NASL: USL breakaway & list

My company has one. She's a member of the marketing department, as the website is considered "external communication." Everything submitted for posting goes through her.

 

USL Breakaway Official

Well despite my best efforts and e-mails the St. Louis team will be called A.C. St. Louis. It’s not surprising since the women’s team is the Athletica. I was kind of hoping they would resurrect the Steamers name (they were our longtime indoor team). Oh well.

If you care here is the website: http://www.ac-stlouis.com/

Here is some more info from our local soccer reporter Tom Timmerman

By Tom Timmermann
St. Louis Post-Dispatch

The name is AC St. Louis, the coach is Claude Anelka, brother of Nicolas Anelka, the director of player development is Francisco Filho, who worked with Cristiano Ronaldo at Man U. and at the French national academy for almost 30 years.

If you see the logo, when they write out AC St. Louis, they put a star between St. and Louis in tribute to the St. Louis Stars. The AC is also supposed to salute the Missouri Athletic Club for its involvement in soccer.

The season will start in late March or early April. Cooper hopes to expand the Soccer Park to 10,000 seats, which he said can be done by raising the bleachers along the east side from 10 rows to 20 rows. The current stands would be moved to the north and south ends to enclose the field. And he said the plan is to sell out every game. That seems optimistic to me, but as Alan Rothenberg always said before the ‘94 World Cup, “One’s reach must exceed one’s grasp …” (I forget the philosopher who first said it.)

Cooper admitted there could still be some restrictions that would keep them from making the stadium that big — the fact the Soccer Park lies in a flood plain is a big factor — but the plan is to make the place bigger. They’ll also need to improve the locker room facilities.

It looks as if 10 teams will be what the league has in the first season, with at least two more joining next season. Cooper said the window for other USL teams joining is pretty small. The league hopes to have a schedule done for internal purposes by the end of the week and then announced formally by the end of the month.

He also said he thinks they will have players by the end of the month. The complication there is the FIFA transfer window. The team can only talk to players who are out of contract, and obviously players in most leagues that are on standard FIFA fall-to-spring schedules aren’t going to be out of contract soon. Anelka said he would be headed to Europe right away, looking for second and third division players, but he’s not necessarily looking for European players. South Americans, Central Americans, Europeans, Asians, Africans, are all up for grabs. He said his first priority is quality players and then local players. The midseason transfer window in much of Europe is the month of January; the preseason transfer window in America is mid-January to mid-April. So it will be easier to get American players early on than foreigners. Anelka said Kevin Kalish and Mark Santel would be working with the team to identify available American players.

It will be a single table, with a six-team playoff.

Cooper has been named president of the league and interim commissioner, which means he’s leading the charge to find a full-time commissioner.

 

RE: USL Breakaway Official

I put my name and e-mail on the list for season tix.

One of the comments posted on the Post-Dispatch article linked to an article in an English paper listing the "ten worst managers of all time." Claude Anelka made the list. Apparently he got 300,000 euros from some anonymous financial backer (obviously his rich brother), and offered it to any club that would take him on as a manager. Some lower-division English club accepted the offer, and his brief time there was apparently a disaster. Not sure of his resume beyond that misadventure.

Should be fun. Can't wait for Spring!

 

RE: USL Breakaway Official

You know what a "steamer"is, right??

 

RE: USL Breakaway Official

Uhhhhh... Gross.

 

USL Breakaway Official

In this case it’s a reference to the steam powered ships that used to go up and down the Mississippi River.

I also am very aware of what the “steamer” you referenced is. It makes me think of the South Park episode where Mr. Garrison is talking about sexual acts with the kindergartners. That was hilarious.

 

Re: RE: USL Breakaway Official

Something akin to a "Cottager"?

 

RE: Re: RE: USL Breakaway Official

US Soccer rejected the 2nd Division petitions of BOTH the new NASL and USL.

http://www.ussoccer.com/News/Articles/2 ... eague.aspx

 

RE: Re: RE: USL Breakaway Official

SBI is reporting a 3PM news confernence by USSF where, rumor is, they'll be mandating the USL and NASL form a combined Div 2 league for 2010.

http://www.soccerbyives.net/soccer_by_i ... ikely.html

 

RE: Re: RE: USL Breakaway Official

Well it's official, The NASL and USL will be together this year. Here is the official statement from the Carolina Railhawks(NASL) web site

http://carolinarailhawks.com/index.php? ... Itemid=141

 

Sorry, Mo. Bad news for the CityStars.

http://www.insidemnsoccer.com/2009/12/0 ... contracts/

 

Crap.

 

I just read this. Really sad because in the end it was success (and a bit of stupidity) that did them in. First two seasons could'nt have have been more successful. Finish second the first year, first the second year and then the league rewards them by promotion to USL 1, thanks to Untrue Carey. Problem is, they were so successful that they lost their manager to USL 1 before they were promoted. Then the stupid part, they moved to the suburbs for a bigger stadium. I think they lost a lot of their regular fans because of that. I never went to a game again; not because I was mad but because who wants to go out to some suburban high school to watch a pro team? I want to go downtown just like I do for the Cavs or Browns or Indians.

Anyway it's really sad. I have to think the USL deserves a lot of the blame. Just a year ago they were promoting the Cleveland City organization as a model for other USL teams. They should have considered the strain that promotion would put on the team.

How is it possible that Cleveland is one of, if not the, most successful new USL franchises ever and now they cant even be Div II?