CHICAGO - USL Stadium (20,000)

9945 Views 27 Replies 13 Participants Last post by Chevy114, Jan 11, 2019

RMB2007

Discussion Starter · Nov 21, 2017

United Soccer League expansion team coming to North Side site proposed for Amazon's HQ2

A new professional soccer team plans to begin playing on Chicago’s North Side within three years, at one of the sites proposed for Amazon’s second headquarters.

Developer Sterling Bay has bought a United Soccer League expansion team to play in its planned sports and entertainment stadium along the Chicago River, with the goal of beginning play in the 2020 season, Sterling Bay Managing Principal Andy Gloor said.

It remains to be seen how the USL, a professional league one level below Major League Soccer, will fare in Chicago. But there is a passionate soccer fan base within the city, and many supporters of the sport have lamented the MLS Chicago Fire’s location in southwest suburban Bridgeview, as well as the team’s struggle to stay relevant in a market that includes teams in each of the major sports.

“There are a lot of cities that have two soccer teams,” Gloor said. “New York and Los Angeles have two MLS teams. They can co-exist in a city the size of Chicago.”

Specific details of the Skidmore, Owings & Merrill-designed stadium are still being fine-tuned, but the venue is expected to have a retractable roof and about 20,000 seats. Gloor said. A retractable roof will allow the stadium to be used for events year-round, potentially including international soccer matches, college football and basketball games, concerts and other events, Gloor said.

Gloor said there are no current plans for Chicago’s USL team to have an MLS affiliation.

A name has not yet been chosen for Chicago’s expansion team. Sterling Bay plans to solicit names from the public before choosing a winner, Gloor said.

www.chicagotribune.com/business/col...s-soccer-stadium-ryan-ori-20171121-story.html

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amadora2700

· #2 · Nov 21, 2017

Chicago Amazon FC ???

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cbk1128

· #3 · Nov 22, 2017

United Soccer League signs deal to bring team to new SOM-designed North Branch stadium

https://chicago.curbed.com/2017/11/21/16687000/lincoln-yards-stadium-united-soccer-league

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· #4 · Nov 22, 2017

Lol

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it's not a bad idea. Chicago does very well with it's current minor league teams. The metro area has 5 minor league baseball teams. And nearly 20 minor league teams across various sports. The Chicago Wolves are one of the best attended teams in the AHL

There are a LOT of soccer fans who would rather NOT make the drive out to Bridgeview, which is inaccessible via public transportation.

They'd probably have an easy time selling suites. there are a lot of companies downtown that entertain clients but would never bother doing so in the Burbs.

It seems though that the real selling point here is that it would be a multi use stadium of a size that Downtown currently lacks

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Chevy114

· #6 · Nov 27, 2017

This feels like NYCFC and Red Bulls, they are just capitalizing on the fact that the other team doesn't play in the city proper right?

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RMB2007

Discussion Starter · #7 · May 9, 2018

Cubs owner Tom Ricketts buying new Chicago soccer team

Two years after bringing a long-awaited World Series to the North Side, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is ready to give soccer a try.

The baseball team owner and Chicago developer Sterling Bay said they are forming a joint venture to bring a United Soccer League expansion team to the planned Lincoln Yards commercial real estate development along the Chicago River.

Sterling Bay will develop and own the stadium, and will keep an ownership stake in the USL franchise it bought last year. Ricketts will be the team’s majority owner.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In November, Sterling Bay confirmed plans to bring a USL team to an approximately 20,000-seat stadium that it said is likely to have a retractable roof.

Sterling Bay also has said it wants to bring other sporting events, such as international soccer and college football games, and entertainment to the venue surrounded by densely populated neighborhoods.

Chicago’s USL team is expected to begin playing in 2021.

The stadium and training facility will be available to youth and professional athletes, and also will have community and cultural events, according to the news release.

The stadium is planned along the west side of the river.

www.chicagotribune.com/business/col...etts-soccer-team-ryan-ori-20180508-story.html

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slipperydog

· #8 · May 9, 2018

Sam Stejskal
‏@samstejskal
This is potentially huge news for the Fire. Have a really hard time believing that the Ricketts family sees a USL team in a 20,000-seat stadium at Lincoln Yards as their end game.

Franco Panizo
‏@FrancoPanizo
Definitely more to the story here. Could we see the Fire get bought out in not-too-distant future?

MLS bought out Chivas USA, is possibly going to move Columbus to Austin. I'd also venture to say yes here, though I'm sure there'd be plenty of legal complexities.

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ielag

· #9 · May 10, 2018

The lease that MLS/Fire has with Bridgeview is crazy complex. It's certainly not as easy as just buying out the Fire and moving them to this site. They'd probably have to pay Bridgeview a whole lot of money since it's a 30-year lease.

But this is a dream location for any pro soccer team in Chicago.

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slipperydog

· #10 · May 10, 2018

that it said is likely to have a retractable roof.

Hmm.

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slipperydog

· #11 · May 10, 2018

Here's an in-depth look at the lease in Bridgeview. It's not, uh, kind to the Fire.

https://socceresq.com/2018/05/09/st...be-the-best-worst-lease-in-the-united-states/

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aquamaroon

· #12 · May 10, 2018

slipperydog said:
Here's an in-depth look at the lease in Bridgeview. It's not, uh, kind to the Fire.

:uh: wow, that's uh, putting it mildly! Wow what an agreement Bridgeview got; they basically have not only the Fire but the entire MLS by the cojones. That explains this big move happening in the USL and not MLS, with the deal the Fire signed for now "SeatGeek Stadium" it's essentially legally impossible for the Fire or any other Major League Soccer team to play anywhere but there until 2037. Really the only hope MLS/Fire have is that the current agreement is so financially unproductive from Bridgeview's perspective that they would voluntarily tear up the lease.

(Thanks again dog for the link, great read! Not only are they locked in but the Stadium gets essentially all non-gameday revenue from the stadium, including the lion's share of naming rights and suite sales and Chicago Fire Merchandise sold at the stadium! Really, bravo to Bridgeview's lawyers I guess! :lol::cheers

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slipperydog

· #13 · May 10, 2018

Perhaps they could do a swap and award Bridgeview a USL team to lessen the buyout of the Fire lease. Might be complicated, but then again, what's not these days? Where there's a will, there's a way.

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ielag

· #14 · May 11, 2018

aquamaroon said:
:uh: wow, that's uh, putting it mildly! Wow what an agreement Bridgeview got; they basically have not only the Fire but the entire MLS by the cojones. That explains this big move happening in the USL and not MLS, with the deal the Fire signed for now "SeatGeek Stadium" it's essentially legally impossible for the Fire or any other Major League Soccer team to play anywhere but there until 2037. Really the only hope MLS/Fire have is that the current agreement is so financially unproductive from Bridgeview's perspective that they would voluntarily tear up the lease.

(Thanks again dog for the link, great read! Not only are they locked in but the Stadium gets essentially all non-gameday revenue from the stadium, including the lion's share of naming rights and suite sales and Chicago Fire Merchandise sold at the stadium! Really, bravo to Bridgeview's lawyers I guess! :lol::cheers

There's a part of me that is fine with the lease since it used 100% taxpayer money (although without voter approval). But as someone that wants to see all MLS clubs flourish, it's brutal.

And even with those lease terms, the stadium has been a financial disaster for Bridgeview.

"After ten bond sales since 2003—most recently one in 2015 for $16 million to resolve debt shortfalls from previous bond sales—Bridgeview taxpayers are on the hook for $241.2 million in long-term debt that the village plans to pay off by 2045."

The stadium construction was for around $100 million in '06.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/arti...n-by-a-debt-ridden-stadium-seeks-a-fresh-deal

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Rover030

· #15 · May 11, 2018

slipperydog said:
Perhaps they could do a swap and award Bridgeview a USL team to lessen the buyout of the Fire lease. Might be complicated, but then again, what's not these days? Where there's a will, there's a way.

If I were the USL or the prospective owner of a team in Chicago, I would want nothing to do with this stadium. Especially if the local MLS team ends up with a great stadium inside the city. In that case the stadium would look like Chicago Fire - Montreal Impact (Wednesday, May 10 7:30PM) for almost every match.

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Chevy114

· #16 · May 11, 2018

God that's a pitiful crowd...

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GunnerJacket

· #17 · May 12, 2018

It's nothing that money couldn't solve. The Bridgeview community simply wants the site to be viable and their coffers satisfied. Find a way to redevelop the site and help repay the lease and I'm sure something can be arranged. IF the new stadium is a guarantee, that is.

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H.U.S.T.L.E.

· #18 · May 14, 2018

GunnerJacket said:
It's nothing that money couldn't solve. The Bridgeview community simply wants the site to be viable and their coffers satisfied. Find a way to redevelop the site and help repay the lease and I'm sure something can be arranged. IF the new stadium is a guarantee, that is.

^This.

If Ricketts really wanted to own an MLS team in Chicago, he could certainly make it happen. Given the money he's pumped into the Cubs & Wrigley Field, it's not like he's incapable. It's just a matter of how much money does he want to spend.

Perhaps he's waiting to see what the demand for a team in Chicago proper actually is - if he's averaging around 15,000 in USL for a few years, he can determine the demand and also wait around a few years to let some additional years on the Bridgeview lease run out so the payout may be lessened. Or, if the USL team draws really well it can put some pressure on Bridgeview & the Fire to figure out a solution with Ricketts.

He's definitely playing the long game here. Even if the stadium gets built and there's no MLS team, I could see USMNT & USWNT games/friendlies being played in this stadium over Toyota Park in Bridgeview.

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