Both teams finished fourth in their respective conference regular season standings. Both got hot late to win their conference tournaments. And because the tournament is now a field of 68 instead of 64, both now face a play-in game in the First Four.

If I had my way, they’d be part of a more inclusive tournament experience. And so would teams like the Towson Tigers.

For every team that gets hot at conference tourney time, there’s also a team like Towson who deserves a tourney bid.

Coach Pat Skerry’s group went from only winning four games a season ago to capturing the CAA regular season title in 2021-2022, only to be denied a shot at the Big Dance because of one bad day against Delaware in a CAA semifinal. 

The Tigers’ consolation prize is an NIT berth and a trip to face Wake Forest on Wednesday night.

But they and other regular season champs deserve more. And the squads like Corpus Christi and Wright State deserve to feel a part of the “full experience” that doesn’t come from a Tuesday or Wednesday night spent in Dayton.

There’s an obvious solution here. It’s one that purists have railed against for years, but whose time probably arrived when another Baltimore area school proved even No. 1 seeds can lose first-round games four years ago.

It’s time for the tournament to expand to 96 teams. But with two caveats:

• Every team who wins a conference regular season or tournament title gets in.
• To keep regular season conference champions from treating the conference tournament like a preseason event, every team that wins both gets seeded no worse than No. 8 and receives a first-round bye.

Most arguments against a field of 96 schools cite underperforming major conference squads rather than deserving mid-majors. 

And sure, it’s true some of those would make a 96-team field that would in the process bring an overdue end to the NIT.

Based on a look at the current NIT bracket, Oklahoma with a 7-11 Big XII record would be in easily. Same for Vanderbilt, which went 7-11 in the SEC. I get it. Theoretically, all but four current NIT squads would make the field — with four of Belmont, Missouri State, St. Bonaventure, Virginia, Santa Clara and Oregon to miss out if regular season conference champs received automatic bids.

That’s not so sexy. I get it. 

But throwing major conference teams a bone is the only way you’re really going to make progress on the mid-major front that adds magic to this time of year.

And that bone would be more than worth it considering the other benefits of an expanded field.

A 96-team field that includes battle-tested regular season conference champions would expand the part of the tournament that already works best, the days when there’s four games going on at once and you can whip around your remote to the game with the most drama.

You’d have 32 games on Thursday and Friday to whittle the field to 64, then 32 more on Saturday and Sunday to bring it down to 32. 

And it’s very likely those 64 games would have even more drama, upsets and chaos we love than currently occurs this upcoming weekend, for two reasons.

The first is that you’re adding teams to the middle of the field, not the bottom.

According to RPI rankings, Princeton is the worst team to make the NIT with its No. 100 ranking. That’s better than eight teams in the current 68-team NCAA bracket.

Secondly, the schools that currently receive 16 seeds would be playing far more winnable first-round games, and the teams that typically receive 1 seeds would be facing far more losable openers.

Despite UMBC’s 2018 heroics, the prospect of Wright State or Corpus Christi winning a play-in game and then knocking off Arizona or Kansas remains very unlikely.

But in a 96-team field, those schools would be seeded 24th in a region and draw the likes of a No. 9 seed like Creighton or Marquette, then face another similarly winnable game against a No. 8 seed.

The top seeds in each region would see their advantage diminish to where they’d open with the winner of a No. 16-No. 17 game, against a team that would be closer to the equivalent of a No. 14 seed in the current format.

And one last thing. The purist argument that the 96-team field wouldn’t be selective enough just doesn’t add up the way it did when the 64-team format was introduced in 1985.

There are nearly 360 Division I NCAA basketball teams now. In a two-bid-per-conference format, at least 40 of those each year would get automatic berths. The remaining 50 or so at-large bids would be given to only 16% of eligible remaining teams.

Even more broadly, taking 96 teams from 358 is a rate of fewer than 27% of teams. In terms of postseasons, that’s considerably more selective than any North American major pro sport.

And the talent base is wider than ever with the growth of the sport beyond U.S. borders. Not all elite foreign players come to play in college. But many do. It might be credible to say the top end of college basketball is not as elite as previous eras because of the one-and-done rule. Even so, the overall talent pool is stronger.

It’s time for change, and a 96-team tournament that allows more access for major conference and mid-major conference squads alike would be a good change. And if the NCAA can be progressive enough to see it, the Towson Tigers are just one of a dozen or so deserving mid-major squads who would benefit.

The post Towson Tigers, other mid-majors show why it’s time for 96 teams in the NCAA Tournament appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

The Baltimore Sun, in a column supposedly supporting the city’s bid, stated categorically that the actual odds of success were impossibly small.

Mayor Brandon Scott, in explaining his support, presented a scenario of impossibly large long-term economic benefits. 

And local opponents of the bid pushed back with the incredulous idea that the city has nothing to gain from welcoming the world’s largest and most visible sporting event, and everything to lose.

All of these are varying degrees of wrong.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

We truthfully don’t know Baltimore’s competitive chances against other American bids, and history suggests FIFA’s criteria differs from what the average person suspects.

And there’s enough evidence and research from past tournaments to refute the idea that hosting the World Cup will be some sort of economic golden ticket.

Even so, provided there are no new major infrastructure projects required outside of improving the region’s mass transit, the city is uniquely positioned to benefit from hosting matches in a way few others are.

Confused? That’s understandable. So let’s break down each point.

Baltimore’s Chances

Those of us in Charm City are accustomed to being overshadowed by the larger cities on the Northeast Corridor, and often possess a bit of an inferiority complex about it. 

That experience has perhaps clouded the narrative that the city is a definitive long shot.

After all, Boston, New York, Philadelphia and Washington are also bidding to host games, and we know how it goes when Baltimore has to go up against those towns.

Washington’s proximity in particular has many locals discouraged about Baltimore’s chances.

But just look through the recent history of the tournament, and you’ll see more reason to be optimistic than you might think.

Since the tournament expanded to 32 teams in 1998, there have been multiple occurrences of two municipalities as close as Baltimore and Washington each hosting matches, as well as two occasions when one municipality has hosted matches at multiple venues. So whether you view Baltimore and Washington as two separate metropolitan areas, or one combined one, there’s some precedent.

In 1998, it was the Parc des Princes in Paris proper and Stade de France in the suburbs. In 2002, it was several neighboring cities across South Korea and Japan. In 2006 the German cities of Dortmund and Gelsenkirchen — situated less than 25 miles apart — that each hosted matches. In 2010, Johannesburg opened two stadiums to games, as did Moscow in 2018.

Additionally, while people talk about the D.C. bid like it’s a guarantee because of its status as the nation’s capital, it’s not. Tokyo became the first national capital not to host matches in the 2002 tournament.

Objectively, Washington’s potential host venue of FedEx Field is considerably less appealing than M&T Bank Stadium, given its geography well outside of downtown and more than a mile from any rail transit.

You could even argue M&T Bank Stadium is as easily reachable from downtown D.C., given the MARC Camden Line’s terminus at Camden Yards.

Further, FIFA often considers the potential legacy of the World Cup in its host cities. Baltimore provides a unique opportunity there, since it is the only bid city without an MLS or USL club. (Although the city has been linked to potential USL expansion for years.)

The Real Financial Impact

During remarks at FIFA’s official site visit, Mayor Scott estimated that hosting in the neighborhood of five tournament matches could inject as much as $480 million into the local economy. 

This is almost certainly a massive overestimation, and shouldn’t be used to justify excessive spending on behalf of the host bid.

Yes, it’s true that the potential spending on stadium and infrastructure projects should be minimal in Baltimore and other American cities relative to what other host countries have taken on.

The amenities at contemporary NFL venues like M&T Bank Stadium are well in line with most FIFA standards, and there is easy mass transit access from BWI Airport and Penn Station.

But a 2014 report from UMBC economist Dennis Coates suggests that even with a head start on stadium and infrastructure, the event could still be a net negative economically rather than the enormous boon Mayor Scott suggests.

There are several reasons for this. For starters, much of the economic infusion counted in such positive economic projections derives from local consumers, not visitors. Additionally, the duties of hosting can also create additional work for local employees without additional compensation, resulting in a loss of worker income.

There are also lurking expenses, like paying police overtime and other security costs, and surge-level public transportation service.

And the net tourism gain is often less than expected, because the presence of World Cup matches drives down the number of tourists who visit a city for other attractions, and would likely send conventions and other city events that year to other locales.

It’s Still Worth The Trouble

However, even though there likely won’t be a dramatic long-term economic impact, a successful bid could still be a net positive for Baltimore, arguably moreso than for any of the other cities involved. 

The unrest immediately following the death of Freddie Gray in 2015, followed by an elevated homicide rate and nationally publicized police scandal in the years since have given Baltimore a steady stream of negative publicity.

That has coincided with a decrease in expected investments in the city.

Governor Larry Hogan nixed the Red Line transit project as too expansive. Under Armour scaled back plans for its new headquarters at Port Covington. Target fled its location at Mondawmin Mall after opening a second store in a whiter and more affluent part of town at Canton Crossing. 

There have even whispers in some corners that baseball’s Baltimore Orioles could flee to greener pastures, though those appear to be totally inaccurate and unsubstantiated. Still, they speak to the mood of the city in these last few years.

Winning a World Cup hosting bid wouldn’t directly change any of that. But it would provide a positive and defined moment to look forward to and plan for, and a starting point for changing the city narrative. 

And make no mistake, this would be an event that would truly be owned by ‘Baltimore City’ with the downtown stadium location and nearby restaurants and nightlife in Federal Hill, Harbor East and beyond. That in turn could help spur a cycle of reinvestment in a downtown between those neighborhoods that has struggled in recent years.

Stefan Szymanski and Simon Kuper, the authors of the 2009 book Soccernomics, write that hosting a World Cup can boost image and morale, but not much else.

But for Baltimore, a city with declining population but increasing wealth, image and morale may be acutely valuable. Certainly valuable enough that it would justify the relatively low tax-funded costs, likely to be in the tens of millions of dollars so long as no unexpected stadium construction is necessary.

Even while failing to provide a watershed economic moment or an eraser for the city’s social ills, it would still be worth the trouble.

The post The Truth About Baltimore’s World Cup Bid appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

After growing up in Edgewood, Md., and playing high school soccer at John Carroll and college ball at Loyola University of Maryland, Thornton went on to play in 317 MLS regular season and playoff matches over his 16-year career. 

Thornton won the 1998 MLS Cup, the 2003 Supporters’ Shield and three U.S. Open Cup titles as a member of the Chicago Fire. 

He was also the 1998 and 2009 MLS Goalkeeper of the Year, and also won comeback player of the year in 2009 while with Chivas USA.

After retiring following the 2011 season, Thornton has spent most of his post-playing days as a coach. He’s been D.C. United’s head goalkeeping coach since 2015.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Last month, Thornton joined Baltimore Sports and Life for an interview about his upbringing in the Baltimore area, his playing days and his transition to coaching. 

Here’s what he had to say.

(Editor’s Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.)

Baltimore Sports and Life: I know you were a multi-sport athlete growing up. Was there ever a sport that took more of your focus?

Zach Thornton: I played a lot of lacrosse. It was the first sport I played. There were a couple guys in the little court in the neighborhood who played sports together all the time. 

It was spring lacrosse and fall soccer, and that’s how it was all through high school and everything. And people were always asking me, how do you find time to do both? That’s all I wanted to do. You just played lacrosse in the spring and you just played soccer in the fall.

Actually, throw basketball in there. I actually played basketball in high school as well. It never seemed like too much for me. It was just what I enjoyed doing. It never was, like, overwhelming.

BSL: Obviously lacrosse is huge in this part of the world, and you ended up being a two-sport athlete at Loyola. Which sport got you more recruiting attention?

ZT: Just because Maryland is huge in lacrosse, I would say more coaches recruited me in lacrosse than soccer. In my mind I was going to play both. That was just — it was not an arrogant thing — it was just what I wanted to do. But I would say it was more attention for lacrosse.

BSL: So you finish at Loyola, where you were a third-team All-American in lacrosse. And there was pro indoor lacrosse at the time. And Major League Soccer hadn’t even started yet. So did people think you were sort of crazy for pursuing soccer?

ZT: Well for starters, I don’t think I had ever played indoor lacrosse. As much as I played lacrosse — and I didn’t play it as much as some of the guys cause I didn’t play it in the fall — I don’t think I had ever played box lacrosse. The Thunder were going to draft me and I told them not to do that. And by the time I was leaving lacrosse I had had a little touch of the U.S. men’s national (soccer) team.

I had an idea of international soccer, that hopefully I could go somewhere and play. I heard rumors of the MLS coming so we’ll see how this goes. Right after my senior year, we had residency in Chula Vista, Calif., for the Olympic team. So I was there for six, seven months. That’s when I started getting the idea for professional soccer. And there was no real lacrosse league. So my decision was made.

BSL: Let’s back up a second. How did you become a goalkeeper?

ZT: I was playing with an under-10 team and we’re all kind of taking turns. It was my turn to go in and I was good at it, and that was it.

And then before high school, I don’t know what had transpired but I had just kind of started playing right back, right midfield. I don’t know how I got away with it, because my club team coach introduced me to the John Carroll coach as a goalkeeper for sure, but I wasn’t going to make it as a Freshman. So on JV I tried out as a right back, made it as a right back. 

BSL: I’ve heard Brad Friedel and other famous American goalkeepers say being a multi-sport athlete really helped them develop their craft. Do you feel the same?

ZT: Totally. You see guys today and obviously those guys are totally skilled and talented. But just offensive moves, how to position your body, how to box out, just offensive spacing and offensive maneuvering, those kind of things you get from playing other sports, those definitely help. With lacrosse, you learned spacing and being able to handle contact going up for a rebound, all those kinds of things. Being a little bit of a bigger person, trying to guard a smaller guy, being able to move your feet and stay in front of a guy, all those things I think definitely helped.

BSL: And Bruce Arena, who was one of your coaches with the Olympic team, was also a multi-sport athlete.

ZT: Bruce was a goalkeeper and a lacrosse player, and he loves to tell me he was better than me at both.

BSL: But it was Bruce Arena and Bob Bradley — two of the most accomplished coaches in U.S. Soccer history — who helped forward your career, correct?

I’ve known Bruce and Bob forever. We played Bruce my junior year, that’s when Virginia had won four straight national championships. They had those stacked teams, and I had a really good game against him. They beat us 2-1. Bruce recommended me from the region if I’m not mistaken to get my first sniff of the Olympic team. 

BSL: You made your pro debut in 1996 after joining the MetroStars as a backup to Tony Meola. What do you remember about that first game?

ZT: Tony Meola hurt himself playing 5-v-2. I didn’t find out until I was at the stadium that I was playing. I get to the stadium and I see Tony on crutches.

BSL: Eventually Bob Bradley, who was once Arena’s assistant, takes you in the expansion draft with the Chicago Fire in 1998, and you break through to become the starter on what is still the only expansion team to win MLS Cup. Was this when you began to realize you could have a long career?

I would say even the ‘98 year when we won it and I had a really good year, I wouldn’t say until the next year I felt comfortable saying I’ll be able to do this for a while. In ‘98, I didn’t even start at the beginning because we had Jorge Campos on the team. I was kind of in and out, in and out. But down the stretch, I started down the stretch and in the playoffs and the final. So going to that next year I started to feel more comfortable.

BSL: So you go on to have a great career. Then you retire in 2011. Was coaching on your radar or did it just sort of come organically?

ZT: I hadn’t been home in the Baltimore area basically since I left to play pro. So I decided I just want to go home, be with my parents, be with my family a little bit, figure out what I want to do. And I think it was late December the year I retired, I was at a Ravens game. I saw a guy I played with in college. He said, ‘Why don’t you go sit down with Mark Mettrick, the Loyola coach. I’m sure they’d love to have you over there for as little or as much as you can do.’ So I called him. I said I just want to be around the game a little bit. I’m not sure what I want to do. And I really enjoyed it.

BSL: From there, you went on to be an associate head coach at Villanova before joining Ben Olsen’s staff with D.C. What was the biggest adjustment to working as a coach instead of a player?

ZT: One of the biggest lessons I learned from Villanova is selflessness. It is not about me anymore. It is about the players. You have to look at it through that lens. Everything is about and for the players. That was the first lesson I learned. It was nice to still be around the game, nice to still be around the players, nice to still be around the locker room. It was still, enough soccer that I felt comfortable and I had a decent knowledge and I enjoyed it. I still enjoy it to this day.

BSL: What kind of coach would you say you are?

ZT: As a college coach, I would definitely say I was more hard-nosed, more of a disciplinarian, because you a little bit have to be. In the pros it’s more of a peer type situation. I mean obviously you have to put your foot down when you need to put it down. But they’re all pros. We’re all trying for the same goal. No one is trying to get over anyone.

BSL: You’re still on the D.C. staff, even though the club parted with Ben Olsen, the manager who hired you, last season. What has that transition been like?

ZT: Ben and I are friends. We’ve known each other way before I got here to D.C. United. He’d asked me twice to work with him. You know the end game. Very few times do you ride off in the sunset. That’s very, very rare. But knowing it can happen, it is still a sudden event when it does happen.

Ben gave me my chance in the pro ranks, so I’ve always got love and loyalty to him. The toughest part during the transition was we didn’t know who the coach was. The decision wasn’t made I don’t think until this year, sometime in January I think. That was the hardest part, because when that decision happens they could bring in their own coaches. But other than that, (new manager) Hernan Losada has been great. He knows his system well and he teaches it well. 

BSL: Did you think about what you might do if Losada had decided to bring in his own goalkeeper coach?

ZT: I was still under contract, still had a year on my contract so I wasn’t super stressed, but I knew once I got in front of Hernan and started coaching — even though he is from Argentina and had played and coached in Belgium, soccer is a common knowledge. But if they decided to go another direction, that’s the business. Once I met him and first spoke to him, I felt confident things would work well. 

BSL: There was still so much uncertainty surrounding MLS and the future of American soccer when you played. Now in the 26th MLS season, can you believe you’re still making a living in soccer?

ZT: Considering me being in college and high school, and growing up the big thing was going to a Baltimore Blast game. That was the biggest thing to go to the Blast game. And if you were the youth team that got to play at halftime, that was like the hugest thing ever.

And then that league kind of fell off a little bit, and there was no real outdoor league, and even the first few years of MLS were uncertain.

To see where things are now, I mean … the league’s grown leaps and bounds and I’m sure you expect and want this to happen. But to actually be here is something special. 

BSL: If you could go back in time, what would you tell that kid who played lacrosse in the spring and soccer in the fall about his future?

ZT: I’ve had a great ride. I would tell a little Zach, always continue to enjoy it. Listen to what your mom told you. She would always bring it up in conversation, “Are you still having fun?” Even when I was like 30 years old. “Are you still enjoying it? Are you still having fun?” That’s the most important thing.

BSL: And it sounds like you still are?

ZT: Yes, I’m definitely enjoying it. It’s great. It has its days, but for the most part, I love it.

The post Talking Soccer With Zach Thorton appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Now, the club originally founded by a small group of friends has grown too big for just one league.

After taking the reins of the NPSL league side in 2018, in April it was announced the FC Baltimore Christos organization would also organize a USL League 2 side beginning in 2022.

The two leagues are widely considered the top level of amateur competition in the country, operating a late-spring to late-summer schedule that allows for participation from top college and occasionally high school-age players.

Like baseball’s Cape Cod League and others of similar vein, the NPSL and USL 2 are shop windows for pro scouts. And in the talent-rich Baltimore region, there wasn’t enough playing time available at Christos with only an NPSL club roster.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

“The player amount that is in the area, we just don’t have enough spots to offer certain kids,” says Christos head coach Larry Sancomb, who has been involved with the organization since its beginnings. “And we wanted to give them another opportunity to be seen. We wanted to showcase our talent in Baltimore because there’s not a professional team. And it really gives them an option to get seen by the MLS teams, to get seen by the USL teams, and we want to just give these kids as much opportunity as we can.”

The exposure can be critical, particularly for players who mature a little later in their careers or for other reasons get passed over by the truly elite youth academy programs.

While Major League Soccer has increased investment into its academies, the college game and college players who compete in the NPSL and USL 2 still consistently fill out MLS rosters and have substantive careers.

Christos already have their own NPSL success story with New England Revolution defender Jon Bell, who played four collegiate seasons at UMBC.

Following his time with the Retrievers and with Christos, Bell signed a contract to play with New England’s USL 1 side — effectively a reserve team in what is the third tier of US pro soccer — in 2020. Then he made the Revs’ senior squad coming out of this preseason.

(The USL operates the USL Championship, USL League One and USL League 2. The Championship and League 1 sit on the second- and third-tier of American pro soccer. League 2 and the NPSL represents the top tier of amateur soccer and fourth tier of the overall pyramid.)

Because of subtle rules differences between the USL 2 and the NPSL, FC Baltimore Christos plans to use its two teams in slightly different ways.

The USL 2 has age limits and is completely amateur, and therefore will be focused more exclusively on collegiate players. The team in the NPSL — which has looser eligibility rules — will skew older and include players who at one point played professionally.

“We want to give these younger guys an opportunity to get more time, because it’s hard to break our men’s team sometimes,” Sancomb said. “So this gives these guys avenues to break in. And when their career is done, or maybe they can’t make teams, they’re going to keep playing with us.”

That there’s competition for time is evidence of the excellence Christos have achieved in the amateur ranks. Outside their NPSL duties, the team are perennial winners of the Maryland Major Soccer League and have achieved several national amateur honors. 

Their brightest moment on the national stage came in 2017, when they made a Cinderella run to the fourth round of the U.S. Open Cup and took an early lead on D.C. United before ultimately succumbing to a 4-1 defeat.

This year, FC Christos began their NPSL campaign with a 5-0 win over Virginia Beach last weekend.

That a club with such pedigree will soon become affiliated with the USL while USL continues to explore launching a League Championship club in Baltimore is not lost on Sancomb.

He says it’s possible Christos could help catalyze conversations that help finalize League Championship expansion. And he’s happy for his organization to play any role in those discussions.

“They want to put one here.” Sancomb said. “We want to be that growing force. Even if we’re the connecting piece to that, we’re fine with that.”

The cachet the Christos name holds in the local soccer community could help forward conversations.

“I think the name is big,” he said. “The USL was very excited that we’re coming aboard because of what we’ve done and what we’ve showcased through the years. Our name represents Baltimore.”

He later added: “Baltimore is one of those places, you can come in here with a lot of money, but at the end of the day, if you’re not part of the culture, it’s very tough.”

With that name comes a trust that as FC Baltimore Christos continues to grow, it will still retain its community-oriented mission. 

That is something Samcomb is adamant about. While only a fraction of the organization’s NPSL or USL players will ever make their livelihoods playing the game, all of them will have a place at Christos forever.

“This is about a bunch of guys helping each other in their lives, not just soccer,” he said. “Because look, only 1% of these guys are ever going to play really high level. This is a family business, I call it. And we care about them.”

The post With addition of USL 2 program, FC Baltimore Christos just keeps growing appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

For fans getting worried by the silence since, Justin Papadakis has some familiar and frustrating, but probably fair advice. Wait just a little bit longer.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

In an interview, the USL’s chief operating officer and real estate officer re-emphasized that the organization — which is the largest overseer of second- and third-division pro soccer in the United States — still views Baltimore as a key market to its expansion plans.

Other markets — like Providence, Queens and Des Moines — have made more concrete advances toward joining the second tier USL League Championship in recent months. But Papadakis suggested new announcements regarding Baltimore could be coming soon.

“We know that Baltimore can be one of the top soccer markets in the United States, and we have spent several years making sure we understand the market and that we find the right real estate and then eventually the right ownership group,” Papadakis said.

“We remain extremely bullish on Baltimore, and I think over the coming months we’ll have some exciting updates there.”

From TV ratings to participation in supporters groups for European pro clubs and the U.S. national team, Baltimore has always posted impressive numbers. 

Securing its own pro outdoor team has always been more difficult, in part because of the challenge of finding a suitable facility. 

Both M&T Bank Stadium and Oriole Park at Camden Yards are far too big and expensive to operate to be financially viable. More appropriately sized facilities on the campuses of Towson, Loyola and Johns Hopkins Universities are without any nearby restaurants, bars or other amenities that draw out more casual fans.

The focus has shifted in recent years to finding a site to build a downtown stadium — with a price tag of $50-$80 million, Papadakis estimated — that would have a capacity around 10,000.

That moderate profile would ideally make the stadium more versatile to host other functions aside from soccer matches than are the homes of the Ravens and Orioles, and thus more worth the investment

At the same time, Papadakis pushed back at the idea that a Baltimore USL team would feel like a “minor league” outfit. Some skeptical of the potential for USL success in the city have pointed to its checkered history supporting minor league teams, such as the Baltimore Skipjacks of hockey’s AHL.

“There will be nothing minor league about a Baltimore USL League Championship franchise,” he said. “This will be a market with a first-class stadium, a first-class ownership and a team that will compete for championships every year. We wanted to make sure that we had those components in place.”

Papadakis confirmed that Port Covington in the southern part of the city remains a potential stadium location, despite Under Armour scaling back plans for its new corporate headquarters there in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Part of the cuts to Under Armour’s complex include reducing the capacity of an outdoor athletic facility from 5,000 to about 1,400. But that facility was always separate from any potential USL stadium, and the changes have “no impact at all,” Papadakis said.

“We have spent several years making sure we understand the market and that we find the right real estate and then eventually the right ownership group,” he said.

Although the League Championship operates beneath MLS in the nation’s pro soccer pyramid, some of its clubs have succeeded in major league markets.

They include three cities familiar to Baltimore Ravens fans. FC Cincinnati’s USL team was so popular MLS was convinced to grant the city an expansion franchise. The Pittsburgh Riverhounds are among the longest-running clubs in the USL. And the Indy Eleven were second in USL attendance in 2019 at more than 10,000 fans per game.

One thing that helps is that USL clubs retain independence and control of their roster and coaching staff, unlike minor league clubs in baseball or ice hockey. That’s in line with soccer tradition around the world, although unlike other countries there is no promotion and relegation between the USL and MLS.

“We’ve tried to change that binary dynamic in the landscape of sports,” Papadakis said. “We don’t position the USL as a minor league. Our games are on ESPN+ and ESPN2 right alongside the MLS. In our markets, we are the top level of soccer.

“Baltimore should expect a first-class team, and I think that when the USL Championship does launch in Baltimore, that is what they’ll get.”

In trying not to appear “minor league,” it’s hard to imagine a worse brand than the city’s most recent pro outdoor club, Crystal Palace Baltimore. As the very name suggested, it was a subsidiary to the English Premier League club Crystal Palace, which plays in South London.

With its parent club encountering financial difficulties, Crystal Palace Baltimore went on hiatus following the 2010 season with the intention of being reintroduced with a more Baltimore-centric identity.

Ultimately the effort fell apart, as have a couple since.

What’s different this time around? For starters, the USL’s operating procedure. The USL has altered its tactics to taking the lead on negotiations with municipalities on stadium and infrastructure deals, then bringing in potential ownership afterward. That maybe could get a deal over the line where others have faltered.

There’s also timing. The city and state may have greater impetus to make a stadium deal happen as it pushes to generate enthusiasm for its bid to host games in the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and economic activity in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.

And there is a growing proof of concept that USL teams can be successful with the right model. Papadakis said the organization eventually envisions a League Championship tier with 30-35 independent teams and a League One with 30-35 teams. 

In that wide landscape, clearly there must be room for Baltimore. So perhaps it is a matter of if rather than when, as Papadakis suggests. If so, it’ll be worth the wait.

The post Will Baltimore USL finally happen? COO suggests new announcement “in coming months.” appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

With Major League Soccer opening its 26th season over the weekend, D.C. telecasts returned to NBC Sports Washington, the network that also shows Washington Wizards and Washington Capitals games, after a five-year absence. 

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

The two-year deal with NBCSW — only finalized five days prior to D.C.’s 2-1, opening night victory over New York City FC — means locally televised games will be reliably available for Baltimore-area viewers again.

And it may be just in time, as new manager Hernan Losada installs a style that may make the Black-and-Red a more appealing watch than they’ve been in a long time.

To watch Saturday’s opener was — franky — a shock to the system.

It wasn’t merely that D.C. defeated New York City FC. 2-1 as sizable home underdogs. It was the aggression they unleashed, a frenetic, 90-Minutes-of-Hell approach to the game, to adapt a term that once applied to John Thompson’s preferred full-court press with Georgetown hoops.

Despite injuries to multiple starters — including U.S. national team winger Paul Arriola, first-choice striker Ola Kamara and captain Steve Birnbaum — United created 11 shots to nearly match a very talented City side, earned seven corner kicks and generally overwhelmed everyone in their path defensively.

None of this was necessarily a surprise. Losada came to D.C. with a reputation for a frenetic approach. Beerschodt, the team he departed in the Belgian top flight, finished its regular season having scored 58 goals and conceding 64. That’s an average of roughly 3.56 total goals per game, nearly a goal above the global average and tied for the highest average in Belgium.

Even so, to see that manifest with a club that often resorted to less than aesthetic play during the previous decade under Ben Olsen was enthralling. This isn’t a shot at Olsen, who had justifiable reasons for his tactics. And they worked for long stretches of his tenure, in which he was tasked with helping the Black-and-Red punch above their weight. But there was an undeniable energy around the pitch that hasn’t been felt consistently in a long, long time.

Don’t be mistaken though. The new D.C. is not a return to its early title winning sides. If that pass-and-move team played as though soccer were Classical symphony at the Meyerhoff, this one approaches the game as pulsating rave, the kind you might tucked down an alleyway off Howard Street at 3 a.m. There’s flashing lights, a pounding beat and bass you can barely think over, and a consistent sense that the whole party could unravel into chaos at any moment. After all, D.C. completed only 58% of their passes Saturday. At the end of the night, you’re sweaty and exhausted and just hoping the coach check didn’t lose your jacket. But you’re thoroughly glad you stayed out late.

Aside from that new-age playing style, there’s also the broadcast itself.

Dave Johnson still mans the play-by-play mic, as he has since the team played its first match in 1996. Of all the major pro sports teams in the Baltimore-Washington region, only the Capitals have enjoyed a longer relationship with their lead voice.

Even including color analysts, Johnson is as much a D.C. United institution as Jim Palmer is for Orioles broadcasts. For area soccer fans, he may be even more important, having given the sport serious treatment before anyone else, beginning with his “Soccer 94” talk show on Home Team Sports prior to MLS launching.

And D.C. will only have one game on national television in 2021. So even if you missed the opener, you have 32 more chances to hear Johnson’s trademark “It’s in the net! It’s in the net” call on a Black-and-Red goal.

Lastly, United games are back on local TV when viewers who don’t stream are suddenly finding themselves with fewer options.

Only a couple years ago you could follow the UEFA Champions League on Turner stations. Now you need Paramount Plus. The NBC Sports Network — host of most American Premier League coverage — is also going off the air soon. Some matches will be transferred to network NBC or USA Network, but more will find their way to Peacock, the NBC’s streaming service.

D.C. United may not be a true hometown team, and Baltimore should still push hard for a USL club of its own. And there’s nothing inherently wrong with streaming platforms when many folks — especially younger folks — are cutting the cord. 

But in a soccer-literate place like Charm City, any move that makes the beautiful game more accessible should be applauded. And as intriguing and different as this D.C. team might be, the least Baltimore can do to show its appreciation is tune in.

The post D.C. United is back on TV in Baltimore, and they’re worth watching appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

I was thrilled when MLS axed shootouts and overtime in the regular season, and pleased at each step it has taken to grant clubs more autonomy in signing academy players and selling them on to foreign clubs. And I still believe it’s possible for the league to adopt a schedule more in line with the major divisions in Europe, albeit with a winter break from late December to early February.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

On one issue, though, I’m decidedly on the new wave side of the argument. I’m opposed to introducing any promotion and relegation. The reason is simple: My love of the Baltimore Orioles.

While soccer is the sport I care about most personally and professionally, Orioles baseball is my first and longest love. And were it to play out in a European soccer league structure, to paraphrase Phil Connors in Groundhog Day, they would have relegated themselves so many times by now, they wouldn’t even exist anymore.

My first live sporting event came amid one such miserable season, when a couple months after losing their first 21 games, four-year-old me watched the Orioles split a single-admission doubleheader with the Chicago White Sox (I fell asleep in Game 2.)

As I grew older and found love in other forms, I yearned for years that my Orioles just once could catapult themselves back to relevance during that now infamous 14-year streak of losing seasons, especially while my college girlfriend watched her Red Sox finally wipe away some 86-year-old curse. 

And while I will always fondly remember the best days of the Buck Showalter-Dan Duquette era — particularly the 2012 season that game from nowhere — some of my most profound joys of fandom have come while rooting for a hopeless loser.

My favorite single Camden Yards experience remains another single-admission doubleheader in October of 2010, when a friend and I cut work to get to Game 1, then left late in Game 1 with the Orioles up by a lot to get some cheaper beers 781 feet from home plate, then bought two more tickets to re-enter and watch the Birds complete a sweep of the Detroit Tigers. In the process, the Orioles secured their 65th victory, ensuring at least a one-game improvement on 2009. And we met some very good natured Tigers fans.

Now, to compare Major League Baseball to the American soccer pyramid — or any soccer nation’s league pyramid — is imperfect. In pro baseball, Major League clubs supply the players and coaches for the top four levels of domestic play beneath them. The same is true to a lesser extent of pro teams in Japan and South Korea, which are arguably the next two-highest profile pro leagues on the planet. By contrast, all across the soccer world, lower division clubs operate independently, though sometimes with bigger clubs operating “reserve sides” within them.

So it’s pure fantasy to imagine a scenario where the O’s would be competing for a Double-A division title against Wilmington and Binghamton. But rooting for a losing team for so much of your lifetime puts into perspective the question of what you want out of pro sports. And for me, it’s glaringly obvious that I don’t want them to exist in a kill or be killed quest for survival, no matter how much I loathe the Yankees, Red Sox or Jose Bautista. 

Pro/rel supporters might argue the threat of relegation might have jolted Orioles owner Peter Angelos into better stewardship of the ballclub over those 14 losing seasons. Which is a claim decidedly without evidence at best, and plain false at worst.

Europe is littered with stories of poor ownership running once-proud clubs into the ground, with relegation prolonging recovery or even making it impossible. Consider Leeds United, which has won the English League three times and the FA Cup once, and yet spent 17 consecutive years out of the top level of the English game after financial mismanagement drove it to relegation in 2003.

Yes, Marcelo Bielsa guiding Leeds back to the Premier League was one of the best sports stories of 2020. But was it worth 17 years without one of the country’s largest and most passionate fan bases?

Then there’s the other end of the table. In Spain, supposedly one of the best leagues in the world, only three teams — from just two cities — have won the top domestic honor over the last 16 years. In Germany, where many top American players have made their names in Europe, Bayern Munich has won eight consecutive domestic titles and 16 of the last 22. And the Scottish Premier League is teetering on irrelevancy just because of how much it has been dominated by the big two clubs of Rangers and Celtic, who have won every league title since 1985!

What does winning league titles have to do with avoiding relegation? Everything. When teams with lesser financial resources try to do the latter, they avoid the kind of dramatic restructuring that would be necessary to do the former.

To bring the point home, it makes the kind of rebuild the Orioles are currently undertaking impossible. There’s no time to nurse along the Ryan Mountcastles and Dean Kremers when finishing last this year might mean losing the majority of your TV revenue this season.

In fact, the Orioles’ infamous 14-year slide may even have been prolonged by the kind of roster construction that becomes commonplace for smaller teams trying to avoid relegation. You try to paper over the most immediate problems first, without fixing the more complex ones. And the result you get, finishing just off the bottom of the division, is actually viewed as success.

The Orioles lost from 1998 to 2007, but never finished last in that time. It was only after Andy MacPhail took the GM reins that the club admitted it was rebuilding and bottomed out, in the process making some of the deals that berthed the Showalter-Duquette era successes.

Supporters of promotion and relegation will say it supports the little guy. They couldn’t be more wrong. It actually supports the biggest guys by pitting everyone else against each other. Why do I want Major League Soccer to be one more reminder of a rigid class system, or a league where Seattle, Toronto, Atlanta and LAFC are the only teams winning trophies? Why do I want it to remind me of the rest of my life, of our lives, where for most of us maintaining our standard of living feels tougher by the day, while the wealthy get wealthier?

I’d rather have some fan, somewhere out there, have the opportunity to fall in love with Major League Soccer’s version of the Baltimore Orioles.

The post I’m against pro/rel in Major League Soccer. You can thank the Baltimore Orioles appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

DeShields played three seasons at Wake, including a 2019 campaign that saw the Demon Deacons reach the NCAA semifinals, before a neck injury forced him to miss his senior fall in 2020. Despite that, D.C. United selected the center back with the fifth overall pick of the 2021 Major League Soccer SuperDraft, and signed him to a contract before preseason workouts kicked off on Marcy 1.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

DeShields joined Baltimore Sports and Life last week to discuss his transition to the pros, appreciation for his college career, and more. Below are his remarks, edited for length and clarity.

Baltimore Sports and Life: You were obviously excited to be selected as high as you were — and by a nearby club — back in January. What has the rest of the winter been like?

Michael DeShields: The last month has really just been trying to meet all the guys, and trying to acquaint myself with them, and just try to bring the positive energy that I like to, and just be a part of the team. 

BSL: And how are the nerves now that you’re into the first few days of training?

MDS: Nerves are definitely high. From the level I was at, to the level where I am now, it’s a huge jump, and I think every rookie is feeling it a little bit right now. Some are probably handling it better than others. But the nerves were high, and they haven’t really disappeared completely yet. They’re slowly going away, obviously with more touches, more just developing my confidence. I think that’s the big thing, being in this new environment, I just have to get used to it and continue to grow my confidence. 

BSL: After reaching the Final Four in 2019, I know 2020 at Wake didn’t go the way you wanted. What is it like reflecting back on it now?

MDS: That was a wild year. I can’t explain it better than that. It was just a lot of things going on at the same time. With covid happening, I had still made the decision I still wanted to come back and play at Wake, because that was my final year, that was my captain year actually as well. I wanted to lead the team as the declared captain.

I was very hungry, very very hungry to go back and make the most of that captain year. But things happened. The injury happened. Covid happened. And a lot of things didn’t go the same way. But our team did very well and we made a good run until, again, Covid happened. 

BSL: You signed with New England Revolution II of USL League One (the third level of U.S. pro soccer) late in 2020 before you were drafted by D.C. Can you explain what went into that decision?

MDS: The way it happened, and the way Covid happened, I hadn’t played since 2019. It was just a very up in the air situation, and I didn’t know what would be there for me. So when you get a guarantee, you kind of want to take it. And that’s kind of what my mentality was in that decision.

I didn’t know what to expect going into the draft. But it was a dream come true.

BSL: There’s a lot of debate about the value of a college career for players who aspire to play professionally, as compared to turning pro straight from a youth academy. Why was college the right choice for you?

MDS: I think anyone going to college is going to learn a lot about themselves and learn a lot about different people who are not from where they’re from. I think it kind of diversifies your mentality by meeting a bunch of people that you wouldn’t have met before. And I think going to college made me grow as a person. I wouldn’t take back the opportunity of going to Wake Forest and I really appreciate everything that they’ve done for me, and how much I learned as well. It made me a complete person, I think.

Obviously I’m still learning, and there’s still many years that I hope to continue to do so. But Wake Forest is a great place, and I think anyone going to college is not making the wrong decision. 

BSL: Do you have concrete goals for your first year as a pro, or are you looking to take it one day at a time?

MDS: I take it day by day. I think my goal would be to help the team win as much as I possibly can, whatever role that may be. There’s obviously team goals. There’s personal goals. But I think the team-first mentality is the way to go, and I think that helping this team win, and helping in any way I can, whether it be on the bench, whether it be hopefully on the field, it doesn’t matter. Winning is the goal, that’s our team and that’s what we want. 

BSL: In Steve Birnbaum and Donovan Pines, you have two teammates who are also center backs who played college soccer. That must help a lot in your adjustment to the pro game, right?

MDS: It really does, and I’ve been talking to them a lot. Watching them at practice, it’s a great thing to see because, especially Donovan being the same age as me basically, he’s like an idol figure and he doesn’t even know. And I’m just learning a lot and just watching and observing, and just trying to take down notes in my head to incorporate in my game as well. 

BSL: What words do you have for the Baltimore community following your career and rooting for you in your rookie season?

MDS: I guess I would say keep fighting to the young people that are out there. I love seeing the young people fighting to get their spots on the team, because that’s what we all have to do and we’ve all been through. Keep balling, keep fighting, keep doing what you do and keep working hard. I wasn’t on the simplest path. I went to a good school. I was on a good team. But I wasn’t playing the entire time. It’s a fight, and hopefully I’m going to continue to fight with this team as well.

The post D.C. United rookie, former McDonogh star Michael DeShields dishes on early days in the pros appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

First, The Athletic reported in December of 2019 that Port Covington developer Marc Weller had expressed interest in launching a USL club as part of the multi-faceted project in South Baltimore. Then in April of 2020, USL president Jake Edwards mentioned Baltimore by name in public remarks about the league’s future expansion plans.

And then … nothing.

While there has been tangible progress in other expansion markets — from stadium announcements in Iowa and Rhode Island to the awarding of a new team in California — Baltimore remains merely a “potential” expansion destination. And if potential doesn’t become reality soon, there’s a danger Charm City could miss out on an enormous opportunity.

Major League Soccer is already on track to have 30 teams playing by 2023, and the USL Championship could be at 33 clubs by then. At some point, there’s just no realistic room to keep expanding. Whether it’s Weller and his group or another prospective owner, someone in Baltimore needs to make this happen, and now. Because it would be almost a guaranteed success in this city. 

Don’t believe that? Here’s five reasons why the USL and Baltimore are a perfect fit.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

A Young City

Although Baltimore has faced continuing post-industrial population decline, its younger population has held steady in overall numbers, and increased as a portion of its total population. Census estimates show the age 25-34 demographic made up 18.9% of the city’s population in 2019, up slightly from 18.2% in 2015. The age age 35-44 made up 12.4% of the city population, up slightly from 12.1% in 2015.

Yet the city is served by two sports franchises that naturally skew toward the oldest fans. A 2017 Sports Business Journal analysis found the average age of Major League Baseball TV viewers was 57, and the average National Football League viewer was 50. By contrast, the average Major League Soccer viewer was 40 years old. Yes, there’s a difference between TV viewers and ticket buyers, and between the USL and MLS, but you get the idea.

Baltimore’s reputation as an old-fashioned, working-class city glosses over the fact there is a large and diverse young population whose sports interests are underserved. A well-run USL club could take advantage of that. 

The World Cup is Coming

The coming 2026 FIFA World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico, almost guarantees interest across all levels of soccer are going to increase in the next half-decade. Baltimore is even among the 17 American cities in the running to play host to games, with a final decision expected by FIFA this fall. 

The benefits of launching a USL club in that climate should be clear, but in case they need restating, there are two main ones:

1. The promised launch of a club could be viewed favorably by FIFA, which considers the potential legacy of hosting matches when it decides what cities will earn that right. And if that results in the city winning that right this fall, it is almost certain to result in increased investment in the city as a whole and the sport in months and years to come.
2. There will never be a better time to grow and retain fanbase than in the leadup to a World Cup on home soil.

A Port Covington Catalyst

The Athletic has already linked Port Covington lead developer Marc Weller to potential USL ownership. Originally, the plan appeared to be for construction of a right-sized stadium (roughly 5,000 to 10,000 seats) for the club as part of the project, with an aim toward opening play as soon as 2022.

The covid-19 pandemic and questions about financing had delayed progress on the project, but the latter problem was resolved in January, clearing the way for the second phase of construction. It’s still an open question what the finished project will look like, and what amenities could draw additional business to any restaurants and bars that open in that part of town during non-work hours.

A USL-sized stadium would provide an excellent anchor for the project. In addition to hosting at least 17 home games a year for the soccer club, the facility would be the perfect size for high school city and state championship games, big-time college and professional lacrosse, potentially college soccer and other events that would draw mid-size crowds, but not come close to filling Camden Yards or M&T Bank stadium.

An Under Armour Canvass

Under Armour uses its relationship as the outfitter of University of Maryland sports teams as a shop window for its products, and it could do the same with a USL team in the city that played on the Port Covington campus. 

Whether Baltimore earns the right to host 2026 World Cup games, it is a no-brainer for the apparel company to expand its soccer operations in the next five years. And a partnership with a USL club in its own backyard could be the perfect proving ground for everything from uniforms to training equipment.

Support for the Game

Despite the inconsistent presence of pro outdoor soccer in Charm City, Baltimore has consistently shown strong support for the World’s game in marketing terms. The city was a top 10 TV viewership market overall during the 2014 FIFA World Cup and 2015 FIFA Women’s World Cup. More recently, it ranked fifth in viewership among U.S. markets for the recently concluded 2019-2020 English Premier League season.

In terms of local events, the Baltimore Blast remains one of the most loyally-supported and stable indoor pro soccer teams in the country. And M&T Bank Stadium drew more than 100,000 combined fans the last two times it hosted Concacaf Gold Cup matches in 2013 and 2015. The 2013 quarterfinal doubleheader sold out the stadium. But the crowd of 37,000 for 2015 may have been even more impressive since the U.S. was playing a very low-profile opponent in Cuba, and the other game featuring Jamaica and Haiti also had little public cachet.

There is more than enough local interest for a USL team to put 10,000 people in the stands on Saturday nights with the right signings and marketing. And in USL terms, that would be a major success.

The post For The USL In Baltimore, The Time Is Now. Here’s 5 Reasons Why: appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.

Baltimore is among 17 U.S. cities vying to host matches , with 10 to be selected to join three cities each and Canada and Mexico that will host the quadrennial event. FIFA is now aiming to have all host cities selected by the end of 2021, provided the covid-19 pandemic allows for site visits to every city during the second half of the year.

On Wednesday, Maryland Sports Commission Executive Director Terry Hasseltine joined Baltimore Sports and Life to discuss the current state of Baltimore’s bid, the potential civic impact of hosting World Cup matches, and how Baltimoreans can get involved. His remarks are below:

Editor’s note: this interview has been edited for length and clarity.

(You can discuss this on the BSL Board here.)

Baltimore Sports and Life: So obviously we just saw the news of the updated timeline for the selection of host cities. Where would you say Baltimore’s bid sits right now?

Terry Haseltine: There’s going to be a series of exercises between now and the third quarter of this year with a site visit happening in the third quarter right now, with decision day in late 2021. So at least we know where the goal line is right now on our pursuit to make sure matches are held at M&T Bank Stadium in 2026. But regardless of that, we’re excited about a lot of the programs and initiatives that we are going on that are going on in concert with this effort.

Yesterday we announced an international football development initiative. Our first country is Benin in Africa. We’re going to lay out a lot more in regards to that particular partnership in the next 30 days, but it was nice to have the minister of sport and the president of Benin really excited about joining Baltimore’s effort to secure the World Cup. And programs like that are fundamental to the growth of the game, fundamental to making sure our bid is about presenting Baltimore and Maryland not just on a domestic stage but on a global stage, so when people have to make a decision, they see that we’re front and center, and doing good things.

BSL: Among the 17 United states cities that are bidding, Baltimore is the only one without a Major League Soccer team in-market. Do you view that as a benefit or a drawback to the bid?

I think it helps to a certain degree, and I think the reason why it helps is we’re far more pliable to FIFA and US Soccer because we don’t have, quote unquote, anchor tenants in our market. They have a better mechanism to really influence the game of soccer in our market, whereas there’s some of those markets where those programs are already established. Where can the growth really occur? How would you measure the substantial growth?

(For Baltimore), you talk about spurring growth on the commerce side. You talk about spurring growth on the grassroots side (of the game), you talk about the potential impact of a pro team landing in the market around the time of the World Cup or just shortly thereafter. You have these measuring sticks that can show how the impact of the game really changed the local environment. But don’t get me wrong, every city is a good contender.

BSL: Of course, it’s not as though the city lacks in soccer tradition. I just wrote about how the Blast have a legacy as long as nearly any pro soccer team in the country, and there’s elite youth development clubs in the region. It’s just not visible in the outdoor pro game. Could this help change that?

TH: You hit the nail on the head. Between (youth clubs) SAC and Pipeline and the Blast and their connection to the Bays, from a youth and collegiate perspective, we have some of the best soccer in the country happening in our backyard, some of the best tournament operators happening in our backyard. We just don’t have that, I call it the cherry on top of the Sundae that some others have.

Right now, I think we have a great foundation. And to us, getting World Cup match play in Baltimore I think could be a caveat to some of the legacy things that are happening in. The growth of Port Covington. Westport. Talking about some of the hamlets across the city. And talking about Harbor East and those areas. The World Cup ratchets things there up a notch or two, and the next thing you know, oila, there’s a (professional) club here.

BSL: There has already been speculation that a USL Championship soccer team could launch here in the near future, a few years before the World Cup. Would that help the bid?

TH: Obviously there are things underlying that you just don’t know if they’re playing a factor or they’re not. But right now, everything that we’re doing, from the conversations that we’ve been having, (is important). From prepping M&T to be soccer specific in 2026, to our (work on) human rights and human trafficking and sustainability (both FIFA priorities), and the fact that some of our laws and regulations and rules around those topics are some of the best in the country.

We’re trying to impact and work with Parks and Recs as it pertains to potential legacy field development or other structural development resulting from the bid. We’re collaborating with Maryland State Youth Soccer, and SAC and Pipeline. And then creating an international footprint with our international development initiative. We’re working with football for peace, aiming to host a charity match potentiallly in 2021 and if not in 2022. And so we’re looking at all of these things as key principal opportunities, whether we host a match in the city of Baltimore or not, that we are creating fundamental initiatives and programs that makes us a better place.

The biggest bucket list thing I’ve ever wanted to be a part of is the World Cup. However the legacy of the footprint of pursuing it could be just as big or bigger than of hosting the games themselves.

BSL: You mention the site visit, which was originally scheduled for 2020 before the onset of the pandemic. Given that Baltimore’s strengths can be a bit of a secret if you don’t live here, how important is that visit?

TH: Our primary focus has been on making sure we create a logistical footprint for the site visit that is second to none. We want them to come to Baltimore leaving wanting more of Baltimore. 

The challenging part for the site visit, it’s not multiple days. They’re coming in and out in 12 hours. We have so much to cover and we have so many places that we’ve got to get them to. They’re coming with an army of people. Last we knew it was going to be a pretty significant delegation on the FIFA side as well as the US Soccer side. So they can come, go out see our venues, go out and see our hospitality infrastructure, see our projected training sites and the like. And then we’re also going to have some workshops based on human rights and human trafficking and sustainability. We do have plans of taking the sustainability group out with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, to show them some of the initiatives going on in the harbor. But they want to do stuff in a workshop, so we’ll honor that.

Technology along with us getting people to and from and around in the community is going to be critical. And then making sure that the right people are where they need to be, when they need to be, realizing that this is our red carpet moment, and we’ve got to roll it out. And if it needs to be a 100-yard red carpet, we’ll make it 100. If it needs to be 10 yards, we’ll make it 10 yards. 

BSL: How should average citizens get involved?

TH: The biggest thing right now is getting on their social media and supporting everything that gets pushed out from our social media platforms (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram), and on BaltimoreMD2026.us, and if they have a few extra dollars, there’s ways to contribute, if they want to throw $5, $10 at the effort just to be a part of it. They can also put testimonials on our site.

We need people to really, really speak out on their excitement about this. … If you want to see the World Cup land in Baltimore, you’ve got to get on there and say it. And if you want to join a committee, send us an email through Baltimore MD2026.us and we’ll get you connected in the right group. This is an entire village, group effort. And we need everyone’s knowledge and expertise to move this thing forward.

BSL: What gives you hope about the bid?

TH: Our logistics are second to none. FIFA loves our footprint. When you look at the inner harbor. When you look at Middle Branch, you look at those various pockets throughout the city that you could set up a fanfest. We’re looking at a fanfest that is not just one location in the Inner Harbor. How do you use Middle Branch? How do you use Hampden? How do you use the Mt. Washington Areas?

BSL And Baltimore is a good festival and event town …

TH: We see when people showed up for the Star Spangled Spectacular and the celebration there of the War of 1812. And then you see, when we do things of that nature, Light City and the like, people show up. But we’ll also have the infusion of international visitors that will just change the culture. This is a chance to change a narrative, to increase a conversation and to really push the city of Baltimore forward and be forward thinking and looking 50 years from now, what the impact of this could be long-term.

BSL: How do you think M&T Bank Stadium stacks up against others in contention as a venue?

TH: From the capacity side, we’re at the upper crust of capacity. I think our amenities when it comes to our club level, our seating capacity, our digital and other assets, I think we measure up extremely well. We’re obviously not So-Fi Stadium (in Los Angeles) or Mercedes-Benz Stadium (in Atlanta), which were just built in the last couple years and cost a gazillion-billion dollars to build. However, look at the stadium and our surrounding assets. We’ve got the airport in close proximity. The fact that the light rail drops you off right at the stadium, the fact that the fanfest area, the primary one that we’re looking at, is within walking distance of the main venue, the fact that we’re an open book in terms of what could be FIFA’s legacy on our city. But from a stadium perspective, we have all the amenities and we have all the things that FIFA is asking for.

The post Baltimore’s World Cup Bid appeared first on Baltimore Sports and Life.