MLS chief Don Garber still hopeful on St. Louis, San Diego, Miami expansion

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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3038118/mls-commissioner-don-garber-hopeful-over-st-louis-san-diego-and-miami-expansion

MLS chief Don Garber still hopeful on St. Louis, San Diego, Miami expansion

By Jeff Carlisle

LOS ANGELES -- MLS commissioner Don Garber said he remains hopeful that plans for a new soccer stadium in St. Louis will move forward, even after a proposal to ask voters to approve $80 million in public funding was dropped.

In a report by the Associated Press last Tuesday, St. Louis Alderwoman Christine Ingrassia said that the proposal submitted by the investor group SC STL would be too expensive given that the city is already having difficulty paying for public services such as more police.

As a result, she dropped a bill that would have placed the issue on the April ballot. When combined with the vow of Governor Eric Greitens to oppose any state funding for the stadium effort, that's $120m in public funds the project was counting on that don't appear to be forthcoming.

Speaking with reporters at Friday's MLS SuperDraft, Garber said that the dropping of the funding proposal "surprised us a bit."

He added: "We were engaging in lots of productive conversations with a number of different political folks in the city, and we were pretty confident we had a good plan. That being said, the expansion prospect owners have met with the governor and had a number of good discussions. I have not yet been able to catch up with them to get a sense of how it went, but I remain hopeful."

Garber sounded more confident when the subject turned to the possibility of San Diego getting an expansion team.

The announcement that the NFL's San Diego Chargers would be moving to L.A. has created a sporting vacuum that MLS hopes to exploit, especially with an investor group that reportedly includes San Diego Padres lead investor Peter Seidler, private equity investor Mike Stone, and retired Qualcomm executive Steve Altman.

"We have spent a lot of time down there [in San Diego]," Garber said. "There is a good group that's come together. We know the investor prospects well, and I've been there quietly. I'll be down there for the U.S. game, and I think it would be a great MLS city.

"I think MLS has a better chance of succeeding in markets when a big major league team leaves. It's less competition and I think fans are looking for something else to attach themselves to. We saw that in Seattle. We're hoping for that in St. Louis, and we hope San Diego falls in that category."

Liga MX side Club Tijuana operates just across the U.S.-Mexico border, but Garber said that he didn't think having another professional team so close would be an impediment to the expansion bid.

"I think that's positive," Garber said about Club Tijuana's proximity. "People ask me that a lot and I don't understand [the negative view of it]. We have two teams in L.A., we have two teams in New York. So what could be better than having a Liga MX rival across the border? It never remotely occurred to me that that would be a competitive threat. Frankly, it's the opposite. It's an opportunity."

Garber also expressed confidence that the effort to put an expansion team in Miami was making progress, though he didn't provide much in the way of detail.

"I am confident [Miami] will be our 24th team," he said. " We'll continue to work hard on finalizing a deal there. There are a lot of moving parts, but we are making progress. We need that team to get announced before we make any decisions going forward. We've got all hands on deck."

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/01/15/nasl-needs-focus-fans-not-politics-says-miami-fc-owner-riccardo/

NASL needs to focus on fans not politics, says Miami FC owner Riccardo Silva

By Bob Williams

15 January 2017 • 6:04pm

The North American Soccer League will introduce measures to promote financial sustainability this year, The Telegraph understands.

After months of uncertainty over the league's very existence, the NASL retained its division two status in the US soccer pyramid two weeks ago and the league's owners are determined to move forward with a new sense of confidence.

The NASL will not impose any hard limits on spending but collectively efforts will be taken to try to make sure that its clubs do not fall into financial difficulty.

An announcement over the exact measures to be taken is expected in the coming weeks.

Recent problems suffered by the New York Cosmos, the Jacksonville Armada, the Fort Lauderdale Strikers and Rayo OKC show just how real this problem has been for the NASL.

There is a new sense of humility and collaborative spirit in the NASL following months of turmoil. And following the retention of its division two status and the removal of long-standing ties with Traffic Sports - the sports marketing company caught up in the Fifa corruption scandal - the league is finally in position to not only stabilise but also expand.

Riccardo Silva, the Miami FC owner, told The Telegraph in a statement: “Investors need as much certainty as possible about the circumstances surrounding their investments, but the NASL was not able to provide that to potential investors over the last 12 months.

"The issues relating to Traffic caused nervousness and were a major barrier to expansion.  As important, the perception that the league didn’t have a future put people off.  These factors are now, thankfully, behind the league."

He added: “It was the right decision to keep NASL as Division Two.  It was good for the professional game and meant that hundreds of players, staff and their families now have certainty.

"But it was also clear to me that many people outside America were aware of what was happening across US soccer and wanted to see the NASL make it through.”

In its attempts to move forward, the NASL parted ways with Commissioner Bill Peterson earlier this month.

Rishi Sehgal, the league's director of business development and legal affairs, is in interim charge and The Telegraph understands that the NASL is determined to make the right choice rather than the fastest choice over Peterson's successor.

It is understood that many league owners were unhappy with Peterson's bullish and unrealistic posturising over expansion plans, which they believe lost the league credibility.

And while the uncertainty over the NASL's divisional status and the links with Traffic certainly hindered expansion, the decision to part ways with Peterson was agreed amongst owners in recent weeks, but not formalised until after the US Soccer sanctioning announcement.

NASL owners are currently putting together a checklist of the qualities they want in a new commissioner but they are adamant they want someone who will focus on growing the league - and indeed soccer in North America - and not get involved in internal politics or picking fights with Major League Soccer.

Silva added: “I’m not interested in the politics of the past and I don’t think other club owners are either.  As the owner of Miami FC, I want the club to focus on one thing and one thing alone – providing a great soccer experience for fans.  We are nothing without our fans.

"Indeed, I’m confident that this is the path that the NASL will take in the future – less focus on the politics of the past across US soccer and more focus on the fans at the game.

“My interest is in helping the game to grow in both Miami and nationally.  Just as I’ve always welcomed the MLS Beckham project in Miami and I hope to see it start soon, I’m a fan of the NASL collaborating with other leagues too to create more excitement for fans.  More excitement is good for fans, players, clubs, sponsors and, of course, broadcasters.”  

In this new spirit of collaboration, some NASL owners are advocating the creation of a new competition with the United Soccer League that will determine the 'real' division two champions in North America.

At the moment this end-of-season play-off between the rival champions is just an idea - and has yet to be even discussed with the USL - but it is indicative of how the NASL wants to take a proactive approach in creating an exciting experience for fans and driving revenue forwards.

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http://www.miamiherald.com/sports/mls/article126624029.html

MLS Commissioner ‘confident’ about Beckham Miami team

January 14, 2017 4:27 PM

By Michelle Kaufman

Keep holding your breath, South Florida.

Major League Soccer commissioner Don Garber sounded hopeful about David Beckham’s proposed Miami team when he spoke to reporters at the MLS Draft in Los Angeles on Friday.

“I am confident [Miami] will be our 24th team,” he said. “We’ll continue to work hard on finalizing a deal there. There are a lot of moving parts, but we are making progress. We need that team to get announced before we make any decisions going forward. We’ve got all hands on deck.”

It has been nearly three years since Beckham created a huge buzz when he and his partners showed up in Miami with the announcement that they wanted to bring MLS to the urban core of the city.

Easier said than done. After failed efforts to secure a stadium site at the Port, on Biscayne Blvd. and next to Marlins Park, the group has settled on an Overtown site and continues to negotiate to get the deal finalized.

Garber also said the league hopes to capitalize on the NFL’s San Diego Chargers moving to L.A. by putting an MLS team there.

“We have spent a lot of time down there [in San Diego],” Garber said. “There is a good group that’s come together. We know the investor prospects well, and I’ve been there quietly. I’ll be down there for the U.S. game, and I think it would be a great MLS city.

“I think MLS has a better chance of succeeding in markets when a big major-league team leaves. It’s less competition, and I think fans are looking for something else to attach themselves to. We saw that in Seattle. We’re hoping for that in St. Louis, and we hope San Diego falls in that category.”

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http://www.empireofsoccer.com/hearing-set-in-bill-edwards-lawsuit-against-fort-lauderdale-strikers-ownership-57071/

Hearing Set in Bill Edwards’ Lawsuit Against Fort Lauderdale Strikers Ownership

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http://www.bizjournals.com/nashville/news/2017/01/13/nashvilles-competing-pro-soccer-groups-in-merger.html

Exclusive: Nashville's competing pro-soccer groups in merger talks

The two groups vying to bring professional soccer to Nashville — one in the form of a Major League Soccer franchise, the other in the form of a team with the lower-tier United Soccer League — are in merger talks, the Nashville Business Journal has learned.

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http://www.thenutmegnews.com/current/2017/1/13/usl-schedulemakers-start-over-as-they-keep-forgetting-teams

USL Schedulemakers Start Over As They Keep Forgetting Teams

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http://www.baynews9.com/content/news/baynews9/sports/article.html/content/news/articles/bhsn/2017/1/16/george_jenkins_alum_.html

George Jenkins' Alum Happy Playing For Rowdies

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/745164

Early Tallies Lift Atletico Mineiro Past Rowdies

Goals in either half give Brazilian club victory to conclude visit to 2017 Florida Cup

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/745336?referrer_id=2349190

Boden Pleased with First Rowdies’ Appearance

Former Orlando fullback had positive 45 minutes in first action for Tampa Bay

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http://www.houstondynamo.com/post/2017/01/16/premier-development-league-soccer-headed-brazos-valley

Premier Development League Soccer Headed to the Brazos Valley

The Houston Dynamo continued to strengthen the club’s development pipeline on Monday when the Clutch Entertainment Group announced that the Brazos Valley will have a franchise competing in the Premier Development League for the upcoming 2017 season.

Brazos Valley will be an affiliate of the Dynamo, the first time an affiliated team will be in the area in over 60 years. The team will have a multi-year agreement with the Dynamo. Houston will have a hybrid affiliation meaning they will be responsible for selecting players and coaching staff. The hybrid affiliation is the first of its kind in the PDL. Clutch Entertainment Group, which owns the Brazos Valley Bombers, will handle the day-to-day operations of the club.

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http://saintpetersblog.com/rowdies-add-lowe-defense-prepare-upcoming-season/

Rowdies add Damion Lowe to their defense, prepare for upcoming season

The Tampa Bay Rowdies got a little bit better on defense Monday, announcing the signing of former Minnesota FC defender Damion Lowe.

Lowe, 23, joins the Rowdies back line after an impressive 2016 season in the North American Soccer League with Minnesota United FC. He was in Minnesota on loan from Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders and featured in 27 games for Minnesota United, starting 25 matches and logging 2,241 minutes as one of the Loons’ first-choice center backs.

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http://www.oursportscentral.com/services/releases/tampa-bay-rowdies-fortify-defense-with-addition-of-damion-lowe/n-5228562

Tampa Bay Rowdies Fortify Defense with Addition of Damion Lowe

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http://www.charlottemagazine.com/Charlotte-Magazine/January-2017/Opinion-Charlotte-MeckCo-Should-Bargain-Hard-Over-MLS-Deal/

Opinion: Charlotte, MeckCo Should Bargain Hard Over MLS Deal   

Taxpayers shouldn't have to shell out megamillions for a pro soccer team

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http://theprovince.com/sports/soccer/mls/vancouver-whitecaps/mls-unveils-2017-schedule

MLS unveils 2017 schedule

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http://www.sounderatheart.com/2017/1/12/14254190/mls-adidas-release-official-mls-match-ball

MLS/Adidas release official MLS Match Ball

Sounders will play matches with same ball as last year.

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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article126468244.html

How a fast-approaching deadline is adding a challenge for Charlotte soccer deal

Major League Soccer reaffirmed Thursday that applications for expansion franchises are due midnight Jan. 31 – a deadline that puts pressure on city and county leaders, who have two weeks to decide if they want to help fund a new stadium.

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/745673?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive

Rowdies Bolster Defense with Lowe’s Addition

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http://www.espnfc.com/major-league-soccer/story/3038118/mls-commissioner-don-garber-hopeful-over-st-louis-san-diego-and-miami-expansion

MLS chief Don Garber still hopeful on St. Louis, San Diego, Miami expansion

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/sports/orlando-city-lions/on-the-pitch/os-sp-mls-don-garber-0114-story.html

MLS Commissioner Don Garber eager to see league keep growing

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http://www.charlotteobserver.com/opinion/editorials/article126433369.html

The $100 million question: Is MLS stadium a good deal for Charlotte?

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http://cincinnatisoccertalk.com/2017/01/14/need-strong-louisville-city-fc/

We Need a Strong Louisville City FC

On Jan. 12th, Tim Sullivan of the Louisville Courier-Journal posted a great article about the rising costs in the USL. (article) His piece made some excellent points and while I don’t think the situation is dire, it could look different in a couple of years. FC Cincinnati, the Tampa Bay Rowdies, Sacramento Republic FC and a handful of other USL teams have made their desire to play in Major League Soccer (MLS) public. As long as MLS dangles possible membership as a carrot, we can expect these teams to show that they are of MLS caliber by increasing their spending.

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http://worldsoccertalk.com/2017/01/14/2017-mls-tv-schedule-features-plenty-changes-disrupt-consistent-tv-windows/

2017 MLS TV schedule features plenty of changes to disrupt consistent TV windows

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http://military-technologies.net/2017/01/14/espns-2017-major-league-soccer-schedule/

ESPN’s 2017 Major League Soccer Schedule

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http://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/columns/ed-graney/las-vegas-pursuit-major-league-soccer-more-about-ego-responsible-actions

Las Vegas pursuit of Major League Soccer more about ego than responsible actions

By ED GRANEY

LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

I’m thinking $80,000 is a lot of green, that there are much better ways Las Vegas could spend such a sum, that this continuous pursuit of a Major League Soccer team is more about ego than responsibility.

What am I missing here?

The MLS has unveiled a plan for expansion to 28 teams, setting in motion the goal of adding two franchises by the middle of 2017 and two more at a later time. It identified 10 cities currently in the mix for such consideration. San Diego made the list, along with Charlotte and Sacramento and St. Louis and others. Las Vegas didn’t.

It was nowhere to be found, more invisible than Chargers fans in Los Angeles.

Now, it’s true the MLS would put a team on the moon if it meant someone paid the $150 million expansion fee and built a stadium among all the lunar rock. The MLS will go anywhere for the right price to support what is a dying business model and have its owners bleed red ink from those cities willing to pay, temperatures ranging from boiling to freezing be damned.

But that doesn’t mean a decision such as the one the Las Vegas City Council made earlier this month — approving a contract up to $80,000 for a New York-based company to help develop a campaign that might land Las Vegas an MLS franchise — is either correct or sensible. It’s neither.

You might remember this is a road the city traveled before, once floating plans for a $200 million stadium in downtown’s Symphony Park, a concept summarily nixed a few years ago when the MLS eliminated the city from its expansion thoughts.

I now have to wonder: Is this latest attempt really about what’s best for the town or simply bruised egos around City Hall?

It was before a 5-2 vote in favor of spending the $80,000 — councilmen Bob Beers and Stavros Anthony remain against the chase for an MLS team, meaning they must be doing some actual research — that Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman said this about continuing the pursuit: “If not, everything is going to go to the other end of the Strip and we’re just going to watch ourselves die.”

Is that was this is about?

Is this some schoolyard spat over sports and one side (city) is upset the other (county) is set to build an NFL stadium and welcome the Raiders while at the same time preparing for the arrival of the National Hockey League this year?

“There remains a huge interest in a Major League Soccer expansion team,” Goodman said Thursday night during her State of the City address.

Really?

From who?

Goodman and her husband, Oscar, have as mayors of Las Vegas long fought the fight to bring major league professional sports into city limits. It’s fine if the framework of such an endeavor makes financial and civic sense in a given moment of time. I understood the city making a strong push for the NFL stadium to be built downtown, an unsuccessful campaign but one that was a reasonable goal that it should have pursued.

This infatuation with landing the MLS isn’t.

Once you get past the small-but-sort-of-significant parts about building a stadium for hundreds of millions of dollars and discovering ownership to pay the expansion fee, which ranks as the league’s greatest source of income, who’s buying all the tickets?

How far can the sports entertainment dollar stretch in the nation’s 40th media market when competing with the NHL and likely NFL and UNLV athletics?

Las Vegas doesn’t support Rebels football.

It only supports Rebels basketball when it’s winning.

Where are all these soccer fans coming from?

The Mayor’s Cup is a wonderful event that draws youth players from all over the world here in February, but that doesn’t for a second prove an MLS team would be suitably supported.

More importantly, there is this: MLS commissioner Don Garber has made it clear his league is far more interested in filling a void in markets with departing major league franchises (see San Diego and St. Louis) and not ones, in the case of Las Vegas with the NHL and possibly NFL, doing the opposite.

It’s true that, while not as pricey as attending an NFL game, the MLS is hardly a cheap outing. The average ticket price for a league played throughout the spring and summer is still $46 for a product that is about a 4 on a scale of 1-10 when compared to others across the world.

It’s below all leagues in Europe — Spain, England, Germany, Italy, France — and probably similar or below the second division in those countries. It’s behind Mexico and maybe Argentina and Brazil. It will soon rank below China. The more it expands, the more an MLS talent pool is diluted.

Las Vegas would be much better off drawing exhibition crowds in a 65,000-seat domed stadium for teams such as Manchester United and Barcelona than trying to sell over 20 or so MLS games each year. Or just have an annual MLS exhibition match such as the one the Los Angeles Galaxy is set to play against San Jose on Feb. 11 at Cashman Field.

But in pointing out Thursday several important areas in which the city must continue improving, Carolyn Goodman offered much better and smarter ways to spend dollars.

Public safety. Health care. Education. The homeless.

I assume $80,000 could find some good within that list, far more than continuing to pursue a professional soccer league that obviously has its expansion focus aimed elsewhere.

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http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sports/columnists/nick-canepa/sd-sp-nick-canepa-chargers-mls-20170115-story.html

San Diego needs to think bigger than MLS

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https://mlsmultiplex.com/2017/01/16/don-garber-miami-will-mls-24th-team/

Don Garber is Confident Miami will be MLS’ 24th Team

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https://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/Daily/Issues/2017/01/16/Leagues-and-Governing-Bodies/MLS.aspx

Don Garber Addresses MLS Expansion, Confident League Will Continue To Grow

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http://www.uslsoccer.com/news_article/show/745838?referrer_id=2364194-news-archive

Preseason Acts As Proving Ground for Prospects

Battle to earn roster spot brings closer analysis for incoming PDL players

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Seven minutes after coming on as a halftime substitute, Tampa Bay Rowdies trialist goalkeeper Nico Campbell faced his first big test as Atletico Mineiro’s Patric Cabral lined up a free kick on the right.

Cabral’s near-post delivery found the head of Rodrigo Prado, skipped off the turf, past Campbell’s left hand and into the back of the net. Campbell slumped to the turf. 

“As a goalkeeper, as a trialist, you don’t want to let anything in,” Campbell lamented after Saturday’s Florida Cup contest. “Even if it’s a cracker, a good goal, you don’t want to let it in. So of course I’m mad about that, but I moved on quickly from it and the game went on.”

For hundreds of players like Campbell, who are looking to earn their first professional contracts this preseason, moments such as this don’t often make or break a team’s decision on whether they want to offer a contract. The PDL’s No. 2-rated goalkeeper in 2016 after a standout season for the Des Moines Menace, Campbell has looked solid in the two halves of action he saw over the past two weeks for the Rowdies.

Coming in after a strong career for the University of Valparaiso, the Jamaican is working on trying to lock up a place behind returning Rowdies starter Matt Pickens. A PDL All-Central Conference selection for the Menace last year, the experience he took from the day-in, day-out rigors of competing in Des Moines have helped make his first professional training camp a little less daunting.

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http://futnsoccer.com/2017/01/13/five-most-important-mls-players-from-the-epl/

Five Most Important MLS Players From The EPL

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http://www.goal.com/en-us/match/atl%C3%A9tico-mineiro-vs-tampa-bay-rowdies/2389116/report

Atletico-MG 2-0 Rowdies:Galo bids farewell to Florida Cup with a win

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http://www.tampabay.com/sports/sports-in-brief/2309653

Sports in Brief

BRAZILIAN club SHUTS OUT ROWDIES in florida cup

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http://www.socceramerica.com/article/71970/mls-expansion-garber-high-on-san-diego.html

MLS Expansion: Garber high on San Diego

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http://hudsonvalleyone.com/2017/01/14/stockade-fcs-williams-inks-deal-to-play-in-tasmania/

Stockade FC’s Williams inks deal to play in Tasmania

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http://www.sportstalkflorida.com/featured/wolfsburg-wins-the-florida-cup-rowdies-play-atletico-mineiro-saturday/

Wolfsburg wins the Florida Cup: Rowdies play Atlético Mineiro Saturday

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https://www.nysportsday.com/2017/01/12/new-york-cosmos-get-third-chance-to-get-it-right/

New York Cosmos Get Third Chance to Get It Right

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http://www.austinchronicle.com/sports/2017-01-13/soccer-watch/

Soccer Watch

U.S. Soccer's Board of Directors voted on Jan. 6 to grant provisional Division II status to both the North American Soccer League and United Soccer League for the 2017 season. Neither league meets all D2 standards, but U.S. Soccer said it "will work with the leagues on a pathway to full compliance." The NASL had been in danger of folding, and is down to eight teams for 2017. The USL has grown to 30 teams for 2017 – including San Antonio FC but not the still-dormant Austin Aztex – but not all of them meet D2 requirements for stadium size, among other issues… San Antonio, by the way, averaged the fifth highest attendance among the 38 minor league soccer teams playing in 2016, at 6,170 per game.

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https://www.soccernation.com/chargers-moving-to-stubhub-center-while-mls-to-san-diego-heats-up/

Chargers Moving to StubHub Center, While MLS-to-San Diego Heats Up 

NFL team's departure could be boon for MLS.

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http://saintpetersblog.com/rowdies-add-lowe-defense-prepare-upcoming-season/

Rowdies add Damion Lowe to their defense, prepare for upcoming season