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Strong Local Owners Key to USL’s Expansion Success

By usl admin, 11/09/15, 4:00PM EST

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USL Feature

Monday, November 9, 2015

While the 2015 USL season has come to an end, the league and its teams are already looking ahead to what promises to be an even bigger 2016, as the USL continues to grow through its strategic expansion plan that has taken the league to 30 teams over the past year.

One of the keys to success in the USL’s recent expansion has been the involvement of local ownership groups. One clear connection that runs between the new independent clubs that have joined the league in the past two seasons has been the presence of strong local ownership groups.

From 2014 newcomers Arizona United SC, OKC Energy FC and Sacramento Republic FC, through 2015 additions the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, Louisville City FC, Saint Louis FC and Tulsa Roughnecks FC, and the new additions to the league announced this year in Cincinnati, Reno and Rio Grande Valley, outstanding local ownership has been a key attribute in the league’s expansion process.

“We’ve been fortunate with the growth of the league and have many interested parties in joining our family,” said USL President Jake Edwards. “But with popularity comes responsibility to make sure that we bring in the best possible partners for the league, our players, and our fans.”

Adding vibrant local ownership groups to the league’s additions has created a league that has roots within its communities, and the chance to develop strong rivalries across the United States and Canada. What’s more, the league’s new ownership groups also bring a strong background in sports business from other leagues, including the NBA and Major League Baseball.

As important as the financial resources and sports business expertise to run a club is the passion and drive for the game needed to make an impact in local markets. Clubs like Sacramento, OKC, Saint Louis and Louisville are as engaged in the city as they are on the field, showing a pride in where they come from, and what their city represents.

“You have to have owners that are engaged and passionate about the market,” Edwards said. “That connection really isn’t there if an ownership group is rooted halfway across the country, or even halfway across the world. We feel local ownership is more accountable to the community to provide the best possible product on and off the field. When you see that owner in the community at the grocery store, the gas pump or the business meeting, there’s an inherent connection, and that’s special.”

Those connections are clear in the independent ownership groups announced by the league this season. In Cincinnati, former Reds owner Carl Lindner III is an icon in the River City for his work both in the business world and the sports world. With FC Cincinnati, his legacy is set to continue.

“[I’ve been looking forward to] watching our community’s excitement build and coalesce around FC Cincinnati, and that’s been happening since the announcement,” Lindner said in August, not long after the club’s introduction. “To have the ability to leave a strong soccer legacy here in the community would be great.”

The same can be said for Reno’s Herb Simon, who has interest rooted around the country thanks to his ownership of the NBA’s Indiana Pacers, but has become a driving force in Reno’s sports and entertainment community. Simon has been a leader in the business community for the Biggest Little City in The World as well, and is eager for the club’s debut in 2017.

“I’m looking forward to putting a good team on the field, and having the people of Reno and the surrounding areas adopt our team and come and see us,” Simon said in September. “It’s a great family experience, and that’s what we’re all about.”

Then in the Rio Grande Valley there is Alonzo Cantu, who has been vital to his community’s success and a driving force in its growth as a region on the rise over the past five years. The club is already in the process of building its own soccer-specific stadium, with Cantu’s right-hand man Bert Garcia a sharp young sports executive who brings experience from the organizations NBA D-League team the RGV Vipers.

“With the Vipers, we’ve always had a winning tradition, quality players and quality staff, and I think that’s something that will transcend to the soccer side,” Garcia said in August. “The two D-League championships and the quality of play is something that resonates among the entire team and the ownership group.”

Outside of Sacramento and its genial owner Warren Smith, however, maybe the best example of the synergy between a club and its community lies in Oklahoma City, where owners Bob Funk Jr. and Tim McLaughlin can be seen on game days walking around the crowd. After coming together in 2014 to build a strong, community-based club, Energy FC had an outstanding inaugural season at Taft Stadium this year that saw the side reach the Western Conference Final in the 2015 USL Playoffs.

The strong support from The Grid, and the thousands of fans that visited Taft this season was not lost on either, as they could often be seen shaking hands with fans after every game as Energy FC continued rising up the USL.

“The reception of the community to the brand and the dedication to it has been phenomenal,” Funk said last month. “We’re enjoying the opportunity to serve Oklahoma City in this way and bring about the type of recognition, not only for Oklahoma but for professional soccer in this community. We have shown what a great sport it can be within the community, for the kids and our fan base here.”

Since it began, soccer has been a game of passion, shared by communities and their clubs. As it continues to expand for 2017 and beyond, those core values will remain key for the USL as it brings the game to new cities across North America.


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