Buffalo, NY (WBEN) - The group looking to bring a pro soccer team to Buffalo says they are delaying their start again.
In a message to supporters, Buffalo Pro Soccer President Peter Marlette said the team will not begin play in the 2027 USL Championship season, pushing back a possible first game to at least the spring of 2028.
"While we know how much excitement there is to see this club take the field, this is the right decision for the long-term success of professional soccer in Buffalo," Marlette said in the statement. "Our goal has never been simply to launch a team. It is to build a club that can thrive in Western New York for generations."
The group had initially been aiming for a start this year to coincide with the World Cup being held in the US, but pushed that back after plans for a stadium fell through because of opposition from a chemical plant in the same area.
No plans for a soccer specific stadium, a requirement for new USL Championship team, have been announced since, though in a statement Marlette did say he was in advanced conversations to finalize a site. The parking lots of the HSBC Atrium and former Buffalo News building, close to KeyBank Center and Sahlen Field, has been identified by Marlette in the past as a preferred site.
Marlette also said his group plans to announce a principal owner soon.
