A new professional soccer team is planning to call New Orleans home by 2025, but there are a few questions left to answer in the meantime.
They stack up as:
- Where will the team play?
- What will its name/colors be?
- Who will be footing the bill?
The answer to that first question is possibly the most interesting. Tony McAuley, business reporter for NOLA.com, pointed to a potential multipurpose stadium near the convention center as a high possibility, with a stadium on the mind of convention center officials and the USL -- United Soccer League -- keen on establishing a base in an urban center with walking-distance attractions.
Listen to the full interview with Tony McAuley in the player atop this page. Can't see the embed? Click here.
But there will also be a push by the Shrine on Airline, currently playing host to the NOLA Gold rugby team, which will be invested in adding a soccer team to its stadium offerings. Other options could be City Park options in the form of Pan-Am Stadium, which currently plays host to the New Orleans Jesters, or Tad Gormley Stadium.
“It’s the big difference between those that have been very successful and those who have been far less successful," McAuley said. "There’s a huge range in the average attendance based on where they’re located.”
WHAT WILL IT BE NAMED?
The league announced in a press release that USL representatives Warren Smith and Jamie Guin have been working with New Orleans' community and soccer leaders to identify potential stadium matches. But the locals will be given the biggest keys in the decision for what the team will be named.
The group plans to gather feedback in the coming months through polls and other methods on club identity, which was the purpose of this week's news release on that matter.
The last fan-named team in the area was the New Orleans Baby Cakes, renamed from the Zephyrs. The team played its game at the Shrine on Airline before departing in 2019.
"I am thrilled to help NOLA create a club that reflects and represents the city while furthering gender equity in sports," Smith said. "In my short time here, I have learned how passionate people are about this community, and I look forward to working with them to create something unique and special that they can love as their own.”
Fans can participate in an initial survey and updates at uslnola.com.
The league says it has spoken with roughly 40 local backers, McAuley said, though that group does not include Saints and Pelicans owner Gayle Benson.
WHAT IS THE USL?
The United Soccer League began in 2011 and is sanctioned as a Division II League, placing it under Major League Soccer.
Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the league has 27 teams with a large footprint across south but no presence currently in Louisiana or Mississippi. The closest teams to New Orleans include franchises in San Antonio, Fort Worth, Memphis, Birmingham and Tampa Bay.
Teams with community backing, as opposed to the big-city model of the MLS, have found some of the most success in terms of attendance, McAuley said. The New Mexico United, located in Albuquerque, has seen crowd in excess of 10,000 since being founded in 2019.
“If they can get crowds [in New Orleans] in the 5, 6, 7, 8,000s here to start with," McAuley said, "they’ll be happy with that for sure.”