Soccer: NASL and USL professional leagues fighting over OKC

[Lord Helmet]

Agreed. I for one enjoy watching MLS soccer, and there are some great rivalries. We are right in between one of them, as Houston & KC are two of the top teams and it's a good competitive rivalry based on close matches and hard play (not some manufactured rivalry or regional rivalry).

I would encourage anyone that enjoys soccer to go see a match in KC at Sporting Park. It's a magnificent venue (and the team is pretty good as well right now). Much better than going down to sit in 'the oven' down at FC Dallas.

[CaptDave]

I would encourage anyone that enjoys soccer to go see a match in KC at Sporting Park. It's a magnificent venue (and the team is pretty good as well right now). Much better than going down to sit in 'the oven' down at FC Dallas.

I plan to do that - Sporting KC Park has pretty much unanimous rave reviews. I made the mistake (a few times) of getting east side seats at PHP and it was an oven until the sun finally dropped behind the "good" stands! But we got to watch Beckham drop 50 yard passes to Donovan in stride and some other great soccer.

[CaptDave]

so traditional ... do we have the Chase NFL ... or the Target NBA ..

Arsenal? crystal palace? queens park rangers ?

Buick Broncos?

[bluedogok]

When the league was in it's anfancy I think it needed to appeal to the traditional American fan. Now not so much but the league name, and some of the team names are aresult of that. The only real NFL type names left are New England Revolution, and Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire (which I actually don't mind), LA Galaxy, and Colorado Rapids. I have a feeling that NE will rebrand if they ever move to Boston and have their own stadium.

I doubt New England moves away from Foxboro, since Kraft owns the team, the Patriots, Gillette Stadium and the Patriot Place complex next to the stadium. Building a soccer stadium may be in their future but more than likely it will be next to Gillette.

[bradh]

Relegation would never work. As soon as a big market team was relegated, people would stop caring in that city. Sad but true.

[Laramie]

The NASL recently awarded Oklahoma City an NASL franchise for 2015. We will be the smallest market (population) in the North American Soccer League. A citiy's market consists of population & tv households.

One interesting stat about our market is that we continue to move up in the TV households according to Neilsen. We have moved from the 45th largest TV in 2008 (Supersonics relocated to OKC) to the 41st largest TV market in just five years; surpassing the NBA's Memphis (49) & New Orleans (51) and the NFL's Jacksonville (50) & Buffalo (52).


U.S. TV Household by Neilsen link: http://www.tvb.org/media/file/TVB_Ma...DMA_Ranks2.pdf

Let us hope that the NASL will get some type of TV coverage before 2015.

[Laramie]

New 25 (9:00 p.m. news) reported that a ceremony to begin renovations on Taft Stadium started today.

[bradh]

saw the green and white balloons in front this afternoon, and we started shipping water & sewer materials to the civil contractor this week

[mkokc]

Updates about the NASL Franchise can be found on its Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/pages/OKC-NASL/193509307484853

Stadium renovations underway, team plans to reveal logo and website soon and host a watch party for Team USA vs. Mexico on Sept. 10.

[borchard]

I'm very excited about the NASL team. I just wish Bob Funk and his ilk would go away

[Laramie]

We are fortunate to have two financially strong groups in competition for Oklahoma City's expansion into the professional soccer environment. Let's wish both of these groups the best. They (both) are going to be making a hefty investment and let's wish them the best.

[AP]

Prodigal Soccer submits possible team names, logos for USL franchise | News OK

[elitespy]

Prodigal Soccer submits possible team names, logos for USL franchise | News OK

I was just about to post that, lol. You visit the bigsoccer forums? I like the Flyers logo, but could be I'm just partial to the claret and blue.

[AP]

I was just about to post that, lol. You visit the bigsoccer forums?

Occasionally.

[warreng88]

I could go for the 46ers, Energy or the Spirit. Not sure how I feel about the Wind or the Flyers.

[AP]

I think I'm a fan of 46ers and Flyers. Not so much the others. I do like the Energy color scheme though.

[AP]

I honestly don't care what the nickname is I guess. I'd rather just be referred to as OKC FC. To me, doesn't get much better than that. Big fan of informal nicknames.

[bradh]

Wind, Spirit, Energy...no thanks

Forgive my ignorance, but what does 46 represent?

[AP]

Wind, Spirit, Energy...no thanks

Forgive my ignorance, but what does 46 represent?

Couldn't tell ya. I'm more a fan of the crest than the name.

[BDK]

Wind, Spirit, Energy...no thanks

Forgive my ignorance, but what does 46 represent?

I'm guessing it's a reference to our being the 46th state. Which is ridiculous because such nicknames are usually references to pivotal years in a city's history.

[shawnw]

Well... 89ers is kinda sorta taken...

[Zuplar]

I like the 46ers colors but the Flyers name best, that is of what they submitted.

[bradh]

I'm guessing it's a reference to our being the 46th state. Which is ridiculous because such nicknames are usually references to pivotal years in a city's history.

Yep, that's gotta be it.

Houston tried that, but then all the hispanics got up in arms because Houston 1836 was a reference to Texas independence from Mexico. Such a crock. I still have my Houston 1836 shirt in my closet.

[AP]

I wish we could just be OKC FC and have an organic nickname that the fans come up with over time.

[Jake]

Like the Flyers name and colors. Don't mind any of the color schemes except maybe the 46ers. Plain blue and red is boring.

Energy and Wind? No thanks. Reminds me of when the NBA team had Marshals, Energy, Wind, and Thunder in the running for their name.