USFL 2023 Season

[GDAWG]

2 hours ago, GDAWG said:

 

When they announced the Detroit hub with the Panthers and Stars, the USFL mentioned Gilbert and Pistons owner Tom Gores as the people responsible for bringing the USFL back to Detroit.  

 

Also, when they announced the Showboats, the USFL mentioned Fred Smith (FedEx Founder, former minority owner of the Commanders before Daniel Snyder brought him out and the father of Falcons head coach Arthur Smith) as the man responsible for bringing the Showboats back to Memphis.    Smith was at the November 2022 press conference to bring the Showboats back.  

[MJWalker45]

Pittsburgh and New Orleans look like they'll be bringing up the back end of the league this year. 12-9 for New Orleans, and Pittsburgh has a TD because they recovered a Breakers fumble and basically fell into the end zone. Birmingham fnas are also not showing up for the Breakers. Vipers games had more fans than this. Bethel-Johnson for the Breakers can be pretty upset because there have been several dropped passes that would have been big gains had they been completed, and one wold have been a TD on 2nd and goal. 

 

[4_tattoos]

1 hour ago, MJWalker45 said:

Birmingham fnas are also not showing up for the Breakers.

So nothing's changed from last season?

 

Last year games in Birmingham not featuring the Stallions were practically empty. With the exception of days when the Stallions played in the second game. Fans would start trickling in the second half of the first game.

[MJWalker45]

32 minutes ago, 4_tattoos said:

So nothing's changed from last season?

 

Last year games in Birmingham not featuring the Stallions were practically empty. With the exception of days when the Stallions played in the second game. Fans would start trickling in the second half of the first game.

Canton should be interesting to see what the turnout looks like for Maulers and Generals games. I'd expect decent crowds for the first games at least.

[CS85]

The NO/PIT  broadcast had to have been sweetening the mix with fake crowd noise.  There were like a dozen people in attendance, maybe.  The Panthers/Gamblers game had virtually no attendance as well, but they had a more natural sounding crowd (for the like fifteen people that came by to watch).  

 

This can't be sustained.  The XFL is not only better in terms of quality of play, rules, etc., but the legit interest from several fanbases creates national buy-in.  The USFL is playing in front of covid-era crowds, jerking their fans around with the pointless city names.

[GDAWG]

With the Houston Roughnecks playing in Houston, it is unlikely that the Gamblers will ever play in Houston so the USFL needs to figure out what to do with the Gamblers.  If they want an actual presence in Texas, they might have to consider Austin, but where would they play in Austin?  Otherwise the Gamblers motiff and nickname fits a team in Oklahoma (Tulsa) better, unless they want to bring the Outlaws back.  I sense that the Gamblers will either go to a new city or be like the Bandits and be replaced.  If they still want Texas, do they go to El Paso or the Rio Grande Valley?  

 

The Maulers are playing in Canton right now and the USFL are promoting Canton as part of the Pittsburgh Market despite Canton being only one hour from Cleveland.  I think they would have kept their uniforms from last year if they didn't believe that they would eventually play at Acrisure.  The only other stadium is the 5,000 seat stadium where the USL Pittsburgh Greyhounds are playing, but the USFL might see it as too small for what they want in a stadium.  

 

The Generals are in a bind.  I doubt that MetLife Stadium or Red Bull Arena are in play.  That leaves Rutgers and Princeton and I don't think they would be as open to pro football at their stadiums as the University of Houston is with the Roughnecks.  The Generals seem unlikely to ever play a game in New Jersey.  I don't think New York City is a viable option either.    The USFL could be long gone when New York City FC opens their stadium in Queens.  If they want to keep the Generals brand and want to have all of their teams playing in front of actual home fans, I think a better option would be to move the team to the New England area, most likely Hartford at the football stadium where UConn plays.  Would the University of Buffalo be interested in hosting the Generals?  

 

Stars are in a similar situation as the Generals.  Where would they play in Philly?  Franklin Field hosts multiple track and field events during this time of year.  Subaru Park is busy with the Philly Union and Philly Union 2 of MLS NP.  I find it hard to believe that the Linc would be an option though.  

 

As for the Breakers, if Tulane was open to allowing the Breakers to play at Yulman Stadium then that solves the stadium problem for the Breakers.  If not then the Breakers will be like the Gamblers, Maulers, Generals and Stars.....in a bind on where to play.  The USFL has problems ahead with at least four of the teams in regards to their futures beyond the hubs. 

 

[Ferdinand Cesarano]

8 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

The Generals are in a bind.  I doubt that MetLife Stadium or Red Bull Arena are in play.

 

8 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

Stars are in a similar situation as the Generals.  . . .  Subaru Park is busy with the Philly Union and Philly Union 2 of MLS NP. 

 

Why are Red Bull Arena and the Union's park not options?  Surely the USFL have noticed the D.C. Defenders' ability to fill D.C. United's stadium, and would be willing to pay even an inflated rent to get the Generals and Stars situated in similar-sized stadiums.

[MJWalker45]

Just now, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

 

Why are Red Bull Arena and the Union's park not options?  Surely the USFL have noticed the D.C. Defenders' ability to fill D.C. United's stadium, and would be willing to pay even an inflated rent to get the Generals and Stars situated in similar-sized stadiums.

Unless MLS were to force NYCFC to play at Red Bull, there's no reason it shouldn't be in play. And MLS wouldn't make them do  that except for the playoffs. I don't seeing them paying over the average to put teams there, but I think it's the best option available. 

11 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

With the Houston Roughnecks playing in Houston, it is unlikely that the Gamblers will ever play in Houston so the USFL needs to figure out what to do with the Gamblers.  If they want an actual presence in Texas, they might have to consider Austin, but where would they play in Austin?  Otherwise the Gamblers motiff and nickname fits a team in Oklahoma (Tulsa) better, unless they want to bring the Outlaws back.  I sense that the Gamblers will either go to a new city or be like the Bandits and be replaced.  If they still want Texas, do they go to El Paso or the Rio Grande Valley?  

 

The Maulers are playing in Canton right now and the USFL are promoting Canton as part of the Pittsburgh Market despite Canton being only one hour from Cleveland.  I think they would have kept their uniforms from last year if they didn't believe that they would eventually play at Acrisure.  The only other stadium is the 5,000 seat stadium where the USL Pittsburgh Greyhounds are playing, but the USFL might see it as too small for what they want in a stadium.  

 

The Generals are in a bind.  I doubt that MetLife Stadium or Red Bull Arena are in play.  That leaves Rutgers and Princeton and I don't think they would be as open to pro football at their stadiums as the University of Houston is with the Roughnecks.  The Generals seem unlikely to ever play a game in New Jersey.  I don't think New York City is a viable option either.    The USFL could be long gone when New York City FC opens their stadium in Queens.  If they want to keep the Generals brand and want to have all of their teams playing in front of actual home fans, I think a better option would be to move the team to the New England area, most likely Hartford at the football stadium where UConn plays.  Would the University of Buffalo be interested in hosting the Generals?  

 

Stars are in a similar situation as the Generals.  Where would they play in Philly?  Franklin Field hosts multiple track and field events during this time of year.  Subaru Park is busy with the Philly Union and Philly Union 2 of MLS NP.  I find it hard to believe that the Linc would be an option though.  

 

As for the Breakers, if Tulane was open to allowing the Breakers to play at Yulman Stadium then that solves the stadium problem for the Breakers.  If not then the Breakers will be like the Gamblers, Maulers, Generals and Stars.....in a bind on where to play.  The USFL has problems ahead with at least four of the teams in regards to their futures beyond the hubs. 

 

Gamblers - Maybe they take a page from the Wranglers/Outlaws and move to Oklahoma City or Tulsa? 

 

Maulers - Canton is in that weird little area where they are in both teams areas of influence. The only weird thing about the team being in Canton is that they have to recruit from Cleveland, and probably Columbus. But if they can't find space in Pittsburgh, Historic Crew Stadium is just down the road and the colors are also a match. 

 

Stars/Generals - The Generals should be able to play at Red Bull, and the Stars at Subaru with no issues. They would just be in the same boat with the DC Defenders, in that they would have a minimum of paint on the field. I think the MLS teams are fine sharing a field for 5 or 6 games as opposed to 8 to 10 like could have happened when the Chargers were at Dignity Health Park. 

 

 

 

 

[McCall]

5 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

Unless MLS were to force NYCFC to play at Red Bull, there's no reason it shouldn't be in play. And MLS wouldn't make them do  that except for the playoffs. I don't seeing them paying over the average to put teams there, but I think it's the best option available. 

Gamblers - Maybe they take a page from the Wranglers/Outlaws and move to Oklahoma City or Tulsa? 

 

Maulers - Canton is in that weird little area where they are in both teams areas of influence. The only weird thing about the team being in Canton is that they have to recruit from Cleveland, and probably Columbus. But if they can't find space in Pittsburgh, Historic Crew Stadium is just down the road and the colors are also a match. 

 

Stars/Generals - The Generals should be able to play at Red Bull, and the Stars at Subaru with no issues. They would just be in the same boat with the DC Defenders, in that they would have a minimum of paint on the field. I think the MLS teams are fine sharing a field for 5 or 6 games as opposed to 8 to 10 like could have happened when the Chargers were at Dignity Health Park. 

 

 

 

 

I don't know if Red Bull Arena is actually in play. I think that was the intended stadium for the New York Guardians, but Red Bulls said no. Thus they ended up at MetLife.

 

If I'm remembering correctly.

[GDAWG]

41 minutes ago, Ferdinand Cesarano said:

 

 

Why are Red Bull Arena and the Union's park not options?  Surely the USFL have noticed the D.C. Defenders' ability to fill D.C. United's stadium, and would be willing to pay even an inflated rent to get the Generals and Stars situated in similar-sized stadiums.

 

The Red Bulls said no to the XFL 2.0 when it was considered an option for the Guardians and as for the Union, the schedule seems to be packed with games from the Union and Union II of MLS Next Pro  if not for Union II, Subaru Park would be a good option.  

[GDAWG]

28 minutes ago, MJWalker45 said:

Unless MLS were to force NYCFC to play at Red Bull, there's no reason it shouldn't be in play. And MLS wouldn't make them do  that except for the playoffs. I don't seeing them paying over the average to put teams there, but I think it's the best option available. 

Gamblers - Maybe they take a page from the Wranglers/Outlaws and move to Oklahoma City or Tulsa? 

 

Maulers - Canton is in that weird little area where they are in both teams areas of influence. The only weird thing about the team being in Canton is that they have to recruit from Cleveland, and probably Columbus. But if they can't find space in Pittsburgh, Historic Crew Stadium is just down the road and the colors are also a match. 

 

Stars/Generals - The Generals should be able to play at Red Bull, and the Stars at Subaru with no issues. They would just be in the same boat with the DC Defenders, in that they would have a minimum of paint on the field. I think the MLS teams are fine sharing a field for 5 or 6 games as opposed to 8 to 10 like could have happened when the Chargers were at Dignity Health Park. 

 

 

 

 

 

Tulsa, unless the USFL wants to pay an extorbitant amount of money to the University of Oklahoma to have games played at their 80.000 seat stadium.  

[MJWalker45]

13 minutes ago, GDAWG said:

 

Tulsa, unless the USFL wants to pay an extorbitant amount of money to the University of Oklahoma to have games played at their 80.000 seat stadium.  

OKC Energy could support if they got their stadium built, but I think that's ages away. 

[Sykotyk]

1 hour ago, GDAWG said:

 

Tulsa, unless the USFL wants to pay an extorbitant amount of money to the University of Oklahoma to have games played at their 80.000 seat stadium.  

 

Central Oklahoma in Edmond has a 10k seat stadium. Wonder if some temp bleachers could be brought in to get it up to 15k-20k. Tulsa could be possible and just go with the Oklahoma name and try to draw from the whole state and southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas and northwestern Arkansas. Either way, OKC would be the better market, but the stadium limits it. I don't see OU hosting a team. And an 80k stadium is not what any league should want when they're expecting about 20k at best.

 

1 hour ago, GDAWG said:

 

The Red Bulls said no to the XFL 2.0 when it was considered an option for the Guardians and as for the Union, the schedule seems to be packed with games from the Union and Union II of MLS Next Pro  if not for Union II, Subaru Park would be a good option.  

 

1 hour ago, McCall said:

I don't know if Red Bull Arena is actually in play. I think that was the intended stadium for the New York Guardians, but Red Bulls said no. Thus they ended up at MetLife.

 

If I'm remembering correctly.

 

From what I remember, that is basically how it went. Vince knew how badly small crowds in big stadiums looked during XFL 1.0 and focused more on stadiums that could host in the 20-40k range. Seattle being an outlier because of the setup of whatever the name du jour stadium in Seattle has for the Sounders, is that the bottom level feels divorced from the upper deck. Making a perfectly nice 30kish seat stadium if you ignore the tarped off upper deck.

 

But Vince wanted the major markets as much as possible. Chicago was a no go from XFL 1.0 days, but needed NYC and LA for television number purposes. And at least in LA had a good very lined up that fit perfectly.

 

2 hours ago, GDAWG said:

With the Houston Roughnecks playing in Houston, it is unlikely that the Gamblers will ever play in Houston so the USFL needs to figure out what to do with the Gamblers.  If they want an actual presence in Texas, they might have to consider Austin, but where would they play in Austin?  Otherwise the Gamblers motiff and nickname fits a team in Oklahoma (Tulsa) better, unless they want to bring the Outlaws back.  I sense that the Gamblers will either go to a new city or be like the Bandits and be replaced.  If they still want Texas, do they go to El Paso or the Rio Grande Valley?  

 

The Maulers are playing in Canton right now and the USFL are promoting Canton as part of the Pittsburgh Market despite Canton being only one hour from Cleveland.  I think they would have kept their uniforms from last year if they didn't believe that they would eventually play at Acrisure.  The only other stadium is the 5,000 seat stadium where the USL Pittsburgh Greyhounds are playing, but the USFL might see it as too small for what they want in a stadium.  

 

The Generals are in a bind.  I doubt that MetLife Stadium or Red Bull Arena are in play.  That leaves Rutgers and Princeton and I don't think they would be as open to pro football at their stadiums as the University of Houston is with the Roughnecks.  The Generals seem unlikely to ever play a game in New Jersey.  I don't think New York City is a viable option either.    The USFL could be long gone when New York City FC opens their stadium in Queens.  If they want to keep the Generals brand and want to have all of their teams playing in front of actual home fans, I think a better option would be to move the team to the New England area, most likely Hartford at the football stadium where UConn plays.  Would the University of Buffalo be interested in hosting the Generals?  

 

Stars are in a similar situation as the Generals.  Where would they play in Philly?  Franklin Field hosts multiple track and field events during this time of year.  Subaru Park is busy with the Philly Union and Philly Union 2 of MLS NP.  I find it hard to believe that the Linc would be an option though.  

 

As for the Breakers, if Tulane was open to allowing the Breakers to play at Yulman Stadium then that solves the stadium problem for the Breakers.  If not then the Breakers will be like the Gamblers, Maulers, Generals and Stars.....in a bind on where to play.  The USFL has problems ahead with at least four of the teams in regards to their futures beyond the hubs. 

 

First, it's even worse, it's the Riverhounds, not Greyhounds. And the stadium barely seats about 4k if you squeeze everyone in. A road behind the home side and railroad tracks just beyond the river side makes the stadium nearly impossible to expand.

 

As for Buffalo. No. Not just no. But hell no. That would be like putting NJ in Norfolk or Richmond, Virginia. It's over 330 miles from MetLife to Buffalo (and further since UB is on the north side of town while Bills play far south of town). The best bet for NJ would be Red Bull but Red Bull just doesn't want it. They got the rugby team briefly and the title game last year was played at RBA, but this year they're at another stadium. Also, RBA is hosting the NWSL team. As long as RB owns the team, runs the stadium, etc I don't see it happening.

 

MetLife will rent to anyone. But it's costly, huge, and hard to get to from almost anywhere with people. If not for the Giants and Jets history, there's no way games at the meadowlands would do well. So many other teams tried and failed. This isn't the USFL of the 80s. The Generals will not draw a big enough crowd to make it worthwhile.

 

Rutgers could be an option.  They host HS title games every year it seems. Princeton has the perfect sized stadium but it's highly unlikely they'd ever host an outside team.

 

For Philly, Franklin Field also hosts quite a few high school games. It's in the city. it's perfectly capable of hosting games. It's just old. Villanova Stadium holds 12,500 which for the USFL could work. Union's stadium is there, but one of the biggest complaints is being in Chester and the neighborhood.

[GDAWG]

I had forgotten that Villanova has a football team.  I didn't even know they had one until Bryan Westbrook entered the league.  But yeah, Villanova's football stadium could work for the Stars.  

[GDAWG]

Maulers and Generals are going to have issues with finding home stadiums then.  I think the only option for the Generals might have to be Hartford and the Maulers will probably be renamed "Ohio Maulers" if they can't get Acrisure.  

[4_tattoos]

From what I've been told over the years, Red Bull Arena flat won't allow American football to played there. They're okay with rugby and lacrosse games on their grass, though

 

Maybe they need to consider "relocating" the northeast teams. I'm pretty sure UConn's stadium sits empty for the most part this time of year outside of the NCAA lacrosse finals and some random US soccer matches. Also think not much is going on at the Rhinos old stadium in Rochester, NY. Do the USFL absolutely have to represent Philly and Jersey?

[tBBP]

3 hours ago, 4_tattoos said:

From what I've been told over the years, Red Bull Arena flat won't allow American football to played there. They're okay with rugby and lacrosse games on their grass, though

 

Maybe they need to consider "relocating" the northeast teams. I'm pretty sure UConn's stadium sits empty for the most part this time of year outside of the NCAA lacrosse finals and some random US soccer matches. Also think not much is going on at the Rhinos old stadium in Rochester, NY. Do the USFL absolutely have to represent Philly and Jersey?

 

They probably wanna keep Philly in or at least as close to Philly as possible just to maintain their championship pedigree (I think they've won three of the four league ships they've played or something like that?) As for Jersey, well...shoot I don't know.

[Cruhawk7975]

On 4/17/2023 at 4:04 PM, Sykotyk said:

 

Central Oklahoma in Edmond has a 10k seat stadium. Wonder if some temp bleachers could be brought in to get it up to 15k-20k. Tulsa could be possible and just go with the Oklahoma name and try to draw from the whole state and southwestern Missouri, southeastern Kansas and northwestern Arkansas. Either way, OKC would be the better market, but the stadium limits it. I don't see OU hosting a team. And an 80k stadium is not what any league should want when they're expecting about 20k at best.

 

 

 

From what I remember, that is basically how it went. Vince knew how badly small crowds in big stadiums looked during XFL 1.0 and focused more on stadiums that could host in the 20-40k range. Seattle being an outlier because of the setup of whatever the name du jour stadium in Seattle has for the Sounders, is that the bottom level feels divorced from the upper deck. Making a perfectly nice 30kish seat stadium if you ignore the tarped off upper deck.

 

But Vince wanted the major markets as much as possible. Chicago was a no go from XFL 1.0 days, but needed NYC and LA for television number purposes. And at least in LA had a good very lined up that fit perfectly.

 

First, it's even worse, it's the Riverhounds, not Greyhounds. And the stadium barely seats about 4k if you squeeze everyone in. A road behind the home side and railroad tracks just beyond the river side makes the stadium nearly impossible to expand.

 

As for Buffalo. No. Not just no. But hell no. That would be like putting NJ in Norfolk or Richmond, Virginia. It's over 330 miles from MetLife to Buffalo (and further since UB is on the north side of town while Bills play far south of town). The best bet for NJ would be Red Bull but Red Bull just doesn't want it. They got the rugby team briefly and the title game last year was played at RBA, but this year they're at another stadium. Also, RBA is hosting the NWSL team. As long as RB owns the team, runs the stadium, etc I don't see it happening.

 

MetLife will rent to anyone. But it's costly, huge, and hard to get to from almost anywhere with people. If not for the Giants and Jets history, there's no way games at the meadowlands would do well. So many other teams tried and failed. This isn't the USFL of the 80s. The Generals will not draw a big enough crowd to make it worthwhile.

 

Rutgers could be an option.  They host HS title games every year it seems. Princeton has the perfect sized stadium but it's highly unlikely they'd ever host an outside team.

 

For Philly, Franklin Field also hosts quite a few high school games. It's in the city. it's perfectly capable of hosting games. It's just old. Villanova Stadium holds 12,500 which for the USFL could work. Union's stadium is there, but one of the biggest complaints is being in Chester and the neighborhood.

 

TLDR for the below - My 2024 USFL predictions: 

 

- HOU Gamblers either move into Rice Stadium or relocate to Tulsa, OK as the revived "Oklahoma Outlaws" 

 

- NOLA Breakers: 1) Yulman Stadium, or 2) Lower Bowl-only Superdome 

 

- PITT Maulers: 1) Heinz Field  or 2) relocate to Columbus and play at Mapfre Stadium 

 

- PHI Stars: 1) Franklin Field, 2) Subaru Park 

 

- NJ Generals: 1)SHI Stadium , 2) Red Bull Arena

 

-------

Houston could go a couple different directions since there are multiple available stadiums (Rice Stadium, PNC Field), but I don't think Houston will support 2 spring league teams  and the Roughnecks beat the Gamblers to the punch. Given that, I think the Gamblers will relocate to Tulsa, OK as a revived "Oklahoma Outlaws" from USFL 1.0  (ala Tampa Bay -> Memphis this year). Tulsa has a decent sized stadium at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Tulsa was reported to be one of the top TV markets for the USFL last year despite not having a team nearby.  - Tulsa has a metro area of about 1M and  they can market the team statewide for TV ratings (including the 1.4M in the OKC metro), heck they wouldn't even need to change the color scheme of the team either. 

 

Pittsburgh might actually be well positioned to either: a) Move into Heinz Field (I refuse to call it by its current name)  and tarp off the upper decks/strategically angle TV cameras to mitigate its huge size, or b), relocate to Columbus, OH and play at Mapfre stadium (Columbus Crew's old stadium, which coincidentally has the same color scheme) - using the year in Canton as a bridge to Columbus.  

 

NOLA should work fine as a full time home for the Breakers, pending a deal at one of: a) Yulman Stadium (Tulane's FB stadium) which is the perfect size for the team, of necessary, b) the lower bowl of the Superdome with upper levels tarped off/darkened 

 

Philly  should be able to get one of:  a) Franklin Field (first choice if they can schedule around Penn Relays),  b) Subaru Park (assuming they can work out a deal with the MLS team). Either should be fine for what the USFL needs for year 3. If either is off the table, Lincoln  Financial field with tarps on upper decks or Villanova Stadium with extra bleachers could work in theory - though neither ideal. 

 

NJ  - Should be able to get one of Red Bull Arena, or SHI Stadium - the former being more preferable to attract NYC fans, the latter being more likely for actually getting a lease agreement. Rutgers' M/W lacrosse teams play most of their home games there too, but I think the Generals should be able to snag 5 weekends between April and June there for home games. Princeton could work in theory, though the university may not be as keen on hosting games since the stadium is in the center of campus.  Avoid Metlife Stadium at all costs. 

 

 

[Cruhawk7975]

On 4/17/2023 at 1:35 PM, GDAWG said:

With the Houston Roughnecks playing in Houston, it is unlikely that the Gamblers will ever play in Houston so the USFL needs to figure out what to do with the Gamblers.  If they want an actual presence in Texas, they might have to consider Austin, but where would they play in Austin?  Otherwise the Gamblers motiff and nickname fits a team in Oklahoma (Tulsa) better, unless they want to bring the Outlaws back.  I sense that the Gamblers will either go to a new city or be like the Bandits and be replaced.  If they still want Texas, do they go to El Paso or the Rio Grande Valley?  

 

The Maulers are playing in Canton right now and the USFL are promoting Canton as part of the Pittsburgh Market despite Canton being only one hour from Cleveland.  I think they would have kept their uniforms from last year if they didn't believe that they would eventually play at Acrisure.  The only other stadium is the 5,000 seat stadium where the USL Pittsburgh Greyhounds are playing, but the USFL might see it as too small for what they want in a stadium.  

 

The Generals are in a bind.  I doubt that MetLife Stadium or Red Bull Arena are in play.  That leaves Rutgers and Princeton and I don't think they would be as open to pro football at their stadiums as the University of Houston is with the Roughnecks.  The Generals seem unlikely to ever play a game in New Jersey.  I don't think New York City is a viable option either.    The USFL could be long gone when New York City FC opens their stadium in Queens.  If they want to keep the Generals brand and want to have all of their teams playing in front of actual home fans, I think a better option would be to move the team to the New England area, most likely Hartford at the football stadium where UConn plays.  Would the University of Buffalo be interested in hosting the Generals?  

 

Stars are in a similar situation as the Generals.  Where would they play in Philly?  Franklin Field hosts multiple track and field events during this time of year.  Subaru Park is busy with the Philly Union and Philly Union 2 of MLS NP.  I find it hard to believe that the Linc would be an option though.  

 

As for the Breakers, if Tulane was open to allowing the Breakers to play at Yulman Stadium then that solves the stadium problem for the Breakers.  If not then the Breakers will be like the Gamblers, Maulers, Generals and Stars.....in a bind on where to play.  The USFL has problems ahead with at least four of the teams in regards to their futures beyond the hubs. 

 

 

 Eh, I wouldn't rule out SHI Stadium until we hear something more definitive on that front - they host  Rutgers' Mens/Women's lacrosse teams and have hosted NJ state HS football championships in the past, but I don't think that would preclude the Generals from getting 5 weekend home dates  between April and June - I'm sure Rutgers's Athletic Dept would be open to another revenue stream since they have a substantial debt to pay. 

 

Penn does host the Penn Relays in late April,  but I do think the Stars could work as a tenant there with some flexibility/backloading for their Home Schedule. 

 

My bet is that Fox does not want to abandon 2 of the top 5 US TV markets  that are also located close enough to each other to develop an actual organic rivalry as well, especially since both have multiple venue options on paper.  

[McCall]

1 hour ago, Cruhawk7975 said:

 

TLDR for the below - My 2024 USFL predictions: 

 

- HOU Gamblers either move into Rice Stadium or relocate to Tulsa, OK as the revived "Oklahoma Outlaws" 

 

- NOLA Breakers: 1) Yulman Stadium, or 2) Lower Bowl-only Superdome 

 

- PITT Maulers: 1) Heinz Field  or 2) relocate to Columbus and play at Mapfre Stadium 

 

- PHI Stars: 1) Franklin Field, 2) Subaru Park 

 

- NJ Generals: 1)SHI Stadium , 2) Red Bull Arena

 

-------

Houston could go a couple different directions since there are multiple available stadiums (Rice Stadium, PNC Field), but I don't think Houston will support 2 spring league teams  and the Roughnecks beat the Gamblers to the punch. Given that, I think the Gamblers will relocate to Tulsa, OK as a revived "Oklahoma Outlaws" from USFL 1.0  (ala Tampa Bay -> Memphis this year). Tulsa has a decent sized stadium at H.A. Chapman Stadium. Tulsa was reported to be one of the top TV markets for the USFL last year despite not having a team nearby.  - Tulsa has a metro area of about 1M and  they can market the team statewide for TV ratings (including the 1.4M in the OKC metro), heck they wouldn't even need to change the color scheme of the team either. 

 

Pittsburgh might actually be well positioned to either: a) Move into Heinz Field (I refuse to call it by its current name)  and tarp off the upper decks/strategically angle TV cameras to mitigate its huge size, or b), relocate to Columbus, OH and play at Mapfre stadium (Columbus Crew's old stadium, which coincidentally has the same color scheme) - using the year in Canton as a bridge to Columbus.  

 

NOLA should work fine as a full time home for the Breakers, pending a deal at one of: a) Yulman Stadium (Tulane's FB stadium) which is the perfect size for the team, of necessary, b) the lower bowl of the Superdome with upper levels tarped off/darkened 

 

Philly  should be able to get one of:  a) Franklin Field (first choice if they can schedule around Penn Relays),  b) Subaru Park (assuming they can work out a deal with the MLS team). Either should be fine for what the USFL needs for year 3. If either is off the table, Lincoln  Financial field with tarps on upper decks or Villanova Stadium with extra bleachers could work in theory - though neither ideal. 

 

NJ  - Should be able to get one of Red Bull Arena, or SHI Stadium - the former being more preferable to attract NYC fans, the latter being more likely for actually getting a lease agreement. Rutgers' M/W lacrosse teams play most of their home games there too, but I think the Generals should be able to snag 5 weekends between April and June there for home games. Princeton could work in theory, though the university may not be as keen on hosting games since the stadium is in the center of campus.  Avoid Metlife Stadium at all costs. 

 

 

Red Bull Arena has already said no to football. It ain't happening.