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USL Top Five – Stadium Upgrades

By NICHOLAS MURRAY - nicholas.murray@uslsoccer.com, 06/01/17, 3:25PM EDT

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Recent stadium initiatives have seen USL clubs find impressive new homes


Photo courtesy Michael Rincon / Phoenix Rising FC

One of the key elements in the USL’s growth has been the league stadium initiative aimed at providing the best possible setting for fans to enjoy game day. With venues like the Charleston Battery’s MUSC Health Stadium, Rochester Rhinos’ Capelli Sport Stadium and Sacramento Republic FC’s Papa Murphy’s Park part of the league’s landscape, however, more recently other clubs have made major upgrades in their home venues.

Here are five of our favorites, including three venues that are brand new to the league this season. We begin, though, where the movement began.

Highmark Stadium – Pittsburgh Riverhounds


Photo courtesy Matthew Kruth / Pittsburgh Riverhounds

The Riverhounds were founded in 1999, but it wasn’t until more than a decade into the club’s history that plans for a soccer-specific stadium were unveiled by the club. The location, on the bank of the Monongahela River in Station Square, provided a beautiful backdrop to the new venue, which was completed in late 2012, with a sellout crowd welcomed to the club’s inaugural home opener against Keystone Derby Cup rival the Harrisburg City Islanders the following spring.

The Riverhounds welcomed then-Premier League club Wigan Athletic to Highmark Stadium that summer. The venue has been home to numerous memorable contests in the seasons since then, most notably the Riverhounds’ 6-5 victory against the City Islanders that was dubbed “The Miracle on the Mon” by fans. One thing it has yet to host, however, is a USL Cup Playoffs contest. With Head Coach Dave Brandt’s side performing well so far this season, that may be about to change.

Taft Stadium – OKC Energy FC


Photo courtesy Steven Christy / OKC Energy FC

Standing just northwest of midtown Oklahoma City, Taft Stadium was a touchstone for generations of sports fans in the city as it has hosted numerous events from football to dirt track racing since it opened in 1934. When the venue became the home for OKC Energy FC prior to the 2015 season, after the club had played at Pribil Field in its inaugural season, the renovation that had taken place over the previous 18 months to restore the venue to its former glory gave Taft new life. Energy FC established a home venue that has attracted major support over the past two-plus seasons.

Energy FC’s move into Taft Stadium has brought some outstanding moments, including OKC’s run to the Western Conference Final of the 2015 USL Cup Playoffs. In addition, Energy FC has been able to help give back to the community through its new home, with the Fields & Futures initiative benefiting from all of the events hosted at Taft Stadium since its reopening.

Orange County Great Park – Orange County SC


Photo courtesy Albert Evangelista / Orange County SC

When Orange County SC was purchased last year by local real estate developer James Keston, one of the first orders of business was for the rebranded club to find a home it could call its own. Following the diligent efforts put forward by Keston and the club alongside local authorities, on May 6 this year OCSC welcomed fans to the first page of a new chapter in club history in Orange County Great Park.

A historic landmark in Orange County, the park is currently undergoing a renaissance with not only the new soccer-specific stadium being constructed, but also a new ice facility, and volleyball and tennis courts. Greater expansion is planned, with OCSC’s new permanent home one of the centerpieces. After claiming a 4-0 victory against the LA Galaxy II in the club’s first home game this season, it appears OCSC is well suited to its new environment after competing at various venues around the region over the past six years.

Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex – Phoenix Rising FC


Photo courtesy Michael Rincon / Phoenix Rising FC

After the club was purchased late in the 2016 USL regular season, the rebrand of Phoenix Rising FC was something that most saw coming. The construction of a new, soccer-specific home in time for the opening weekend of the 2017 season, though, was a move that highlighted the intent the new ownership group led by Kona Grill CEO Berke Bakay had in elevating every aspect of the club’s performance.

After plans for the 6,200-seat venue were unveiled in late November, construction began on February 1, giving the club 53 days to have everything in place for its home opener on March 25. On opening night, a club-record 6,820 fans were on hand to see the start of the club’s new chapter, and since then the venue has been over capacity for every subsequent home game. Talk of venue expansion to 10,000-capacity has been floated by Bakay in conversation with Sports Illustrated, which would give Rising FC the chance to elevate into the top three attendances outside Major League Soccer in the United States.

H-E-B Park – Rio Grande Valley FC

When Rio Grande Valley FC was introduced as a USL expansion franchise in 2015, so too were unveiled plans for the club’s soccer-specific stadium. The Toros opened their new 10,000-set home this March with a sellout crowd as the club welcomed Liga MX’s C.F. Monterrey to south Texas, and it immediately became one of the top venues outside Major League Soccer in the United States.

Having competed a season ago in the shadow of the construction that was taking place on its permanent home, the Toros have continued to draw major crowds so far in H-E-B Park’s inaugural season. The club currently sits fifth in the USL with an average attendance of more than 6,500 fans per game, fulfilling the expectations when the league awarded the franchise to a region that brought strong soccer fandom. With a successful side on the field, and experienced front office, the Toros appear set to go from strength to strength in the years to come.

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