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Proof-Variation7005 t1_je2h4be wrote

Reply to comment by 101955Bennu in Reviving Rhode Island's Sporting Legacy: A New Era With Rhode Island FC by 101955Bennu

I'd be a little wary on the project right now until the financing seems to be in order. At the very least, 2024 seems ambitious.

On a more long-term note, the more I've dug into the USL, the less confident I am in the long-term viability. A league that's been around a decade and has more former teams than active ones just strikes me as not a model for long-term success.

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101955Bennu OP t1_je2rf6g wrote

The USL has actually been around 1986. USL Championship, its first division, is only a decade old, though. Its more successful teams tend to be poached by MLS

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Proof-Variation7005 t1_je334ft wrote

It looks like a whole lot of defunct in the middle. A league going from 12 teams to 36 to 24 in a decade just doesn’t scream sustainability to me. I really am wishing for the best but that makes it hard to inspire confidence. Even accounting for COVID killing a lot of that growth, there’s just ponzi scheme vibes

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101955Bennu OP t1_je34qze wrote

I understand your concerns, but the USL Championship has been relatively stable, at least compared to other minor soccer leagues in the US, and again the teams that performed well tend to be poached upwards, where there’s more money and more stability. Rhode Island is a top 10 television market for soccer and the team has already set the League record for season ticket deposits, and I think those markers taken together with soccer’s rapidly increasing popularity (now even with ice hockey and expected to outpace both hockey and baseball by 2040), the potential for this team is huge.

At the end of the day I understand people’s concerns, but I love the idea of a professional soccer club in Rhode Island and I’m going to be there on opening day, hopefully with 10,000 other fans, to cheer this team on.

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rhodyjoe401 t1_je7ctiw wrote

There’s teams like Orlando, Cincinnati who were directly bought by MLS. Austin Bold and Charlotte Independence who self-relegated/went on hiatus when MLS’ Austin & Charlotte FC came around.

The 8 teams that left over the last 2 seasons are MLS reserve sides whose departure is ultimately great for USL. Everyone else folded due to financial issues of their own and not the league

USL is where many MLS markets got their start and teams like San Diego, Sacramento, Louisville + more will be looked at the same way. They aim to include underlooked soccer markets and we’re perfect to be an inclusion. If you’re gonna have reservations don’t take it on USL, they’re a solid league

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