Buffalo, N.Y. (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 Jr. 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.
"It's not an easy decision to make, but it also wasn't a terribly difficult decision to make," Marlette told WBEN on Wednesday. "We are literally in the best remaining untapped pro soccer city in the country. Everything is right here. The only way this club is not a resounding success that lasts for generations is if in our excitement to get on the field we ignore the foundation."
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 have been announced since, though Marlette told WBEN that non-disclosure agreements preventing him from sharing more information are the reason he has been silent on the matter. He said details on a potential stadium may be talked about "very soon."
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.
A possible first USL game in Buffalo may come in 2028
A possible first USL game in Buffalo may come in 2028
