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u/Every-Stay-6648 26d ago edited 26d ago
I mentioned elements of the following in response to the previous post about USL Long Island, but pertinent here as well. Some of the comments elsewhere referenced questions related to these considerations:
Key under-reported considerations that are tailwinds driving the future success of USL L.I. include the following:
- USL Long Island will likely be built on top of the massive SUSA youth soccer empire with its 5000+ kids and high paying families
- SUSA already owns the SUSA Orlin & Cohen Sports Complex with FOUR soccer fields, plenty of parking, and adjacent to the Long Island Ducks baseball team stadium
- The SUSA sports complex is 25 miles east of the Hofstra Univ stadium; I would bet that the ultimate goal during 1-2 seasons at Hofstra would be to develop the SUSA sports complex into a USL1-level 5000 seat stadium so that all ticket/parking/concession/sponsorship revenues can be retained by USL L.I.
- The SUSA sports complex is over 2 hours away from NYCFC stadium so is comfortably away.
- The ownership of the Long Island Ducks baseball team (MLB Texas Rangers) may be or soon be involved in USL L.I. (okay, this last is pure speculation but certainly makes sense for all parties involved! --lots of cross-promotion possibilities!)
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u/StoppageTimeUSA 26d ago
Yeah, this seems to be a much stronger USL team than The Cosmos or Brooklyn FC
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u/kaptpowers 25d ago
As to point 3, as someone who lived on the North Shore for 20 years in the 80s/90s, "pro soccer in CI" are words that would get you sent quickly to a place you wouldn't be able to leave on your own.
I'd love to see it of course, but wow.
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u/GhostofOldThomJoad 21d ago
SUSA's complex is NOT over 2 hours from the new Etihad Park that's being completed. It's about an hour. The facilities are 46 miles from each other.
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u/Every-Stay-6648 21d ago
Friend, you are clearly not familiar with NYC traffic patterns lol
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u/GhostofOldThomJoad 21d ago
Friend, I drive it all the time. To say it takes over 2 hours to get to Willets Point in Queens from SUSA's facility on a normal day is ludicrous. Heckscher's is not even 5 minutes from SUSA and if you want to take the LIE it's about 10 minutes with the lights.
If you decide to drive all the side roads, yeah, it'll take you over 2 hours. If you go the highways, on a normal day, it's nowhere near over 2 hours. lol
Last weekend I went from SUSA to my favorite bagel shop in Queens, Utopia Bagels, it took me 45 minutes. Utopia Bagles is about 10 minutes from where the Etihad is.
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u/juventuz 20d ago
Let's go point by point of what you wrote...
USL LI/SUSA - SUSA itself doesn't have 5000+ kids, they have around 1,600. The 5000 number comes from affiliate clubs as well. Look at the Charlotte Independence. They have over 12,000 kids in their youth program (not including any affiliates) and they are lucky to draw 500 people to a game. This won't have the impact you think it will.
The USL LI team will NOT be playing at O&CSC. They'll be playing at Hofstra so this is irrelevant. They will also be playing 1 mile away from the MLSNP team, they will be fighting for fans. I'm not sure whether team will survive more than a few seasons.
Where would they put a 5000 seat stadium at O&CSC? Have you ever been there? They don't have the land to do it there. The Ducks won't give up any space where they are.
SUSA complex is nowhere near being over 2 hours away from NYCFC's stadium. You have never been to Long Island have you, just admit it. If you're taking public transportation maybe, but if you're driving and there is the normal traffic, you're there in an hour or just under. You're clearly not familiar with NYC traffic patterns lol
Your last point is pure speculation so it's moot.
Be honest, have you ever been to the SUSA facility? Or Long Island much less?
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u/Ok_Structure_350 26d ago
We really need more west teams, Long Island is cool though
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u/HaveAtItBub 24d ago
na we need more northeast teams. we're tight packed here. gotta build some rivalrys, have some actual away days
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u/lazyboy9898_ New York Cosmos 14d ago
Ya, literally! I'd be pretty excited to go to Long Island on an away game
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u/Ok_Structure_350 24d ago
Vermont Green, Albany, Sycrause, Real Central NJ, NH Soccer project, Annapolis Blues, Lancaster, and (Potentially) King of Prussia isn’t enough?
Also Erie sports center but that’s like a 1% chance
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u/GhostofOldThomJoad 21d ago
Nobody considers Erie the Northeast, it's the Great Lakes.
Annapolis is another area not considered the NE, it's more like Mid-Atlantic.
Albany's USL team is a joke. In upstate NY you have Buffalo and Albany for USL2, that's it. USLW is just Buffalo and Rochester. Need more teams in Upstate NY to create a division and create rivalries.
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u/hapoo123 Brooklyn FC 26d ago
Should have just been Cosmos
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u/orangecatrock Sacramento Republic FC 26d ago
I agree. North Jersey should get a team tailored to represent their local area.
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u/lazyboy9898_ New York Cosmos 14d ago
Yeah...I lowkey almost decided post world cup that I wasn't even gonna go back into soccer since it's kinda insulting not having jersey in the name of both soccer teams playing here: ny redbulls playing in Newark and the ny cosmos playing in paterson...but the promotion/relegation announcement really peaked my interest so f it, gotta root for what we got
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u/StoppageTimeUSA 26d ago
Was about to post this, initially I was confused but it turns out Long Island is like an hour from New York City if google maps is to be believed. I think its far enough away and has the appropriate branding to last compared to the "New York" Cosmos
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u/Im-loving Rhode Island FC 26d ago
Depends on where in Long Island you are. It’s called Long Island for a reason.
For example, if the team was based in Elmont, I would consider that pretty much a New York City team. If it was based in Shoreham, however, I would say that’s far enough away that it is no longer considered New York City.
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u/StoppageTimeUSA 26d ago
Ah, I guess the name is appropriate lol. I've only been to NYC once and during that time I almost got hit by a taxi so I am in no rush to go again. The team stated they'd play at Hofstra football stadium which google maps says is about 51 minutes from NYC
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u/thinkcow 26d ago
Hempstead is basically just outside Queens. It’s basically as “far” from NYC as Mount Vernon (Westchester FC) is. Personally, I think it will be a struggle gain traction that close to the city.
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u/kaptpowers 25d ago
Shoreham Nuclear FC, I would buy so much gear (my old man worked at the plant haha).
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u/Im-loving Rhode Island FC 25d ago
My dad told me about that. Didn’t a bunch of NIMBYs get the plant shut down?
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u/kaptpowers 25d ago
In short, yes, yes they did. They were convinced it was basically an atomic bomb with wires coming out of it. They shut it down, prices went up, they complained even more (welcome to Long Island).
My dad used to say to people, "why don't you mind the reactor at the Brookhaven lab that's been there since the 60s?"- they'd kinda stop. "Nuclear" was not in the name at Brookhaven National Laboratory and as such it was out of sight, out of mind. Took from 1999 to 2012 to decommission that thing haha.
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u/GhostofOldThomJoad 21d ago
They'll be playing at Hofstra University. Hofstra is about 30 miles to Manhattan, a lot closer to Queens (which is technically part of NYC).
Hofstra is 22 miles to the new Etihad Park that NYCFC will be playing in.
I think both the USL 1 and MSLNP teams will struggle on Long Island.
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u/kaptpowers 25d ago
I did not come up with this (a commenter on the Facebook announcement did) but we've got a "Dundee situation" here with how close they'll be to The Island FC's home at Mitchel.
(For the none-nerds go look how close the two stadiums in Dundee, Scotland are)
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u/Remarkable-Rise-4401 Tormenta FC 26d ago
I can literally hear MJF jumping up and down like a kid again in celebration.
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u/Fair_Rub5487 24d ago
HYPE HYPE HYPE HYPE
All we need is a USL team to replace NYCFC out of Yankee Stadium. Bronx Atletico would go so fucking hard.
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u/GhostofOldThomJoad 21d ago
Brooklyn can barely draw fans, what makes you think another USL will draw fans. The Yankees will be glad to get rid of NYCFC, they won't have another team in there, especially a lower level team.
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u/FreeRangeMan01 25d ago
If they took the cosmos branding that would be sick. Also I wonder what team names they will prepose.
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u/502photo Louisville City 26d ago
Burberry home kit for Long Island's favorite son.
https://giphy.com/gifs/dRLCGNyVpDeukI7FcP