"Close!"
That was the initial one-word response to a question posed
to United Soccer League's President Tim Holt when asked how close the Phoenix area came to
losing its USL PRO soccer franchise after just one year in the Valley.
Holt took time to speak to the media while visiting Peoria Sports Complex prior to Arizona United SC's game against LA Galaxy II on Friday, April 25.
"It certainly was a possibility that we had to
consider," Holt said. "We made the decision that we weren't going to
continue forward the way things were going [under former Phoenix FC
management]."
The league had grown weary of the floundering Phoenix FC
franchise that left a wake of questions in its path following an inaugural
season that spiraled downward and experienced losses in attendance, players,
vendors and venues as the season progressed.
Despite a reorganization and stadium announcement that gave
supporters a glimmer of hope for the 2014 season, Phoenix FC still struggled
under essentially the same leadership.
"We were in a very precarious part of the cycle.
Schedules were released and teams were planning," Holt said.
In late February, USL PRO leaders came to Phoenix in one
last attempt to find an ownership team to manage a soccer franchise in the
market before pulling the plug.
 |
| Kyle Eng |
In stepped Peoria businessman Kyle Eng. As chance would have it, Eng was departing
Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport as USL PRO officials were arriving. Both parties met
at a restaurant in Terminal 4. The foundation of a relationship was formed and
Arizona United Soccer Club was born.
Holt and others in the USL PRO community couldn't be
happier.
"What [Kyle] and his group have done in five or six
weeks is the type of stuff that takes five or six months to do," Holt
said. "So, we're sure this is going to be a very productive, positive
year. He's laying the foundation for the future.
"And we're really, really excited to see what he can do
with a whole off-season of preparation both on and off the field. This is going
to be one of the stronger franchises in our league for years to come."
Any concerns of other franchises about the viability of
Arizona United SC were quickly put to rest.
"They're thrilled with what's happened here," Holt
said. "People can already see that
there has been a noticeable change. Some things that have changed are very
obvious, like the brand; but, also just in the manner of operation, the manner
of the sophistication of the staff and the type of professionals they're
dealing with."
Communication has also been an important aspect of Arizona
United's management approach. Holt has observed the team's communication with
stakeholders and considers it very inclusive of fans, media and other teams in
the league.
Holt added, "We're very fortunate that Kyle's acquired
this team when he's acquired it and we're grateful that he's taken the responsibility
of leading it forward."
While the rapid ramp-up of Arizona United is proving
successful, Holt does not particularly view it as a business model for future
USL PRO franchises.
"Different groups bring different skill sets to the
table," Holt said, citing the example of next season's Tulsa expansion
team - the Roughnecks. "Their
experience and skill set is operating professional sports teams very
successfully. They've won all the awards in minor league baseball for doing that.
But there's no soccer management expertise.
"We've relied too much on asking [potential owners]
'What's your soccer background?' rather than 'What's your ability to operate
a successful professional sports team?'"
The one constant the Holt says has remained from
year-to-year for the valley's USL PRO franchise is the supporter organization -
La Furia Roja.
"One of the assets here was LFR and the passion they
had. They've remained loyal and consistent all the way through," said
Holt.
Holt added that LFR and other support groups around the league
are important for growing the fan base.
"I think soccer has learned well that you can take the
most passionate fans who like to scream and yell," Holt said. "They
can have a great time and in the same venue they create the soundtrack for
people that like to sit back and watch a soccer game a little bit more
passively.
"So, I think everybody's learning from everybody, but
the ingredients here, especially on the fans side."
Holt also spent time addressing expansion in USL PRO, which
just a few years ago had only one team - LA Blues - in the west. Now, the league has teams in California,
Arizona and Oklahoma and more teams on the way. In addition to Tulsa, another
team west of the Mississippi River will be announced in early May with another
announcement possible later in the season.
These new team announcements along with MLS alignments will
change the structure of the league.
"I can almost guarantee next year we'll have a
conference based system," Holt said. "We've already talked about it
at the board of governors level. The
question really, based on growth and expansion in the league, is if it is a two
conference system - West and East? Or, is it three - West, Central and East?
The latter conference model is the model Holt feels is best
for owners, fans, players and for lower division professional soccer in this
country in general.
Regionalization, Holt feels, is key to growing sport. The
proximity of OKC Energy and Tulsa during the 2015 season will create a Turnpike
Derby and create greater interest in soccer in the area.
When asked if FC Tucson is in a market on the USL PRO radar
Holt's response was "Absolutely they are."
"We'd think they'd be a great USL PRO rival for Arizona
United," Holt added "We have a ton of respect for the folks that are
behind that team - Greg Foster and Chris Keeney. They are guys who 'get it' in
terms of what it takes to run [a team]. They have aspirations of moving to the
professional level. It's a matter of is the timing right?"
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