentially nothing else.
...not cool.
$325 million. It's about that and essentially nothing else.
HisIceness
This is Hurricanes Hockey
The Raleigh bid pretty much died when David Tepper came into the picture, he was instantly a better option for owner than the Bruton Smith family was. I think it will do fine for the first few years, but after that remains a mystery. This city is pretty fickle when it comes to sports, even the Panthers don't do all that well when the chips are down (like now for instance), and frankly I've always thought the soccer culture is better in Raleigh (and Durham/Chapel Hill).
On another note, this will mean that Raleigh is the lone NHL-only market in the US. Columbus and San Jose both have MLS franchises and Las Vegas is a year away from the NFL coming.
On another note, this will mean that Raleigh is the lone NHL-only market in the US. Columbus and San Jose both have MLS franchises and Las Vegas is a year away from the NFL coming.
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
Screw that; look at the attendance figures and you got Charlotte at 31st this past season in the USL Championship (dead last for any non reserve team), compared to 15th from Saint Louis FC and 3rd from Sacramento Republic FC (two other markets that will be going to MLS in the next few years). Nearby North Carolina FC (Raleigh/Durham) is 18th. Nashville SC, which is getting promoted in 2020, was 6th. Meanwhile three of the top 5 USL Championship teams in attendance; New Mexico United, Indy Eleven (my club), and Louisville City, are unlikely to ever go up to the MLS level in the current model.
For anyone who will look at those numbers and say that NCFC being 18th is lousy, I'm not saying that people aren't supportive of the former Carolina RailHawks in the Triangle, because they are, and that attendance doesn't paint the whole picture. However, it is rather damning when you look at the teams that have managed to get the most people to come to the matches on a regular basis and then you see what it ultimately will take to get to the MLS level and that X and Y are not conductive to one another, especially given how pitiful the Independence are in the Charlotte sports environment (the Charlotte Eagles, who sort of have a bizarre cult-like approach to operating, in which their strict Christianity philosophy means no drinking, no swearing, and no homosexuals on the team, have more of a historical footprint). All it says is that if someone comes along with a truckload of money, then it'll be enough for Major League Soccer cause analytics and market be damned; there's money to be had.
BKIslandersFan
F*** off
But at the same time, Dave Tepper is not a fool, he made his wealth on his own and didn't inherit it. He's not spending that money if he sees no market for MLS in Charlotte.
HisIceness
This is Hurricanes Hockey
The Independence and the Eagles don't really have much of a following. The Eagles have been around since 1991 and used to play their home games at various high schools before settling for a soccer complex in the suburb of Matthews that is difficult to get to and is tucked back in the woods where I-485 and Independence Blvd (US-74) meet, one of the busiest intersections in the city. I believe the Independence also play their home games there. The Charlotte Observer and other local media outlets barely cover them.
Like I said above, there will be excitement at first but once the novelty wears off, the support will depend on whether the franchise is competitive at worst. Between the Panthers/Hornets/Knights/Checkers/Various other minor-league sports/NCAA Football and Basketball, the sports dollar is already kind of maxed out.
Like I said above, there will be excitement at first but once the novelty wears off, the support will depend on whether the franchise is competitive at worst. Between the Panthers/Hornets/Knights/Checkers/Various other minor-league sports/NCAA Football and Basketball, the sports dollar is already kind of maxed out.
When the Eagles played at Charlotte Christian, we went to a ton of their games. Granted, that is my daughter's school, we live a mile from there, and she's participated in many of their summer camps, and has an open invite to try out for their youth team. When they won the PDL Championship a few summers ago, we were going to the Sportsplex for the games. However, since the permanent move, we haven't been to a game. Haven't been to an Independence game either.
The original Bruton Smith plan of Memorial Stadium was so asininely stupid, it had very little backing outside of the usual cheerleaders on city council and county commission.
At B of A makes a lot more sense. The biggest questions are ticket prices, and whether or not the Charlotte soccer fan will endure 4 PM Sunday start times in June, July, and August when it's 96 in the shade. I'd consider tickets if the price was $30-35, but sitting in that heat has me asking a lot of questions.
DaveG
Noted Jerk
I'm in the same boat there. I'm more of a Raleigh-oriented guy in terms of NC sports but I'll be throwing my support behind the team in Charlotte. Will probably even end up buying season tickets the first couple seasons. That said I do wonder just how the team will end up doing at the box office. Both markets (Charlotte and Raleigh) can be rather fickle in terms of their support for teams when they aren't competitive, so keeping ticket prices reasonable will be the biggest thing they need to focus on in order to keep the interest there in the down seasons.
All said I do think the Raleigh market would have been the better idea for MLS though. NCFC draws... alright and their stadium location is pretty crappy. But good luck getting land in downtown Raleigh where a new stadium can be built without it becoming a complete boondoggle of a state politics shitshow.
On the plus side, hopefully the new team moves Charlotte higher on the list for hosting a few games in 26, though I'd be making the trek to DC or Atlanta for some games even if Charlotte didn't make the cut.
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HisIceness
This is Hurricanes Hockey
The stadium thing is going to be interesting. The rumor I've heard floating around is that Tepper wants parking and tailgating revenue, which he can't get at BofA anymore because all the lots are being gobbled up by new construction. So his idea seems to be build a new NFL stadium and practice field near Carowinds to collect parking money, while flipping BofA into a soccer-only facility.
This wouldn't be that big of a deal if not for two reasons. One being that Charlotte has been through this kind of battle before (Hornets left for New Orleans after the city rejected what would be the Spectrum Center), and two, the Panthers are not winners right now, and are on the verge of enduring a long and painful rebuild, and the stadium not that long ago underwent a significant renovation that IIRC was largely taxpayer funded. The last home game was only about 60% full, and a good number of those fans were wearing Redskins attire. I can also attest that a lot of people are not going to be on board with a new stadium that you have to drive to get to, especially in an area where traffic is bad, even on weekends it can be slow.
This all could just be secondhand bullshit that someone heard from someone but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Tepper knows BofA isn't a good long-term facility for what will be his new toy and I'm sure he has no plans to use his own money to pay for these things. Why would he when no one else does?
So this has the potential to get nasty.
This wouldn't be that big of a deal if not for two reasons. One being that Charlotte has been through this kind of battle before (Hornets left for New Orleans after the city rejected what would be the Spectrum Center), and two, the Panthers are not winners right now, and are on the verge of enduring a long and painful rebuild, and the stadium not that long ago underwent a significant renovation that IIRC was largely taxpayer funded. The last home game was only about 60% full, and a good number of those fans were wearing Redskins attire. I can also attest that a lot of people are not going to be on board with a new stadium that you have to drive to get to, especially in an area where traffic is bad, even on weekends it can be slow.
This all could just be secondhand bullshit that someone heard from someone but it's not out of the realm of possibility. Tepper knows BofA isn't a good long-term facility for what will be his new toy and I'm sure he has no plans to use his own money to pay for these things. Why would he when no one else does?
So this has the potential to get nasty.
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
I still can't believe how much the MLS has expanded over the past fifteen years, they've essentially doubled in size. There's a bubble there like crazy here, imho, moreso than any of the big four. Say what you want about the NHL, it's still the highest-paying and highest-earning hockey league in the world. MLS though? Is it anyone's ideal landing spot aside from past their prime superstars looking for a final major payday against less than stellar competition?
I have absolutely no desire as a Charlotte taxpayer to go throwing money at a new stadium, UNLESS, they use the land at Eastland Mall. Plenty of room to build a soccer specific 25,000 to 30,000 seat facility that could also host the larger local high school football games., and still have enough room for a soccer academy and plenty of parking.
That said, Tepper has a solid argument on losing parking revenue. The nonstop building uptown is done with absolutely no forethought into how this may affect other uptown needs. And if all this building continues unabated, there could be a stadium there with absolutely no way to get there. We actually have elected morons who I have debated, make the claim that people should be riding bicycles and scooters to games at B of A Stadium.
if the Charlotte MLS expansion team does become creative and does not dip into the NASCAR community with the name and colors they will be missing out on some marketing opportunities!!
HisIceness
This is Hurricanes Hockey
I get a laugh out of the city council encouraging people to ride those shitty scooters to the stadium. You'd get there in the same time just walking.
No Fun Shogun
34-38-61-10-13-15
Recent MLS trend has been to mostly forgo the North American tradition and just go for generic city + FC/SC or united or whatever moniker pattern like Euro teams. At most they'll probably toss a city in there to just be Charlotte City FC. Then the logo will just be a triple or three-colored C with an F attached for CCFC because sports marketing is easy.
BKIslandersFan
F*** off
And its repulsive and lazy. As if different countries do not have different naming practices.
Except that Charlotte has tons of soccer programs already named Charlotte United (my daughter plays in their feeder program), Charlotte Futbol Club, etc.
Naming will be interesting.
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
My brother has thrown at least one of those blasted scooters into the river. No regrets. They're a pox on whatever community adopts them.
DaveG
Noted Jerk
I'm hoping even if they do the completely lazy ass naming convention that most MLS teams have done lately they at least get a little creative. I mean there's Queens Park Rangers in the championship, why not go Queen City Rangers instead of something lazy like FC Charlotte or some similar garbage.
Honestly it annoyed me when NCFC moved away from being called the Carolina Railhawks, that was unique, f*** being conventional.
That is BRILLIANT! Maybe for selfish reasons, but I love that suggestion.
QPR is my second English club behind Liverpool.
The Railhawks name shouldn't have been thrown away. I think the reason was to have both the men's and women's team to have the same name and branding.
The Cary facility is a nice athletic facility (was there last year for women's World Cup qualifying), but I can't imagine it being used for anything more than it already is. It's not exactly easy to get to.
garnetpalmetto
Jerkministrator
Not exactly easy to get to? It's right on a major road (Western Ave/Chatham St) right off of I-40.
Google Maps
Yes.
However, if you don't exactly know where it is, you can easily miss it.
We came into it from Harrison (Exit 287). Mainly because we wanted to get a pizza to eat in the parking lot before the game. There are a few tricky turns that unless you live there or are familiar with the area, it can get confusing.
garnetpalmetto
Jerkministrator
...a few tricky turns like left onto Maynard, left onto Chatham, right into the park?
Yeah, that is good. "QCR" does sort of just roll off the tongue, no?
DaveG
Noted Jerk
I think the bigger issue is traffic management if it would have been used for the MLS level. It's a really solid facility but it can be a nightmare getting in/out of at game time if there's a decent crowd.
GindyDraws
I will not disable my Adblock, HF
Meanwhile, the Tulsa Roughnecks decided they are just going to be "FC Tulsa" while Swope Park Rangers, thinking their brand was the reason why people don't go to their games and not because people in general do not care for reserve teams, let alone bad reserve teams, is now Sporting Kansas City II.
As much as that one user griped about my team having a goofy name, at least I'll take "Indy Eleven" over the (Insert Place) FC or (Region) United stagnation that has taken grasp over the sport in North America. I know there is a blowback against minor league baseball adopting ridiculous names like Sea Unicorns and PaddleHeads for the sake of ridiculousness but what is there to just have normal, conventional team names that we've had for much of the 20th century? Early MLS had that philosophy.
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