GDAWG

It was TMZ that said Salem for Oregon, Lake Charles for Louisiana, Bakersfield for California and Everett for Washington. It might not end up being any of those three cities.

One of the Sharks Owners, Rob Storm probably didn't want to leave and he's reportedly highly influential in the NAL.

The Orlando Predators and West Texas Warbirds have left the NAL for the AFL.

It was San Antonio, but the AFL official Twitter says St. Louis.

Likely only happens if Memphis and Birmingham get to be by themselves.

TMZ says California is Bakersfield, Louisiana is Lake Charles, Colorado is Denver, Ohio is Cincinnati, Washington is Everett, Minnesota is St. Paul, Tennessee is Nashville and Oregon is Salem. West Texas could be the West Texas Warbirds, currently of the NAL.

They already have invaded US Sports, just not the Big 5......unless one doesn't count Golf as a sport, although that is under investigation from Congress. When that happened, the sports pundits said it was only a matter of time before they invaded the Big 5. I can't see them going to the NFL, NHL or MLS or MLB. Washington Wizards/Capitals Owner Ted Leonsis did get backlash for selling 5% of his company to Qatari Investment Authority and New York City FC is majority owned by a company owned by a member of the royal family of the United Arab Emirates, which also has its own problems. So it's not just the Saudis. It could be UAE or Qatar.

Trying to get the thread back on topic.

Only way the USL has any chance of competing against MLS directly is via cash. I don't know why they and their fans think they can compete now, because they don't have the markets or the cash. In order to be a legit competitor, one league has to be able to compete for talent. They don't seem to be just content competing against MLS Next Pro or allowing the USL Super League to compete against NWSL (which is also a bit ambitious, but a bit more realistic than having USL Championship competing directly against MLS). The USL Championship is Division II, and the more they and their fans (not all of them but a lot of them) realize it, the more they won't have these delusions of grandeur about directly competing against the MLS. It's going to take someone with billions to spend who wants to own a soccer league without the hassles of MLS, whether it be the Saudi's, Elon Musk or Jeff Bezos for the USL to have a chance. I saw the article about the attempts at the USL wanting a pyramid system and how one unnamed USL owner wants to make USL Championship a Division 1 sanctioned league after that. The question is how? How do they think they have the finances to compete against MLS? If Neymar decided "I want to play in the United States!" he's not going to look at the USL. He's going to look at both LA teams, both New York teams and Inter Miami. Same for M'Bappe if he does the same. I keep mentioning the Saudi's because of them wanting to invade US sports. Musk is too busy feuding with Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos isn't likely to be a soccer fan and if he is, it's the European kind.

I sense that this will be the last year of the hubs for the USFL. If they go as I predict and add a 5th hub (I predicted New Orleans with the Breakers and Gamblers), that leaves two teams by themselves, which is a good thing for the USFL and a sign of progress in getting teams into their regular markets.

Same league as Ozarks Lunkers and Waterloo Woo:

USFL President Darryl Johnston has said that while the hub system will remain in 2024, not all teams will be in the same hubs as they were this season. That hints to me that there will be at least one more hub, with New Orleans more likely than Philly or New Jersey. My prediction is also that the Generals and Stars stay where they are, with Memphis and Birmingham finally getting those stadiums all on their own. I believe the Detroit and Canton hubs remain the same.

I am predicting a New Orleans hub for 2023, at Tulane University for the Breakers and Gamblers, leaving Memphis and Birmingham all by themselves at their respective stadiums, which would be a significant step forward.

I believe that they have the Jacksonville Bulls trademarks. They need to modernize those uniforms though.

Yeah, out of the Big 5, I sense that they have zero interest in MLS and NHL. Not sure if they have any interest in the NFL either.

If they have morals they won't (i.e. they won't sell their soul to the Saudi's or Qataris).

USL won't go for that because they want to be an antagonist for the MLS, to a point where their fans believe that they can get USL Championship at the same status at MLS, which is nothing but pie-in-the-sky, since they don't have the markets or the money to compete with MLS......unless the USL sells their soul to the Saudis.

USL is attempting to add a pro/rel system at their next league meetings.

David Baker is the perfect example of failing upward by being the President of the Pro Football Hall of Fame for 6 years after the AFL.

What a stupid move this is for the AFL: BLU CANARY CAPITAL PARTNERS WITH THE ARENA FOOTBALL LEAGUE (AFL) (prnewswire.com)

Canton McKinley High School's nickname is the Bulldogs so the USFL may not want to go that route.