OT: El Paso To Build Another Stadium

[JCorona]

We’ve known one of Mountain Star’s main goal has been to bring an MLS team to El Paso. Once that idea was shut down they went and acquired a soccer team in Mexico and has been very close to regulation in the first division. Now they have their sight set on a USL team. This would be a perfect fit for El Paso to begin with.

https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.elpasotimes.com/amp/755769001

 

[Nugget 07]

I say no, USL? Who the hell cares about that.

 

[unihorn]

I say no, USL? Who the hell cares about that.

Luckily, you have no say.

 

[JCorona]

All you need is about 3,000 people to care. Since the league attendance average has fluctuated from 2200 - 3400. The past two season have seen a significant increase in overall attendance since the creation of FC Cincinnati. In two years of existence they are averaging over 19,000 a figure that is unheard of for USL. Hell most MLS teams don’t average that.

It’s good to jump into the USL now. With the USMNT missing out in the World Cup some major changes have to occur in the development phase. One of the constant changes most American soccer fans want to see is the implementation of regulation and promotion. If that were to occur then El Paso would have one foot in the door on their first professional team in the city.

 

[ShovelMan66]

One of the constant changes most American soccer fans want to see is the implementation of regulation and promotion. If that were to occur then El Paso would have one foot in the door on their first professional team in the city.

There will never be relegation and promotion in US Soccer. The US leagues are based off metro areas and TV contracts. They don't have established pyramids that have been playing for 100 years like other countries . ESPN and any future tv partners want good tv markets. El Paso will be in the USL forever. MLS does not want the EP market, neither does ESPN.

El Paso will forever be a minor league city, unless a bunch of rich Americans start re-locating here. Nothing wrong with that, that's just how it is.

 

[Nugget 07]

Luckily, you have no say.

And neither do you. This is a sports forum. Have fun watching minor league soccer, sounds effen exciting!!

 

[unihorn]

And neither do you. This is a sports forum. Have fun watching minor league soccer, sounds effen exciting!!

If I buy season tickets, I'll have a little say.

 

[Nugget 07]

MLS would be great but as stated ELP isn't MLS material. That's fine, we tried and they said no. What's the point in USL? If we had a chance to move up, hell yeah, but USL is irrelevant.

They claim USL is the equivalent of AAA baseball. I don't see it. They are trying to sell us something that isn't true.

 

[unihorn]

I think we can assume it's a done deal.

 

[JCorona]

Let’s say you need to buy a new truck for work. You have your eyes on a 2018 F350 powerstroke. According to the bank you don’t meet their metrics. Your credit score (tv market) and income (amount of corporate sponsors) don’t equate to a loan for that truck. But they say hey we can get you into a slightly used 2015 f150. Do you turn around and say no I’ll just walk and take the bus everywhere?

 

[ShovelMan66]

Good analogy. I hope the city isn't dumb enough to give Mountain Star "financial help" for a stadium solely for this team. If they want a minor league Soccer team here, pay for it yourself. If they're willing to make Cohen work, then I'm all for getting some city money for that.

 

[unihorn]

Good analogy. I hope the city isn't dumb enough to give Mountain Star "financial help" for a stadium solely for this team. If they want a minor league Soccer team here, pay for it yourself. If they're willing to make Cohen work, then I'm all for getting some city money for that.

Why wouldn't the city give them incentives?

They clearly prefer a new stadium downtown. If they did it at Cohen, it would be a complete knockdown/scrape. Hunt and Foster only do it first rate.

 

[ShovelMan66]

Why SHOULD they? The Chihuahuas play 60+ dates a year. The proposed USL team won't even play 20. There's already a 7,500 seat stadium downtown and they already play soccer matches there. FCJ and Nexcaxa played there last week. A lot of USL teams share stadiums with Triple A baseball.

Do you think building another stadium with the same capacity for a team that plays less than 20 games a year there is a good idea?

 

[unihorn]

Why SHOULD they? The Chihuahuas play 60+ dates a year. The proposed USL team won't even play 20. There's already a 7,500 seat stadium downtown and they already play soccer matches there. FCJ and Nexcaxa played there last week. A lot of USL teams share stadiums with Triple A baseball.

Do you think building another stadium with the same capacity for a team that plays less than 20 games a year there is a good idea?

I think any other city would give them incentives.

 

[JCorona]

I was thinking about that a minute ago. If it’s possible for them to share the stadium but don’t think it’s doable. The USL season runs March - October. The AAA season runs April - September.

They have to remove the mound and do a bunch of other stuff to get the field soccer ready. I’m sure it could work in the meantime while the new stadium is being built but don’t think it would be a long term solution.

 

[ShovelMan66]

I get that. I'm sure every team wants their own stadium, but to give financial help to a company you already gave help to, to build a similar stadium, is ridiculous.

This isn't just an El Paso thing, why do we (taxpayers) continously have to give our money to rich owners for sports stadiums? They don't give out tons of free tickets and then they charge us for parking, $5 sodas, etc.

 

[unihorn]

I get that. I'm sure every team wants their own stadium, but to give financial help to a company you already gave help to, to build a similar stadium, is ridiculous.

This isn't just an El Paso thing, why do we (taxpayers) continously have to give our money to rich owners for sports stadiums? They don't give out tons of free tickets and then they charge us for parking, $5 sodas, etc.

An intimate soccer stadium is not similar to a baseball stadium, nor is it similar to the planned arena.

Cities give incentives because teams generate tax revenue from hotel taxes, rental car taxes, and improved property taxes and sales taxes near the stadium.

 

[ShovelMan66]

Can you provide an article where a USL team greatly improved its area and was a worthwhile investment by its city?

 

[unihorn]

Can you provide an article where a USL team greatly improved its area and was a worthwhile investment by its city?

I didn't say greatly, and I didn't specify how big the incentives should be.

Cities compete for new businesses with incentives -- you gotta pay to play.

 

[Nugget 07]

I'm with shovelman, I'm for incentives if it's MLS. It isn't, so if they want it they can build it with their own money.

 

[RanDaddyBinks]

Incentives? Sure. Pay for the whole thing? No.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

Personally l, I don’t want a soccer stadium. I want an indoor arena..... and not a “performing arts center” either.

 

[unihorn]

Personally l, I don’t want a soccer stadium. I want an indoor arena..... and not a “performing arts center” either.

I want both. It's time for El Paso to think bigger.

 

[UTEPMiners8106]

Fair enough. I’m not saying that as a pessimist. But before they start planning for a soccer stadium they should fix this mess regarding the arena, or performance arts center or whatever the heck it’s going to be.

 

[JCorona]

This is a rendering of what the COTA stadium in Austin will look like. It will seat 5,000 and start playing in 2019.

 

[JCorona]

This is Toyota Field in San Antonio. It opened in 2013 and holds 8,400.

 

[axingfools1]

Personally l, I don’t want a soccer stadium. I want an indoor arena..... and not a “performing arts center” either.

I want both. El Paso's only chance for a major sport in the foreseeable future is soccer/MLS. I think it would do awesome in El Paso. IMO El Paso meets the requirements and Mountain Star could easily put forth the $150 million start up fee and build a stadium. I beleive MLS gets concessions and parking so its on the owners.

 

[unihorn]

Fair enough. I’m not saying that as a pessimist. But before they start planning for a soccer stadium they should fix this mess regarding the arena, or performance arts center or whatever the heck it’s going to be.

They are two completely separate organizations and projects.

 

[JCorona]

This is the Phoenix Rising FC Stadium. Built in 2017 with a capacity of 6,400.

 

[JCorona]

All three of those major cities within driving distance of El Paso want an MLS team. They didn’t get it for one reason or another. They didn’t throw their arms up in the air and say we give up get that irrelevant USL shit out of here. They keep trying to reach their goal of a professional soccer team.

If we don’t start at the bottom like these other cities then it’s a fact we will never have an MLS team. If the USL team exceeds expectations by winning championships and being at the top of the league in attendance the MLS will remember those factors. We don’t know if in a decade with the way El Paso is growing we become a top 60-75 tv market. We might just sneak ourselves into an mls expansion team.

 

[FarWestTexas]

SAFC now has the backing of Spurs Sports & Ent., but prior, it was the Scorpins and owned by Gordon Hartman. Hartman used the soccer club, who played in the NASL, and used it to fund the first and only special needs amusement park in Morgan’s Wonderland. Improvement for sure, but no city involvement. The question is where the eff are the rich people in El Paso? Can J J Armes not help out?

 

[ShovelMan66]

El Paso will never have a MLS team. They might expand to 4 more teams, but that's it. They are already the biggest top flight league in soccer by number of teams. It's just not happening.

Building a stadium for 3,000 people a game with the city's help is stupid. Might as well build a statue of Estela Casas in downtown instead.

 

[ShovelMan66]

This is a rendering of what the COTA stadium in Austin will look like. It will seat 5,000 and start playing in 2019.

This will be the 3rd time Austin is going to have a USL team. It will be different this time though right????

 

[ShovelMan66]

I want both. El Paso's only chance for a major sport in the foreseeable future is soccer/MLS. I think it would do awesome in El Paso. IMO El Paso meets the requirements and Mountain Star could easily put forth the $150 million start up fee and build a stadium. I beleive MLS gets concessions and parking so its on the owners.

Just like UTEP to the Big 12 and other dreams, this is just that. El Paso is not on MLS' radar and won't be unless catastrophic things happen.

If USL wants to here and Mountain Star wants to build their own stadium or use Cohen, I am all for that. Building a soccer stadium for a minor league team is stupid. Yes they can hold other events there, but those will be events taken away from city properties like Cohen and the Coliseum.

 

[JCorona]

El Paso will never have a MLS team. They might expand to 4 more teams, but that's it. They are already the biggest top flight league in soccer by number of teams. It's just not happening.

Building a stadium for 3,000 people a game with the city's help is stupid. Might as well build a statue of Estela Casas in downtown instead.

With that self defeating mentality you are correct.

As far as Austin’s third attempt at USL one has to admire the resilience involved. If it didn’t work this way let’s try this other way. The point is you keep fighting and don’t give up. Some of the most successful people in the world were knocked down seven times but got up eight.

 

[unihorn]

This will be the 3rd time Austin is going to have a USL team. It will be different this time though right????

Austin has far more entertainment options than El Paso.

As El Pasoans have shown with the Chihuahuas, they're hungry for, and will support, shiny, new, well-marketed entertainment choices.

 

[EPTUTEP]

I just don't see the point in building brand new 7,500 seat soccer stadium for a league that averages about 3,000 fans per game. I say renovate Cohen stadium and play the games there to see what kind of interest minor league soccer generates here in El Paso before building a very expensive soccer stadium. If attendance is good, then consider building a new stadium. Truthfully, I just don't see minor league soccer generating much interest here.

 

[unihorn]

I just don't see the point in building brand new 7,500 seat soccer stadium for a league that averages about 3,000 fans per game. I say renovate Cohen stadium and play the games there to see what kind of interest minor league soccer generates here in El Paso before building a very expensive soccer stadium. If attendance is good, then consider building a new stadium. Truthfully, I just don't see minor league soccer generating much interest here.

You understand it's not the city building it, right?

 

[EPTUTEP]

Yep, if Mountain Star wants to build it 100% then I don't care. They should receive zero financial help from the city for this stadium. If they want financial help, the city needs to to offer nothing more then the rights to use Cohen. Im pretty sure Mountain Star wants financial help from the city because they want to build the soccer stadium like Toyota Field in SA, and we don't need that for a stupid minor league soccer stadium.

 

[minermx07]

Socorro ISD wants to build a new Athletic Center that holds 6-8 thousand. Maybe this could be a joint project and save the taxpayers some money?