In my previous speculative fiction blog about a potential USL D1 league (which you should totally read) I laid out a 30,000 ft. view of what USL "could" do to create a Division 1 league. I didn't go too in depth because, well, I have a day job. In this blog we'll look at a few of the teams from my speculative league who already have some sort of stadium plan that could be adapted to D1 standards. We'll speculate on where some teams could find a new venue (Jacksonville) in a future post.
Our future USL Division 1 league (USL Premier League if you will) consists of:
- Baltimore
- Charlotte Independence
- Cleveland
- Detroit
- Hartford Athletic
- Indy XI
- Jacksonville
- Las Vegas Lights
- Long Island/New Jersey
- Louisville City
- Milwaukee
- Norfolk
- North Carolina FC
- Oakland
- OKC Energy
- Orange County SC
- Pittsburgh Riverhounds
- San Antonio FC
- San Diego
- Tampa Bay Rowdies
Teams with a plan
This part is easy as some current USL teams have a plan or an already-existing stadium that can be upgraded to Division 1 standards. Current USSF standards state that Division 1 stadiums must be enclosed with a capacity of 15,000 (h/t to Kenn.com). What "enclosed" means is up for some debate as not all MLS stadiums meet that standard but 15,000 capacity is what we're going to focus on today.
Currently there are a few USL franchises with stadiums that can be upgraded or are in the planning/construction stages.
Louisville City
If there's one team in USL that has it's ducks in a row, it's Louisville City. Winning back-to-back USL championships and drawing strong crowds, LouCity already has a stadium under construction in the city's Butchertown neighborhood. While the current stadium's capacity is listed at 11,000, it can be expanded to 15,000.
OKC Energy FC
This one has been years in the making. While the stadium plan calls for 10,000 seats, it's designed with expansion to MLS standards in mind. In this speculative scenario, we're keeping the Energy in our newly-minted USL Premier League.
San Antonio
Toyota Field is already the class of USL. Built with MLS expansion in mind, this park could easily be upgraded to Division 1 standards.
Tampa Bay
This one is a little more speculative. With the Rowdies' recent acquisition by the owner of the Tampa Bay Rays MLB team, their future at Al Lang isn't 100% solid. What I'd like to see? This. This picture right here.
Las Vegas
If ever there was a stadium ripe for renovation, it's Cashman Field. With the Las Vegas 51s moving to their new digs, the Lights have a chance to renovate an oddly rectangular baseball stadium into a great soccer venue.
Charlotte
The Independence's current home is undergoing a renovation that will bring the capacity to 10,000. Judging by the renderings, there's room for more seats and suites.
Hartford
Hartford Athletic has been working with the city to expand Dillon Stadium to 6,000 seats which would make it a solid D2 venue. However, the ownership group has stated that the stadium could be expanded beyond 10,000 seats. Here's hoping they can add enough to make this park a D1 ground.
Indianapolis
Indy XI is set right now for this thought experiment. Lucas Oil Stadium is more than large enough and if The Eleven can convince the state to untie the money from their stadium proposal from a MLS bid, they could have the best ground in our new USL Premier League.
That about wraps this post up. In our next look at the USL Premier League (whenever I get around to it) I'll take a look at where some of the other members might play. Some are going to need a lot of help.
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