We want to first congratulate you on the job you have done thus far in creating a truly wonderful league. As supporters of the MLS, we see improvement in the quality of play, fan experience, and overall value. 

We the members of the Crocketteers, San Antonio’s Premier Soccer Supporters, are writing you this letter to state our intentions to support MLS in San Antonio.

We state our commitment to continued growth.

We state our commitment to creating a festive atmosphere that both the City of San Antonio and Major League Soccer can be proud of.

Today, we have over 350 members including over 180 paid members.  We wear our scarves with pride and we exist to see the establishment and subsequent support of professional soccer in San Antonio.  We have sold out our initial order of 200 scarves and will have 200 more on the way in the coming weeks.

Our growth has been tremendous over the last year and half of our establishment. In fact on this very day, 50+ members of the Crocketteers will be in Houston to cheer on the MLS All Stars and to proudly wear our supporter colors.

As you may or may not know, San Antonio’s new mayor, Julian Castro seems to be very open to the idea of professional soccer in San Antonio based on limited public comments he has made. We would like to believe that he is not unlike previous mayor Ed Garza in his willingness to see the MLS in San Antonio. And we are hopeful that this change might put the unfortunate events of 2005 behind us and that this change might also be an opportunity to reopen the dialogue between MLS and San Antonio.

In addition, the parent company of the NBA’s San Antonio Spurs, San Antonio Sports & Entertainment (SS&E) has recently indicated that they are interested in getting into the professional soccer business (perhaps MLS).  And while SS&E is interested in the prospects of our very own Soccer-Specific-Stadium, many of us believe that the Alamo Stadium with its storied history is certainly viable at this point in time. The success of the Sounders in Qwest Field and the prospects of seeing the Vancouver franchise in BC Place drive this point home nicely. 

We were very pleased to learn that Major League Soccer has continued interest in the San Antonio market. Your statements the past few days mentioning San Antonio as an expanision market for MLS reaffirms our establishment. We feel we are the largest supporters group without a team. We hope that is not always the case as we look forward to the day we see our team finally take the pitch.

Commissioner, the Crocketteers humbly ask you to strongly consider San Antonio once again. Perhaps you and your league are already in talks with Mayor Castro and a potential ownership group.  We hope all sides realize the tremendous potential of the MLS/San Antonio partnership.

If there indeed exists advanced discussions with your league and our city, I can assure you that the Crocketteers will support it’s future hometown team and all that MLS brings to our great city.

Lastly, I invite you to share in our vision for what could be the day MLS finally calls San Antonio home. We can make this happen!

Thank you again for all that you have done for the beautiful game in America and we look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours Sincerely,

The Crocketteers

This interview is the second time in a matter of days he has mentioned San Antonio. Speaking to the British newspaper the Telegraph Garber talks about the massive demand in cities like Atlanta, Detroit, San Antonio, and San Diego.

Is this just talk Garber is placing out to get a feel for what cities are prospective expansion cities or is it in response to the rapid growth of the Crocketteers and our grassroots effort to bring a franchise to San Antonio?

As the largest soccer supporters group in the country without a team were are sure Garber and MLS have been keeping tabs on the growth of our group but having a large supporters group is only one piece of the puzzle.

A franchise needs a solid investment group and a plan for a soccer specific stadium. All three of these components are necessary for a successful franchise. San Antonio has shown that a fanbase is here.

The successful Texas Pro Soccer festival in 2008 drew over 10,000 fans for its three exhibition matches. The Crocketteers had sell out crowds for the US World Cup games at the Alamo Drafthouse and nearly 900 soccer fans showed up with the Crocketteers for the World Cup final down at the AT&T Center.

So the final two pieces of the puzzle must be brought together to make a successful pitch to MLS for a expansion franchise. Is there an investment group speaking with MLS? Are their plans for a MLS stadium to be built or is their plans to refurbish an existing Stadium?

We as the Crocketteers will continue to do our part in growing the fanbase here in San Antonio. Now are their some investors out there willing to step onto the pitch to bring us a pro soccer franchise? The fans are waiting.

Links:http://www.usatoday.com/sports/soccer/mls/2010-07-24-commissioner-don-garber-chat_N.htm San Antonio mentioned at the 11:26 minute.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/news/7908343/Thierry-Henry-just-the-latest-step-on-MLS-chief-Don-Garbers-path-to-world-domination.html

Back inside, you wipe the sleep from your eyes and pull your Alamo FC jersey over your head. A quick look in the mirror confirms that you are, in fact, awake. You walk out of your building and grab a coffee from the shop on the corner.

Drinking in the first sip of invigorating morning caffeine, and burning your tongue in the process, you emerge back onto the pavement just in time to catch the River North Streetcar that climbs up Broadway. You hop on, give “the nod” to the dozen or so others in their Alamo FC garb and allow the morning breeze to further awaken your senses.

Once at your stop, you and the other supporters exit the streetcar and join the throngs of folks just like you making their way toward the pubs lining the northern edge of the Museum Reach of the Riverwalk. There is an electricity in the air as you find yourself knee-deep in the pulsing pre-match festivities.

Supporters from The Upper Room and Puro 33 gather at Vito’s Sports Bar, where the michelada flows and the smell of chorizo soaks the air. You and the Crocketteers gather in your traditional spot, filling the old tavern with singing, shouting, and Freetail brews. Bands play as the supporters prepare to give a full 90 minutes to the home side just a short walk away at Alamo Stadium.

Match-time approaches and you begin the trek with the other supporters towards the stadium. The spirit of revelry is thick amongst the group. You smile as some around you wave scarves in the Texas sun, blow on parade horns, and generally swim in the pool of anticipation that is an old-world match-day. You think to yourself, “This is why I love soccer. This is what I waited so long for…”

Alamo Stadium is particularly lively this afternoon, the glorious old bones of the stadium made new with the fresh renovation. ABC is here to televise the MLS Match of the Week. All eyes (and cameras) are trained on Thierry Henry, as he warms up in his first San Antonio appearance as a member of Red Bull New York.

You slide into Row 6 and greet the familiar faces around you as the chants of your fellow Alamo FC supporters echo off of the limestone walls of the historic venue. An overflow crowd of 26,000 buzzes while the teams take to the pitch, flashbulbs popping away.  You look around and drink in the atmosphere, the revelry, the beautiful game.  What a moment for San Antonio…

The referee’s whistle blows, the ball is played in. You take a deep breath and survey the surreal scene one last time before throwing yourself fully into the match. This is real. The MLS is home in San Antonio.

Reminder: MLS Watch Party at Freetail Brewing Co. tonight May 13, 2010 8:00 PM

We’ve addressed in this space already that soccer is a sport that is built on anticipation. That anticipation, when cultivated in the proper atmosphere, can give way to absolute euphoria.

For San Antonio, soccer all of the sudden seems closer than ever to being a professional reality, as the perfect atmosphere for “The Beautiful Game” in South Texas has emerged. The supporters of soccer in San Antonio can only hope that this hopeful atmosphere, this raised level of anticipation, leads to eventual euphoria in the form of a top-flight pro soccer team calling San Antonio home.

A recent article in the San Antonio Express News revealed that San Antonio Independent School District and Spurs Sports & Entertainment have in fact had discussions about venerable Alamo Stadium being placed in the managing hands of SS&E.

Alamo Stadium is a legendary local sports shrine that has fallen into various levels of disrepair as the cash-strapped inner-city SAISD struggles to maintain the facility. In its 70 years of existence, Alamo Stadium has hosted high school sports of all kinds in addition to college and professional football.

The beauty of the talks between SAISD and SS&E is that the Spurs organization (which has been itching to get into professional soccer) would not have to build a stadium for any proposed team, but simply would renovate an existing jewel that happens to be just the right size and in just the right place.

Some of the most revered (and well-attended) stadiums in Major League Soccer share a common trait: an urban location.

Seattle’s Qwest Field and Toronto’s BMO Stadium are the two oft-cited urban jewels of the league, each drawing capacity crowds and each famous for an incredible gameday atmosphere. Each also happens to be in the shadow of their respective city skylines. Alamo Stadium, for those keeping track at home, is a mere 4 miles from the front door of the Alamo.

Unlike stadiums in far-flung exurbs (like Pizza Hut Park in Frisco or Gillette Stadium in Foxborough), Alamo Stadium would be accessible by people from all over San Antonio by a simple 20 minute drive. Supporters from Stone Oak and Southtown would have easy access, as would families from the suburbs and young urbanites in the city. And for that growing number of folks living in the urban core, Alamo Stadium is accessible by public transport, with a VIA ride from Alamo Plaza taking a mere 15 minutes. With plans to add a streetcar line on Broadway in the near future, the booming residential area that is about to be River North will be connected to a refurbished, resplendent Alamo Stadium in a myriad of ways.

So the anticipation rises as the atmosphere around the potential for soccer in San Antonio heats up. SS&E is interested enough in bringing high-level soccer to San Antonio that they have entered into talks regarding management and renovation. SAISD is interested enough in staying solvent that they will bend over backwards to allow someone with resources to take over their historic facility. And San Antonio’s starving soccer fans are one step closer to realizing the euphoric dream of having professional soccer in the city. In Alamo Stadium, the beautiful game is as close as it has ever been to finding itself in the shadow of the San Antonio skyline.

Read more San Antonio Soccer articles at Crocketteers.com

“I hear that NASL is looking at several markets in the Southwest without MLS for the next round of expansion. The criteria would be a good Mexican-American oriented fanbase that follow FMF clubs. San Diego, Phoenix and San Antonio are the three strongest possibilities, although I hear only two of those will be picked. Pachuca has had preliminary discussions with the NASL about coming on board as a partner. No word on whether they would be involved in one of those cities or somewhere else. The NASL is looking at 2012 for this round of expansion.”mls-rumors.net, Major League Soccer (MLS) Rumors – For the time between the games » Blog Archive » REPORT: NASL 2012 Expansion?, Jan 2010

Read the whole article at MLS-Rumors.net

The Rochester Rhinos today announced they have officially joined the North American Soccer League.

“We evaluated the situation very carefully and decided that the best decision for the future of the Rhinos and soccer in Rochester was for us to join the new NASL,” said Rhinos CEO Rob Clark. “Soccer is maturing before our very eyes.  We are joining a family of team owners who are committed to investing in our league and their teams to further the development of players and support the future growth of the sport in North America.  The NASL is a new beginning for soccer in Rochester.”

The addition of Rochester brings the NASL to ten teams, including the Atlanta Silverbacks, Carolina RailHawks, Crystal Palace Baltimore, Miami FC Blues, Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, St. Louis United, Tampa Bay Rowdies and Vancouver Whitecaps.

“I’m looking forward to working with my fellow owners in the coming weeks to hire a Commissioner, create a 2010 schedule and finalize league marketing initiatives,” concluded Clark.

The NASL has applied for USSF Division II status and expects to start its first season as a Division II professional soccer league in April 2010.

 

This brings NASL 2010 team count to 10 dwarfing USL-1′s numbers which sits at 5. Of course we fully expect USL-1 teams to merge with those from USL-2.

With no real prospect of MLS choosing San Antonio for the its 20th spot, why wouldn’t NASL be the best fit for the 7th largest city in the USA?

To readup on the newly formed NASL, please click here.

To discuss NASL with the Crocketteers, please reference The NASL reborn thread.

Thanks to Jason Davis of Match Fit USA for finding this information.

The former president of Mexican club Necaxa, Antonio de Alba, tells the paper that he is in “advanced” discussion with MLS to acquire an expansion franchise for the Texas city.

He also indicates that he has discussed the plan with the mayor’s office and the owner of the San Antonio Spurs as well.

http://www.matchfitusa.com/2009/08/san-antonio-mls-rumors-surface.html

He references a Mexican news publication, La Jornada, as the source of these intriguing rumors.

Vamos bastante avanzados en las pláticas con gente de la MLS, porque sería un equipo de expansión, toda vez que en San Antonio no hay clubes.

También ya tuvimos contacto con el dueño de Spurs de San Antonio de la NBA y con el alcalde Julián Castro, quienes están interesados en apoyar el proyecto y en llevar la franquicia a ese condado, aprovechando que hay muchos latinos y es un gran mercado”, dijo De Alba, también ex presidente del patronato de Fomento al Futbol de Aguascalientes.

The original publication can be read here.

Thoughts? It has me excited.

Remember the year 2005?

The drive to bring Major League Soccer to San Antonio officially got underway Friday as San Antonio Mayor Ed Garza kicked off the effort to secure 5,000 season ticket commitments in 100 days (Aug. 17, 2005).

The season ticket commitments comprise one of three measures the city must take to obtain an MLS team that would begin play at the Alamodome as early as the start of the 2006 season. The other measures are securing an ownership group and finalizing plans for constructing a state-of-the-art training complex, complete with youth fields.

link

Remember 2005 a little better now?

The above excerpt was from an article originally published on Major League Soccer’s website 4 years ago. I remember being on that web page, excited for my hometown while living in Houston, Texas.  As a result of then Mayor Ed Garza’s efforts, the ball was finally rolling and things were on track for San Antonio to be the second Texas team in Major League Soccer. The Alamodome would finally have a tenant roughly 4 years after the San Antonio Spurs played their last ball game there.  However, here we are today, 7 years without a team who can call the Dome home.

I know. I know. That will change in a few years, when the UTSA Roadrunner football team will play its first ever home game. Regardless, Mayor Ed Garza was on his way out, with Phil Hardberger slated to take over. Two months later …

…incoming mayor Phil Hardberger said at a news conference that the proposed deal with MLS didn’t make financial sense for the city.

“Goodbye. That’s what I would tell MLS,” Hardberger said.

But MLS officials said goodbye first in a terse letter to outgoing Mayor Ed Garza, a strong proponent of bringing pro soccer to the Alamodome.

The letter, signed by MLS Commissioner Don Garber, said the work of Garza and league officials was undercut by politically driven criticisms that didn’t take into consideration the benefits to the city.

link

And that was that.  San Antonio’s last real opportunity to step into the world of professional soccer ended with a blink of an eye.

“This has been changed at the 12th hour due to politics, and it is appalling,” Garber later said in an interview with the San Antonio Express-News.

The letter said the criticisms impeded the effort to sell 5,000 season tickets or recruit local investors, two requirements MLS had set for granting a team in 2006.

San Antonio would have been awarded their second top level sports franchise by pursuing Major League Soccer the proper way and for the cheap. On the flip side, the entire sports nation witnessed Mayor Hardberger and other local officials failed attempt to “steal” an NFL franchise from the City of New Orleans as it was trying to recover from the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. I digress.

With Mayor Hardberger now out, Julian Castro in, would Major League Soccer even look back in San Antonio’s direction?

In 2011, 18 teams will take the field compared to 12 teams in 2006 when San Antonio would have fielded a team. On top of that fact MLS has been expanding at a faster than normal rate, soccer specific stadia are being built or in the planning stages of being built all across the country.  With that said, the bar is set significantly higher (as well as the price) to get into Major League Soccer this time around.

Major League Soccer may (if the stars are properly aligned) or may not take a look, but does that mean professional soccer is dead in San Antonio? With the Austin Aztex in it’s first season in the USL-1 (United Soccer Leagues) , San Antonio is the only major city in Texas without a professional soccer club.

If San Antonio is to have another opportunity at professional soccer, there will be a need to have a strong ownership group and a willingness to help secure a stadium (preferably soccer specific) for a future club.

If another opportunity does arrive again, be it MLS or USL, hopefully new city leadership under Mayor Julian Castro will see the benefits this time around.

A while back, we published an open letter to MLS Commissioner Don Garber. We will republished it soon followed by a new Open Letter to Mayor Julian Castro.

-Victory or Death -

One main factor for the MLS to be located in San Antonio is the fact that we have a stadium in place to host a franchise of our very own. A claim not many cities can make and can be a deal breaker in some cases.

The Alamodome is a perfect selling point and offers a very live and vibrant atmosphere to hold meaningful competitions. We’ve seen the versatility of the venue in the past when it was home to the San Antonio Spurs and even hosted an NBA All Star game. The American football fan is familiar with it due to the college bowl game the Alamobowl, that is an annual event and due also to the Dallas Cowboys holding training camp there as well.

With concerts and trade shows also utilizing it, the stadium has been used for everything you can think of outside of providing a home to a NFL team, it’s original intended use.

Naturally one is inclined to assume that the Alamodome will be the future home to a MLS franchise as it would seemingly be a perfect fit. And it would be, don’t get me wrong; I think it would be a critical piece in reaffirming our interest in attracting a team.

That issue aside, I would still like to discuss what it would mean to build a soccer specific stadium (SSS), as I feel it would have greater implications.

I understand that building a stadium is a difficult thing to finance, it was when we built the Alamodome and I’m almost sure it would be for a SSS. But let’s just say that we have financing in place and the city and county are on board with building one, what does that mean for the city?

Economics:

There are many soccer specific events that SA would be able to cater to, more so than other cities. With the development of the WPS, and the USL, SA could be a host city to their cup games or a host city to the men’s and women’s national college championships.

SA may also look at hosting youth tournaments or professional tournaments. Additionally we may be able to host more international competitions of a smaller nature, or even a world cup qualifier or international friendlies. All of these possibilities mean generating dollars and flowing revenue into the city through yet another sports related venue.

Due to the unique niche market “soccer” demands, we would be one of the few choices for these types of events and it would add another piece to San Antonio. This brings me to my next point.

Aesthetics:

By adding this other ‘piece’ as I put it, I feel that it must be downtown so that it could add to the skyline, somewhat, and make SA more attractive as a whole. It would also make San Antonio more appealing to the sports industry as the Alamobowl has. Just look at the coverage ESPN gives the Alamobowl, every year college football fans from certain regions in the country descend on the river city to cheer on their team.

From the Final Four, to the NBA Finals, reporters and sports enthusiasts love visiting, and consider coming here a small vacation even if it is while they are working. Adding a SSS would enhance the atmosphere to the city, especially during match day. I can see fellow supporters walking the streets of downtown holding over their heads the Alamo FC scarf, yelling semi-profanities at the other team . . . . . beautiful!

I can imagine the design of the stadium to be one resembling a European style architecture, where the fans are right on top of the pitch. Just imagine what the Baseline Bums would look like as ‘soccer’ fans. It would definitely raise the temperature for the opposing side, speaking of which.

The Weather:

We live in South Texas; do we really need a roof? I mean it is cold like two days a year, and rain hardly ever gets in the way, while it is annoying. Football was meant to be played on natural grass not synthetic turf, although some of the new stuff is pretty good. It just doesn’t make sense to me in an environment as green as ours that we would force ourselves inside.

I personally feel that keeping the world’s most beautiful game indoors is a crime, and it would be a crime if we kept it in the Alamodome. I would understand if we need to use the dome to escape the heat or big time events like hosting Real Madrid or AC Milan, but we will not have 60,000 fans showing up for a match between our team and Toronto FC, unfortunately.

Why not take advantage of our natural climate?

Building a soccer specific stadium is important and there has been some discussion on making the venue a combination stadium with a stage at one end for concerts and located in the suburbs as some other stadiums are modeled in much the same way.

I think this is a bad idea for two reasons: first, the stadiums look awkward and the stage doesn’t really add to the spirit of the game, it is tantamount to having yard markers across the pitch; second, why worry about a concert venue when we have the Alamodome, we can hold concerts there, and if we need something smaller, than we will use the AT&T Center. I just don’t think adding a stage is justifiable when we already have enough venues for that.

Also, if we don’t build the stadium near downtown we risk repeating what Dallas has done; in very bad taste I might add. FC Dallas, or the Dallas Burn as they used to be referred to, decided to build a stadium in Frisco, TX, some 45 minutes away from downtown Dallas. This effectively made the distance too far to travel from some of the most important supporters who came to the games at the Cotton Bowl.

As a result, their attandence has suffered, greatly, and the players lack passion for the sport when they are playing in front of a few people and their dog. The franchise has taken a downward spiral and is largely considered perennial bottom feeders. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a sports team from Dallas that is not the Cowboys or the Dallas Texans.

Even if the stadium was soccer specific, we would still get multiple uses from it. I just want something unique; something the city can get behind and that creates a special atmosphere, in much the same tradition as La Bombonera or Anfield or the San Siro. If we don’t have high expectations, we may never realize our true potential . . . . I think San Antonio has great potential.

What do you think?

Obviously, SS&E have followed the rich history in San Antonio of thinking small and looks set to short change us again. But would could a possible solution be?

Enter FC Barcelona . . . . here is one of Spain’s most successful football clubs, locked into two more years of appearances in the US, and wanting to brand a club in the MLS. SS&E should partner with them in bringing an MLS team to San Antonio, or the city’s leaders should recognize a huge opportunity staring them in the face and create a partnership.

The city should partner with the Catalan giants. Ok there, I said it; that just happened!

What about the French connection?

Tony Parker is from France, Thierry Henry is from France; Tony Parker and Thierry Henry are friends; Thierry Henry plays for FC Barcelona, Tony Parker plays for the San Antonio Spurs; wink, wink! Se Magnifique!

Until recently, I even had visions of Henry tearing down the left side of the pitch in the Alamodome, cutting inward at the eighteen yard box and finishing a beautiful goal in the top right corner, but he just looks too smitten with New York, so that’s probably not going to happen.

But FC Barcelona to San Antonio could happen.

After all, the club has stated on several occasions they will continue to work on increasing their presence in the USA. I think that would be obvious considering the turn out for their preseason friendlies.

What about Beckham?

Beckham? What about him? Well apparently he wants to buy an MLS franchise, or at least has it in his contract with MLS to purchase a team after his contract expires. This idea is probably crazy, but I don’t mind getting a little crazy, after all, I am a mad footballer.

The other option is to secure a team through relocation, as in, a franchise leaving a city to move to San Antonio. I know this may be cheap, Houston Dynamo, but if a city can’t support their team, perhaps they shouldn’t be there. An opinion that is sound in theory, but it appears that we can’t even support a team, and we don’t even have one.

I guess our last and most desperate choice is to surround the Alamo and fight until our death. Or we can just continue to support the grassroots effort of the Crocketteers. It’s your choice, but I suspect that you value your life a little more than football, at least some of you do, you know who you are.

I think at this point the best idea is to partner with a larger organization and establish a franchise as a joint venture. Even with a USL-1 team in San Antonio, we could still partner with a bigger club or investment group to help fund our eventual promotion into the MLS. I also feel that this would be the quicker way to fund a soccer specific stadium, which I would like to discuss in Part III. In the meantime, let me know what you think.