Potential Bridgeport MLS team | Page 2 | The Boneyard

Potential Bridgeport MLS team

pepband99 said:
Was I overly conservative on the 3rd part?

Best case - this ends up getting an NWSL team to Bridgeport as well, which will draw flies.

Worst case - see the New Haven Tennis center. State-owned and now a concert bowl, albeit Bridgeport already has an equivalent.
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I am going to go ahead and be for this now, just because you are against it.
 
pepband99 said:
Was I overly conservative on the 3rd part?

Best case - this ends up getting an NWSL team to Bridgeport as well, which will draw flies.

Worst case - see the New Haven Tennis center. State-owned and now a concert bowl, albeit Bridgeport already has an equivalent.
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you mean the highly successful concert venue?
 
Kolumbo said:
one rendering from Hartford Biz Journal

www.hartfordbusiness.com

Bridgeport lands MLS NEXT professional soccer team; will play in new waterfront stadium

Professional soccer could be coming to Bridgeport following the announcement of MLS NEXT Pro’s newest expansion team, Connecticut United Football Club.
www.hartfordbusiness.com www.hartfordbusiness.com

View attachment 94920
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I hope this happens for my home town!! That‘s an area in need of additional uplift, hopefully the plan includes affordable housing for those in need. There are a lot of soccer fans in the area. Will they turn out for level 3? Maybe UConn can play some games there also.
 
John said:
you mean the highly successful concert venue?
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Assuming you mean New Haven, it’s a little different. You have a perfect storm of Westville banning Yale events, and tearing down the coliseum. Bridgeport has both of these now.
 
.-.
Price0809 said:
Did this weird story end officially?
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No. They have signed a full roster of players and coaches (with UConn alum Shavar Thomas as HC) and based on online videos appear to be having scrimmages with other minor league (allegedly including a scheduled scrimmage with Athletic) and college squads. They are scheduled to play their first league game at FC Cincinnati 2 in a little over a week with home games beginning in April at locations "across Connecticut." They are spending money to field a team that I doubt many will see and probably won't last a season. In the meantime they are claiming they are still committed to building a stadium but not in Bridgeport.

Frankly, I don't think it's grift as much as being clueless. Fielding a team without even confirmation of financing much less shovels in the ground for a stadium made no sense and was doomed from the start. $100M+ for a stadium to house a team in MLS Next Pro, a 3rd division league of under marketed reserve teams that often barely outdraw the number of players, officials and staff on the field, was never going to happen. Yes, I know RI spent $130M for a USL Championship team stadium, an investment that they'll never get back, but it was an insane political response to having lost the Red Sox AAA team to Worcester. At least USLC is a league of teams trying to establish first-team identities whereas in MLSNP the independent teams are outliers.
 
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kibblesnbits said:
No. They have signed a full roster of players and coaches (with UConn alum Shavar Thomas as HC) and based on online videos appear to be having scrimmages with other minor league (allegedly including a scheduled scrimmage with Athletic) and college squads. They are scheduled to play their first league game at FC Cincinnati 2 in a little over a week with home games beginning in April at locations "across Connecticut." They are spending money to field a team that I doubt many will see and probably won't last a season. In the meantime they are claiming they are still committed to building a stadium but not in Bridgeport.

Frankly, I don't think it's grift as much as being clueless. Fielding a team without even confirmation of financing much less shovels in the ground for a stadium made no sense and was doomed from the start. $100M+ for a stadium to house a team in MLS Next Pro, a 3rd division league of under marketed reserve teams that often barely outdraw the number of players, officials and staff on the field, was never going to happen. Yes, I know RI spent $130M for a USL Championship team stadium, an investment that they'll never get back, but it was an insane political response to having lost the Red Sox AAA team to Worcester. At least USLC is a league of teams trying to establish first-team identities whereas in MLSNP the independent teams are outliers.
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I see they went with the uber creative "CT United FC" name.

They should play home games in Storrs.
 
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