Since expansion seems to be a hot topic...which region needs the most expansion?
Comment any I may have missed
*the poll does not include teams that are scheduled to join the USL in the future*
Yeah. Illinois into the plains. Kentucky could be included in that I guess but I think those teams kind of fit into that southeast region that's doing well. The middle America USL1 teams include Madison and Omaha and that's it.
I think the Chicago suburbs could be home to a league one or Championship side. I think all of the league two are a bit meh for locations outside of Peoria City SC
I second Peoria! Wichita has a USL2 club. Not sure what kind of following there would be if they went USL1. Springfield, MO is an interesting thought. They've got a solid DI program in Missouri State, so there's got to be some sort of soccer culture there, ya? Green Bay? Lincoln, NE?
Northwest Arkansas is getting Championship League, which Springfield is close to Rogers. So it would be nice to have Wichita as USL 1 and Springfield as USL 2 as feeders. Wichita is a bigger market than Springfield, but Springfield only has Minor League Baseball while Wichita has a hockey team they support as well.
Do you know if Springfield has much of a soccer culture beyond Missouri State? I know Wichita's USL2 team does not draw particularly well.
I'm not sure since they are a pretty heavy baseball town with the Cardinals. I figured Wichita would draw better with a USL 1. Wichita used to be a big in soccer culture in the 80s and 90s with the Wichita Wings Arena club. At the time they folded, they were the oldest professional franchise in America.
A Chicago suburbs team needs to be along the Metra or Hiawatha lines, it would be a great way to spur some walkable neighborhood development.
I would love to have a USLC team in Buffalo or Cleveland, but the center of the country is sparse and there are some good size cities without a presence.
It really depends on if you’re talking USL-C or USL-L1.
For USL-C, I would say Great Lakes or New England. There’s not a lot of viable remaining cities in the west.
For USL-L1, I would say basically everywhere except the southeast. It needs a more national footprint, and needs the level of regionalization it has in the southeast in all the other corners of the country as well.
Why haven’t Toledo or Grand Rapids been considered for Midwest? Both are larger than Lansing or Fort Wayne and apparently Grand Rapids FC was well supported.
Grand Rapids is in the planning stage of a stadium and has an interest in ULSC. They want to announce something by the end of the year. The city not necessarily GRFC
The USL needs serious western conference expansion after losing San Diego, LAG2, Tacoma, Reno, and potentially RGV
Don't forget about losing Austin Bold, too.
Oh right lol. Yeah, there's a lot of traction on USL Championship Eastern expansion, but i really haven't heard anything for the West
I say NY, especially Upstate.
Rip the team formerly known as the Rhinos
Nothing for the south?
That would’ve been my vote. Fill out that SEC footprint a little more. Arkansas and Louisiana have coming soon teams. I think a 3rd Florida team in Jacksonville or Tallahassee. Get into Georgia somewhere, if you’re scared of Atlanta look Athens or Savannah maybe Columbus. Bring up one of the NC teams, Knoxville, and Lexington. Maybe a West Virginia team if we’re feeling extra wild. Second bama team either Montgomery or Mobile since the MLS Jr league sniped Huntsville. Mississippi kinda has to be Jackson or Biloxi imo, after that you’re getting into very small markets
Savannah is only about 30-45 mins away from Tormenta FC in Statesboro. If we had to do GA, I'd look for a team in Athens to tap into the student population at UGA (but would be nearly non-existent during the summer) or Middle GA and Macon area.
Just looking at the team maps for the professional leagues, there are a lot more pro teams in the south than in other regions.
I don’t exactly disagree, but there are also quite a lot for the Great Lakes region and the New York and New England areas, which ARE included in your survey. Many of the southern teams don’t get above USL 1, which is quite telling, IMO. I think it’s important to ask about professional soccer’s footprint in the south because that’s where American football has the strongest hold. If pro soccer can make it in the South, it can make it anywhere. In any case, thanks for putting together the survey and I hope the results are insightful!
From that list, probably Great Lakes. I'm a NYer, and would always love more sports but Manhattan it's so hard to get anything approved to play. Not sure eastern LI is a good option either.
I love a NE idea but I'm not a believer in Bridgeport at all. I see that name come up a lot but has anyone been there? It's like Newark's little brother.
You could certainly add Buffalo the Great Lakes region.
I’m dying for a team in Buffalo. Or at least somewhere in Upstate.
Burlington, Boston, Bridgeport...
And that's just the B's.
I would say New Haven is a better fit for USL than Bridgeport.
Sioux Falls at least needs a League 2 team, preferably League 1. We've got plenty of experience between NPSL, UPSL, and WPSL. Sioux Falls City is also going to WPSL Pro next year.
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7mo
It's not that I hate the south, it's that professional soccer is way more developed than other regions
West Coast: Tucson, Yuma, Bakersfield.
OP? Have you lived in any of these city’s? In summertime (me, all 3)? You understand many nights it can be in 100’s at sundown, hi 90’s at 10 PM? Not exactly optimum match conditions for players or fans.
That shouldn't have an effect on having a team or not. I've played in Dallas in 110 degrees at sundown in June, which is right in the middle of the season. Being from the northeast it was tough, but it is what it is. FC Dallas is still a team...
what they need is to make the conferences even then keep their teams alive
Middle America are in big need of teams.